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Robbie's Guide For Battery & Quiescent Drain Testing
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M3DPO
 


Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
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England 2014 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux Auto Corris GreyDiscovery 4

Robbie; are these worth a punt to play with?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201034810269?_tr...EBIDX%3AIT
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Post #144226713th Mar 2015 7:49 pm
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SparkUK
 


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Excellent post that Robbie, the fuse volt drop idea never ocurred to me Smile
  
Post #144904226th Mar 2015 10:37 pm
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Robbie
 


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M3DPO wrote:
Robbie; are these worth a punt to play with?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201034810269?_tr...EBIDX%3AIT


I missed your post so sorry about the late reply. I'm not familiar with this unit but I suspect that it does not handle low DC amps particularly well and its resolution may only be in 10s of mA. It may be cheap but it may not do what you need it to do.

SparkUK wrote:
Excellent post that Robbie, the fuse volt drop idea never ocurred to me Smile


Thank-you and I hope it is useful for you.

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 Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948

Battery & Quiescent Current Drain Testing

Diagnostics for:
Defender, FL2, D3, D4, Evoque, RRS & FFRR
A not-for-profit enterprise


 
 
Post #144979128th Mar 2015 4:58 pm
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Bodsy
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what's the key critical needed feature that this ammeter has that lower priced ones don't?

thinking of these for example.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PCMT20-Digital-Mul...mp+ammeter

or

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reliable-Digital-M...mp+ammeter
 Bodsys Brake Bible

D4/D3 Remote FBH heat kits
BAS Remaps/ EGR Blank
Transmission Flush
Software updates/enabling


Clock/ SNOTM /3Flash / 4x4Info /BT Update /Service Reset/Error Codes / Gearbox Reset
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Post #14517191st Apr 2015 8:46 am
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Robbie
 


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Time and technology wait for no one, so there may be better options out there now, but the clamp I am using is a fraction of the price you can pay for some high resolution DC amp clamps.

Out of the 2 examples, one appears to be an AC only amp clamp (so no good on DC car electrics) and the other only has 10mA resolution, rather than 1mA. Once you add the accuracy limitations the nominal amp draw of the vehicle would be below the measurable range.

A 10mA resolution DC clamp is good enough to find a major draw so has some utility and I carry one in my car toolkit; but for diagnostics you need something better. The 1mA resolution one I use is good enough for diagnostics, but there are better ones out there with more stable readings if you are willing to spend more.

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 Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948

Battery & Quiescent Current Drain Testing

Diagnostics for:
Defender, FL2, D3, D4, Evoque, RRS & FFRR
A not-for-profit enterprise


 
 
Post #14517351st Apr 2015 9:16 am
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Bodsy
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Thanks Robbie. Thumbs Up
 Bodsys Brake Bible

D4/D3 Remote FBH heat kits
BAS Remaps/ EGR Blank
Transmission Flush
Software updates/enabling


Clock/ SNOTM /3Flash / 4x4Info /BT Update /Service Reset/Error Codes / Gearbox Reset
See It Here 
 
Post #14517431st Apr 2015 9:23 am
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M3DPO
 


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+1 Thumbs Up
 It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't. 
 
Post #14518021st Apr 2015 11:38 am
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Robbie
 


Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
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I've mentioned previously that I have seen a few D3s with poor battery ground leads or loose terminals that have triggered numerous issues. I spotted one the other day by seeing degraded system voltages on the IID, particularly with the FBH, when compared to the battery voltage.

The FBH voltage is shown here (bottom right) on a healthy D4, with the wider system voltages showing a typical amount of voltage drop when compared to the battery voltage:

Click image to enlarge


It's just something those with a diagnostic tool may notice when exploring live data.

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 Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948

Battery & Quiescent Current Drain Testing

Diagnostics for:
Defender, FL2, D3, D4, Evoque, RRS & FFRR
A not-for-profit enterprise


 
 
Post #147151410th May 2015 3:53 pm
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LRD414
 


Member Since: 27 Dec 2014
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This is an excellent guide and I'm inspired to collect together the kit to undertake this testing.
I'm looking for feedback on a couple of items.

1) Amp Clamp
I am considering this Amp Clamp (#687) by Electronic Specialties Inc (ES):
http://esitest.com/687.html
It has the recommended 1mA resolution and also includes a DMM for a similar price to the Di-Log DL6506 featured in Robbie's guide.
http://www.dilog.co.uk/_cm_DL6506.htm
However the clamp opening size is 5/8" (15.9mm) which is smaller than the DL6506 opening of 18mm.
I'm wondering whether this opening will be big enough to suit the large cables (alternator & main cable to BJB) ?
I'll measure the cables but wondered if anyone had direct experience.
Click image to enlarge


2) Testing Wire Loop
My idea to create a less expensive current loop is to use one of these fuse adapters:

And attach an in-line fuse holder to make the loop:
Click image to enlarge

with crimped spade connectors:


For the larger JCASE fuses, I'm thinking to use the same thing but with a larger in-line fuse.
That is, similar to the one in Robbies's guide but just using a larger wedge fuse of same capacity in lieu of the JCASE.
I haven't had much luck finding an actual JCASE in-line holder but think this option should be just as good.
These bits will add up to less than 20 quid for both (mini & JCASE).

Regards,
Scott

Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated Mr. Green
  
Post #161191618th Feb 2016 6:05 am
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Robbie
 


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I was kindly sent this link which adds a few top tips to my guide on checking the mV across the fuses:



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 Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948

Battery & Quiescent Current Drain Testing

Diagnostics for:
Defender, FL2, D3, D4, Evoque, RRS & FFRR
A not-for-profit enterprise


 
 
Post #17889809th Mar 2017 8:25 am
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wildrobb
 


Member Since: 16 Dec 2017
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United States 2006 LR3 4.4 V8 HSE Auto Barolo BlackLR3
Alternator code po622 fault new alternator. Low battery

Thanks for this excellent article. I have a D3 that i have a battery light on with it charging 13.6 when running. I know now that code is active with KOEO and a good battery volts are just under 12volts if sitting overnight or for a few days. Will use some of these tests to eliminate current drain as possible issue. Not allowing Alt to turn on
  
Post #190181015th Jan 2018 2:51 pm
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Chris1969
 


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Hi all...

Just as an add on to this excellent post by Robbie, just wondered if there is a way to do these tests with a dmm rather than buying a clamp?

Only ask because a clamp isn't something I'm really going to use other than to see if I have a drain and a decent one that does 1ma is around the £100 mark.

I've got a dmm so I'm hoping I can use it, albeit maybe in a slightly different way but for me to at l3ats see if there is a drain.

Thanks all 👍🏻
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Post #199338320th Oct 2018 12:25 pm
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thisandy
 


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Hi,just wanted to say a big thank you to all members on here especially Robbie and Bodsy without whos help my d4 would not be the perfect vehicle it is today.
Thanks
Andy
  
Post #199546627th Oct 2018 3:53 pm
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Pete K
 


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You can get clamps from £10
  
Post #199549127th Oct 2018 5:15 pm
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Robbie
 


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thisandy wrote:
Hi,just wanted to say a big thank you to all members on here especially Robbie and Bodsy without whos help my d4 would not be the perfect vehicle it is today.
Thanks
Andy


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 Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948

Battery & Quiescent Current Drain Testing

Diagnostics for:
Defender, FL2, D3, D4, Evoque, RRS & FFRR
A not-for-profit enterprise


 
 
Post #199617829th Oct 2018 8:13 pm
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