Low Battery Warning while camping overnight....

[djkaosone]

I've dealt with a LOT of battery issues. The truck goes to sleep after a few minutes even with doors open. It only goes into deep sleep with the truck locked. When in sleep mode and not locked, it'll try to communicate with the key fob waiting in listening mode. I actually use a faraday key sleeve to block the key fob from communicating while I'm sleeping in the truck or tenting close by with the truck unlocked. I find it unnecessary to lock the truck while camping on BLM with no one around me for miles away.

 

[Harold_C]

I've dealt with a LOT of battery issues. The truck goes to sleep after a few minutes even with doors open. It only goes into deep sleep with the truck locked. When in sleep mode and not locked, it'll try to communicate with the key fob waiting in listening mode. I actually use a faraday key sleeve to block the key fob from communicating while I'm sleeping in the truck or tenting close by with the truck unlocked. I find it unnecessary to lock the truck while camping on BLM with no one around me for miles away.

That's good to know.... I did have the key near the dash for most of the night. I finally thought it might be the key and I moved it into the tent, but the warning still came on. Maybe the tent wasn't far enough?

 

[djkaosone]

In unobstructed open areas, the key fob has some range.

Just a fair warning... when using a faraday bag or box, just make sure it's on you vs inside the truck. If someone accidentally locks the truck with a push of a button on the handle, you'll be busting a window open.

I have this one, https://a.co/d/8SMFzJ9. The box for all rfid keys including spares and the key fobs are a bit snug in the bags, but works.

 

[drivesafe]

Hi Harold, and it is actually quite common to have the “Low Battery Start Motor” message come up after being camping.

I often have customers phone me after they have been camping for a few days and have found they have a flat cranking battery, even though they have one of my dual battery systems fitted.

They want to know why the cranking battery went flat when the Traxide dual battery isolator is supposed to protect the cranking battery from going flat.

My first question to them is “How did you start the motor?”

They nearly always reply “ By jump starting from the auxiliary battery”. To which I point out that their Traxide isolator has worked in revers. Protecting their auxiliary battery while the cranking battery went flat.

My next question is “ How often did you and your children go to the Disco”

They always reply “Quite a few times, usually to go to the fridge”

Then I point out that they flattened their cranking battery by opening the doors so often.

NOTE, even if you deactivate the Interior lights, every time you open a door, you turn on the Disco’s computers and they stay on for up to 4 minutes each time, using heaps of power.

If you are in a safe location, leave one of the doors open at all times and this will stop the computers from turning on and off.

NOTE leaving the tailgate open does not stop the computers operating each time a door is opened, you must leave one DOOR opened to keep the computers off.

You do not need 20 hours of driving to recharge the battery to stop the Low Battery messages. Just a 30 minute drive will replace most of the energy your computers used to discharge your cranking battery down to where the messages came on.

 

[mm3846]

Yup, I leave my driver door “open” by softly closing it to the first detent. Issue solved.

 

[Harold_C]

Thank you @drivesafe and @mm3846!! My wife and I are headed out next weekend and it sounds like soft “closing’” the front door should keep the car “sleeping”.

 

[Troy A]

Only when camping do I leave them off by default throughout the trip. Easy enough to momentarily tap the lights on/off when needed. After the trip, I reactivate them full time.

I switched to leds, I can't imagine the draw on incandescent lights. I can, but that's why I switched to leds.

LEDs (the good ones) draw similar current as the OEM incandescent lights - they have an added resistor in them that draws extra current so that they don't throw faults in the CanBUS (otherwise, the bus would detect a light on but not drawing the "right amount" of current.) So I think the advice to turn off all inside lights using the front console 5-10 hold is the best option. I don't know about the every-30-minutes warning. I've had low batt warnings when sleeping inside but only because I did use the interior lights too much. After that I switched to interior lights off, and powering down the truck manually (hold power switch until land rover logo dies on the radio). Maybe that's an option. And +10 on the lithium starter battery jumper.

 

[f1racer328]

You can also lock the car and just open the tailgate. The rest will stay locked. I have no idea what the power state of the vehicle is though.

You also shouldn’t be able to lock your keys in your car this way (the lift gate will automatically unlock if you try) but I wouldn’t trust that, especially if you’re out camping.

 

[mm3846]

Leaving the driver door just latched like that allows you to open and close other doors without changing whatever the ECU state is. You can do that w the tailgate trick.