Freelander 2 (LR2) Poor Battery or Parasitic Drain?

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Rank Amatuer

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Problem with both key fobs started yesterday. None of the buttons worked unless I held the fob close to the middle of the windscreen. Okay, so not a key fob problem.
This morning the problem is still there so I measure the battery voltage, 12.2V, a bit on the low side as that's about 50% state of charge.
I started the engine, it cranked over easily, and the voltage went up to 14.4V, so no problem with the alternator.

So, is it time to change the battery, or is there a parasitic drain on the battery? I'll be able to put my multimeter in the +ve lead from the battery and check, but is there a 'normal' parasitic drain courtesy of all the processors, ECU, alarm immobiliser system, etc? Loathe to shell out for a new battery and find the problem persists.
 
What year is your FL2, 06 to 2013 may need the extra earth lead from battery to a bolt on the starter, can you borrow a battery to see how that works on your car, how old is your battery.

PS just seen at the bottom of your post you have a 2007 FL2 so yes it would be best if you had the extra earth lead.
 
Mine has the extra earth lead.
The Mrs has just gone into town in the car. I told her "Don't lock it!"
I'll measure the current drain when (if) she gets back.
 
If it cranks over then the battery is probably ok. It would need to be realy flat to affect he keyfob range. When the car is locked there is only the body control module powered up all the rest are all switched off. Battery voltage does sound a bit low. Many garages will check your battry for free and if its quite old change it anyway but make sure they fit the right one. (Extra earth lead does help on older modles)
 
If the battery is over 4 years old, then replace it.

Also get in the habit of pressing the lock button twice, which deadlocks the vehicle, but also shuts the various ECMs down faster.
A single press of the lock button keeps some ECMs active for 20 minutes or so.
 
I have had 2 cars with parasitic drains and found a DC clamp meter to be the easiest and most reliable to use.

Open bonnet , remembering to manually activate electrical close latch/switch or whatever tells the car the bonnet is shut.

Lock car leave it alone for 20 minutes and then clamp onto battery leads ( positive/negative doesn't matter which as long as you do all that are connected to that battery terminal ).

Anything more than about 100 milliamps is a definite issue, don't know the exact specs for all the Freelanders but I would hope they are less than 50 milliamps.....must check mine !

Multimeters with DC current clamps are readily available at reasonable prices. ( the normal cheap ones you see are AC clamps and wont work ).

I have the Uni-T 210E meter which is ideal as it has a 2 amp DC range and also functions as a standard multimeter ......( Other makes & models exist ).
 
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