Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: wiggleigh bottom
Posts: 1112
xtc wrote:
Hopefully you have sorted by now but if not your thought of charging through the towing socket sounds favorite..
Pin 9 12+
Pin 13 12-
Sure if you charge for 20-30 mins the doors will open and you can then charge or jump start in the normal way.
This could be made into a product. Easier than upping the bonnet, removing cover and attaching cables if you just want to top up the battery at weekends in winter. Would it really work ?There's one wheel on my wagon, but i'm still rollin' along, it's the cherokee, they're after me, but I'm singing a happy song
9th May 2009 10:58 pm
xtc
Member Since: 27 Mar 2007
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 1072
I'm sure that would be fine... Very easy way to trickle charge. Only danger is forgetting and driving off with it still plugged in. Have done that a few times with the trailer board as others have I'm sure! Needs a big sign on the steering wheel. Off Roading is OK.... But I'd rather be Boating!
10th May 2009 11:41 am
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
Didn't work for me yet.
The problem is that my multimeter is in the car so I am working a little blind. I tried a charger max 5 Amps but it didn't wan't too charge.
I tried the charger at the Volvo and it worked i.e. the gauge went to 2 amps.
On my G4 it stayed at 0 amps.
When everything failse you read the manual, so I did that too and found out that the charger checks if there is at least 2 Volts before it puts power on there.
So or I don't have a direkt connection to the battery or my battery is below 2Volts.
That looks very low to me unless off-course there is some big power going away from the battery.
I don't know yet if I can get to the back off the Altenator. But if I can, can I put power to the big lead on the altenator?Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
10th May 2009 7:04 pm
wvlenthe
Member Since: 07 Jan 2009
Location: Arnhem
Posts: 1967
Quote:
This could be made into a product. Easier than upping the bonnet, removing cover and attaching cables if you just want to top up the battery at weekends in winter. Would it really work ?
Yes it will.
On my tractor lorries, when battery was flat, I had a cable especially made for this. We used to hook two tractors up to each other by using only the towing connection normally running to the trailer. This was way faster than opening the battery compartment and dragging jump start cables some 100 m out. I even had a similar connector installed on the other lorries (non-tractor with no electrical connection to anything else) for jump start purposes.
I must say though that this was using heavy cabling as there was a loading platform on the trailers. The principle is the same though. On our D3 I would suspect the cabling not being capable of actually handling a jump start, would it?
regards,
WiljoD3 V8 HSE Auto in Zermatt silver - driveway version gone but not forgotten, only the living room cupboard version remains
10th May 2009 7:52 pm
xtc
Member Since: 27 Mar 2007
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 1072
That really is a bummer! Do you have a normal 12v supply of some sort, ie CB power supply, old laptop supply giving 15v? You could connect this for a while just to bring the volts up a bit so the normal charger works. If the battery is below 2v it is likely to be knackered now anyway.... Even when flat they normally float at several volts. It would imply something is on and attempting to draw a current which is holding the volts down.
Getting really desparate you could wire another car battery to the tow socket but via a 21w or 55w car bulb in series with the + cable. This will limit the current to a few amps and hopefully bring the volts up enough for normal charging.Off Roading is OK.... But I'd rather be Boating!
10th May 2009 8:31 pm
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
Thanks Richard,
I knew somebody would put me on tje right track.
Thinking out off the box is what I like. I thought about your Idea off a Laptop charger. I got one for my Toughbook 16V but didn't want to risk that one.
I have an old one for a Sony but that is 19.5 V.
19.5 V is a little high but as it's only 2.5 Amp the voltage would drop directely so I didn't see a problem but didn't want to take a risk so I kept thinking about it.
I just needed to have a little more then 2 V to get the battery charger to fire up.
I connected the battery charger and then I used the Laptop charger with a bulb 21 W in series and put that parrallel to the battery charger. So the plus went through the Light bulb then to the plus off the battery charger connected to the 9 off the trailer socket. The minus from the battery charger and the laptop charger were connected to the 13.
It took about 2 seconds and the battery charger fired up.
I took off the laptop charger and it kept on charging.
After about 10 minutes I tried to open the doors with the remote and it worked. I didn't expect that.
Now it is charging the battery the normal way. I had to do the Laptop charger trick another time but it is charging now and I have the doors open.
Thanks again Richard and and offcourse Disco3.co.ukRoel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
11th May 2009 9:40 am
xtc
Member Since: 27 Mar 2007
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 1072
Brilliant news! Hope the battery is OK Off Roading is OK.... But I'd rather be Boating!
11th May 2009 11:15 am
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
I managed to get it running so it doesn't look that bad yet.
I switched it off again and let the battery charger do its work for a while longer.
I hope the battery is still OK as it's a new one from january. I had a quick look but can't see anything that was left on.
The only thing I know is that I left it in Off-road height before I left on holiday but should that make a lot off difference in power consumption?Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
11th May 2009 1:11 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72986
Outstanding result, I'd have called in the RAC breakdown boys ages ago but I'm a techie wuss!
11th May 2009 1:44 pm
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
If I was somewhere else I would have done that too. But With the Wegenwacht i.e. your RAC you can get severall options, I included europe and a replacement car but did not take home town coverage. As the car was at home they will not come.
I had the time and like playing with it I will try things myselves first before getting somebody else over and with Disco3.co.uk you can do a lot yourselves. Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
11th May 2009 1:56 pm
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
Harlequin,
How did you know that your RR light were still activated. I could have had the same problem but it is difficult to say. If I switch off the light my RR light go out too and when I switch on the light again the RR lights stay off.
I have to say I see a small difference and that is the small indicator light above the switch button. That indicator light flashes once when the lights are switched on when the RR light were on when the lights were switched off.
That could mean that some relais were still powered.
Do you have the same switch?
Richard, Could this be a possible cause?
I am still trying to find the cause off this as it should be possible the leave the car somewhere for minimum off 2 weeks.Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
11th May 2009 4:35 pm
drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Hi folks and not trying to hijack the thread but has anybody else had this problem and just hooked up another vehicle using a jumper connection through the rear socket, as described by wvlenthe, but not to jump start, just to get enough charge to get the doors to unlock using the remotes?2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
11th May 2009 5:50 pm
tyke65
Member Since: 18 Nov 2007
Location: God's Country
Posts: 130
I've learned a lot from this thread. I'm going to make up one of the leads to power the car through the towing sockets, and as you never know when you are going to need it I'll make sure that I always have it in the car with me.Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you.
11th May 2009 5:52 pm
Bodsy Site Sponsor
Member Since: 06 Nov 2006
Location: In the Clubhouse
Posts: 21361
Provided you can get into the car in the first place tyke Bodsys Brake Bible
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Sony but that is 19.5 V.
