gashead1974 said:
Hi,

I have locked the car and watched it go to sleep, it take around 30-40mins but the light does go off.

Dan
Click to expand...

What light goes off after 30-40 minutes? if its the satnav light then mine takes a few minutes, if its the interior light then you have left it on at the switch and it shuts itself off as a safeguard after a longer period of time but could still drain the battery

Did the auto electrician check fuses in the boot?

Keeping mind about the satnav and not removing power to it when its red light is on.

I think if i was you i would either use my fuse buddy as we described or check for drain at the battery as also described by connecting the ammeter in between the negative terminal and the body and then tape down the bonnet switch so it thinks that it's shut, tape down the door switch ( i think you can do that) so it thinks the door is shut, same for the boot, set the alarm and press the arm button again within 10 seconds so the interior protection is off and set about removing one fuse at a time until the drain stops if it is showing one.

i would also wait for reasonable time for it to go to sleep, say 15 - 30 minutes and also do it when its cold so no fans are running.

If you disarm the interior protection and you don't see a drain then try it with it armed and the car closed as it could be that draining the battery potentially.

If you are not confident in doing that, keep in mind your main dealer will most likely be around £100 / hr:)

Again - DO NOT KILL YOUR SATNAV BY REMOVING THE POWER SUPPLY WHILE THE RED LIGHT IS ON.
 
Light is on the gear selector surround...when the indicator lamp goes out the BCU should be asleep.

Similarly on the P38, when the gear selection indicator lamp goes out the BeCM should be asleep
 
I see, is that a reasonable amount of time
Thinking again about my post above, i think OP should take it to main dealer, i am no expert but as you know Ant, i am not shy at taking things apart on mine..
 
30 minutes is a good average time for the system to fully sleep!

Even experts had to start somewhere Andy!! don't be so harsh on yourself, you have gained mucho knowledge when you did your gearbox...so much so, that even I shy away at that kind of thing!
 
Cheers Ant, My curiosity always gets the better of me although i started my rear suspension bushes 4 times i reckon before i actually plucked up courage to start to cut the heads of the stuck bolts.

What i am learning is to take loads of photos when stripping stuff down as what seems really obvious when you are taking it apart, when you come to put it back together it can all go badly wrong...
i am also fortunate that its not my main mode of transport so if i disable it for a while it doesn't matter so i can afford to be a bit more adventurous whereas the OP needs his to be up and running

Not forgetting most of my knowledge i gained from you and others on here or at the very least i had a sounding board when things were going south....
 
holidaychicken said:
What light goes off after 30-40 minutes? if its the satnav light then mine takes a few minutes, if its the interior light then you have left it on at the switch and it shuts itself off as a safeguard after a longer period of time but could still drain the battery

Did the auto electrician check fuses in the boot?

Keeping mind about the satnav and not removing power to it when its red light is on.

I think if i was you i would either use my fuse buddy as we described or check for drain at the battery as also described by connecting the ammeter in between the negative terminal and the body and then tape down the bonnet switch so it thinks that it's shut, tape down the door switch ( i think you can do that) so it thinks the door is shut, same for the boot, set the alarm and press the arm button again within 10 seconds so the interior protection is off and set about removing one fuse at a time until the drain stops if it is showing one.

i would also wait for reasonable time for it to go to sleep, say 15 - 30 minutes and also do it when its cold so no fans are running.

If you disarm the interior protection and you don't see a drain then try it with it armed and the car closed as it could be that draining the battery potentially.

If you are not confident in doing that, keep in mind your main dealer will most likely be around £100 / hr:)

Again - DO NOT KILL YOUR SATNAV BY REMOVING THE POWER SUPPLY WHILE THE RED LIGHT IS ON.
Click to expand...


Hi,
Thanks for the reply, the light is by the gear selector. My understanding is that when this light goes out the car is in sleep mode.

Yes, the electrican checked all fuses and the only one he mentioned was number 18 but having read the responses on here I would expect that to have a constant live going through as its for the imobiliser so imo he didnt acheive anything.

I dont need to worry about the sat nav a its on a HSE and I only have the CD unit.

Having spoken to Roger Youngs (main dealer) I had intended to book it in with them but at £99.50/hs (ex vat) its too much so I will go back to the drawing board.

My plan is each evening I will pull a fuse and leave the car for 2 nights, this is the normal time when the battery goes flat. I will then refit the fuse on the third day and try starting the car, if its starts then I will have indentified which fuse is giving me the problem - will this cause any problems to anything on the car???

I do have a fuse buddy but the problem seems to be intermitent hence I could pull and check all fuse and/or check at the battery end and it may not tell me anything.

I really apprichiate all the help so if anyone has anything further to add please do so as I really want to get to the bottom of this.

Failign all the above can anyone recomended someone in Devon or Cornwall that could get to the bottom of this whether its an auto electrician or inde??
 
I'm not too familiar with the satnav, mine has the CD unit in the left hand side of the boot which is where the red light is which has to be off before pulling any electrics.

£100/hr - They are not called main stealers for nothing.

If it were me I would connect the fuse buddy up somewhere i could see it and leave it in the car and check it from time to time but your call, as far as causing any problems, they are really fussy cars so you may get some faults that nee to be cleared but apart from that i dont know what other problems could be caused but make sure everything is off before pulling any.

Keep us posted, i love a good thriller...........
 
I had a similar battery drain problem with my 2003 TD6 and the problem persisted even after replacing a clearly faulty F.S.R. My local LR mechanic traced the problem to the head light washer pump. In his experience both the washer pump and the head light washer motors can cause severe battery drain even if they seem to work properly. He disconnected the pump while we waited for a new one to arrive. No problems after replacing with new pump. I guess it would be enough to remove fuse 28 and leave out for a couple of days to verify if either of the washer pump or washer motors are at fault, they are all on this circuit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P38 guy
P38A Aftermarket remote
Replies
1
Views
368
pwood999
pwood999
B
Mistake with coolant flush?
Replies
11
Views
747
Bellhouse
B
Roverdrive
L322 L322 Battery strangeness
Replies
16
Views
1K
kermit_rr
kermit_rr
Grrrrrr
Other Smart alternators
Replies
5
Views
282
Grrrrrr
Grrrrrr
feyniriel
P38 alarm and immobilizer problems
2 3
Replies
42
Views
2K
Datatek
Datatek