Thread: Flat battery on 2000 Rangie Vogue - Why?? You will never believe the answer.

We recently had our battery go flat on our Rangie and as the battery was around 3 years old, we bought a new one after checking the obvious – alternator, battery terminals, nothing left on, etc.

Next day, our new battery was flat – What the !!!!

Now this was not going to be easy as I had heard of newish Landrover vehicles having flat battery problems and the cost of getting these problems fixed is horrendous.

I put another battery in from the Troopy and started to find out what the problem was. The alarm and keys/remotes had to be reset which upset the neighbours for a while after having to learn how to reset the key/remote as I would have set the alarm off at least 6 times and once it is going, you either disconnect the battery or let it time out. If anyone wants to know how to re-program the key/remote, let me know, it is easy as and an easy source of revenue for Landie dealers from what I hear.

Next I put an ammeter in series with the battery and found a current drain which ranged from 2.5A to 560mA – enough to cause some grief. All 80+ fuses were pulled and only when 2 of the bigger ones were pulled did I get a current drop to around 20mA.

After a lot of research, I found that these fuses were for the computer that basically runs the vehicle other than the engine or transmission. Even opening a door tells the computer to turn an interior light on.

Still no real progress so onto the net and phone which gave be a couple of clues. I then decided to go bush offroading, then in the bush re-attached the ammeter and after 5mins of seeming 2.5A and 560mA, the current dropped to 20mA. Why is it OK in the bush and not at home???

Home again and I started turning off wireless devices in the house (no wireless stuff in the bush we hope which is why I went there to do a test) The theory was that as the remote for the vehicle is wireless, the remote receiver in the vehicle as picking up a wireless signal from somewhere and turning the computer on waiting for a code from the remote that never arrived so the computer just stayed on waiting for the code and flattening the battery.

After turning off the wireless mouse, WiFi internet, 2 x cordless phone systems, etc until I got to the wireless energy monitor that is in our power board – turned that off, hey presto, 20mA – problem solved now that we have taken that device out.

3 days of scratching the head and having SWMBO saying take it to the dealer and we found it. The dealer would never have found it.

I have heard since then of a Ferrari and Subaru owner that have a similar problem and think that I may be onto something as their dealers are stumped and both are garaged in high Radio Frequency (RF) environments and only have the problem when they are in the one garage, never anywhere else.

Stevesub

Bloody good work, Stevesub.
Applying the scientific method like that will win you a DR Karl book on triple J (thursday morning after he returns from Spain).
Alternatively start up a website and advertise your secret Knowledge that dealers are 'extorting customers' with , and charge $30 each for an e-pamphlet with the solution.





mmmmm, Maybe I will ; ))


S'Okay, your OP constitutes prior art!

Dave.blathering