scottishsenator24v

scottishsenator24v

New Member
Hi all,

1997 300Tdi ES Auto. Has battery drain issue but as it's used at least every other day it's not a problem - until this week when it hasn't turned a wheel all week!

Battery drain issue has caused complete flat battery. Went out today with the key fob (it's the 2 button fob) and everything totally dead. Fob did nothing so i opened the door with the key so i could get in to open the bonnet and jump start it. After the alarm almost causing a loss of hearing for the last half hour, i'm at a loss.

I've been searching the historical threads but i'm going round in circles.

Bottom line is, i now have a charged battery (left it connected to the other car which was running for a good half hour (also a diesel)) and using the key now operates the central locking and the little red light on the dash inbetween the rev counter and speedo is blinking at the normal speed (as it would when locked with the fob).

Trouble is, the fob is doing nothing. It has no effect on the central locking or the alarm/Imob. If i get in and turn on the ignition, (whilst the alarm is sounding) on the right hand side of the instrument display, a red car is flashing with a spanner on it).

Any ideas? I've tried turning ignition on and off twice, i've tried pressing lock button on key fob 4 times in succesion.

I'm lost and need to get to work tomorrow. Any ideas?

Cheers,

Chris
 
P.S. I notice it says in the handbook that if the alarm is triggered more than 3 times, i needs re-set. Well it was triggered more than 3 times. The handbook naturally doesn't state how to re-set it though!!
 
That's normal, just press the lock button on the fob four times to re-sync it with the system. indicators will flash and doors lock, this info is in the owners handbook. ;)
 
Hi,

Yeah i read that in the handbook and tried it a couple of times. No reaction at all.

Just to ensure i'm not a total idiot, i've just gone out and tried it again. So car is locked, light on dash blinking as usual. 2 button fob so pressed lock (right hand button) 4 times in a successio.

Nothing happened.....

Chris
 
Not a dicky bird then, I'd go back into the fob to see if the battery is located correctly or if there is a broken connection. I take it you can't remobilise the engine either.
Go back to the start and disconnect the vehicle battery for a few mins, reconnect and do the fob thing again.
 
When i unlock with the key, it does not switch the alarm off. I note on page 11 of the handbook - [the alarm] can be triggered up to three times before needing to be reset.

I don't believe this is connected to the 4 button press on the key fob. Any idea how to perform the re-set? Handbook is no help.

The alarm is armed. I can't seem to get it disarmed. presumably it has to be disarmed before the 4 button key fob press will work.

Cheers,

Chris
 
The disco 2 you have to turn door lock to lock with key for 5 seconds.

Then do something with it to disable the imobiliser but may be different on Disco 1
 
Resetting is just unlocking and relocking therefore setting the system again, this is a feature (three times and lock out) to stop the annoyance and battery drain ie. I you don't want to come back to a flat battery after your vehicle has been parked in a carpark all day.
 
Ah, That makes sense now - i was taking it too literally.

It's as if the key and/or the fob just isn't being recognised by the alarm system. It won't disarm at all.

Never did fix the sunroofs and the leak - heavy rain here for 2 days and it's soaked inside (not for the first time). Wonder if i should let it dry out for a couple of days in the sunshine before i start calling tow trucks to take it away to the local Landie specialist...

Will also try diesconnecting it from the battery. Worried about this back up alarm going off uncontrolably though. Lack of control of the main alarm makes me think the disarm procedure for the back up alarm won't work either though....

Worth a try. If it was something obvious, i guess i'd have had loads of suggestions on here.

Thanks for the comments so far though.

Chris
 
Loads of info on sunroofs on all the forums help my mate do his and it's an easy job to remove but takes most of the day for each one.

Yes the alarm sounder is battery backed up but after 14 years doubtful that the battery is still functional mine died years a go, anyway the system is designed to operate on a voltage drop something like two volts may be... i dont have the spec now, so when the the vehicles battery drops to 10volts or what ever completely removed off goes the sounder ... as your battery went flat without the sounder sounding suggests that the thing is deceased also.

If your radio headunit is coded just make sure u have the code before disconnection. But the alarm system has it own fuse so u could just pull that, but I don't have access to my books so I haven't a clue which one.
 
Last edited:
Fixed it.

Dipped into the emergency £ fund and £104 later, (£35 call out, £50 labour + VAT) we are fully functional again.

In the end, the local Landie specialist reckons i made it worse swapping between the normal key fob and the spare key fob. Confused the system which is why it refused to disarm. All cuased by the battery going completely dead them it thinking it hadbeen stolen as soon as it woke up when i connected the jump leads (door and bonnet open but alarm still armed).

He basically took the battery out of the key fob for 10 seconds then put it back in and all was fine! He took it back to the garage to check the reciever on the roof beside the sunroof switches hadn't corroded but that was fine. He selaed up the sunroofs too to stop it corroding in future (they leaked really badly).

So in a nutshell, if your alarm ignores your key-fob and the pressing the lock button 4 times deosnlt work, take the battery out to re-set the fob and you should be up and running again.

An expensive lesson but i know now!

Chris
 
Confused I am, the use of two fobs when ever required will not cause any problems and as for the roof receiver, D1s don't have one it's all combimed in the ecu behind the glovebox.
So the "specialist" has now fitted the fobs battery correctly.
Also any time the vehicle or the fobs battery is removed and reconnected the re-synchronizing between the ecu and fob is required.. by pressing the lock button four times..

£104 is not bad for sorting out sunroofs , have you tried them, do they still open/close? :)
 
Last edited:
No no, sunroofs just sealed up with silicone. Does the trick so i'm happy. Have A/C and 4 windows so plenty air to keep cool with!

Guess i've been taken for a ride then with his crap about the roof reciever but all i know is the 4 button press didn't work for me and it didn't work for him either. I watched him with my own eyes and he only got it going after he took the battery out of the fob, put it back, then the 4 button press worked. Obvious now it's done but at the time, never thought to take the battery out of the fob, then try the 4 button press!

In conclusion, £104 to come to my house, remove and re-fit the battery in the fob and silicone up a sunroof back at his garage. Expensive but yesterday i was stranded with 2+ tonnes of scrap metal and today i have a working car that doesn't leak so overall, it could have been a lot worse.

Thinking ahead, i still have the battery drain issue. Off to the USA for two weeks later this year and as 5 of us are going plus luggage instead of taking 2 cars we were all ging to pile in the Disco. Worried about leaving it at the parking location for 2 weeks, not so much for flat battery as these places always have a jumper pack, more for the same thing happening again. Not nice after an overnight flight thorugh various time zones!

Cheers,

Chris
 
My disco will unlock and fire up after three weeks standing unused and will still unlock after four weeks but there's not enough in the battery to turn over the engine and my battery is only a year old, with two weeks I have no problem.

The only battery drain I have would be the alarm ecu and the multifunction unit both of them are powered up 24-7.

Your battery will be fully chaged after the drive to the airport so will be or should be ok just for two weeks.. :)
 
No idea how long the current battery has been in and on the basis it appears to be struggling to hold a charge, i think i'll replace it nearer the time.

Might disconnect it when we park it up for the 2 weeks but i'll do a few trial runs at home first to ensure i'm able to get it all going again (i.e. alarm / 4 button press routine etc etc)

Cheers
 
That's a Good Plan :D but............ when I've parked up at Gatwick I left my car in a line with others at the reception, handed over the keys, they parked it.
So disconnection of the battery would not be an option. :(
 
Had the same problem as originally described by scottishsenator the advice worked first time thank you that.
 
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