Disco 2 Alarm and immobilizer issues

Hi. Looking for more info about the electrical system on my disco 2 (again!).

I've been leaving the battery disconnected over night etc as I have a drain somewhere to find when I get some time. (I've already discussed that issue on here and have some ideas to invest, just not had the time yet)

New but probably related problem.

Yesterday and again today, the key is not being recognised when I reconnect the battery. This means that the alarm keeps going off and I can't get the car to start. It's not the remote key battery as I swapped that yesterday. I eventually managed to get it to respond to the key after half an hour yesterday and then it was fine for the rest of the day. Today same problem again but run out of time to get it to respond.

I have found the four digit key code to try on the door lock later on but not got back to it yet.

Was wondering if there is a rechargeable battery somewhere in the system that has now gone flat which is why it's not remembering my key?

If not, any ideas and HOW do I REMOVE it all, just want a simpler car that stops behaving badly!

Mark

Suggest your RF unit has gone, in roof next to rear sunroof. Id fix that drain if i were you, as im not convinced d2s like their electrical system being messed with unnecessarily. My RF unit went after disconnecting the battery. Best to fix any issues and keep it all in good order.

There are other solutions but they need a diagnostic to disable the systems.

+1 for the RF receiver, replace it to be ruled out as it's the first suspect in such cases, it's plug and play

Mark Pinsent said:

Was wondering if there is a rechargeable battery somewhere in the system that has now gone flat which is why it's not remembering my key?

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No such thing, the system keeps remembering the key as long as you can make it work once in a while, if the synk was lost that key would not work again at all untill it's reprogrammed

I have a spare RF somewhere from the car I scrapped last year, I will dig it out and fit it. I agree completely that I should find the drain first, just never met a drain that doesn't drain when you test it with a ammeter but still can flatten a good battery overnight! I will have to look more carefully at it all, its just needing the time and never quite managing to get it.

Thanks for the info about the key system and how it all works, it saves a lot of wasted time.

Mark Pinsent said:

I have a spare RF somewhere from the car I scrapped last year, I will dig it out and fit it. I agree completely that I should find the drain first, just never met a drain that doesn't drain when you test it with a ammeter but still can flatten a good battery overnight! I will have to look more carefully at it all, its just needing the time and never quite managing to get it.

Thanks for the info about the key system and how it all works, it saves a lot of wasted time.

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Let us know if the spare receiver works ? I had similar issue recently and have not got round to changing mine. I reprogrammed the alarm and immobiliser settings with help from @sierrafery and I’m just going without remote central locking. I would fork out the £70 odd for a new RF receiver if I knew it would work though.

meego said:

I would fork out the £70 odd for a new RF receiver if I knew it would work though.

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It would work 100% if that's the fault, you can't be sure untill you don't replace it on your vehicle cos you don't know what's the fault on other's

sierrafery said:

It would work 100% if that's the fault, you can't be sure untill you don't replace it on your vehicle cos you don't know what's the fault on other's

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Lol….that’s my thoughts. It’s either going to be 70 quid well spent, or……..

Will do

I am still sure that I have some fault on the alarm system that might well have been causing the battery drain which is what lead to my latest issue. I stopped using the remote to lock the car about a year ago because the alarm would always go off a minute later. So I have been locking it on the key up until the drain issue started 3 or 4 weeks ago. Since then I have been disconnecting the battery when not in use and was reasonably happy with that status quo until the spring and more time was available. But, as per the post heading, that has now lead to the current problem.

So, in the perfect world I would just remove all the extra stuff and get the car to a more basic system with out the original alarm and immobolizer (sp) completely. Its been a year for stripping extras off the car it seems!

Once it was all removed, I would then install some alternative so that in ten years time when it mucks about again, I would know how to short cut it.

So, how much is involved in removing it all or is it too related to the ECU and thus impossible to do?

The alarm can be disabled completely with diagnostic tool, simple as that

sierrafery said:

The alarm can be disabled completely with diagnostic tool, simple as that

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quite!
(post #3)
Or couldn't he simply disconnect the RF?
I have a similar problem in that my alarm goes off if I use the plip to lock it, but no problems if I lock it with the key, and I too have been doing this for some time. It is after all the recognised way of disarming the RF if you for instance leave the car with an animal in it, e.g. when travelling on a ferry, which we do a lot as per handbook.
I get the feeling there is more to the current drain than this but disconnecting the RF would show if there was a current drain somehow through there wouldn't it?
You know me and electrickery!

Stanleysteamer said:

Or couldn't he simply disconnect the RF?

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I thik that you confuse the RF receiver with the volumetric sensors, if the alarm is not disabled in the BCU disconnecting the RF receiver would lead to immobilisation. Disconnecting the volumetric sensors has the same effect like when you lock with the key

sierrafery said:

I thik that you confuse the RF receiver with the volumetric sensors, if the alarm is not disabled in the BCU disconnecting the RF receiver would lead to immobilisation. Disconnecting the volumetric sensors has the same effect like when you lock with the key

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Yeah, you're right, used the wrong term!

Hi again.

I have been pondering on getting hold of a device that will actually talk to the car rather than my basic code reader. If I can get one and turn the alarm off that way, it would be my preferred route but I imagine that any reader that can talk landrover is quite expensive? I did want to tell the car that it also hasn't got air springs any more but its currently not listening to me. I do have a garage who can sort it but I would far prefer to have my own device ideally.

I reconnected the battery again tonight and then let it do its alarm rage. Then I used the key code on the drivers door and waited the five minutes and the car started first time. Nice to know that side of things is still working properly after 23 years!. I then locked it on the key as I have been for the last year and left it for a few hours. When I went back, it unlocked immediately on the remote and was happy to start again so everything was as it should be.
I have decided to leave the battery connected tonight and I will see how long the drain takes to bugger it all up again.

It would be so nice to get bored occasionally instead of always having a list but I guess thats the whole point of owning it

Mark Pinsent said:

Hi again.

I have been pondering on getting hold of a device that will actually talk to the car rather than my basic code reader. If I can get one and turn the alarm off that way, it would be my preferred route but I imagine that any reader that can talk landrover is quite expensive? I did want to tell the car that it also hasn't got air springs any more but its currently not listening to me. I do have a garage who can sort it but I would far prefer to have my own device ideally.

I reconnected the battery again tonight and then let it do its alarm rage. Then I used the key code on the drivers door and waited the five minutes and the car started first time. Nice to know that side of things is still working properly after 23 years!. I then locked it on the key as I have been for the last year and left it for a few hours. When I went back, it unlocked immediately on the remote and was happy to start again so everything was as it should be.
I have decided to leave the battery connected tonight and I will see how long the drain takes to bugger it all up again.

It would be so nice to get bored occasionally instead of always having a list but I guess thats the whole point of owning it

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You could do worse than a Foxwell. I have one and find it great for the money.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Fox...57j33i160.14030j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Nowhere near as expensive as other diagnostics and it can be used on the whole Jag-Land rover range.
and it don't make the booboos that a Nanocom has a tendency to make.

Mark Pinsent said:

I did want to tell the car that it also hasn't got air springs any more but its currently not listening to me.

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That can be the root of the current drain, if you fitted coils and didnt set the SLABS for that

The code reader tool looks interesting, better than my basic one, so I will look into it further. I really need one that can talk air bags, ABS and obviously if its possible to talk to the ECU about the suspension that would save time and money.

As regards the power drain. Yes, I have thought about that being linked and its only that there was a three week delay between the removal of the air springs and the drain fault appearing that makes me unsure. I originally disconnected the fuel and relay for the air system and have been ignoring the light on the dash obviously. After discussing the drain in another post a couple of weeks ago, I disconnected all the wires in the compressor box including the height adjuster valves and compressor itself. The first time I have actually been brave enough to leave the car over night since those wires were un plugged while the battery was still connected was last night as discussed above. Well the car passed that test as tonight when I got to it, ithe remote worked perfectly again and the car started immediately, no sign of drain.

So I will give it a few more days and maybe it will turn out to be linked to that issue?

Thanks for all the suggestions

Hi again.

Well, two weeks later after being ignored all of the last week too, it unlocked on the remote and started as it should.

I now think that even though I had removed the fuse and relay for the air suspension, maybe it was still live somehow and taking power over night to flatten the battery? Then my habit of disconnecting the batter caused the alarm issues which were the subject of this post.

All I did too weeks ago was to disconnect all the connections in the compressor box.
I must get the ECU adjusted to non air!

Mark Pinsent said:

Hi again.

Well, two weeks later after being ignored all of the last week too, it unlocked on the remote and started as it should.

I now think that even though I had removed the fuse and relay for the air suspension, maybe it was still live somehow and taking power over night to flatten the battery? Then my habit of disconnecting the batter caused the alarm issues which were the subject of this post.

All I did too weeks ago was to disconnect all the connections in the compressor box.
I must get the ECU adjusted to non air!

Click to expand...

Hi, as @Stanleysteamer said the Foxwell ( I have the NT530) will change the suspension settings as I did my sons when he changed his to springs (not that he had any battery drainage issues). As well as all LR/Jag models being included you can add other makes if needed. All in all for the price it's a good unit to have IMO.

Looks good, I think I will invest. Thanks.