[MARK_C]

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.

 

[kg74]

"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.

 

[bruzer]

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?

 

[RABarrett]

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

 

[bruzer]

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.

 

[bruzer]

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

 

[bruzer]

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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[diff]

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.

 

[bruzer]

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?

 

[Garage9RR]

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.

 

[bruzer]

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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[gkalexdc]

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

 

[bruzer]

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).

 

[bruzer]

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.

 

[JS5D]

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.

 

[ventogt]

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!

 

[Garage9RR]

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

 

[bruzer]

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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[gilbertseeseequasis]

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

 

[TheGerald]

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.