Anyone know for sure what the normal DC current draw in amps is for a stationary Discovery II 2000, V8 in stock condition? This would be the DC amps between the positive battery post and the battery terminal clamp with the engine and ignition off. Thanks!

 

I am going to guess and call it around 85 amps, while driving with the radio and a/c on.
Why do you ask?

 

Battery dying? I think he's talking about parasitic drain with everything off. I think most vehicles around 50 milliamps in normal, some are much more though (my BMW kills the battery after sitting for a few weeks). I don't know what's normal for LR and I'll bet it will draw a lot for a while after you shut it off (it seems to beep for a while anyways), so I'd wait an hour to test it.

 

Yes, battery drain during standing. I found a technical bulletin from Land Rover, and it says that some electronics, including "plips" from other vehicles in the vicinity can awaken an ECU. The bulletin says to avoid the use of plips in the vicinity. Also says that consistent and repeated awakening over extended periods of time can drain a battery. Is that interesting? Does anyone know what is meant by "plips"?

 

P***y lips?! Never heard of it, probably has something to do with it arming and disarming the car with the key fob. Maybe it can sense other vehicles alarm system signals when trying to read them. Maybe that's why my bimmer dies so quickly since stored in the garage, it can sense my land rover's fob signal. That's just a big guess though.

 

.35 to .65 amps is normal amp draw with the vehicle off. That's mostly ECU/ECMs/Modules using electricity for "keep alive memory". Anything much higher is excessive.

 

Rovers can have a heavy draw from the alternator when it is failing, make sure to check that.
Curious, have you had a charging system test performed, what was the voltage, did they also do a load test on your battery, just incase your battery is the culprit.

 

Apparently, the technical term for this "problem is "Quiescent Current Draw". Many of you who have responded are correct about the normal source of quiescent current draw: clock, security system, but not the radio radio, just the clock in the radio. The battery will self discharge normally at 0.1-1% per day at 68F`and increase 1% per day per 19F above 68F, but this is not measurable as quiescent current draw because it occurs inside the battery. Same with dust or dirt on the top of the battery which serves as a weak path of conductivity between the terminals. When a short circuit exists within the electrical system, this quiescent current draw is higher and measurable, thus my question about the normal current draw, for the sake of troubleshooting. GARovee, I think your 0.35 to 0.65 amps is too high, cause that would be 350 to 650 milliamps. But I think 35 milliamps would be closer to the mark.

 

Have you checked to see what yours is drawing? By the way, here are your 'plips'. Google is your friend.

http://www.autodiagnos.com/fileadmin...remoteprog.pdf

 

I had a drain of about 250 mA, isolated the high drain to a short at the alternator connector (my fault after replacing rocker assembly). After reattaching the wire without shorting, the drain is about 2 mA.

Here are the official maximum allowable quiescent current draw specifications derived from Land Rover technical document 86/01/00/NAS, date 03/03/2000:

Range Rover Classic - 40 mA
Discovery - 40 mA
Range Rover 4.0/4.6 - 30 mA (may also have 50 mA, see below)
Discovery Series II - 35 mA

These readings are with the bonnet (front hood) switch turned off, interior lights extinquished, key removed from ignition, with vehicle remotely locked, and vehicle in sleep mode (after 30-60 min of sitting to allow all on-board systems to power down). Note, the Range Rover 4.0/4.6 could have a 50 mA draw from communication with the instrument pack.

Reminder, disconnecting the battery to the electrical system will erase on-board diagnostic test results (OBD-II), and require operating the vehicle for many miles to reset new results. You cannot smog test your vehicle until these are loaded.