Car died while driving.!!
07-11-2012, 07:38 PM
#11
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Ok so I tested the alternator and it reads 14.0 v so I assume that's fine. Now the battery Is reading 10v it barley started the car I charged it the day before and it was at 12v, I let the car run for 10 min and now it's back up to 12v. So I take it the alternator is working. It looks like I need a new battery, but would a weak battery cause the car to shut down while it's driving?
"sounds like intermittent alternator fault. Mine behaved like this before it finally gave up the ghost (switching off and on would get rid of the warning lights though). use the secret obc, menu number 9 to check voltage levels. Should be about 14.4V"
Alternator comes and goes. Could be intermittent shorts turn to turn in winding as insulation on winding wire fails due to heat.
07-12-2012, 03:16 AM
#12
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My Ride: E60 530d
Monitor your voltage very closely, over a period of a few days. Jump in the car, PRESS AND HOLD the odometer reset button, THEN put your key in and turn to position I and let go (it's a shortcut to the secret menu).
Your nominal voltage should be around 12.4V. Whilst starting it can drop to 10 or 9.x volts. Once started, within 2-3 seconds, mine goes up to 14.5v. On my old alternator, it would take 7-10 seconds. As time went on, sometime it would take a few minutes before it started charging. This got worse and worse till it conked out.
07-12-2012, 05:11 AM
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My Ride: '06 E60 550i
While on the alternator topic, on my '06 550, when the A/C is off and the RPMs are around 500 at idle, when coming to a stop the RPMs drop to about 470-480 and the voltage goes down to 13.something. The RPMs going down causes an annoying vibration from the engine. Is this a sign of an alternator going bad? This does not happen when the A/C is on, as the RPMs are in the 750ish range then. The voltage also doesn't go down when coming to a stop with the A/C on.
Haven't had any battery/electrical issues so far.
Haven't had any battery/electrical issues so far.
07-12-2012, 05:58 AM
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Same thing happened to me. i just bought my car and had it's history checked. The previous owner had the thing in the shop a bunch for ghost electrical issues with the screen flickering and the dashboard lighting up. Every time they checked the voltage however I guess the alternator was charging. So now I buy the thing and the PO feels like being a douche and not disclosing this history. Little did he know that I already knew it was the alternator. I had it swapped last week and the mystery electrical issues are gone.
Good luck with the repair.
Good luck with the repair.
07-14-2012, 05:46 AM
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JUST GOT MY CAR BACK FROM THE SHOP!!! AND IT STILL DIED!!!
So when I posted my last response I had been to the shop to see the progress on my car. It was charging fully and test drove beautifully. Now last night after all of my other repair work was done I brought her home and headed out on the town. She died 30 mins into the night! This morning she started fine without being charged at all. Any ideas folks?
I'm starting my own thread as well. This is strange.
So when I posted my last response I had been to the shop to see the progress on my car. It was charging fully and test drove beautifully. Now last night after all of my other repair work was done I brought her home and headed out on the town. She died 30 mins into the night! This morning she started fine without being charged at all. Any ideas folks?
I'm starting my own thread as well. This is strange.
07-16-2012, 10:50 AM
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My Ride: 2004 530i in the mod process, I love my baby
Hey man I had the same prob with my car and I found out whats wrong. If you go into your trunk and remove the side cover where the battery is press down on the positive wire and the cars lights go on and the car starts up again. My prob was that the connecter became a little loose and dirt had settled in between and caused the battery not to work properly. Hope this helps bro,,
I have a 2004 545i with 80k.
So last night while driving I was going about 15 mph and all of a sudden my I drive screen starts flickering then about 2 minutes later the screen dies and then my check engine, abs, brake, battery, active steering lights come on basically all the lights come on, then my car shuts off and dies. Luckily I could pull over to the side and I wait for about 10 min I tried to start it up but noting happens it tries to crank over but can't. So I had the towing guy jump it and it starts right up but all the lights are on. Since I didn't know what was wrong I had it towed back home. Then the next day I tried to start it up to see what would happen and it starts right up but all the warning lights are still on.
Has anyone encountered this problem before. I'm gonna test my battery and alternator to see if that's the problem, but any input is appreciated!
So last night while driving I was going about 15 mph and all of a sudden my I drive screen starts flickering then about 2 minutes later the screen dies and then my check engine, abs, brake, battery, active steering lights come on basically all the lights come on, then my car shuts off and dies. Luckily I could pull over to the side and I wait for about 10 min I tried to start it up but noting happens it tries to crank over but can't. So I had the towing guy jump it and it starts right up but all the lights are on. Since I didn't know what was wrong I had it towed back home. Then the next day I tried to start it up to see what would happen and it starts right up but all the warning lights are still on.
Has anyone encountered this problem before. I'm gonna test my battery and alternator to see if that's the problem, but any input is appreciated!
07-16-2012, 07:41 PM
#17
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E60 constantly runs on battery. Could be your battery connections are also loose. Would explain why you are driving fine sometimes and others no. If it's coming loose then your car will die. Actually if I remember it gives a message something along the lines of "Electrical malfunction - continued driving is not possible"
02-09-2021, 06:42 AM
#18
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My Ride: Bmw 530i
Hey guys I have a 2007 bmw 530i with the exact same symptoms
I have a 2004 545i with 80k.
So last night while driving I was going about 15 mph and all of a sudden my I drive screen starts flickering then about 2 minutes later the screen dies and then my check engine, abs, brake, battery, active steering lights come on basically all the lights come on, then my car shuts off and dies. Luckily I could pull over to the side and I wait for about 10 min I tried to start it up but noting happens it tries to crank over but can't. So I had the towing guy jump it and it starts right up but all the lights are on. Since I didn't know what was wrong I had it towed back home. Then the next day I tried to start it up to see what would happen and it starts right up but all the warning lights are still on.
Has anyone encountered this problem before. I'm gonna test my battery and alternator to see if that's the problem, but any input is appreciated!
So last night while driving I was going about 15 mph and all of a sudden my I drive screen starts flickering then about 2 minutes later the screen dies and then my check engine, abs, brake, battery, active steering lights come on basically all the lights come on, then my car shuts off and dies. Luckily I could pull over to the side and I wait for about 10 min I tried to start it up but noting happens it tries to crank over but can't. So I had the towing guy jump it and it starts right up but all the lights are on. Since I didn't know what was wrong I had it towed back home. Then the next day I tried to start it up to see what would happen and it starts right up but all the warning lights are still on.
Has anyone encountered this problem before. I'm gonna test my battery and alternator to see if that's the problem, but any input is appreciated!
Last edited by Amayae60; 02-09-2021 at 06:44 AM.
02-09-2021, 07:04 AM
#19
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My Ride: 05 530i M54
Model Year: 05 530i
Engine: 3.0 M54
How old is the battery? I would go to the local parts store and have them test the battery and alternator. They let you rent the tool for free with a deposit
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