What I believe we are seeing here is an intermittent battery issue. The reason the electrical system has a voltage regulator is to control the voltage as the battery charges. It is used to dial the alternator output back as the battery charges to keep the voltage from exceeding a preset set point. If the battery intermittently discharges internally,(an intermittent battery fault) the terminal voltage will drop, causing the charging fault. Further, the internal short will partially discharge the battery, causing the alternator to either charge it back up, or the current draw will exceed the alternator's output at low engine speeds, making the voltage drop. For the record, I have stopped purchasing Interstate batteries for similar reasons. I used to sell Megatrons, but quality control issues created too many customer complaints to continue. My reputation was too important. This appears to be a battery issue, and may require a replacement under warranty. Internal shorts in the battery can cause a myriad of issues. Just a heads up. Ray

 

So you believe the battery is the problem, not the alternator and not some faulty wiring somewhere in the car?

This is the 5th or 6th battery (same exact Megatron model, all brand new when installed) in 31 months of ownership, which helps your theory

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If you have had the same issue with all those batteries I would not look at the battery unless they have a known fault. I still like the logic though and would look more closely at the alternator.

 

So for the past 3 weeks I've been getting the charging fault error about 70% of the time - voltages averaging 11.3 when I get in the car before starting the engine and 13.9 while driving (all electronics always working). Yesterday I drove after 6 days of it sitting, got the charging fault error of course, drove 10 minutes to eat lunch. Came out 30 minutes later and got low battery error upon opening the door. I immediately started the car (forgot to check voltage) and of course got charging system fault and now camera system fault. The infotainment screen and A/C wouldn't power on. Worried I'd lose power steering and that the car might shut off again (but this time in the middle of actually driving), I quickly took it to a local auto repair shop. Once again the battery was shot (it's CCA was 200 below what it's suppose to be). This is the same battery that the dealership tested and said was perfectly good, SMFH. The interesting thing was the local shop looked up the required OEM battery for this model car in their system (Alldata) and it is a Bosch AGM battery (not the Interstate SLA battery that the dealership kept installing for the past 3 years). They did an electrical diagnostic (alternator, fuse box, etc.) in addition to replacing the battery and said everything was working properly. Picked up the car, drove it home, got 14.5 V while driving and voltage stayed steady never going below 12.5 V when the engine was off. 4 hours later I go to move the car in the driveway and BAM!!! - charging system fault error is now back. I can't win. I drove for about 30 minutes on the highway thinking the error would eventually go away, but no chance. Voltage was averaging 13.9 while driving.

TL;DR - New battery, AGM this time, independent shop says charging system looks good, charging fault error came back 4 hours later... any more ideas?

 

Two items: First AGM or SLA may not matter. My knowledge here is based on the newer BMW system. AGM batteries on BMWs have to be mated to the car when installed. The charging system varies how much voltage it sends to the batteries based on the batteries age and needs/usage. A new battery gets charged at a different rate than an old one. In addition with BMWs the braking system also charges the battery - as I understand it a battery is only charged to 80% and braking regeneration is used to get it to 100%. This may not be the case on your Rover. If Land Rover does not use a similar system AGM or SLA may not matter. If it uses a similar system this could be the source of your problem (another circuit(s) to trouble shoot). Plus the shop did not marry your battery (if required).

Second - you have an issue and a number of members told you what you need to do to trouble shoot. What are the results?

Another thought - you have an issue and it appears it is getting worse. I would look for a grounding issue based on this.

 

What exactly does marry/mated involve? Is this something the tech is suppose to do everytime they replace the battery?

I think the parasitic draw is no longer - I believe I got the low battery error the other day because that battery was basically a walking corpse for the last month due to it going flat dead two months (it was 2.35 V, I charged it manually, but it's resting voltage never rose past 11.3 V afterwards (supposedly should be closer to 12.5 V if properly charged)).

I asked the dealership if they checked for grounding or a short and they said they did and didn't find any.

I'm not too worried about the car not starting/battery going flat anymore because of it's deep cycle feature, I'm now more concerned with the charging system fault error. Something tells me if I hook up a battery tender every night I'll still get the charging system fault error in the morning.

Is there something that these two shops could have missed or don't test for too thoroughly?

 

Don't use a deep cycle battery in a car, they are designed to be fully charged, and then almost completely discharged. Using them in a car, truck or boat that constantly charges them to maintain them near 12.5V will wipe out a deep cycle in short order.

 

"marry/mated" for newer BMW cars (not sure if RR uses this) in a nut shell is when the installer goes into the computer and tells the car what size and type the new battery is. The car's programmers have written a program that changes the manner the alternator charges the battery dependent on the battery's age and size. A new battery, AGM type or other type, and smaller battery has different optimal charging requirements than an older battery and/or larger battery. BMW uses this system. Again I am not sure if RR uses this, but if it does than yes it should have been done.

As far as battery types for your Range Rover - look up the replacement part number and type and confirm what the dealer installed was correct. If Range Rover says an AGM battery works then you should not have any issues.

As far as I am concerned, other than the silly BMW regeneration battery charge system my 2008 has (maybe others), no car that is driven at least weekly for 30 minutes or more should need a battery tender if the charging system is allegedly operating properly and the battery is in proper working order. Battery drain on a sitting car should not exceed 50mah if my memory serves me right.

 

Soooooooo, 2 to 3 months after my last post, all of a sudden all the lights and errors went away on their own! I had 5 - 7 months of no errors or lights whatsoever and then BAM!!! - the "Cruise Control not available" and "Gearbox fault" errors came back. However, I have a new theory; part of my electrical problems are temperature related. When the errors went away/cleared up it was September/October and the temperature outside was getting cooler (down to 55-ish degrees F). It's now spring and when the cruise control and gearbox errors popped up again for the first time it was a sunnier/slightly warmer than usual day and my car was parked in no shade for 3+ hours... the temperature read 75 degrees F on the dash. I have a hunch that something is getting loose and/or shorted when the temperature rises outside - like a cable/wire or component that was damaged or stretched when the dealership replaced the engine. Is there an easy way to test this theory out before going back to the dealership or an independent garage and sounding like a desperate crazy person?

 

The easiest way to locate a drain on the system is to first fully charge the battery. Once the battery is fully charged, connect one battery cable, then connect a DVM, set on DC voltage between the other cable, and its battery terminal. Wait up to two minutes, maybe three, and check the voltage on the meter. If it is near 12 volts, say 10 volts or above, carefully pull one fuse at a time, until the voltage drops off. Check the circuits on that fuse. I suggest using the voltmeter first, as any draw approaching 10 amps can blow the internal fuse on the meter. If the voltage is below 10 volts, you can try using the 10amp connection on the meter. Repeat the above procedure until you see the current suddenly drop off. That fuse likely has your drain. We'll start there. Ray

 

The dealership already went down that road - I took it in 2 to 3 times already for low or dead battery/parasitic draw issues and the culprit has been 2 to 3 different components. Since it's happening again (low battery/parasitic draw) and causing other components to fail again (indicated by the cruise control not available and gearbox fault errors) it seems the parasitic draw is a symptom and not the root cause. It's gotta be a short or bad cable.

 

So... if I never had any errors/lights pop up in the first 18 months, but had to replace the battery twice during that span, then got the engine replaced by the dealership and subsequently have 3 to 5 different errors/lights pop up continuously over the next 18 months even after having numerous batteries, alternators, fuse boxes and other components replaced to remedy those problems... is it safe to assume the dealership messed something up with the electrical when replacing the engine or did the electrical issues I had before the engine replacement just happen to snowball into something greater right around the time of the engine replacement?

I'm just trying to look at all angles here

 

I took another look under the hood and noticed the cables connected to the battery looked to be in bad shape, but I'm no expert (pictures attached). Are the conditions of these negative and positive battery cables/connectors bad? Could these be contributing the potential charging/voltage and/or parasitic drain issue?

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If that is corrosion, a whitish grey powder, dampish or dry then I would agree there could easily be a poor connection between the post and cable clamp. I found on our 05 iirc that the cable clamp may not properly squeeze the post as some batteries have slightly smaller posts. And that film is often due to the battery acid fumes created from overcharging even though these batteries should not really allow gases to vent.

 

Ok, so the "manually charge the battery every so often" trick to keep the electrical issues and fault lights at bay is no longer working - I think it's time to replace the charging system cables. I ordered the negative battery cables, but the positive battery cable is hard to find online (at least none available on eBay at the moment). Does anyone know where I can order the positive battery cable for 2010 Range Rover (part numbers lr032024 - replaces lr012377, lr021868, lr023358)? If not, is there a way I can repair, re-condition or remake my own positive cable?

 

Corrosion won't deplete the battery - it will isolate, unless the corrosion is bridging a gap (+ve to -ve)

I think you have to look at the circuits that are live when the ignition is off - eg locking, alarm, light switch, park lights, hazard etc. Pull fuses to the bare minimum to drive, then go from there. Use the power wiring diagram to check and track progress.

I've never had to trace a draw. I did check an Audi TT that was pulling current - but not bad. The battery took about 3 weeks to die. Kinda normal for a 2001 car, with its alarm set.ON for the duration.

 

The dealership already went through that (phantom draw chasing) and it ALWAYS indicated some circuit was a culprit, so I'm thinking circuits are the symptoms not the cause. After seeing the corrosion I think the dealership lied about checking the charging system cables as I'm imagine they would of replaced it in that condition.

Plus I've disconnected and reconnected the battery cables about 40 times over the last couple years that the connectors and battery terminals have gotten worn (don't make as tight of a connection anymore).

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Chasing the same problems everyone else has, above and have a question:
05 RR HSE
Where can I find the FUSE #s of ALL the LIVE circuits with IGN OFF ?
Is it in the Shop Manual ? The Icons on the Fuse Box inside the car really are sort of up to interpretation sometimes.
The answer to this post may become a STICKY that would really help us all trace these electrical leaks.
Thanks
Dr Greg K Alexander
Houston

 

Chasing the same problems everyone else has, above and have a question:
05 RR HSE
Where can I find the FUSE #s of ALL the LIVE circuits with IGN OFF ?
Is it in the Shop Manual ? The Icons on the Fuse Box inside the car really are sort of up to interpretation sometimes.
The answer to this post may become a STICKY that would really help us all trace these electrical leaks.
Thanks
Dr Greg K Alexander
Houston

Yes, the diagram for the fuse boxes are in the manual. There appears to be a electrical manual for that model year. A Google search for "2005 range rover -sport manual" brings up some results, though it appears it's not free (the manual).

 

SOLVED!!! My electrical/battery/parasitic draw issues are finally over. It was fixed March 2020, but I wanted to wait for a while to make sure it was really really really resolved. It WAS the battery cables. I was very doubtful an independent shop could figure out the problem since the local Range Rover dealerships couldn't figure it out, but I reluctantly took it to a shop and they found the problem within 2 hours (the dealership was troubleshooting it for 10+ months... WTF!!!). The dealership either lied about checking the battery cables or do not know how to check/test them.

The independent shop said the BMS in the positive cable was not working properly, plus one of the cables was causing a short due to a sharp bend. This/these were preventing the vehicle from fully powering off and causing a parasitic draw. The bend was likely caused when the dealership replaced the engine. The shop replaced the cables and battery and for a year now there have been no more electrical error lights, low battery voltage nor failures to start the car. The car sits for days, weeks sometimes (thanks to the pandemic!) and there's no parasitic draw and the car starts up with no problems.

My takeaway from this long ordeal is that just because a dealership focuses solely on one brand of vehicle doesn't mean they're the best at fixing that vehicle. Especially if their main method of troubleshooting is following the manufacturer's recommendations/steps - my issue called for an auto electrician, not a by the script general auto mechanic. The dealership installed 5+ batteries, 2+ alternators, 2+ hood fuse boxes, switches, blowers, miscellaneous modules, plus more to tackle this issue and still didn't resolve it. Thank goodness I got the extended warranty when I bought this car - I ended up claiming more than $26,000 for repairs by the dealership (I paid $4,500 for the extended warranty). What a sh*t show!

Thank you to all the folks who helped on this issue/thread. Much appreciated! Hopefully this helps others.

 

(runs out to reroute negative BMS cable) I put mine in and I think the s curve it's in might not be great, off to go straighten that bugger out. I did buy a new negative cable because of your post.

 

Excellent!

Dealerships are like every large company. There is a management machine in the background constantly measuring where the most money can be made. Selling new, leasing, simple servicing etc. They are NOT there for you and they definitely don't want to deal with potentially complicated issues that includes competency. Their staff are just commodity - pay them just enough to do job by the book. Pay nothing and bill a lot.

You are lucky you found a good shop, there are plenty of butchers playing mechanic in the independent sector as well.

 

Exactly! Throughout the whole time with the dealership the associate kept mentioning they were losing money on this car's issues and management was pissed. Low and behold they were losing money all due to their own incompetence; they didn't thoroughly check the engine before selling the car to me, they weren't careful replacing the engine and didn't thoroughly check the battery cable even when I suggested they do so. Sad and terrible.

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What an adventure. As an aside, THANK YOU for coming back and updating the thread as 95% of issue threads like this end when the poster figures it out [or doesn't] and just disappears. That warranty sure was a good investment!

 

I've dealt with corrosion of cables on the boat. It's usually a failure to start or a voltage drop causing speed control electronics resets.

The RR cable would have had to be compromised (torn insulation to ground or corrosion forming a bridge connection to ground) or perhaps voltage drop causing electronic module issues.

In any case it's interesting that in the part descript they mention the above problems:

Battery Cable

 

Yes batteries in vehicles are very sensitive and the wires need to be checked for fraying or exposed wiring I had a minivan had positive wire that was corroded I thought it was the tranny I noticed the corrosion on the wires,just taped them up with electrical tape and it ran like new I thought it was tranny,alternator etc..battery wiring is crucial and always has to be checked even your throttle body too has to be checked always and cleaned

 

So Im a gonna add something here in defense of the dealership having experienced this with over six JLR vehicles. THe battery cables are made from a very fine copper and the openings at the ends are not sealed correctly; this and any exposure to humidity, seaside salt air and / or corrosion leads to gremlins BUT these arent always reflected in resistance tests or standard voltage drop tests; most will carry say 75% of the current w/o an issue and only reflect their corrosion / resistance when temps are hot (increasing resistance further) and under substantial load; additionally ground points on these vehicles are absolutely nasty for testing ok and then not depending on where you test them. So my poiunt is standard ohm testing or voltage drop testing doesnt always reflect the issue(s) because the wire is still capable of carrying say x load without increased resistance. The gold standard for me is to turn everything on, test the alternator case and pos post, and then work out from there and actually feel the battery terminals for heat; if you simply add say jumper cables to increase grounding and the issue goes away you can just replace the cables and or add extra ground cables (which I have in all 6 of my JLR cars). This is even more complicated in post 2010 models where the BMS will cut out power to certain modules and thus prevent diagnosis. From experience I have NOCO battery tenders installed correctly, AGM H8 batterys always above 12.5v and extra ground straps to various body ground points. Lastly there is an exposed (dont ask me why) braided ground strap that runs from the engine where the alternator attaches to the body and its in the worst possible place; if you see green on it (and you will after a decade or less) cleaning this in a baking soda solution may buy you more time and fix your earth voltage drop (resistance) but replacing it with a #4 insulated copper cable (soldered with copper ends) is what I've done with some electrical contact gel (note you can get some different metal electrolysis but its minor) the real challenge is that the frame rails have threaded inserts where the cables attach and then rust and that rust can degrade that ground point substantially. I have greatly simplified the electrical complexities of this situation but generally this is what I have found that works.
Dave
09 FFRR HSE
12 FFRR HSE

 

In the vain of keeping old posts relevant, I just installed my 4th battery (9.01.2025) on the 06 SC RR 4.2 since April,2022 acquisition with mileage@ (192k). In Jan'25 the speedo stopped working at 231K. I have easily put on another 15k driving via GPS. The 06RRSC never sleeps, the red "park selection" light stays on all the time. The battery draw is anywhere between 2.5 to 4.5 AMPS. I tracked the draw to the heater controls, the brown wire. I have found neither of the left or right upper mix flap solenoids operate 100% (open or close) inside the HVAC, they stick and draw electric. I also replaced the drivers door locking mech, and subsequently destroyed the little green grommet holding the lock rod. I destroyed said grommet on both of the lock mech pieces I possess. MY key refuses to sync up, the immobilizer is not communicating, so I have to pull fuse 18 every time I remove the key. I am burning off about 1/2 cup of coolant every 120 miles which includes 2 cold startups, (oh the drama!)
My thoughts on the battery drain..
1) You have to have the GAP Diagnostics IIDTool, which I DO NOT HAVE.
2) the KEY FOB must be able to function, including setting the security MINE DOES NOT, I cannot lock it.
3) The solenoids and the blender doors have to be calibrated with a reprogram of the HVAC. I USE A BENT WIRE HANGER to open the Flaps through the middle vents to get maximum air, like finding the Gspot, I have developed the feel for the flap!
4) The steering column has to come out to inspect the pop-metal gears, without these settings, it will never stop searching for the shut down and start up data.

SOLVING THE BATTERY DRAIN is to induce the sleep mode. Sleep mode (red light in Park selection is supposed to turn off after about 15 minutes with Engine off Key out and Doors Locked) requires all security apparatii, sensors, locks, fob as well as steering and immobilization sensors to function properly. If the battery test shows ANY weakness, it is now a paperweight. The battery must be resting at 12.4. 920CCA. You must register your battery to the cpu, every time you disconnect it. It will start @11.8 and 720CCA, but not for long. Once the immobilizer is unplugged, the RR will not start again until it is hooked up to IIDTool and reprogrammed to the VIN. IIDTool for the individual user is only meant to work on ONE VIN.

 

If replacing your negative/ground battery cable on a 2003-2009 L322, consider the generic $20 #A7-2AEN rather than the $80 OEM cable. The generic $20 East Penn/Deka #04337 braided, flat ground strap may also work. Both are 7" long. I'm currently using the A7-2AEN, intended for a 2010 Saturn Outlook.