Land Rover Battery / HDC Fault System Not Available

I’ve replaced several batteries on my 2005 Land Rover LR3. The batteries tend to last around 2 years.Over the yeasrs I’ve noticed some things taht happen when the battery is starting to die and the Land Rover is not happy about it. I have seen the following messages present when the battery is going out.

HDC Fault System is Not Available: This is one of the main error messages that I’ve seen present when the battery is not providing the correct voltage to the LR3 when it is doing its system check.

Transmission Faults: I’ve seen various transmission fault messages as well, usually followed by traction reduced messages.

Parking Brake Faults: This is another common error and can be caused by a bad battery.

The Cooling Fan: The other symptom of a bad battery that I’ve seen is the cooling fan will run when it is not supposed to. The electric fan clutch should only engage and run the cooling fan when the cooling system needs it to lower the temperature of the coolant. I’ve noticed that the fan will run when the truck is cold, particularly at start up. If the fan clutch is engaged, it will be very loud.

How to replace the battery on a Land Rover LR3 and Discovery 3.

NOTE: when you disconnect the battery, you may lose some system presets and need to set the clock

  1. Open the hood and remove the plastic cover on the passenger side of engine compartment towards the back.
  2. Remove the battery hold down strap. The strap is held on by two 8mm screws. The screws are different lengths, the long one is used on the passenger side of battery and the shorter one is used on the driver side of battery.
  3. Remove the negative terminal clamp and tuck it safely away. Use a 13mm socket to loosen the screw and do not come all the way out. You will loosen them up and then pull off the terminal clamp. If you need leverage, you can use a large screw driver to gently pry off the battery clamp.
  4. Remove the positive terminal clamp.
  5. Pull the battery out.
  6. Place the new battery in the battery tray.
  7. If you battery terminal clamps are dirty, clean them with a battery cleaning tool: http://amzn.to/2yPqld9
  8. Install the positive terminal clamp.
    Install the negative terminal clamp.
  9. Install the battery hold down strap.
  10. Install the battery cover.