Ranger Rover 2005. Key does not turn, weird barcode on dash, no lights inside, can't open trunk

[invisible]

 

Yesterday afternoon I discovered that I can't turn the ignition key; when I open the door (it was unlocked) there is no light coming from inside; I can't open the trunk or roll down any window, and most importantly there is a very weird barcode type thing on the dash where it shows odometer/mileage/temp - see the photo below..

 

I tried:

 

- remove fuse 18 and put it back - no change

- disconnect the negative terminal from the battery, and put it back - no change. In past BTW, it could hear a spark from connecting the terminal, but not now.

 

I connected the battery maintainer (not the charger) to the battery, while it is disconnected. After leaving on 750 ma charging, after 16 hours  (so like after 12 ah) it still shows that the battery is being charged.

 

So my questions:

 

1. What the hell it is?

2. Is it battery, alternator, fuse, steering column or whatever related?

3. What should I do?

 

Thanks.

[Escape]

That looks like a completely drained battery. A maintainer wont be much help, you need a proper charger, preferably something like a Ctek that can recondition a depleted battery. For a quick check, try putting in a known good battery or connecting jumper cables to another battery or running car.

[invisible]

Thank you.  Seems you are correct. The battery is EverStart Maxx H8 - sold at Walmart and has three years warranty with a free exchange.

I put yesterday it on the charger/maintainer. 24 hours later it still shows it is charging and when it disconnected the maintainer, it shows 12.30V with a multimeter and it started dropping - going to 12.29, 12.28 within 2 minutes...

[hurbie]

if you charge with 750Ma , it's going to take a few weeks to charge it 🙂 

[invisible]

16 hours ago, hurbie said:

if you charge with 750Ma , it's going to take a few weeks to charge it 🙂 

A week probably.

 

Update: it was a dead battery. After 40h on 800ma charge, the voltage reading was 12.40V. I took the battery out, and took it first to Autozone and then to Walmart. Autozone tested and said that battery was 53% charged (after 40h on 800ma, see above) but still good. Walmart tested as well and declared the battery still good and charged it to full.

 

After bringing the battery back and installing it, the car started without a problem. So lesson learned - keep your battery charged and test it regularly. To do so, I've ordered Topdon TB6000Pro, hope it will do the job.

 

One more question - considering that I already have encountered the ignition key locking problem, what is better - leave the key in the ignition and have the battery on the charger/maintainer all the time when the car is parked in the garage, or remove the key and do fuse #18 remove/insert all the time?

 

Thanks.

[Escape]

Good that you've got it sorted!

I wouldn't leave the key in. You can always remove/insert fuse 18 if needed. And if the problem persists, there are replacement circuit boards available to bypass the steering lock. I did this mod on a customer's car, but would have to look up the details as it's been a few years.

[invisible]

2 hours ago, Escape said:

And if the problem persists, there are replacement circuit boards available to bypass the steering lock. I did this mod on a customer's car, but would have to look up the details as it's been a few years.

Could you please tell me more about it? 

When this problem first appeared, I spend days researching because taking the car to a dealer to replace the steering column for $5700 (got quoted) makes zero sense.

So I found this
https://goldcarkeys.com/product/for-range-rover-hse-l322-vogue-2001-2009-qmb500711-steering-lock-simulator-emulator/

I went and spent 100 euros to order it, received it after a month and discovered that PCB/chip is different that what I got. This is what the connector in my car looks like, two plugs green and red. Green 10-pin plug, red - 2/4 pin plug

 

 

and this is what I got from that shop. The green/red plugs do not fit into the PCB below and no communication from the shop. I assume that it is scam, but if this really works, how should I wire it to the plugs above?

[Escape]

Sorry to hear the one you ordered didn't work. I still need to look up the company I used, but it certainly wasn't this one, I think it was a German shop. To be fair, reading the explanation on this website does not inspire confidence, so I'm not that surprised it doesn't work... I also seem to remember there is a difference between early and later L322, so I would be surprised if the same emulator would work on 2001 to 2009 models.

[Escape]

It took me a while to find out where we ordered the bypass. Seems it was already 5 years ago!

http://www.ecuvonix.com/land-rover-range-rover-scleslelv-emulator-p-2934.html

Still working as it should.

Filip

[invisible]

Did you order it for your card and did it work? If yes, which year/model is your car?

After losing 132 euros I don't want to spend another >100 euros on something I am not 100% sure will work.

[Escape]

Yes, that's the one we ordered. Not my car though, I don't do moderns.

It's in a 2003 TD6, never had a problem since. The seller was also quick to answer our questions, so you can always send him an email to confirm it will work on your car. As I remember, 2003 to 2005 should be the same.

[invisible]

OK, thanks for letting me know, let me communicate with them directly and see what they will say.

[invisible]

On 2/25/2023 at 11:30 PM, Escape said:

Yes, that's the one we ordered. Not my car though, I don't do moderns.

It's in a 2003 TD6, never had a problem since. The seller was also quick to answer our questions, so you can always send him an email to confirm it will work on your car. As I remember, 2003 to 2005 should be the same.

OK, contracted them, told the model of the car, and got the reply:

 

Quote

hi, I'm sorry, but our emulator is not compatible with your car model.

 

Well, will try alternative approaches...

[Escape]

Too bad...

Weren't the later ones easier to bypass though? As even BMW realised the security was to complicated on the first batch of L322s.

[invisible]

Wanted to update on this matter: To fix the steering column lock I ordered for 132 euros emulator from Turkey that will bypass it.

I received the shipment 1 month later, instead of a week. After removing the cover, I discovered that I can't plug that module because the wiring was different and the company did not provide any reply to my emails. I filed a claim with PayPal but have not received any resolution, so goodbye to 132 euros.

However, one surprising outcome was that after I removed the steering column cover and disconnected and reconnected the immobilizer plugs, now the car starts without a problem.

I don't know if the problem was the plug or the fact that now every time I come home I put the battery on a trickle charger so it is charged 100% every time I drive out - whatever the reason, I did not need to disconnect/reconnect the battery or leave the key inside the ignition cylinder.

[Escape]

Good that you got it sorted, maybe a bad connection in the plug?

Strange that the PayPal claim didn't lead to a solution. They usually side with the buyer. Did you get any response at all, either from PayPal or the vendor? For €132 I'd pursue the matter a bit further.

[invisible]

9 hours ago, Escape said:

Good that you got it sorted, maybe a bad connection in the plug?

Strange that the PayPal claim didn't lead to a solution. They usually side with the buyer. Did you get any response at all, either from PayPal or the vendor? For €132 I'd pursue the matter a bit further.

Well, yesterday after escalating this matter to Paypal (called them and spoke with an actual human) I got the whole amount credited back to my card. I am still out of $17 for shipping but considering this as a learning experience.

I still don't understand what caused this and why removing the steering column cover, disconnecting and re-connecting 2 plugs fixed this - if that was the problem in the first place. It might be the case that now when I have the car battery fully charged most of the time was contributing factor as well...