My Disco 2 TD5 model year 2001 doesn't get driven much. Came to it today and the battery was flat. Now not too much of a surprise as it'd sat for perhaps four weeks. Jump started it and put it on charge - all OK battery volts sensible and my 'cold cranking meter' says 825 CCA (book says 800).
Now being of an enquiring mind I put my Fluke DC clamp meter on so see if there was any standing discharge, and there is. OK radio on stand by, remote locking on stand by so I'd expect some, but it seems to vary.
Once the engine is stopped and doors closed discharge initially is 2.5 amps falling progressively over the next five mins or so to 300 mA which I reckon is too high. Pulling fuses nothing seems to make sense until I pull the 30 amp ABS fuse - current drops to about 100 mA (lowest sensitivity of the meter) but shoots up to 500 mA if the fuse is put back then drops back. Sometimes the current is showing zero, sometimes 100 mA sometimes 200 mA sometimes 300 mA.
So what the deuce is happening? I'd expect the devices on standby to consume micro amps - maybe a few milli-amps, but not 300 mA surely?
Now being of an enquiring mind I put my Fluke DC clamp meter on so see if there was any standing discharge, and there is. OK radio on stand by, remote locking on stand by so I'd expect some, but it seems to vary.
Once the engine is stopped and doors closed discharge initially is 2.5 amps falling progressively over the next five mins or so to 300 mA which I reckon is too high. Pulling fuses nothing seems to make sense until I pull the 30 amp ABS fuse - current drops to about 100 mA (lowest sensitivity of the meter) but shoots up to 500 mA if the fuse is put back then drops back. Sometimes the current is showing zero, sometimes 100 mA sometimes 200 mA sometimes 300 mA.
So what the deuce is happening? I'd expect the devices on standby to consume micro amps - maybe a few milli-amps, but not 300 mA surely?