15 Freelander 2 charging issue (plug loose next to alternator same as one at bettery 3 pin)

Ok so I have a Freelander td4 here someone already changed the alternator I don't know who to ask questions,but there's the 3 pin plug next to the alternator unplugged and it's identical as the one on top of the battery with the blue and red wire and two other wires..


It's not loosing charge but random charge errors and red battery light which also turns the radio off but the car still drives ok and all of a sudden it just goes back to normal

Also if turned off when this happens you get a key error and the left indicator sticks on plus gearbox and terrain error

If u lock the doors and unlock it sorts it out


I am unsure if this is a bcm issue or due to this plug I've been told it's the smart charge plug but I can't see where it would to there's a small plug in the alternator already


I'm wondering if theve fitted the wrong alternator? Or is the plug just deep down so I need to remove it to get access?

If someone needs pics please tell me how as I get a error saying no permission

I'd be questioning if the alternator that has been fitted is the correct one.
Does the vehicle have stop-start function?

Nodge68 said:

I'd be questioning if the alternator that has been fitted is the correct one.
Does the vehicle have stop-start function?

Click to expand...

That is actually the exact thing I was thinking as it does have the stop start.......the fact that there's a spare plug that you can clearly see has definitely been used before so can't be a spare as it would also have a cover


So how do I know which one is for the stop start? Tbh you have just confirmed what I was thinking

So the plug that was loose turns out its the plug that goes into the bottom of the fuel filter! So I plugged that in but when doing so I definitely moved the blue alternator wire around some as it's in that area

Well so far it seems to have solved the issue I doubt it's been the plug to the filter? I was more thinking the blue wire has been damaged as is common and by me moving it around it's temporarily fixed it....so I'm going to go out tommorow and replace the wire from the alternator plug rite down as far as I can get

Rite so problem not solved basically I've replaced the blue wire from the plug to as far back into the loom as I can get but no difference

Basically what happens is you get charging system fault it comes on randomly and if you keep driving it just goes away and can stay away or come on and off as it pleases!

When this happens the radio turns off and the indicators don't work and if you turn the engine off when this happens you get smart key not found and the remote locking doesn't work and the climate control stays powered with the ignition off!!

Is this the signs of a failing ecu or bcm? But see to be honest it really seems like something is loose or something because it seems to happen then just go back to normal like nothing happened with no ryme or reason there is no particular thing that sets it off


I've tried having everything turned off just to see but no change

What im wondering is does it maybe have the wrong alternator? The battery is correct and is good so that's not the issue

The alternator was replaced it's got on the receipt heated screen alternator but this is a 2014 with every possible extra ticked so I'm wondering is there a high output one it should have? Or do you think it's just a duff alternator? I'm going to go right through the car tommorow I will find the issue but it's obviously not a bad idea to ask if this rings a bell for anyone


So it's a 2014 td4 with everything extra wise and a smart key not a normal key

When the battery warning happens no radio
No windows
No central locking
No indicators
Hazards flash slow if turned on
But the car drives totally normal and doesn't run out of battery!

If turned off when the fault is appearing
Gearbox fault
Smart key not detected
Smart key not found
Terrain response unavailable


But also ive noticed this is a start stop car and even when driving without the fault present it definitely doesn't do the start stop stuff even with eco on so maybe a sigh of something?
The alternator charges at over 14v
I'm going to test it when the fault happens to see if it drops


Any help would be greatly appreciated

Also in the boot there is towbar wiring
They have tapped into fuses incorrectly which is sorted
But also they have used those scotch lock wire taps on some wires that run across the spare wheel well at the top nearest the tailgate making me wonder if they have did something that's caused damage to the ecu or similar? Because one of the scotchlocks you can see bare wire and with it being in there it could have easily been shorted plus one of the fuses where blown where they had tapped into a 10amp circuit and used two 20amp fuses on the fuse tap! So I'm assuming there could have been major damage done before it got enough to reach 40amp? They tapped into one of the fuses with the music/infotainment symbols and also the screen is grey and flickers at times



It's looking like maybe they fitted this towbar it's been working ok but then there's either been the scotch locks gave up causing a short then the fuse being too high did damage or something similar which is making me think maybe a bad bcm

I believe the largest alternator that LR fitted was 180 Amp, which is for heated screen models, non HS models had a 120 Amp alternator.

I'm not sure if later years used a different alternator to the earlier cars, but the entire electronic system is different, so it's possible.

Rite so I measured the voltage at the green wire on the plug at the battery it's only 9 volts and the blue is 13.⁷ volts I am wondering is this green one supposed to be higher?


Also when even the error comes up and you do a scan it shows no error codes at all!

I don't have access to the later version wiring diagram to check, but the earlier models use a PWM signal to tell the alternator how much power to put out. The PWM signal comes from the ECM, so if it's showing 9 Volts, this suggests to me that the alternator isn't doing what it's being asked to do.

All the wiring diagrams are now in the link in me signature.

I have a MY15 non stop/start (mines auto) we can compare to if needed.