Thread: RR 2005: Key does not turn, weird barcode on dash, no lights inside, can't open trun

Yesterday afternoon I discovered that I can't turn the ignition key; when I open the door (it was unlocked) there is no light coming from inside; I can't open the trunk or roll down any window, and most importantly there is a very weird barcode type thing on the dash where it shows odometer/mileage/temp - see the photo below..


I tried:


- remove fuse 18 and put it back - no change
- disconnect the negative terminal from the battery, and put it back - no change. In past BTW, it could hear a spark from connecting the terminal, but not now.


I connected the battery maintainer (not the charger) to the battery, while it is disconnected. After leaving on 750 ma charging, after 16 hours (so like after 12 ah) it still shows that the battery is being charged.


So my questions:


1. What the hell it is?
2. Is it battery, alternator, fuse, steering column or whatever related?
3. What should I do?


Thanks.

Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

IIRC this is a common fault Turners Garage - Ignition Switch & Steering Column Repairs (turners-garage.com)

No soldering hack to fix range rover l322 ignition wont turn problem with $1! #rangerover #carfix - YouTube

Ignition issues steering lock 2003 l322 Td6 (aulro.com)

Update: it was a dead battery. After 40h on 800ma charge, the voltage reading was 12.40V. I took the battery out, and took it first to Autozone and then to Walmart. Autozone tested and said that battery was 53% charged (after 40h on 800ma, see above) but still good. Walmart tested as well and declared the battery still good and charged it to full.



After bringing the battery back and installing it, the car started without a problem. So lesson learned - keep your battery charged and test it regularly. To do so, I've ordered Topdon TB6000Pro, hope it will do the job.



One more question - considering that I already have encountered the ignition key locking problem, what is better - leave the key in the ignition and have the battery on the charger/maintainer all the time when the car is parked in the garage, or remove the key and do fuse #18 remove/insert all the time?



Thanks.