I have seen a number of threads on this but none seem to land on what I am seeing. So I had an issue a few weeks back where the battery not charging indicator came on then the car died. Took it in and the alternator was replaced, battery tested etc and it was working great. Now periodically the battery not charging indicator comes on. Not every time i drive and i can't seem to find any pattern. I took it back in and they didn't see anything but replaced the alternator again thinking maybe something faulty with it. Again the indicator is coming on. I read about the BMS. Is there something that would need to be done to reset this? If it was set incorrectly wouldn't the indicator always be going on? I drive about 20 miles each way to work and I feel like i'm playing russian roulette. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

TIA - Josh

 

Hi Josh,
Do you have access to a ODB2 DTC Code Reader that is suitable for your Jag. If not then the first suggestion is to get one. There are several makes available but you need to get one that supports Jaguar / Land Rover vehicles covering your model and year. Suitable kit can save you a fortune in the future and will be better than the generic systems used by most independent workshops. You can use this also to interrogate the BMS for fault codes that are at the root of your problem. You can also re-set the DTC's to see if they come back again after a short test drive.

Second suggestion is to examine the HT cables from the battery to make sure these are clean, free of corrosion and firmly fixed in place. Check the negative cable where it connects to the body as sometimes corrosion can limit its performance. Check the positive HT cable where it is connected in the engine bay - again you're looking for loose or corroded connections. Also, check the cable along its full length if possible to see if its insulation is chafed or damaged - if all good that should rule out a leak to earth that might be draining the battery.

Third suggestion is to make sure that when you park the car you double lock it, two clicks on the remote. Many Jags continue to use battery power after ignition off and double locking minimises this kind of drain.

Hope this helps but keep us posted.

Cheers,
Cubist

 

Some searches would turn up similar problems?
Have you looked?

Was the alternator a Jaguar replacement or aftermarket?
Lots of problems with non-Jaguar alternators.

The best way is to have yours rebuilt. But we don't know how you replaced it.

Have you measured battery voltage after the car has sat all night? After starting and then after 30 minutes of running.

If you can post these voltages it might help?
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Thank you and apologies for not providing more details. As I needed Valve Gasket replacement I sent the car to the shop. The alternator (now 2) were both OEM and not rebuilt. I have not had a chance to check the voltage as I happen to live in Chicago which apparently has become the North Pole and I don't have a garage. I did look at the cables and they all look good.

How do you reset the DTCs?

I noticed this am that the indicator came on when the ABS kicked in. I turned off the car and restarted it, drove the whole way to work and there was no issue though I was careful on ice and snow and the ABS didn't kick in. May be coincidental.

I did have a question on the voltages though. If the indicator didn't come on I would assume that the voltages are good and everything is operating correctly? Though certainly worth verifying.

 

Hi Josh,

Most GOOD code scanners have a function to clear a DTC after it has been read. On mine I have to do it for each DTC in each controller, which can be a pain in the rear, but at least that method means I have to read the DTC first so will not lose sight of anything.

The ABS indicator light will come on if one, or more, of the wheels starts to spin or even slow down unexpectedly in relation to the others. This is normal and correct and provided the warning light goes out you have no problems. Given the conditions right now in Chicago you can expect to see this warning quite often.

Typically you should get a reading better than 12.4V with the ignition off and more than 14 volts with the engine running when you perform a battery test. The usual indicator for low battery charge or a dying battery is spurious warning lights coming on when starting the engine or shortly after moving off - this is common across the range - and typically its the ABS, DTS and EML that pop up but many others can too.

Cheers,
Cubist

PO - take care in that cold weather, I don't envy you guys in the Windy City right now.

 

You can go to most auto parts stores and they will read your codes for free. Be sure to have them erase all codes BEFORE he unhooks the code reader.
Before fixing anything make sure you can get repeatable codes.

Yes if the light stays off you should be OK. I am a but unsure when you mention "indicator"?
The traction control light is different than the battery light?

Here is the dash board. I circled the red battery indicator and the yellow traction control light.
The traction control light (yellow) is suppose to flash when the traction control kicks in?






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[QUOTE]I am a but unsure when you mention "indicator"?
The traction control light is different than the battery light?

Here is the dash board. I circled the red battery indicator and the yellow traction control light.
The traction control light (yellow) is suppose to flash when the traction control kicks in?/QUOTE]

By indicator I meant the warning light - it should come on and flicker if there is any wheel spin - but I'm not sure if it would do this if the Traction Control System has been switched off as in your picture.

Cheers,
Cubist

 

 

The picture I posted is with the car off and the ignition on. That way ALL indicator lights are on so we can identify which one we are talking about. Yes the traction control light should flicker as the traction control does it work.

Great info on the dealer fix!
Any way you can post what the code was? We get these problems but very often no codes can be found.
I think the problem is they are codes from the BCM (Body Control Module) which is deeper down than most code readers can go.
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