FlAT BATTERY.

generaldogsbody · Jul 19, 2020

I've let my battery go flat on my disco 2,I thought i'd put it on charge.Guess what,my door lock doesn't work.I can't get in my landy to open the bonnet,iv'e tried the old school trick,pulling the latch up inside with a coat hanger.No,i just cant get in it.Have any of you experts got any ideas,thanks.

sierrafery · Jul 19, 2020

It seems it's superlocked so you'll have to crawl under and hook the charger to the starter motor's positive lead to get enough "juice" to unlock with the fob

generaldogsbody · Jul 19, 2020

sierrafery said:
It seems it's superlocked so you'll have to crawl under and hook the charger to the starter motor's positive lead to get enough "juice" to unlock with the fob

Thanks for your reply,sounds like that's a plan.Nice one,Cheers.

ronsealdeath · Jul 19, 2020

You can also use the tow socket but dunno how many amps it would take. 12s only though pin#4

Shippers · Jul 19, 2020

Wouldn't have thought a FIAT BATTERY would be big enough for a Disco...

Stanleysteamer · Jul 19, 2020

generaldogsbody said:
I've let my battery go flat on my disco 2,I thought i'd put it on charge.Guess what,my door lock doesn't work.I can't get in my landy to open the bonnet,iv'e tried the old school trick,pulling the latch up inside with a coat hanger.No,i just cant get in it.Have any of you experts got any ideas,thanks.

Sorry to be dim, but can't you unlock the door with the key? If not then you have more than one problem.
And I am not just being "clever" I had exactly the same peoblem with a new-to-me D1 and had to solve it. Keys that came with the vehicle, all three of them, not one would unlock the door. so plus one to Sierra's idea if you key won't let you in mechanically!
Apparently you can fiddle about through the spaces just under the bonnet and get it to unlatch but I have never done this.

generaldogsbody · Jul 19, 2020

When i say the door lock doesn't work,i mean the key just turns like its not connected to the door mechanicsm.

generaldogsbody · Jul 19, 2020

ronsealdeath said:
You can also use the tow socket but dunno how many amps it would take. 12s only though pin#4

My charger's only 4-8 amp.So is there a constant live on the tow socket,i think theres two tow sockets on my landy i presume one's for a caravan and one for a trailor.I need more info on this,good idea.

Stanleysteamer · Jul 19, 2020

generaldogsbody said:
My charger's only 4-8 amp.So is there a constant live on the tow socket,i think theres two tow sockets on my landy i presume one's for a caravan and one for a trailor.I need more info on this,good idea.

I also thought about this, but it is a bit of a fiddle making sure you connect to the right thing in the tow socket. so I would crawl under the car and find the positive connection to the starter motor and use that. As you say, you can use a meter to find it then connect your batt charger to it. Earth can go onto any good earth nearby.

derwendolly · Jul 19, 2020

I think @ gstuart has done something about using the towing electrics to charge the battery. He has a D3 and you'll find 'him' in the Discovery section.

generaldogsbody · Jul 19, 2020

Stanleysteamer said:
I also thought about this, but it is a bit of a fiddle making sure you connect to the right thing in the tow socket. so I would crawl under the car and find the positive connection to the starter motor and use that. As you say, you can use a meter to find it then connect your batt charger to it. Earth can go onto any good earth nearby.

I think that's the safest way to go,when i do get it open i wont be letting it go flat again.

Stanleysteamer · Jul 19, 2020

derwendolly said:
I think @ gstuart has done something about using the towing electrics to charge the battery. He has a D3 and you'll find 'him' in the Discovery section.

It is almost as if a dedicated plug to go into the towing socket with the requisite two wires left hanging out, clearly marked positive and negative, might be an idea for the future. but we live in weird times! (I have about 5 dead batts in my garage I have recently removed from cars some of which i would have said were OK, more or less. but then I have a fancy modern Ring charger that dictates to me when it will charge a dead batt or not. Unlike my old simple one which I just plugged in and left to get on with it. but that one has blown a circuit soemwhere and I am too thick when it comes to electrics to repair it without someone holding my hand!)

derwendolly · Jul 19, 2020

Stanleysteamer said:
It is almost as if a dedicated plug to go into the towing socket with the requisite two wires left hanging out, clearly marked positive and negative, might be an idea for the future. but we live in weird times! (I have about 5 dead batts in my garage I have recently removed from cars some of which i would have said were OK, more or less. but then I have a fancy modern Ring charger that dictates to me when it will charge a dead batt or not. Unlike my old simple one which I just plugged in and left to get on with it. but that one has blown a circuit soemwhere and I am too thick when it comes to electrics to repair it without someone holding my hand!)

Yes, the towing socket plug is a specific one but it is obtainable from most caravan places although I think the one he had was a ready-made one to accept the charger he has - ctek?? It's a bit late for my brain to be fully functioning!!!

generaldogsbody · Jul 21, 2020

Sorted,i used the pins off an old trailer plug.Connected my charger to the wires,took about 15 sec to open.Cheers lads.

gstuart · Jul 22, 2020

derwendolly said:
I think @ gstuart has done something about using the towing electrics to charge the battery. He has a D3 and you'll find 'him' in the Discovery section.

hiya

sorry I missed this , indeed I connected to pins 3 & 4 , installed a 12s towing socket , fitted a small fuse box as an extra precaution, then fitted a connector on the front of the house, drilled through the wall into the hallways where my CTEK charger is

plus fitted the small battery monitors onto both batteries , then an app on my iPad so easy to check what the current battery Vdc are

have also been messing around with a magnetic connector for the ctek, to make it easier then to plug / unplug the ctek, Got to check everything will work properly first , normally leave the CTEK plugged in 24/7

hope that helps

Stanleysteamer · Jul 23, 2020

generaldogsbody said:
Sorted,i used the pins off an old trailer plug.Connected my charger to the wires,took about 15 sec to open.Cheers lads.

Great, and now you'll be ready to charge up the batt next time you don't want to open the bonnet!
Would you mind telling us which two pins it is, possibly a little diag? As i have this problem all the time on the two D1s I don't use much and I can only get into one of them with the key.

generaldogsbody · Jul 24, 2020

Stanleysteamer said:
Great, and now you'll be ready to charge up the batt next time you don't want to open the bonnet!
Would you mind telling us which two pins it is, possibly a little diag? As i have this problem all the time on the two D1s I don't use much and I can only get into one of them with the key.

I couldn't open the bonnet,i couldn't get in it to open anything.It's all in the posts above,it's got to be a caravan socket or it won't work.

Stanleysteamer · Jul 24, 2020

generaldogsbody said:
I couldn't open the bonnet,i couldn't get in it to open anything.It's all in the posts above,it's got to be a caravan socket or it won't work.

Sorry to bother you, didn't realise the thread had moved on so far since I last read it. As you say this thread is now the definitive answer to this problem, or one of them at least.
Sorry again, to have bothered you.

Nig43 · Jul 24, 2020

You can open the bonnet from the front by pushing the release to the LEFT not the right. Counter intuative I know

FlAT BATTERY.

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