Help! Battery not charging in my 2002 Freelander Td4!?

SheDriver · Nov 26, 2018

Hi,

I’m driving a 2002 Freelander 2.0 Td4. Last week the battery died, engine would not start. Bought a new one.

Used the car for perhaps 20-40 miles during the week. Today the battery seemed to be dying again while I drove. A quick visit to local garage revealed the bare truth: the charger in the car is not charging.

Eek! An expensive part if bought brand new, plus high cost of labour as located in a slightly tricky spot underneath, if I got it right.

The cost exceeds the monetary value of my car.

I still would like to drive my honey for some time, though.

Could you pls advise me, are there good places in the UK to enquire for 2nd hand parts?

Dippypud · Nov 26, 2018

SheDriver said:
Hi,

I’m driving a 2002 Freelander 2.0 Td4. Last week the battery died, engine would not start. Bought a new one.

Used the car for perhaps 20-40 miles during the week. Today the battery seemed to be dying again while I drove. A quick visit to local garage revealed the bare truth: the charger in the car is not charging.

Eek! An expensive part if bought brand new, plus high cost of labour as located in a slightly tricky spot underneath, if I got it right.

The cost exceeds the monetary value of my car.

I still would like to drive my honey for some time, though.

Could you pls advise me, are there good places in the UK to enquire for 2nd hand parts?

Find a local auto electrician, he should be able to give you a good price for re-furbishing your own alternator, (charging unit) ...

td4van · Nov 26, 2018

A brand new one from LR Direct can be had for as little as £130 inc VAT or a genuine Land Rover exchange unit is £165 inc VAT.

YLE500170E is the part number you need

SheDriver · Nov 26, 2018

Dippypud said:
Find a local auto electrician, he should be able to give you a good price for re-furbishing your own alternator, (charging unit) ...

Thank you, but the £200 I was told the labour would be is just too much for my wallet.

I don’t know how difficult it is to reach the charger in the motor compartment - must it be done from above, or can the change be done from below if the car is lifted?

I have some friends who are fairly good at repairing their own cars, but in my model the charger is in a fairly tricky spot underneath, if I’ve understood right...?

SheDriver · Nov 26, 2018

My friends say the old charger could probably be refurbished rather easily by changing the coal parts (?English?), but the challenge is figuring out how to reach the charger itself...

guineafowl21 · Nov 26, 2018

“Coal parts” I guess are the carbon brushes - yes, they are most likely to be the problem. You can get them on ebay quite cheaply. I got a couple of sets from Gold Lion Autoelectrics.

£200 seems very expensive for changing an alternator. It should take no more than an hour. Maybe try another garage?

You need to jack up and support the front of the car and remove the undertray to get to it.

Dippypud · Nov 26, 2018

As far as I know the A/C pump needs to be moved, possibly with out being disconnected ...

Henry_b · Nov 26, 2018

Labour would Far exceed the value of the car?!

jeeze where does the mechanic think the alternator is?

I'd get a proper mechie to look at it.

Nodge68 · Nov 26, 2018

SheDriver said:
Eek! An expensive part if bought brand new,

Not that expensive really. About £150 for an OE alternator.

SheDriver said:
plus high cost of labour as located in a slightly tricky spot underneath, if I got it right.

It's a 1.5 hour job and isn't that difficult to do. If a mechanic says it's a long and difficult job, then find another one as he's trying to con you, or he's not much of a mechanic.

SheDriver said:
The cost exceeds the monetary value of my car.

How much will it cost to replace the car with an identical one? I seriously doubt it'll be less than replacing the alternator in yours.

SheDriver said:
Thank you, but the £200 I was told the labour would be is just too much for my wallet.

£200 is too much to change an alternator, but replacing the Freelander will be much more, surely.?

Henry_b said:
jeeze where does the mechanic think the alternator is?

Mars I think.

Henry_b said:
I'd get a proper mechie to look at it.

Absolutely.

Help! Battery not charging in my 2002 Freelander Td4!?

SheDriver

New Member

Dippypud

Never Knowingly Understood

td4van

Well-Known Member

SheDriver

New Member

SheDriver

New Member

guineafowl21

Well-Known Member

Dippypud

Never Knowingly Understood

Henry_b

Think outside, no box required.

Nodge68

Well-Known Member

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