1995 Range Rover HSE - Some issues to overcome

Valiante said:

I've suspected the alternator since the test drive, given the funky grinding noise it makes!

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The grinding noise could be the bearings though that wouldn't affect the alternator's performance.

Or it could be a fault in the windings which can cause a terrible noise, as I found out recently:- http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f10/weird-alternator-problem-help-please-129428.html

Pete

Well, I've just been out there, removed the big red cable from the first nut, a skinny cable from the second nut, which I assume is all you need to do to disconnect the alternator? But I'm still reading a 0.95A then shortly after a 0.70A current.

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You have taken out all fuses except the three large ones for the BECM?

So the problem must be with an unfused circuit, or the alternator, or the BECM?

It looks like the alternator is in the clear, so if you can't locate any add-on wiring which is unfused maybe it's the BECM? I am not familiar with P38s (I have a Classic) so I think you need help from someone who knows them like Datatek.

Datatek - it couldn't be the rotten fuse box scenario which I have read about could it? I am thinking of the condensation problem as well.........

Pete

Valiante said:

Well, I've just been out there, removed the big red cable from the first nut, a skinny cable from the second nut, which I assume is all you need to do to disconnect the alternator? But I'm still reading a 0.95A then shortly after a 0.70A current.

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It looks like a case of going round disconnecting things to isolate the problem are you confident that your meter is accurate?

I am now, yeah. But I don't know enough to figure this out.. unfused circuits, BECM issues.. it's all starting to sound more and more like I should take to my local Land Rover specialists (Fortune 4x4 in Laindon).

I reckon I gave it a good go with my limited mechanical knowledge! You guys have been invaluable though.

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Valiante said:

I am now, yeah. But I don't know enough to figure this out.. unfused circuits, BECM issues.. it's all starting to sound more and more like I should take to my local Land Rover specialists (Fortune 4x4 in Laindon).

I reckon I gave it a good go with my limited mechanical knowledge! You guys have been invaluable though.

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Ouch, sounds like it will be Cost a Fortune 4 X 4

Good luck - let us know how you get on.

Pete

Mmm.. I hope not.

Ok, well what is this BECM? Can I safely disconnect it to see if that's the issue, or will the car explode if I connect the battery with those fuses out?

Valiante said:

Mmm.. I hope not.

Ok, well what is this BECM? Can I safely disconnect it to see if that's the issue, or will the car explode if I connect the battery with those fuses out?

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You can take the Maxi fuses out no problem. The BECM sounds like it's going to sleep as it should judging by the current drop, but it could still be a fault in the BECM. PM Irishrover, he's the main man on the BECM

Thanks buddy.. I also just found this page which Sirus linked to in another thread, so I'm having a read.

http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdetails/becm/index.html.

I mean Christ, I service laptops for a living.. this can't be that tricky!

Valiante said:

Thanks buddy.. I also just found this page which Sirus linked to in another thread, so I'm having a read.

Demystifying the BeCM.

I mean Christ, I service laptops for a living.. this can't be that tricky!

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But what can you change on a laptop these days apart from plug in modules?
Can you tell me if it is possible to remove the 112K memory easily from the mother board on a Dell 2600 so I can up the memory. Currently it has 256K split between a plug in and a soldered in, when I bought it it was supposed to have 256K soldered in so I could upgrade so I know that it supports more memory.

Datatek said:

Can you tell me if it is possible to remove the 112K memory easily from the mother board on a Dell 2600 so I can up the memory. Currently it has 256K split between a plug in and a soldered in, when I bought it it was supposed to have 256K soldered in so I could upgrade so I know that it supports more memory.

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You can change mostly anything, but Dells are a P.I.T.A as they only accept Dell parts.

Are you referring to the RAM? In which case it'd be 128 MB standard SDRAM module, upgradeable to 512 MB. Fairly old school by today's standards though - won't be able to run anything more than XP.

That said, RAM modules are never soldered in, so I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to. What is it exactly you want to upgrade?

Valiante said:

You can change mostly anything, but Dells are a P.I.T.A as they only accept Dell parts.

Are you referring to the RAM? In which case it'd be 128 MB standard SDRAM module, upgradeable to 512 MB. Fairly old school by today's standards though - won't be able to run anything more than XP.

That said, RAM modules are never soldered in, so I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to. What is it exactly you want to upgrade?

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According to DELL, there is one RAM module soldered in, was supposed to be 256K and an expansion slot free when I bought it. It arrived with 128K plus 128K in the expansion slot. What I would like to do is replace the 128K soldered in module with a 256K and put a 256K in the expansion slot.
Had it 10 years, only use it for the P38, but some more memory would speed it up a bit. I can source the memory no problem.

Anything more than XP? Vista is a disaster, 7 is Vista with some of the bugs fixed. I won't be downgrading to Vista or 7 anytime soon with all the stupid time wasting messages the inability to run my software, the reluctance to talk to other systems on my network etc etc. Thats why you get a free XP pro disc with Vista Pro or 7 Pro. Not my words, they are from a professor of computer science at a major university when asked why they wer not "upgrading"

Datatek said:

According to DELL, there is one RAM module soldered in, was supposed to be 256K and an expansion slot free when I bought it. It arrived with 128K plus 128K in the expansion slot. What I would like to do is replace the 128K soldered in module with a 256K and put a 256K in the expansion slot.
Had it 10 years, only use it for the P38, but some more memory would speed it up a bit. I can source the memory no problem.

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Not wanting to sound pedantic, but it won't be in K, it'll be in MB. My old 1988 Amiga 500 had 512KB of memory and that's been extinct for a decade.

Admittedly I've never come into contact with an Inspiron 2600, but I have dismantled many other models of Dell laptop and in my 10 years as an engineer I've never come across a soldered memory module. In every case they've clipped in just the same as they do in the expansion slot, except it's on top of the mainboard, under the keyboard, usually leaving the expansion slot free for upgrades - heaven only knows why they didn't do that in your case. Dell eh?

If you're inclined to, follow the service manual, strip it down to the internal module and take a look - I'm willing to bet it's just as removeable as the one in the expansion slot - if not, you've taught me something new - I'm always happy to learn!

Datatek said:

Anything more than XP? Vista is a disaster, 7 is Vista with some of the bugs fixed. I won't be downgrading to Vista or 7 anytime soon with all the stupid time wasting messages the inability to run my software, the reluctance to talk to other systems on my network etc etc. Thats why you get a free XP pro disc with Vista Pro or 7 Pro. Not my words, they are from a professor of computer science at a major university when asked why they wer not "upgrading"

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I can see you have a very strong opinion when it comes to Vista & 7 and I can understand why as in many cases they can seem cumbersome and slow. If you have old or basic hardware then XP will have a definite advantage; Its relatively lightweight core means the operating system can theoretically run with only 64MB of RAM, leaving plenty of resources left over for your apps.

I've never been keen on Vista, but it has improved with service packs. I like Windows 7 as it has a more stripped out feel and is less bogged down with GPU-intensive prettiness. That said, if you have high-end requirements, such as using a powerful PC to run heavy-duty applications, Vista and Windows 7 come into their own. They're better optimised for multicore CPUs, and Windows 7 in particular includes a number of tweaks to make the best of the latest hardware.

I manage large-scale rollouts of Windows 7 in enterprise environments which use the latest multicore technology, so it fits the bill perfectly and with up-to-date software, compatability is rarely an issue. Having said that, I personally keep one XP laptop knocking around plus a VMware Virtual Machine running XP to allow me to use legacy applications which simply won't work with the later OS's.

So I can totally see where you're coming from, but I think it's all a matter of perspective. They're all good in their own right, in the right environment, with the appropriate hardware.

After doing a shed-load of searching and reading of various threads on this forum, some a few years old now, I'm starting to think I may have this old-style RF receiver issue which is waking up the car all night & all day long.

Also 700mA appears to be a normal draw when the car is "awake" and takes 15-20 mins to shut down, according to mattstevenson2005 on his battery issue thread.

Time to disconnect the RF receiver and see if the drain persists...

Valiante said:

After doing a shed-load of searching and reading of various threads on this forum, some a few years old now, I'm starting to think I may have this old-style RF receiver issue which is waking up the car all night & all day long.

Also 700mA appears to be a normal draw when the car is "awake" and takes 15-20 mins to shut down, according to mattstevenson2005 on his battery issue thread.

Time to disconnect the RF receiver and see if the drain persists...

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700ma is normal with the BECM awake, should drop to 30ma when the BECM goes to sleep from memory.

I still have a Windows 95 system (as well as XP and Vista) because my version or Orcad will not run on the new OS's and I don't see spending £3K plus on a new version now I'm retired and just playing at circuit design

I've read there's supposed to be an LED near the gear lever which signifies the BECM being awake, but I can't see one. Any clue as to exactly where this should be?

Also, I've tried to remove the panel this morning to get to the RF receiver and have already broken one plastic clip, so before I go any further I should probably furnish myself with the correct procedure. Trouble is I can't find one so if anyone has any pointers on that score?

Got the panel off and unplugged the antenna so we'll see how she goes.

Valiante said:

I've read there's supposed to be an LED near the gear lever which signifies the BECM being awake, but I can't see one. Any clue as to exactly where this should be?
Pretty sure it's the one marked P on the auto.

Also, I've tried to remove the panel this morning to get to the RF receiver and have already broken one plastic clip, so before I go any further I should probably furnish myself with the correct procedure. Trouble is I can't find one so if anyone has any pointers on that score?

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I'll take the Dell apart when the workshop warms up and have a look to see if the memory is a plug in, thanks for the info Yes you're right it should be Mb.
I come from an age when it was possible to run 50 concurrent terminals doing sales order processing, 10,000 product lines with millisecond response times on 128K words of memory and 10Mbytes of disk. What wonderful progress we have seen in the last 25 years, it now takes minutes just for a quad core computer to switch on and it can barely manage one job at an acceptable (to me ) speed, but the graphics are oh so pretty A little power interuption and it's fubared.

It's been a few days since my last post, but I've finally made some progress with my main issue; the battery drain. Thought I'd better post an update, should anyone have the same issue...

It turns out the RF receiver wasn't the cause of my problem, though it may not have been helping so I've left the antenna off until I get the replacement unit. 3½ days after giving the battery a full charge she was dead as a dodo again. Now knowing a bit more about how the BECM works, the current it should draw when awake & asleep, and how long it takes to go to sleep, etc, I decided to re-do my fusebox elimination test from scratch.

After waiting 2 mins for the BECM to go to sleep, the current draw dropped from the normal 700mA, but not as far as the 30mA as it should have.. it was still registering 120mA with a sleeping BECM. I set about pulling each fuse in turn; none of the fuses in the engine bay made any difference, but the 4th fuse I pulled from under the seat saw the current drop down to the 30mA I was looking for.

So I've found the circuit causing the problem.. interior fuse 4, which is the "Transfer Box ECU", which also ties in nicely with the fact that I haven't been able to use low range since I bought it - something I wasn't immediately concerned about as I don't plan to do any off-roading at this point.

So the battery's back on charge and should hopefully stay charged for weeks rather than days, now I've removed the offending fuse. I will get around to fixing the transfer box one day, but it's not exactly vital for every day use. I'm one happy camper.