P38a Electrical Leaks

[MogLite]

Our 1998 p38a discharges its battery over a 24hour ish period

Its a new battery, and I've also seen the same symptoms with a known good battery.

I know the alternator is charging, but thats irrelevant, as a full charged battery will get flattened without moving the car.

I've got a good meter, with a current clamp, and I can see a couple of amps coming out of the battery, but thats with the bonnet open and the doors open, so there will be some current draw for these.

Any clues how I can narrow it down further ?

Or what the culprit maybe ?

I'm guessing its a case of pulling fuses

[fisha]

The main ECU when awake on its own rates at 72W which is a fair amount.

A common cause of battery drain that has been commented about a fair amount is the receiver circuit for the key fobs. Everytime it *thinks* you press the fob, it awakes the ECU and the ECU stays awake for a short while.

Now, it thinking you've pressed the fob and you actually doing so are different. since the fobs work on the fairly common 433MHz bands then its possible for other things to be active, the car to wake up and listen, keep the ECU live and thus drain the battery.

Is it being parked anywhere near other sources of radio transmissions that could be waking it? does it only do it when you park in a particular place?

There is a a fix ( listed on rangerovers.net i would imagine )

Other than that, yeah, could be fuse pulling time.

[Highway_Star]

The 'waking up' thing is common on a lot of cars. I heard tale of a bloke who's P38 always flattened the battery overnight. The dealer couldn't find an out of order current draw, and it only flatened the battery when parked in his garage. Turned out the freezer in the garage was kicking out RF and keeping the car awake at night!

I had problems with my Focus when workign in Fortrose, very common round there as there's an RAF radar station close by which upsets all sorts of electronics.

[MogLite]

Thanks for the replies - appreciated.

The Rangie is parked outside my study, which has a NetGear wireless router in it !!

So I've fully charged the battery, and parked it down the road - we'll see how it get on.

Here the RangeRovers.net article for completeness

[MogLite]

Well we didn't use the 38a for about 4 days, it was parked a little bit further away from my wireless router, and all is fine.

Would you credit it

[fisha]

sounds like a good result.

fickle things these RRs aren't they.

[Steve RR]

All RF should be banned!! - Oh well maybe not, or else I am out of a job!

[Jon White]

Andy,

Beleive there is a fix for this that the dealers shoul know about - I've coem accross something on the Net about it recently. Something to do with de-sensitising the alarm system. Not sure if its a software upgrade or something like that.

I'll see if I can find it again.......

HTH

Jon

[David Sparkes]

There are two 'cures'.

One is to fit the very latest receiver. This doesn't bear any indication that differentiates it from the previous versions, so keep it in the bag before installing, and clearly mark the old one.

Avoid any 'unused spares' on auction sites unless they are in an undamaged bag.

The part number is YWY500010 . When I last looked these were mentioned in a TSB, but not in Microcat.

Ask the price before you order.

The other 'cure' is to disconnect the receiver aerial from the receiver.

This means you have to be next to the window before the remote will work, but avoids spurious signals.

HTH.

[Steve RR]

IIRC they are about £60

[Niall_CSK]

All RF should be banned!! - Oh well maybe not, or else I am out of a job!

Too late the RF has fried they grey cells & you bought a TDi You don't call that a job anyway

[Steve RR]

You don't call that a job anyway

I cannot comment on that as I am too busy working!

[Mean Green]

I cannot comment on that as I am too busy working!

pah - nearly spat me Tea all over the sceen! Thats the funniest thing I have heard in years! :lol:

[Steve RR]

MG, this would be your screen AT HOME! This would be the screen that you pretend to be looking at when you get a business call as you are at mine black with oil under your chassis with Finn dropping his stick on you. And another thing - you obviously class reading the forum drinking tea as working???

[DEANO3528]

Nice to see you David. Good advice too, but why can't they effectively screen out the RF in the first place?

I suppose that question really belongs in the archive alongside, "Why can't they get the panel fit better?"

Or, "Why do Disco sunroofs leak like that?"

[David Sparkes]

"why can't they effectively screen out the RF in the first place?"

They can.

The user just has to stump up for the new receiver £110.06 plus VAT.

I tested both the old and the new outside Milton Keynes Railway Station.

A fairly expensive test facility, but someone has to use it.

" Nice to see you David."

Thankyou, but you may not see me for long if the current vogue for vanity posts, and ridiculously large sig tags, continues.

We don't need half the screen taken up with repeat information.

One poster even manages to insert several lines of white space into his sig.

What is the point?

Why do people insist on listing all their fleet, on every post, even when it isn't relevant to the topic?

Why is it ALWAYS only one vehicle per line?

I also think avatars are a waste of time, but as they are there, why don't you put your club tag there instead of in your posts?

The value of a forum is based on it's content, and too much of this 'Addict' forum is people posting just to see themselves on screen. Apparently.

I hoped it would calm down after the initial novelty had worn off, but it appears that isn't going to happen.

Off topic posting, within a topic, doesn't help anyone, and degrades the forum.

Cheers

That's my vanity post, incorporated into one with accurate and checked information.

[fisha]

Geeez,

If people didnt have signatures, then it'd be a right boring old fuddy duddy place in my opinion.

Just like in real life, signatures are basically an extension of your personality on this place. If it weren't that way, then we'd all be looking blank white screens going wah wah wah wah wah about whether they should have used an M3 counter sink or an M4.

In real life we all personalise ourselves, our belongings i dont think here should be too much different.

Yes, I do agree that in some cases, you can get excessive avatars / signatures, but on the whole, i like em.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DF-P38RR4.0RRC3.5V8-TroyMollyChloe-WIFE.

[imspanners]

"why can't they effectively screen out the RF in the first place?"

They can.

The user just has to stump up for the new receiver £110.06 plus VAT.

I tested both the old and the new outside Milton Keynes Railway Station.

A fairly expensive test facility, but someone has to use it.

" Nice to see you David."

Thankyou, but you may not see me for long if the current vogue for vanity posts, and ridiculously large  sig tags, continues.

We don't need half the screen taken up with repeat information.

One poster even manages to insert several lines of white space into his sig.

What is the point?

Why do people insist on listing all their fleet, on every post, even when it isn't relevant to the topic?

Why is it ALWAYS only one vehicle per line?

I also think avatars are a waste of time, but as they are there, why don't you put your club tag there instead of in your posts?

The value of a forum is based on it's content, and too much of this 'Addict' forum is people posting just to see themselves on screen. Apparently.

I hoped it would calm down after the initial novelty had worn off, but it appears that isn't going to happen.

Off topic posting, within a topic, doesn't help anyone, and degrades the forum.

Cheers

That's my vanity post, incorporated into one with accurate and checked information.

ban him, ban him........

j/k

By the way, the RF kit was also produced to combat the problems the P38 suffers with certain petrol stations having mobile phone ariels within their pricing signs!!

(my bit of useless info).

[Mark90]

If you don't like viewing sigs just switch them off in yer profile.