Mysterious flat battery AND No starter motor action.
I have only had my P38 Range Rover for 2 weeks when the brand new battery went flat over a period of 3 days of non-use. I thought that one of the kids had left a reading light on or something (but not so). So I fitted a spare, fully charged Optima. I got a Key Code Lockout, which is not unheard of when a battery goes very flat on the car. I put the Key Code in right first time, re-synchronised the handsets, but when I came to start the car I got nothing out of the starter motor.
The dash lights come on fine & there are no warning messages (apart from the expected Window & Sunroof Not Set). When I turn the key to engage the starter I think I can hear the starter relay click and various other clicks and whirrs (maybe fuel pump and ABS pump). I looked in the under-bonnet fuse box and everything was fine, dry and clean. I swapped around the starter relay for a couple of others. I checked that the gearbox was in Park and also tried it in Neutral. Neither do I think it is the immobiliser (which has identical symptoms) because when the passive immobilization kicks in the message centre tells you that the Engine is Disabled. And if I wait 30 seconds after unlocking I do get that message.
Of course the next step is to check to see if there are any volts reaching the starter. But I was wondering if anybody had come across this before? Never had a whiff of starter motor problems in the previous two weeks.
It was also curious that the battery was suddenly flat. I measured the current draw on the new battery with doors closed & unlocked (i.e. interior lights off & no alarm system) & engine and ancillaries off and got a reading of 0.5A which would surely flatten a battery in 3 days! What can be causing that? I have had a good read of the main Rangerovers.net website and there is nothing that jumps out at me as the obvious cause. So I will just have to pull each fuse in turn till it drops off. The first fuse I will try will be the Nokia hands-free kit (see below) wherever that is.
Plus, I have just this minute discovered there is a third problem that has raised it?s ugly head ? heater core O rings ? when I moved the car (by towing) on the sloping driveway I noticed about a small cup of coolant pour out of the RHS footwell and sure enough there are tell-tale green drips from the bottom HEVAC vent (right on to the Nokia hands-free speaker!)
Could this small leak be causing the current drain? By shorting out some underseat circuits?
Yeah, welcome to Range Rover ownership! Now, where?s the number of the local Range Rover dealer??
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If the starter relay is clicking then it sounds like a problem in the circuit to the starter. I assume that you can't hear to soleniod clonking? I would check for volts at the starter terminal and work your way back.
Where the 0.5A is going is anybodies guess - like you say, pull the fuses one by one.
What's the difference between a RR and a golfball? You can drive a golfball 100 yards without a problem....
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Hi Aprilia, thanks for the super quick reply.
When turning the ignition key there is a light click, not a heavier solenoid clonk.
I had thought previously that it might have been the ignition barrel as I had just the day before given it just the slightest spray of PTFE lubricant to free up the very sticky lock. But the clicking relay indicates it is not the lock. Nevertheless I managed to bust the top steering cowl trim trying to get inside for a look.
Methinks it is time for the professionals to take over.
Golfball - LOL, that is now a main contender in the search for the car's nickname.
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Sounds like your fully charged battery isn't
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Hi Andy,
I did wonder about the battery charge.
While I was fiddling around using the Optima I stuck the other battery on charge. After a while I gave up tinkering and locked the car. Sure enough the Optima was flat after a couple of days. Then I put the original battery back on (having charged it overnight) and still no starter action. Windows go up and down swiftly, dash lights nice and bright, central locking pops up and down smartly, alarm siren is reassuringly deafening. Plenty of power there.
Apart from actually performing a battery power test I am reasonably convinced that the two batteries are not part of the problem.
The car went off on a low loader this afternoon to the dealer who tell me that, as I have informed them it is not urgent (since I have a couple of other cars), and since they are so booked up they cannot look at it for 9 days.
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