xl2ealx

My E60 has been sitting in my garage since New Years day. I tried to start it last night and it wont start. All lights and radio come on. It's been like -35 here in Chicago.


I want to give it a jump but my car is facing the wall in the garage.

so my question is: would it be ok to jump the battery sincei can't access under the hood???

nomis_nehc

Yikes, I would try to get a portable jumper or a long jumper cable. It says right there in the manual to never jump from battery.

xl2ealx

yea,thinking about getting a booster pack. Does our E60 require a certain cranking/peak amp?

pcy

Or you can push the car out of the garage and use regular jumper cables...

It hasn't been that long since New Year, so, I'd say the battery is weak to start with and add cold temps, that will do.
You can get a trickle charger and charge the battery. Having a charger on hand is a good idea for E60 owners.

H F

Take the battery out and get it charged,,,Put it back in and it will probably start.

E60I

Don't buy a booster pack! They don't work if the battery is "too dead"! I have two expensive ones (with high cranking amperages) that are collecting dusts.

Call AAA if other options/suggestions can't be applied.

Good luck!

Bill109

i agree, use a jumper pack. never jump from the battery... it can and may explode the battery. yes ive seen it happen. luckily not on my car. you could aso take a good battery out of something, put it in front of your car and use jumper cables. this should work..

xl2ealx

well. i got it jumped... it started everything seemed fine but then last night while i was driving the car seem alittle sluggish when accelerating and seems to rattle a bit especially when i'm stopped at the light. idle is abit rough..

THEN the check engine light comes on!! =/ nothing on the idrive though..

I tried starting it today and my car wouldn't start again. I jumped it and now it starts...

Could the E60 behave like this because of a weak battery?

Has anyone here experience something like this from a jump or a weak battery??

pcy

Have you charged the battery?

Based on what you said, it looks like the battery charge is low. Car is able to start with jump star; however, the alternator is not charging the battery - either because you are not driving long enough OR the battery is close to death/dead, OR IBS is not functioning properly and as a result battery is not being charged.

Have the battery charged fully and see if the problems persist.

BimmerFan52

+1

A low battery can do incredibly strange things to an E60. Its whole existence is built around a steady voltage and plenty of current.

Usually the easiest place to start is by measuring the battery before you try to start it (voltage is measured under the hood at the battery jump terminal and ground terminal near the drivers side strut tower. A healthy battery should be 12.6V fully charged. Once it is below 12.1V starting is very iffy. Jump only under the hood.

Once started, give it about 15 seconds for the alternator to stabilize and then measure the system voltage. If it is not 14.1V - 14.6V then your alternator may be dying.

If the alternator is good then as pcy says, drive it for 1/2 hour to fully charge the battery. Then turn the car off and let it sit a couple of hours for the surface current to leave the battery. Then measure it again. If it is below 12.5V then chances are you need a new battery.

If the battery measures 12.5V to 12.6V after a few hours then measure it again the next day. If it has run down overnight then you may have something staying awake in the car which is running down the battery. For early model E60s if the IBS is damaged by moisture it is famous for partying all night and keeping the ECM awake which runs down the battery fast.