tonkaforce

almost everytime i go out and take my car for a drive, about 10- 15 minutes in, my idrive says DBC malfunction and the traction control light goes off and so does the emergency brake light...and its already bad enough that i got that seat belt sensor light on and check engine light on from the secondary air injection.

can someone please tell me why this is randomly happening everytime im out for a drive, or what may be setting it off or what i should be replacing, thanks

04 545i

dbond

Without knowing fault code it's a guess it game. It could be as simple as speed sensor. Read the code.

Only Bimmers

Start the car and but and ANALOG multimeter across the battery terminals. Record the voltage and also pay attention to what the needle is doing. Small movement is fine, wild movement is not. Remove you battery and have it digitally analyzed at a local auto parts store after it is fully charged.

I replaced the oem 110ah battery with an aftermarket 80ah along with an oem alternator on my 550 about a year ago and put very little miles on it after. I reset the charging system. All was fine until i went for a trip and started having issues where i had no throttle response and various lights. Pulled over, shut off the car, and all reset. Battery tested good yet problem was only resolved once i replaced the battery with an oem 110ah. Electrical system may be your issue.

tonkaforce

ive attached a photo of what my obd reader came up with, but i dont think these codes have anything to do with this dbc malfunction warning im getting.

tonkaforce

thanks for responding, what voltage should i be expecting from the battery? whats good and whats bad? thanks also, if it were the battery, wouldnt i recieve that warning once i start the car? why is that i only receive it after 10 mins of driving? i feel like something is triggering it.

almandee26

Simple !!! It should be your battery or alternader .. Have it check ... Only this may cause the problem that you are having .

tonkaforce

thanks for responding, ill give them both a check, is there anything specific i should be looking for in the battery or alt?

BimmerFan52

Generally speaking, whenever you experience two or more system warnings simultaneously, it is a good bet that your electrical system voltage is fluctuating. The 545i is a real hog when it comes to demanding the correct voltage and lots of current to supply all of the computers and systems in the car.

The battery is monitored by a small sensor/computer (intelligent battery sensor or IBS) integrated into the negative battery cable that monitors the battery temperature and current. It communicates with the CAS and DME to let the power management software know the state of charge of the battery and state of health. The DME can signal the alternator to increase output and even increase engine idle if the car is at rest to attempt to compensate for a voltage deficit.

If the system voltage starts to sag the CAS can signal electrical systems (called consumer by BMW) to begin shutting down, as if a computer demands a fixed power and the voltage drops the current must go up to keep the power constant. Large increases in current can overheat wires and blow fuses.

If you are not adept at measuring the battery voltage or alternator output then any national auto parts chain will for free hook up a hand-held analyzer and give you results.

Todd0131

Mine just did the same two days ago and it was the alternator.

orhys

Sorry to piggy back off your post, I lost mine and dont feel like retyping the whole thing.
Do I have the same problem:



http://s62.photobucket.com/user/orhy..._0226.mp4.html

Model: '06 525XI
Note: The trunk pops open and all the errors first occurs on first start and driving less that 30secs.