Electrical Problems, Locked Out

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v8james

Member
Posts
70
I took my Disco of the road at the end of last year as it failed its MOT with a rusty rear end. I replaced the back 1/4 of the chassis with a new section last month. I went to start it tonight to get it ready for its MOT but the battery was completely dead so stuck it on charge for and hour and it started but the front and rear wipers were going with the switches in the off position??? I drove it round to my garage (with the wipers still going) got out and closed the door and the central locking locked the car by its self, with the keys still in the ignition!!! and keeps on locking over and over. Luckily I had popped the bonnet and was able to disconnect the battery. But when I reconnect the battery the central locking keeps on going locking the car.
I levered open the top of the passengers door and was able to get to the thing that locks the car on the top of the door card but it won't unlock the door, so I got a thin pole and was able to reach the central locking switch on the dashboard, but that wouldn't unlock the car!!!!!
The keys are in the ignition in the off position.

Does anyone know how I can unlock the car and what would be causing the electrical faults.
 
The easiest and quickest way to get in is to break a window. Do the drop gas as they are easy and cheap to replace.
As for the problems no idea. Could need an ECU but I would say it needs to go on a diagnostic machine maybe even Dealer spec diagnostic.
 
I'm guessing you don't have a spare key then....they always come in handy to manually get into the car when you lock in your keys or when the electronics go crazy.
As ruffday said, aside the option of finding a "professional" who can get you into the car, the only other way would be to smash through a window.
Sorry can't be more help with the electronics.
 
Managed to lever the top of the drivers door open enough to get a long bit of fence wire in hook the key in the ignition and put them out.
Car is now unlocked and central locking is behaving.
Anyone know why the wipers wont switch off???
 
Just to clarify front wiper are on intermittent all the time and dock in the correct position and back wiper is on all the time, both switches are in the off position. :(
 
So have taken IDM and BCU out and both look as good as new with no bad connections or any sign of water.
The only way I can get the rear wiper to stop is to pull the fuse and pull the multi plug out of the stalk to get the front ones to stop their intermittent sweep but I can still hear the relay clicking.
When I plug the Hawkeyes in and go into the BCU setting all looks ok and both front and rear wipers return to their parked position but when I come out of this they just start up again.
Can anyone suggest when I go next???
 
I'd be checking battery voltages, and cleaning all the earth points you can find first. Some LR electronics has a dislike for less than specified voltages - and if the battery is a bit low, then it might be an issue.

Or it might not. I hate electronics, so I'll wish you the best of luck, and keep out of the way :D
 
Starting from that chasis work you've done... was there some welding involved?, if yes and you welded on it without disconnecting the battery and unplugging the BCU there's a big change that the BCU was hurt, i've seen few cases of ruined BCU caused by welding and on the same principle the IDM can fail too... unfortunately the only way to rule this out is by replaceing it with a known good one
 
Will check the earths.
The battery was completely disconnected when I was welding but not BCU. Car started and everything worked as is should after I had finished welding.
Is there any way of switching off intermittent wipe by removing fuse or cutting a wire as could live without it as a last resort.
 
It depends where the fault is, if it's in the BCU it might be possible to cut the intermittent wipe command keeping the others but if it's in other place i doubt that, just confirm if you unplug only the stalk nothing else is it still working? .... and when it works the delay selector on the stalk has any effect on it?
 
If I unplug the connector from the stalk the wipers stop at the parked position but I can still here the relay clicking, the delay selector still works until I unplug the small connector on the top of the steering column ten it goes to max length between wipes.
Checked and cleaned earths at battery and got 12.8v at battery, front windows now not working and door solenoids are stuck in a lock loop.
 
IMO your BCU is fubar'd but the IDM is not ruled out either, as an estimate 60% BCU, 39%IDM, 1% some wiring issue... unfortunately you can't rule them out only by swapping with known good one, for the IDM is simple cos it's plug and play but the BCU needs serious programming so if you want to fix it start with the IDM just let the ignition on pos II for 5 minutes after the swap and don't work on any of them without disconnecting the battery first
 
So swapped the IDM still got wipers going and no front electric Windows :(
What is the procedure for changing the BCU?
 
New BCU fitted and programmed all working as it should :)
If anyone needs a working IDM I have a working spare.
 
So engine was running fine but now is kangarooing/missing under acceleration over 3k revs.
The live data in Hawkeye has the MAP reading climbing with acceleration then suddenly drops to 100 engine misses for a second and then back to normal pressure and then repeats.
Is this a broken MAP sensor??
 
seems like wastegate modulator or attached pipework issue cos it's overboost symptom, check fuse F2 engine bay just to be ruled out
 
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