Ac/dc Series 11

[Sickboy]

Hi everyone,

a question to the Land Rover lovers in the forum, I bought a series2 a while back and it's been a stunner so far, very reliable, problem being the battery has died on me as it's had a few months off for good behaviour .
Well my question is it's had a sherpa 2.5 diesel fitted, will the electrics be ac or dc, positive or negative earth? and in which case hows best to set up the leads as the lead packaging says to consult your manual??? Electrics really ain't my thing and i don't want to burn out the wiring on either vehicle. Is it best just to pull the battery out and zap it with a charger? although for future reference it would be nice to know
Well thanks for your time, maybe no one will know but it's worth a try :notworthy

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi everyone,

a question to the Land Rover lovers in the forum, I bought a series2 a while back and it's been a stunner so far, very reliable, problem being the battery has died on me as it's had a few months off for good behaviour .
Well my question is it's had a sherpa 2.5 diesel fitted, will the electrics be ac or dc, positive or negative earth? and in which case hows best to set up the leads as the lead packaging says to consult your manual??? Electrics really ain't my thing and i don't want to burn out the wiring on either vehicle. Is it best just to pull the battery out and zap it with a charger? although for future reference it would be nice to know
Well thanks for your time, maybe no one will know but it's worth a try :notworthy

Hiya Sickboy,
FIrstly I'm not LR buff so get this varified before you do anything drastic.
To find out the earth situation, look for which thick lead from the battery goes to the bodywork - that side will be the earth.
The electrics will be DC for everything you'll have to deal with, there is a technicality that the alternator will produce AC but by the time the current exits the rectifier [which might be in the alternator casing] it'll be DC.

Right - it looks from your post that you are just trying to get it started. If this is not the case, get other help. But basically;-
Removing the battery and charging it in you garage would be best, leave it connected for as long as you can (24 hours ish) before putting it back into the LR.
You can, at a push, charge the battery while it is still in the vehicle, but make sure that all electrical connections and appliances are well sheltered from the weather.
--In either case connect the positive/red wire from the charger to the positive terminal on the battery and the negative/black wire to the negative.

If you are going to try to jump start the engine, you need another vehicle of about the same size. This will mean that you have to park both vehicles close together. Use a good set of jump leads and connect the black one to negative of the good vehicle to the negative in your landie. Have someone else start the engine of the other car, then use the red lead to connect the positive terminal of their battery to the positive in yours. Allow the other engine to tick over for a while, about 10 to 15 minutes if you can - this will give a bit of life to your battery. Then get the other driver to rev their engine while you try to start yours, it'll increase the voltage a little and you might get lucky. If your starts, remove the red/positive lead first and then the other, again left your landie idle for a while before doing anything with it to get some more charge into it.
Even after all of this, the battery might still be duff, so you might have to buy a new one afterall.

This has taken longer to explain than it would to do. Ask around if you have a neighbor or a friend or relative who knows what to do - it's quite easy really.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Sickboy]

Many thanks OGRI, :You_Rock_
Yeah just trying to get the beasty started, tryed to boost it the other day, but from a Ford Ka, didn't work at all, thought i might be doing something wrong. Glad the ac/dc thing won't matter, think i'll just pull it out and give it a zap with a charger as i think the batterys fine, it's not that old, just playing up as i was starting it twice a week but not driving to replace the drain.

Thanks again OGRI :notworthy

 

[havingagiraffe]

I know this is kinda obvious, and I'm sure everyone already knows this , but.....

Check the battery's fluid level before charging or jump starting. If it's a newish battery it'll probably be fine, but you never know.....

Also, the battery acid gives off a combustible gas when being charged (is it hydrogen? ) so charge it in a well ventilated place, and let the battery stand for a while before refitting to allow any internal build up of gas to escape.

I always though batteries exploding due to careless charging was an old wives tale until I saw it happen in real life. Having seen a fitter carted off to casualty with face and eyes full of battery acid and fragments of battery casing I've become a bit paranoid about safety.

 

[Goose]

Many thanks OGRI, :You_Rock_
Yeah just trying to get the beasty started, tryed to boost it the other day, but from a Ford Ka, didn't work at all, thought i might be doing something wrong. Glad the ac/dc thing won't matter, think i'll just pull it out and give it a zap with a charger as i think the batterys fine, it's not that old, just playing up as i was starting it twice a week but not driving to replace the drain.

Thanks again OGRI :notworthy

The battery on a Ka may not be big enough to turn the engine over, you need a bigger battery to stand a chance really.
It is always worth putting the jump leads on for 5 or 10 mins before you start to build up a bit of power in the flat battery, the car you are jumping from will charge the flat battery, as ogri suggests.
It would probably be safe to assume it will have a negative earth too, landrovers and sherpas both are, in fact I can't think of a vehicle that wouldn't be neg earth I think the check list on your leads is just to cover themselves.

 

[Sickboy]

Thanks all, it is a negative earth, and the fluid levels are good, just need to aquire my battery charger from girlfriends sister now . While i'm here anybody now a good mobile mechanic/LR electrician, would like to get the hole lot checked before the winter as the wiring is showing it's age and i'm sure this probably isn't helping matters. Personal recomendations of mechanics in south east London anyone :borgsmile

 

[havingagiraffe]

It would probably be safe to assume it will have a negative earth too, landrovers and sherpas both are, in fact I can't think of a vehicle that wouldn't be neg earth

Most Series II/IIA Land Rovers prior to the 1968 facelift (ie the models with headlamps on the radiator panel, round Smiths heater, twin wiper motors and the suffix A, B or C added to the chassis number) left the factory with 12volt positive earth electrics powered by a dynamo. Most Series IIA Land Rovers after the 1968 facelift (ie the models with headlamps on the wings, a rectangular Smiths heater, a single wiper motor and a chassis number suffix D or later) have 12volt negative earth electrics powered by an alternator. Just to add to the confusion, some military Land Rovers built for radio broadcasting have lorry type 24volt electrics, as do some REME vehicles used for jump starting heavy equipment .

As Goose said, it's very rare to see anything with positive earth these days. Most pre 1968 Landies were upgraded to negative earth alternators when they were still working vehicles rather than "classic cars".

Ever noticed the small offset hole in the bumper of pre Td5 Landies? This is for the starting handle. Seriously. If you look at the centre of the fanbelt pulley on a 2.25 engine you'll see a socket to accept the starting handle which used to be supplied as part of the standard toolkit. Unless you have the strength of Atlas, the odds of spinning a Landy sized diesel engine fast enough to make it fire are pretty slim. Have any of the Landy fans on BCUK ever managed it? If so, :You_Rock_

 

[spamel]

I remeber having to turn the engine by hand on my apprenticeship at the Army Apprentice College in Chepstow. We didn't want to start the engine, just to turn it. You would need a serious amount of muscle to start the damn thing by hand! No decompression levers here!!!

 

[havingagiraffe]

I remeber having to turn the engine by hand on my apprenticeship at the Army Apprentice College in Chepstow. We didn't want to start the engine, just to turn it. You would need a serious amount of muscle to start the damn thing by hand! No decompression levers here!!!

Perhaps the starting handle was designed to turn the engine slowly when checking timing in the days before strobe lights. Seeing someone start a Landy by hand would be almost as impressive as fire by friction....

 

[scanker]

When I was a lot younger, I watched my Dad start a Landy by hand, so it can be done. Only once mind. It did look hard work.

 

[EdS]

done it but it is hard work. I also know of several people who have broken wrists trying it.

 

[havingagiraffe]

done it but it is hard work. I also know of several people who have broken wrists trying it.

When I was a lot younger, I watched my Dad start a Landy by hand, so it can be done. Only once mind. It did look hard work.

Remind me never to get into a fight with EdS or Scanker's dad - they must be HUGE...

 

[Sickboy]

Have started series 2's with the handle before, not a pleasure i want to return too , My mate had a 24v radio wagon which we restored over a year, far more interesting than gcse's The only problem was getting hold of the bulbs if i remember rightly.....