Greetings fellow Landrover friends,

I'm excited to share that I recently became the proud owner of a 2012 Freelander 2 SD4 SE. However, my joy is somewhat dampened by a few electrical issues that have cropped up, particularly the battery draining / starting problem. It's been a bit inconsistent, with the battery sometimes lasting only a day or few hours before draining, while on other occasions, it holds up for 2-3 days. Naturally, this has become a cause for concern.

When I attempt to start the car by pushing the button, all I get is a disheartening display of flashing dashboard lights and clicking sounds, but no turning of th starter or engine roar. However, when I jump-start the vehicle or use a different battery, it starts without any trouble immediatley.

Today, I made a discovery when changing the battery again —a broken connection at the negative terminal/battery management system. From what I could gather, it seems to be a fusible link, specifically part numbers LR014994 or 10C652A, which connects to the battery management system. Now, I'm eager to understand the exact function of this component. Could this broken link be related to the battery drain problem or potentially affect the battery's charging process?
I would have thought with that fusible link broken the battery might not charge, but it still reads 14,5 V when the car is running.

I'm determined to get this sorted out, and I've been on the lookout for a replacement fusible link. Regrettably, I haven't been able to find one in South Africa just yet.

If any of you have encountered a similar problem or have knowledge about this fusible link's function or my above issue, I would be immensely grateful for your insights and advice.

Thank you all in advance for your support. Let's keep the community strong and informed!
Dennis

 

How old is the battery? Have your battery tested at a local auto parts store. It sounds like your battery is giving up the ghost and is telling you it's time.

As to the negative terminal, your photo appears to show something that was under the battery and on the tray. The LR2/Freelander 2 does not have a fusible link on the negative terminal, only on the positive terminal, and you can't miss it. it's a big honker. What you seem to have there is the battery monitoring system terminal, with a broken wire.

This is the battery with positive and negative terminals.


And this doodad is the battery monitoring system module, attached to the negative battery cable but not close to the terminal. One of the two wires is broken and that will definitely affect the electrical system. You will need to have that repaired.

 

Hi flybd5,

Thank you very much for the detailed reply.

The battery in use is not even a year old. I replaced the existing one in the Freelander with the one 74Ah one from my Jeep. Same symptoms. I have not tested the battery though, and it might still be time for a new one. Any recommendations? I am eying a 80Ah to be honest.

I also found out that I don’t have the earth cable to the starter motor as suggested by so many, maybe something I want to add today.

In regards to my photo and the broken part, you are 100% right… the cable got knocked from battery and cable/plug broke off. The cable was connected to the battery monitor system at the negative terminal as by your description, it was plugged into red circle. With the part number I mentioned, which is a fusible link according to Land Rover.




So I don’t fully understand your statement that the Freelander does not have a fusible link on the negative terminal. Or maybe I don’t understand it correctly?

I do agree though, it needs to be replaced – I just haven’t found it in South Africa yet. I might have to try my luck with soldering the plug and cable.

LR022466 - Land Rover Fusible Link | Jaguar Land Rover Classic Parts



Thank you

 

Age of the battery makes no difference. Assumptions don't help. Tests do. I've bought batteries that are allegedly new but test failed before I even put them in the car!

There is zero need to add any "earth cable" to the starter motor. The entire casing of the starter motor is earth by virtue of its surface contact with the engine block. I suspect that one of the problems here is listening to "others" instead of your service manual.

The part # you found is for the WIRING LOOM to a "fusible link" in the battery junction box. There are various fusible links in the vehicle. In your model there are fusible links to each one of the glow plugs in the BJB, for example, and there are others for other systems. But the battery system has exactly one fusible link, and it's a (if I remember correctly) a 150 amp link right at the positive terminal because it has to let enough juice through to turn the starter.

Again, you have either a bad battery, a bad alternator not charging the battery (and pray it's not that, the damn thing is very difficult to R&R) or some sort of parasitic draw on the electrical system. Often the parasitic draw is cause by something like the satellite radio module, but unless your car was imported from the US, it should not have one. Troubleshooting a parasitic draw is not difficult but it takes time because it is a process of elimination.

Start with the basics -- test the battery and the alternator. If those test good then put a meter on the battery terminals with the car turned off and see if there is a draw in AMPERE measuring mode. If there is, it usually is small. Set the meter to low range, and if you find a draw, the puzzle begins.