Battery light, 2005 LR3
#42
(TEST BATTERY AND CHARGE SYSTEM: VOLTAGE DROPS BELOW 11V RANDOMLY ON LOAD. POSSIBLE BAD VOLTAGE REGULATOR OR FAULTY DIODE. LOAD TEST BATTERY "OK") That is what the shop said about it. They also said that if the battery light came on right away, then the battery wasn't the problem in the first place. Even if the battery was bad, it would have taken a little bit for the alternator to be strained enough to have the diodes overload, but not immediately. But, since I'm not sure how old the last battery was, it wasn't exactly a wasted investment. LR owes me a new alternator, it was bad before/when I installed it. Big surprise, huh? Let's just hope they don't give me any crap in getting a new one. Keeping my fingers crossed. My multimeter must be in need of calibration, it was telling me that my voltage output was 14V, at the shop on the machine, it was reading out in between 10-11V. Piece of crap parts.
#44
(TEST BATTERY AND CHARGE SYSTEM: VOLTAGE DROPS BELOW 11V RANDOMLY ON LOAD. POSSIBLE BAD VOLTAGE REGULATOR OR FAULTY DIODE. LOAD TEST BATTERY "OK") That is what the shop said about it. They also said that if the battery light came on right away, then the battery wasn't the problem in the first place. Even if the battery was bad, it would have taken a little bit for the alternator to be strained enough to have the diodes overload, but not immediately. But, since I'm not sure how old the last battery was, it wasn't exactly a wasted investment. LR owes me a new alternator, it was bad before/when I installed it. Big surprise, huh? Let's just hope they don't give me any crap in getting a new one. Keeping my fingers crossed. My multimeter must be in need of calibration, it was telling me that my voltage output was 14V, at the shop on the machine, it was reading out in between 10-11V. Piece of crap parts.
Be careful with the new alternator because what fried the last 2 may still be a ghost in the machine if the battery was not the root cause. Bad diodes in a factory alternator are not as common as many would have you believe, though they are common in cheap rebuilds. They're a very simple (read: reliable) electrical component and the alternators are usually tested for voltage and current output before they leave the factory.
When a new alternator blows a diode, there's usually a root cause present within the vehicle's electrical system or the installation process. For example, be absolutely certain to remove the negative terminal from the battery when you install the replacement and position it well out of the way.
Best,
Dave
Last edited by geotrash; 03-15-2010 at 10:09 PM.
#45
Well, I talked to LR and I have an appointment in the morning for them to look at it. They said that the alternator should be covered under my extended warranty as it is under the engine portion. They are gonna look at it on there LR machine, (it is apparently better than all other charging system machines) and find out what the cause is and hopefully repair it under my warranty on my truck and for the part. When I replaced the battery the negative was completely away from the terminal and I took off the positive also, just to be safe. I always completely disconnect the battery when I work on anything electrical. I guess I will see in the morning what is really going on.
#46
Well, it was the alternator. It's a good thing that I bought an extended factory warranty when I bought the vehicle and the diagnostic tests and repairs were covered under it. Since the part was warrantied, they are gonna try to get my money reimbursed that I paid for the alternator that I purchased from them. Maybe they're not as evil as I though they were. Thanks for all the help fellas, I'm sure I will see you again in another posting in the future. Take care brothers.
#48
Response
Any outcome to the issue? I have the same issue on my 08 LR3 including the LOW POWER MODE even though the battery is just over a year old. My turn signal has even gone in and out through this whole process. Some days it clicks fast as if it’s going out/gone out and other days it’s completely normal.
Hey, thanks man! It is probably the original battery. I was just thinking about that today after I got really frustrated with it. It's doing something new now. Sometimes while it's running, I will try to turn my stereo up past 20 and it won't let me and the stereo panel says "LOW POWER MODE" like it does if you just have ignition power (just battery power) on without starting it. You'd think since I'm a mechanic, that I would have thought about that before I changed a $530 alternator . . . ouch! I'm going to kick myself in the *** if that's the problem. I hate how I sometimes overlook the simple things and go right for the complicated and expensive crap. Thanks Dave, I'll let you know if that does it. If it's not that, what do you think it is? I had some guy on Justask.com tell me that something in the ignition system is tied into the charging system and that I should have my truck hooked up to a scan tool to determine the problem. That sound right to you?
#49
Any outcome to the issue? I have the same issue on my 08 LR3 including the LOW POWER MODE even though the battery is just over a year old. My turn signal has even gone in and out through this whole process. Some days it clicks fast as if it’s going out/gone out and other days it’s completely normal.
ALTERNATOR
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arrkerr
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12-14-2005 10:06 AM