skibarefoot

How would a scan tool help in finding my problem other then reading fault codes? Doesn't the car need to be powered to see the streams of data and the module information? If the car is powered how would I find what is draining?

Thanks for all the help.

skibarefoot

Guess I'm back to pulling fuses. This time I will pull and note any that create a amp draw decrease no matter how slight.

530inOK

I think the IBS was mentioned early in this thread. This post from another forum mentions a way to test it. May be worth a shot.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.a...389&nmt=e60 530i..."high rate of battery discharge"...any ideas

The E60 battery negative lead has an Intelligent Battery Sensor built into it,the early ones were prone to moisture causing an internal fault inside it,just above its location there is a vent that can let a little moisture in. The new IBS's are completly waterproof and i haven't had to change one yet. If the sensor is faulty it can stop the car going into sleep mode and actually cause the battery to go flat,the complete opposite of its invention.
The dealers have an energy diagnosis test that highlights if there is a battery drain fault,but if that shows up o.k,i would suspect the i.b.s is faulty.
If a battery has gone faulty and it is replaced,then we have to register it in the ibs's memory so it can start monitoring the battery drain accurately again.
I've seen cars that haven't had a new battery registered keep putting up check control messages because the ibs is confused.
If u disconnect the little red wire on top of the ibs,(its power supply) the battery then goes back to just being a negative lead again,so you could try that and if the battery doesn't go flat then u could buy an ibs
Strictly speaking if you fit a new one you are meant to carry out a full software update.
You could try ur local dealer for a goodwill claim,its worth a phonecall to them

skibarefoot

The car has 75k miles. Well out of warranty. I'll check out the ibs check out first. Thanks

tooltec

This type of problem has recently been discussed in :-


https://5series.net/forums/index.php?showto...t=#entry1045251

Take a look at the post by member vkhong,the information in that link is very informative.
You have been asked if your new battery was registered and I have not seen a reply.It could be a problem with the IBS as other members have already suggested.

skibarefoot

I ordered scan tool hardware today, it'll be here tomorrow. Then I can register the battery and look at modules etc. I have not had a chance yet to mess with the car anymore. I work 3/12hr days a week. I only have time to work on the car on my off days which are coming up. As soon as look at the car again I will post results. Thanks.

Vyce77

From what I understand, only the dealer can get into the power management section and register the battery using progman

skibarefoot

According to Auto Enginuity and Bavarian Technic both products will register the battery plus a whole lot more. I asked them that question specifically. We will find out. And, of course I'll let you know.

Mizuno

A quick update on what I tried and how I ended up having BMW solve it.

Last Sunday I started pulling fuses and measuring with an ampmeter. First of all, disconnecting the negative lead caused a malfunction report of the belt tensioners and airbags in the display. Supposedly normal when disconnecting the minus lead and something I needed the dealer to fix. I have later been recommended using an ampmeter that connects over the lead and not having to disconnect it.

Next challenge was that my ampmeter had two seperate connectors, one for up to 10 amps and one limited to 2000 milliamps. Had to use the one up to 10 amps initially. The car pulled about 8 amps before going into sleep mode. After about 1-2 minutes it fell to 3,65A. After 10 minutes it measured 0,2A. Started pulling the fuses one by one without much change, until I pulled the one for the PDC. It then fell to 0,01A. Pulling some of the other fuses made it go up to 0,54A and 2,96A. Finally it settled at 0,01A.

Now the problem with continuing the measurements was that I was unable to switch to the 2000mA connector without waking up the car. That was impossible since the 2000 milliamps wouldnt let that much current through. A wide range ampmeter would have been a good idea. Another thing is that I probably didn't wait long enough for the car to go into sleep mode.

I'm not convinced that I learned anything from this. Other than that this is a very complex piece of machinery, best left to those with the right tools and knowledge. I was hoping to save some money this way, but even if I did find the problem I would have no idea what to do with it.

Left the car with the dealer on Tuesday and they spent 5 hours diagnosing it. Because I had disconnected the negative lead they were unable to read any error codes/history related to the battery. They found a broken lead connecting to the trunk light and fixed it. Then they did a complete software update. That actually improved other things about the car. Running more smoothly and removing some jerkyness when cold.

Unfortunately I have no idea what the problem was, but it appears to be ok now. Have had no battery problems after that. Cost me about $1250. $800 + $450 for the previous battery change

Don't know if there's any useful info her, but I hope I never have electrical probems again. I'll take a mechanical problem any day over this.

methodsound

This amp meter I mentioned is the solution to your problem trying to measure the amps with your multi meter. It does not require the battery connection to be disconnected.

It sounds like the dealer said your trunk light was staying on due to the faulty trunk hatch trigger? Is that what the drain turned out to be? The reason I ask is that the car will shut off the trunk light if you leave the trunk open, so maybe the trigger was intermittent and the car was waking up thinking you were opening the trunk?