Electrical HELP Please

[71-800b]

LR3 Electrical HELP Please

Thanks for looking, I have had my 2006 LRS SE for about a year and a half now and love it, but just recently it started acting a little quirky but nothing that didnt go away so....I kinda just ignored it.

Parking Brake Fault (restart and it went away)
HTC Fault (every time i started it but it never did anything and went away almost immediately)
Vehicle lowered while driving one day but restarted it and it worked fine

So two weekends ago the wife and I are going out for coffee and I go to start the car and nothing, all interior lights are fine but just a click from the starter. call the dealership, they send over a tow truck and couple hours later they tell me its a bad battery, replaced for 250 bucks and i picked it up that afternoon, drove home, no issues.

that night the wife goes out again and electrical system started freaking out, hazard lights were flashing, doors locking and unlocking. she limps it home and at about 10pm i just disconnected the battery because it wouldnt stop.

called the dealership on Monday and evidently my warranty is now expired (i dont want to talk about it) so i get on here to see if i can figure out how to fix my issues. did the reset (shorting the battery cables together) that was recomended in multiple other threads and the lights and locks stopped freaking out but now i have a transmission fault with an F in the gear selection window.

So borrow a vehicle from family and go to work, now this weekend i try and figure out what to do to get this thing working, do some more research and I am at a loss. went out on saturday (was going to limp it to autozone and let them check the battery and such) and the battery is dead again. I am hopng it is something simple because honestly, im not made of money family is to big lol so I am hoping I can fix this myself, I am ok replacing an alternator or such but I am not sure that is the issue. Been reading all morning about people spilling coffee on the center console, brake light bulb filaments ecu issues, head is swimming...hoping someone can give me an idea of what to look for and get this back on the road.

Thanks everyone!

 

[PhyrraM]

I would suspect the alternator. You will have to fully charge the battery and then check the system voltage once it is restarted.

These particular alternators also can fail in a way the discharges the battery, sometimes so fast that the diode packs overheat, smoke, and/or smell like burnt electrical.

 

[71-800b]

Any idea about how difficult it will be to change the alternator? looks like I am going to have to do it from underneath, through the wheel well.

and also does anyone have a recomendation as to what alternator to buy (or not to buy) realistically, I am probably going to be selling the car now that it is not covered by a warranty, with a house full of kids unfortunatelly there is always something more important to spend money on then expensive repair parts. but i dont want to replace the item with a garbage piece that is only going to last for a month also.

Thanks again for the help

 

[PhyrraM]

The alternator is fairly easy. I changed mine on the ground (in off-road height). You just pull one panel from the wheelwell and possibly the top of the fan shoud (to remove the belt). Overall, easier than many modern cars.

I bought a Denso remanufactured unit (Denso is the OEM supplier) from RockAuto for about $200. I would make sure it really is the alternator beforehand though. On the LR3 the engine computer controls the alternators voltage output - so the voltage produced will vary depending on engine and battery conditions. The Factory Service Manual is to be found if you Google enough, I would use that as a toubleshooting guide.

I'd be careful about judging an LR3 too close to a breakdown. It would be a shame to sell it and then regret your descion later. All cars need a money infusion sooner of later....

 

[joecool509]

If you can get a breaker bar in through the top, the shroud doesn't need to be removed. I did as PhyrraM. all work from under or through the passenger wheel well.

 

[71-800b]

Thanks everyone

So after 3 days the battery was fnally charged, took a reading 12.4 volts, cool, jump in to start the car and check one with the alternator running....no dice, wont even start ***...

Tried again, tried to turn over still nothin, at this time im a little (little) upset and with my head on the steering wheel i notice the little Progressive Insurance "snap-shot" plugged into my OBD2 sensor. ****** off I yank it out and voila the car starts with no issues, running battery voltage reads 14.6ish....are you freakin kidding me

so moral of the story progressive is great, they are paying for a battery replacment and giving me a 5% discount since i only had the thing plugged in for 3 days, use at your own risk

 

[joecool509]

Now you can drive it like you stole it.
Great lessons learned. Sorry you had to learn this one the hard way.

 

[tlt]

I never trusted that voluntary spyware. This is a good tip for folks. Progressive spyware snapshot nightmare. Good Stuff.