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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
  
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| help- stuck at work! Weird elec problem |
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just returned from a rainy trip of about 80 miles in my D3HSE V8, pulled up outside my favourite Chinese takeaway, turned off the ignition and everything electric started cycling on and off... headlamps, interior lamps, dash warnings, blower, door locks, satnav, hazards.. Panicked and started up the engine, everything fine. Decided to buy me tea from nearby KFC drive-thru instead so I didn't have to leave it, then drove to my workshop in case I got stuck.
Turned off, same thing again, flashing everything. Started fine- ran no problem. Off again, left it to do its flashy thing and it calmed down when it went to sleep. But then the alarm kept activating and the interior lights kept going on and off.
I just did a hard reset and that seems to have stopped the xmas lights. I came on here to say thanks for the reset instructions but while I was typing, the alarm happened again.. but only once so far..
Any ideas what could cause such a fault but only when not running? I'm scared to drive it home because I park it in a public place and it was unlocking itself with the key out.
I put in a new battery at Christmas and it's been running perfectly since.. I've done about 600 miles this week for instance. So I doubt an alternator issue, it has always started immediately throughout the recent cold weather. Whilst reversing in KFC's car park just now I noticed in my reflection in their window that I had a brake light out, so I've replaced the bulb.
PS I've just remembered that one day last week I took the key out and opened the door, but it kept chiming as if the key was still in the barrel..
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 15th Feb 2017 9:49 pm |
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caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
  
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Happened to me.
Battery drained until it set the alarms off. Doors locking/unlocking.
You need a new barrel. NO need for new key.
The car is not switched off when the key is out. “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
Ernest Hemmingway
D4 3.0 Active Diff, Adaptive Lights, High Beam Assist, Surround Cameras, Privacy Glass.
D3 2.7:Adaptive Headlights,Electronic Rear Diff,ARB Bar,Blaupunkt Speakers,JVC Powered Subwoofer,Removable Snorkel,Mitch Hitch,Pioneer After Market Head Unit,Steering Wheel Control Adaptor,Remote Adjustable Supension Rod System, Taxside Dual Battery System.
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| 16th Feb 2017 12:13 am |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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Thanks for that caver- I'll check it out tomorrow, definitely seemed barrel-related the other week when the car thought the key was still inserted.
In the meantime I seem to have stumbled onto a fix for the night- having seen on here how many xmas light problems are brake switch related, I pushed on the pedal whilst the car was locking/unlocking itself and it stopped! If I hold down the pedal before taking out the key, then put a 10kg weight resting against the pedal, it behaves itself.
So I think I'm good for tonight, tomorrow I'll get a switch and look into a new barrel..
BTW the only funny aspect of tonight's problems was when I looked for a spare bulb- I knew I had one of those Euro driving kits from Halfords in the rear cubby, so I pulled it out only to see an identical brand-new one behind. So I pulled that one out to find... another brand new identical one! I must have panic-bought one for each of the last 3 foreign trips I did 
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| 16th Feb 2017 12:39 am |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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I went to my local indy, Brownchurch in E10 (half mile from my work, luckily,) he had brake switches on the shelf- "you got the christmas lights" he said. Obviously not uncommon.
Anyway, seems to be ok now, quickest job ever... about 2-3 mins, took me longer to find a mat to kneel on!
I'll keep an eye on the ingnition barrel.. I still find it a bit disconcerting that the car could begin repeatedly cycling the door locks minutes after it has been left locked with no key anywhere near 
Thanks again to the forum for the wealth of experience.
edit- I opened up the old switch, quite a bit of black residue in there. It actually contains two electrically independent switches on the common actuator rod- one high current pair of contacts for the lamps, a low current one for the ECU sense. No common connection, hence 4 pins on the plug.
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| 16th Feb 2017 2:02 pm |
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caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
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Seems for the break switch to cause it to misbehave with key out. 
Maybe two probs.
Hopefully cleaning barrel will stop it happening again? “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
Ernest Hemmingway
D4 3.0 Active Diff, Adaptive Lights, High Beam Assist, Surround Cameras, Privacy Glass.
D3 2.7:Adaptive Headlights,Electronic Rear Diff,ARB Bar,Blaupunkt Speakers,JVC Powered Subwoofer,Removable Snorkel,Mitch Hitch,Pioneer After Market Head Unit,Steering Wheel Control Adaptor,Remote Adjustable Supension Rod System, Taxside Dual Battery System.
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| 16th Feb 2017 11:29 pm |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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| thought fault was fixed but... My brick is back! |
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so it worked ok for a few days with the new brake switch, enough to make me confident enough to park it up for 30 hours on a weekend trip to Margate without putting my trusty brick on the brake pedal. Ominous multi-flashing hazards when I returned to it and opened central locking, looked like alarm had been activated. Battery totally flat (8V), had to get AA out. They checked alternator, was charging to 13.8V @ 120A so seems ok. Back to doing the whole xmas light flashy thing with door lock percussion symphony whenever the key is out and brake not pressed (see video if I've attached it ok). Absolutely fine with key in!
Took to my local indy today, scanned on their autologic. Lots of faults but ones the tech was most interested in seemed to be body control module related. He reckoned it's electrical rather than electronic, maybe a chafed wiring issue. But that's more of a hunch- he said he'd never seen a key-out fault like this. They advised me to book it in for a week so they could laboriously go through the wiring, a bit of an open-ended job (but guided by autologic's support team.)
Keeping my brick in the car is looking the more attractive option compared to open-ended labour charges!
Has anyone else come across anything this before? It was raining heavily the first time this happened, and again in Margate, so perhaps it's water in some connectors. I did replace the sunroof drain pipe behind the fusebox a few months ago so it should be dry behind there. I have also removed the ingition barrel, cleaned and lubricated it, and wiggled the electrical connector on the end. I couldn't see any mechanical means for the switch block to sense the presence of a key in the barrel- is this done wirelessly?
I'd rather sort this myself if possible, I can't afford 1000's to fix a wire! Any pointers on where to start? The fact that the problem is totally solved by something as simple as pressing the brake pedal gives me hope it's nothing too major!
[img]http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/35527/IMG_5055.MOV[/img]
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| 27th Feb 2017 9:06 pm |
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Narpy
Member Since: 18 Jul 2011
Location: Stockport
Posts: 7830
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A couple of observations that may or not help:
Your alternator is getting tired. 13.8v is not the best for a D3 alternator IF that is when cold. A simple search of the forum will tell you it should be putting out around 15v+ when cold.
Also, your battery is completely screwed at 8v. It needs replacing, that is clear.
However, be warned, some alternators have been known to slowly fail and a whole host of odd things can start happening. It nearly always results in a dead short fail which totally kills the battery too.
Mmmmmmm, sounds rather familiar to your symptoms. 
Also, I haven't heard of the locks tripping like you have before but something getting wet is a very real possibility as is, a dying battery or alternator.
That key in, key out thing is very odd though, really can't suggest what is going on there.
If it was me, I'd get that alternator off and replace it with a Denso Alternator. Then I'd replace the battery too. You may be surprised by the outcome and if it doesn't totally resolve your problems at least you can now rule these out but my money is on the alternator but I also suspect you have a water ingress issue too.
Good luck with it, they can be a proper pain in the 'arris.  Mods:
Front Fogs + Halos
FBH Remote Control
The 1st Ever RRS Modded Grill
Garmin Nuvi + D4 Surround + Reversing Camera.
D4 Steering Wheel.
Rear Boot Spoiler.
Twin Brake Lights.
Wing Mirror Indicator Repeaters.
Long Roof Rails
Make your own Narpy grill thread
I'm not scared, I'm outta here.
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| 27th Feb 2017 11:32 pm |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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hmm thanks narpy
yes I did think 13.8 was a shade low, expected 14.4ish , but wasn't sure if that was due to the 8v battery when it was measured. It didn't go above 14 even with all the lights on. For some reason two AA vans turned up from opposite directions at exactly the same time, I was half expecting a yellow helicopter to turn up next. One of their clamp meters was reading 37A from the alternator and the other 120A! The 37A guy thought his was a bit dicky. One of the fellas said 13.8V was a bit low, the other was happy with it, since it was a smart charge system. I'll get my fluke on it now that the battery is charged to see what the alt voltage is.
The battery is only 7 weeks old so I hope it isn't knackered already! Mind you it is the second new battery the car has had in 3 years which I guess might support your idea of a poorly alternator?
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| 27th Feb 2017 11:50 pm |
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Narpy
Member Since: 18 Jul 2011
Location: Stockport
Posts: 7830
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13.8v isn't terminal but is low if tested when cold and I too would expect 14.4v or higher.
Try charging the battery overnight using a CTek or similar and then watch it like a hawk for any odd behaviour.
The D3 is very power hungry and everything needs to be in prime condition regarding the battery + alternator.  Mods:
Front Fogs + Halos
FBH Remote Control
The 1st Ever RRS Modded Grill
Garmin Nuvi + D4 Surround + Reversing Camera.
D4 Steering Wheel.
Rear Boot Spoiler.
Twin Brake Lights.
Wing Mirror Indicator Repeaters.
Long Roof Rails
Make your own Narpy grill thread
I'm not scared, I'm outta here.
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| 28th Feb 2017 12:02 am |
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L319
Member Since: 14 Dec 2013
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 2080
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When I inadvertently drained my battery down to 7V, the door locks started cycling when I switched on.
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| 28th Feb 2017 12:10 am |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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ok thanks guys I'll check the alternator/battery system tomorrow as a starting point and report back.
cheers
btw is the Denso alternator the LR oem or an alternative? where's the best source for 'em?
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| 28th Feb 2017 1:09 am |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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bought original LR bulbs, replaced all 4 double filament ones just in case. No improvement.
took off the new brake switch, plugged in connector a few times and cleaned contacts. looked for chafing on all looms under steering column, nothing obvious. But now even my brake pedal trick doesn't stop the crazyness! Hazards and blower now always come on when key is removed, and turn off when inserted..??
Had my fluke on the battery, it's at 12.8V, alternator charging at 13.6V, does seem low. Looks like I'll replace it anyway, but 12.8V shouldn't be causing my immediate problems, should it?
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| 1st Mar 2017 9:28 pm |
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stevep
Member Since: 16 Apr 2013
Location: London
Posts: 91
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Interesting update- spent a bit of time today delving into the passenger side loom trench since I did the green wire and sunroof drain some time ago after finding the loom submerged. Dry as a bone and no evidence of wetness ariund the fusebox area either. I did waggle all the plugs, the one on the bottom of the junction box came out very easily. When it's out, the hazards flash and the blower comes on! So I thought I'd found my problem.. cleaned contacts, tested- problem cleared! very happy, put everything back triumphantly. Ignition on and off, works perfectly.
5 mins later back it comes
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| 2nd Mar 2017 10:32 pm |
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Mossy
Member Since: 01 Jul 2005
Location: Hollyoaks, UK
Posts: 2682
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Not sure if this is of any help at all - but exact same problem about 12 months ago. All working fine then one day - removed key and...
Sat Nav screen on and off, hazard warning lights on and off, doors locking and unlocking, park brake fault, plus other stuff - the full ghost in the machine!!
Car sat in dealers for 8 weeks for them trying to sort and it turned out to be water ingress behind the fuse box (the old blocked or in my case failed drain tubes) and although the fuse box did seem dry to touch etc., it required a replacement which was quite a job for them - think they are coded to the car as well hence took a while to come in. The water had been pooling god only knows where but the time in the dealers was basically drying it out as well as refit.
All back together and not had the fault since (touching nearest bit of wood).
Have the old fuse box sitting here as a souvenir and it does not look corroded at all though the PCB could well have taken the hit, so unless I spent a fortune on replacement and fit, the new box did solve the issue.
The similarity to my issue suggests it is water-related. D3 HSE V8...
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| 10th Mar 2017 2:59 pm |
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