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Disco 300tdi slow cranking, lights bright

Good morning oracles,

Just before I go out to buy a new battery, I thought I'd run this one past you all first.

Disco 300Tdi (1997)

Dashboard lights bright, headlights bright, very slow cranking. Jumps off OK, so I don't think there is a starter problem, or high resistance somewhere between the battery and the starter (otherwise it wouldn't jump off?).

Onset was very quick - worked fine on Friday, normal starting. Came to it Saturday morning and it wouldn't start through the slow cranking. No lights or other circuits were accidentally left on over night. Jumped it off, and went for a spin to charge up battery a bit. Tried it when I got back (admittedly less than a minute after turning it off) and it span up fine. Tried it again after about 4 hours, slow cranking and no start.

I have had collapsed batteries before on other vehicles, but always total collapse (ie no dashboard lights, headlights or cranking), I have never come across bright lights and very slow cranking before.

Should I just go and get a new battery, or is there something else I should consider first?

Other info:

Starter

Reply to
Tim
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Duff starter or a slightly duff battery or earth?

Reply to
Nige

5 years is a good life for a battery, I would suspect that. As a final check before shelling out, any acid in it?
Reply to
GbH

I read that the lights were bright and it jump starts ok, but I nowhere did I read that you left the headlights on while cranking. Try this and see if it almost puts the lights out or that it just dims them slightly as normal. If it puts them out it will be the battery, and, as previous poster says, 5 years is a long time for a battery. Otherwise remove the earth lead and put in a milliameter to see if there's any leakage with everything switched off.

Martin

Reply to
Oily

When you jump it, where do you make your earth connection ? At the battery ? If your lights are bright, it sounds more like a high resistance connection to me.

Steve

Reply to
steve Taylor

  1. Check the battery earth.

  1. If that's ok it's probably time for a new battery.

I fit a tractor battery, they last longer...

Reply to
William Black

Thanks Oily - cranking almost put the lights out, so I suspect the battery.

Thanks for the pointers

Tim

Reply to
Tim

If it's driving take it to a trusted battery supplier and ask them to drop test it. It's the only sure fire way to know. This is a serious post and doesn't involve dropping the battery!!! Like others 5 years for a Battery is a god innings so my thoughts are here too.

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

Will whats the typical price for a tractor battery , or local farmers merchants stock everything else so it means trailing further a field ( no pun intended ) . Derek

Reply to
Derek

Like many others I agree 5 years is a good life for a battery.

As it starts OK when jumped I don't really suspect a slightly high resistance joint in the starter cables or the earth return(s) but I'd still do the hand test on all the joints/terminations after trying to start it just in case one is a bit high and getting warm. It doesn't take much resistance at 400A+ to dissipate a lot of energy as heat and have all the volts across it instead of the starter.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I was told that they usually run about half the price of the real LR one.

Any decent battery supplier will get you one in a day or two and they all know which one it is.

I'm due a new one this winter (mine stared dying in Feb but they keep going through the warmer weather)

Reply to
William Black

He could also have an internal starter problem.

Reply to
Nige

On or around Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:37:14 +0100, "William Black" enlightened us thusly:

Make sure you get the terminals the right way round though. You want one of

643 or 644, (or if you're really keen, 663/664). The other one has the terminals the wrong side, making it hard to get the wires to reach.

If you're facing the side of the battery with the terminals, you want + on the left as you look at it, so that when it's in the vehicle, + is on left-hand-side rear of the battery.

Someone's managed to put the opposite one in the range rover, but it's pushing it to get the + wire to reach as it's on the front side of the battery.

You'll also probably need to do something with the clamp to make it fit.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

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