Battery Replacement and
Upgrade (All Models)
Problems when the Battery Dies
Official Battery Disconnect Procedure with Passive
Immobilization
Care in Choosing New Battery
Offical
Battery
Replacement Procedure
Improved
Unofficial Replacement Procedure
Upgrading to an
Optima Red Top Battery
Problems
when the Battery Dies
If the battery is disconnected or dies (whether due to old age or
leaving
the lights on), the situation on a Range Rover 4.0/4.6 and later models
is more
complicated
than for more simple old fashioned vehicles. The problem is the
all-pervasive
alarm system, which is inclined to lock the doors if it senses anything
unusual. When the battery is nearly dead, it can lock the doors,
especially
annoying if you have left the key in the car. Accordingly, I find it
better to do "preventive maintenance" and change the battery early to
avoid this problem. When the battery power is getting low you may
notice strange things happening such as flashing lights and fault
messages on the dash while cranking, indicating the electronics are not
getting enough voltage. Don't wait til the battery dies completely --
replace it!!
Care in
Choosing New Battery
Be careful that you replace the battery with an approved sealed type. Nick Warden
reports that in January 2004 the electronic air suspension on his
2001 4.6 HSE failed
completely, due to the right-hand front air line failure caused by
battery acid spilling on it. The problem had been caused by an
incorrect replacement battery of the non-sealed variety being
fitted several
months earlier. It had boiled
over on occasions and caused the air line corrosion. If you are not
going to use a standard sealed type, another option is to upgrade to
the Optima battery as described below.
Official
Battery Replacement Procedure
When replacing the
battery on 4.0/4.6 and later model Range Rovers, you should leave one
of the doors open (preferably the drivers door) to
prevent being locked out. This should prevent the locking system from
automatically locking the vehicle and arming the alarm when the battery
is being disconnected. Then, disconnect the battery negative lead
first, and complete the replacement procedure normally. Afterwards, you
need to
put
the key in the ignition to reset the alarm system and ignition
transponder.
You also need to key in the radio code to get it working again, and
resynch
the windows and sunroof. This procedure is described in the owners
handbook. On the Mk III Range
Rover, you even
ave to reset the steering sensor after reconnecting the battery.
In Europe and other markets where passive immobilization is
enabled
(see alarm system page),
the official battery disconnect procedure is to put the ignition key
in, turn it to the on-position and back to off. You then have something
like 10 seconds to disconnect the battery. If you don't follow this
procedure, you will have to use the Emergency Key Access (EKA)
method to get the engine started when you reconnect the battery. Kent Clarstroem reports that after
many trials, he has found the best solution if you have not used the
complete official procedure is to
at least leave the key in the ignition. BUT, make sure you leave the drivers door
open or you will be locked out! Also noteworthy is that if you
do end up having to use the EKA procedure, close the bonnet/hood first.
Otherwise, EKA will appear to work but the engine will stay
immobilized!!
More details on the problems and pitfalls of the official
battery changeover procedure for the 4.0/4.6 are posted on Andy
Cunningham's P38 site
at http://www.cunningham.me.uk/rangie/battery.php.
Improved
Unofficial Battery Replacement Procedure
To avoid having to mess with all the details and problems caused by
disconnecting the old battery, especially if you catch the problem
before power is lost completely, you can maintain power during the
changeover by jumpering the cable clamps using wither the new battery
or a spare, such as a jump starter pack. Marlon Patton first reported
this ingenious procedure as follows:
"My battery was recently dead, and to avoid having to reset the codes I
performed an experiment and it worked. I took another old battery
and jumper cabled it to the range rover terminal clamps towards the
back so I could still get to the terminal bolts. I had the new
battery ready and took off the clamps and had a friend hold them by the
cables so the jumpers were still attached. Then I lowered in the new
battery and attached the terminals and it worked! I didn't have to
reset the codes or even worse take it to the dealer and be charged $200
for a battery change."
Kevin Kelly came up with
the same idea. When he got in his new Range Rover 4.6HSE at the airport
recently he noticed that is cranked a little slower than normal.
Picking up a new battery on the way home, he then reviewed the hazards
and travail of using the official procedure and decided that it was a
lot easier to just use his 12V jumper pack when
changing the battery so he would not have to re-set anything
or enter the radio code. The photo at right shows the jumper
cables attached to the cable terminals of the old battery on Kevin's
4.6 HSE.
Note: In attaching or removing the
jumper cables, there is a danger of a spark causing a fire by igniting
gases from the old battery. This is why jump starting instructions
always tell you to conect the ground last and somewhere away from the
battery. You can minimize this risk if you are in a well ventilated
area (you can also blow around the battery or spray comressed air if
available). If your jumper battery pack has a
switch in it as many do -- then you can connect it before switching it
on. Otherwise, you might try using a spare jumper cable to
connect to the negative battery terminal lead and make the final
connection somewhere away from both batteries. As always, be careful
and use these procedures at your own risk.
Upgrading to
an Optima "Red Top" Battery
Kevin Kelly reports he had great luck with the Optima
Red Top battery
in his Classic, and it was still going strong after more than 6 years
when he sold the truck. So, when the battery in his new 4.6HSE
started showing signs of weakness (see above) he stopped by Costco on
the way home and bought a new Optima battery. He reports: "The good
news is that now that Costco is selling Optima batteries the price has
come down. I paid $149 at an auto parts store in early 1997 for my
Optima and the one I bought last night was just $99." Kevin
offers the following information about thedifferent types of Optima
batteries available.
All Optima batteries have thin lead plates wound
into a tight spiral cell, with an absorbent glass-mat in between to
hold the electrolyte solution unlike the traditional car battery with a
stack of thick lead plates surrounded by acid. The Optima design allows
for more power, a longer life,vibration resistance and since it will
not leak you can mount them sidewaysor even upside down. The Optima
batteries have more initial starting powerthan a comparably rated
conventional lead acid battery.
Optima makes batteries with three different color tops:
The Optima Red Top is
designed for standard auto and truck applications where starting puts
the most load on the electrical system. It is the best Optima battery
for people who do not have extreme electrical system loads (like a
winch) and who do not use electrical items in their vehicle for long
periods of time when the engine is not running. It is now available
from Atlantic British
for $169.
The Optima Yellow Top
is a deep cycle battery. It will last a lot
longer than the Red Top
starting battery if heavy electrical loads (like a winch) or use of
electrical items for long periods of time (like running a stereo or 12V
fridge for hours at a time with the engine off) that run the battery
down on a regular basis. (I recently found it is now available
from Atlantic British
for $199). The Yellow Top is still a decent
starting
battery but due to a different chemistry for the paste material on the
plates and a stronger acid it has a little less starting power than the
Red Top. Update
May 2004: Wayne
Hubbell reports: "Optima now makes a D31A battery that fits
perfectly in the
Range Rover tray. It is a sealed, deep cycle "yellow top" with
tremendous cranking current and very good reserve. I have had great
luck with their batteries under desert conditions".
The Blue Top Optimas
are their Marine batteries and Optima makes both starting (Blue Top,
Gray Case) and deep cycle (Blue Top, White Case) marine batteries. The
only difference between the "Marine" Optima batteries is the addition
of threaded marine terminals in addition to the standard battery
terminals. Optima batteries last much longer than regular batteries in
boats since the abuse on a battery in a boat in rough water is much
worse than in any vehicle.
For more information go to:
http://www.optimabatteries.com or
http://roverparts.com
As an interesting footnote, Kevin also reports that the aftermarket
battery
in his 4.6 had a plastic lifter to get it to the proper height (see
photos) and just as he was about to use it with the Optima he realized
that the plastic cap (not shown) that snapped to the top of the Optima
to protect
the terminals was also designed to snap on the bottom of the battery to
lift it up (the photo at left just has the lifter from the old battery
in it). The old battery and the Optima are both about the same height
and need the lifters so they are tall enough to come in contact with
the hold down on the 4.6.
All photos on this page courtesy of Kevin
Kelly