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18K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  flyersfan76 
#1 ·
Does anyone know if there is a way to disable the Auto Leveling feature on a 2013 RRS (51k miles, now just off warranty)? Worst case, I assume there is a fuse I could pull to do this, just don't know which one and what else that fuse may disable?

Background is that I am convinced that the Auto Leveling is killing my battery when parked in my driveway. My driveway has about a 15 degree angle and I can hear the suspension working all night trying to level the truck until it eventually lowers the back to the max whilst raisin the front. If I back it in, it does the opposite. I can understand why this feature is there while driving, just not sure what the value is of trying to level the truck when parked on a minor slope and why they would not have put in a switch to turn this off as an option?

I replaced the original battery back in July 2016 when it would no longer hold a charge a month after I bought it pre
 
#4 ·
My drive is steeper and my car does not try to level so there is another issue. When my battery was failing the rear would occasionally settle at the rear and a new battery fixed the issue.

So maybe the issue is not your suspension running down the battery but a poor battery is causing the suspension to drop when parked as it was in my case.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for your reply. Looks like my original post got truncated but what I mentioned is that I put a brand new battery in the truck 7 months ago and it worked fine for about 5-6 months - until it gradually wore down from being constantly discharged by something while the truck is parked. The dealer also tested the battery, alternator and wiring back in December and all was OK. From what I've read on these forums, it could be a lot of things causing this problem but the one thing I do know is I can hear and see it trying to level itself at night after it's been parked all day so hoping to find the fuse that controls this so I can pull it and see if it solves the problem before trying something else.
 
#6 ·
According to my manual there is fuse #35. Rating 5 amps circuit protected - air suspension ECU/Speed variable steering (that's in the glovebox panel).
Another one is fuse #3 in the engine compartment. It is 5 amps and protects the air suspension ecu. Another one is #26 in the engine comparment . It is 20 amps and the circuit protected is the Air suspension ecu.
 
#7 ·
I would lean towards garry's post. Self leveling does not use enough juice during an over night period to drain a battery. The system wakes up opens a couple of valves, lowers and goes back to sleep. This is a tiny amount of energy, far less than leaving a reading light on. I am not saying you don't have a battery drain, there is just no way the EAS self leveling can be the cause.

If you want to find the real cause of a battery drain the only way it to scan you fuses once after the rig has been asleep. Trip your door latch so it thinks the door is closed and start probing fuses. Find the fuse with a high draw and that will be your starting point.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the reply. The challenge with the approach above is that I don't think the draw is constant. So unless it is happening right when I'm checking that fuse then it'll likely tell me nothing. The dealer did a general battery drain test while the car was parked (locked & alarm on, unlocked, tested it various times over the course of the day, etc.) and found no drain. It's extremely frustrating that a company that makes a vehicle that is so highly engineered, and so expensive, can't figure out how to stop it from draining the battery when it's parked.
 
#11 ·
Hey Roman - I hear something, but it doesn't sound like a compressor - although it must be running the compressor sometimes since it does raise whatever end of the truck is pointed downhill. The dealer checked the airbags/suspension in Dec and found nothing wrong. In my original msg I mentioned that it does not appear to happen when I park it in the street, which is level. I guess I just need to sell my house and move to one that has a level driveway... Cuz that will probably be faster and cheaper (and less infuriating) than trying to fix what I would think would be a pretty simple problem...
 
#13 ·
I wonder if the battery you received a few months ago was a dud? It just seems weird that there isn't a constant drain on the battery that's making it go dead. A sporadic drain that happens throughout the night shouldn't drain the battery to the point where it's dead over night.

When you do drive it, do you drive it a decent distance or is it just a bunch of short trips?

Since you're in the Raleigh area as well, I've always taken my Rovers to Discovery Automotive in Cary. The owner Dave knows his stuff.
 
#15 ·
Hey Johnny06Rover - I've been traveling the past week but my plan is to have the battery checked, it's under warranty, just have not had time since they need to remove it to test it. I'm sure some of the problem is that I work from home and don't commute so mostly drive it on short trips. That doesn't seem to effect my BMW though, which has the original battery and sometimes goes many days between it's short trips.

Good to know about Discovery Automotive, I had thought about trying them since the dealer is useless and it is 1000 miles over the warranty anyway. Many thanks for the recommendation.
 
#16 ·
Have your tried to park the truck in raised height? Just curious as I park in raised mode 99% of the time and rarely notice and movement while parked. My parking lot at work is not sloped too much but it is definitely not flat.
 
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