Q: Battery light stays on and overnight battery drain. 2006 Land Rover LR3

asked by on February 27, 2017

Why do I have a persistent battery drain on my LR3 after replacing the battery and alternator? Even worse, the battery light stays on. I took my car for an engine wash. Ever since, my battery light never went off. Stays permanently on.

I"m sure the alternator is working cos i replaced it and check always with a Multi-meter; and I've bought a brand new battery twice in 6 months.

The car discharges the battery overnight. But starts straight up on a jump start.

Please, i need help. My mechanics have not been able to help.

Its really frustrating.

My car has 100000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there - yes, something is going on here that’s draining your battery. Perhaps the pressure of the engine wash dislodged wiring which has shorted, or there was a chemical reaction to the cleaning solution that caused electrical damage in the alternator or voltage regulator. These componnents can be checked off of the vehicle. Vehicle wiring can be diagnosed by connecting an ammeter to the positive (red) battery cable, observe the current drain (likely less than 1 amp), then, one at a time, remove each fuse, check to see if the current drain has dropped to near 0, then reinsert the fuse. This process should identify the faulty circuit in most cases. The specific components on that circuit can then be checked for current drain problems. A professional mechanic, like YourMechanic, can come to your location, and perform this procedure for you, and replace/repair the failing component.

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