E90Post
 


Extreme Powerhouse
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / Warranty > Lights Flickering & Car Won't Start



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      09-13-2017, 01:28 PM   #1
DYOOS
First Lieutenant
DYOOS's Avatar
United_States
88
Rep
325
Posts

Drives: 335i E90 N55
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Bay Area

iTrader: (0)

Lights Flickering & Car Won't Start

My first big E90 issue has happened. It was quicker than I thought since I did everything to make sure my car was good. But this was totally unexpected. What happened was I parked my car, and when I got back I couldn't get the car to start. All of my lights kept flickering, and my windshield wiper would turn on without me touching the knob. My screen would turn on and off and goes the same with all the lights in my dashboard. Basically everything powered by electric was tweaking out.

After doing some quick research as I was stranded at a Target parking lot... I came up with these 2 solutions to hopefully get my car started:

1. Disconnect the negative charge on the battery to re-start the IBS system
2. Jump start the car

None of these worked. At this point, I eventually decided to get my car towed. Tow man shows up and I give him the run down of what I've tried. He decides to double-jump the car. Hooks up a cable to the front points in the engine bay, and to the rear where the actual battery is located. This works! My car is alive and I'm able to drive it back home safely.

On my drive home, of course the car doesn't feel the same. Something is still off. It's like my power is decreased by 50%. When I get home and I park my car and then try to turn it back on, but now I'm back to square one. Car won't start again. After doing more research I'm thinking it could be any of the following issues:

1. Bad battery (battery looks new though)
2. Bad Alternator
3. Rotten Ground Cable (not able to see it yet)

All that said, have you guys experienced anything along the lines of what I've just went through? Would driving the car for a very short time (less than 5 minutes), turning it off, then turning it on again about 30-45 seconds after you shut it down cause the ground cable to fry?

My car still isn't running, and as soon as I update my Foxwell scanner I plan to run a diagnostic. Any advice helps in the meantime!

Last edited by DYOOS; 09-13-2017 at 01:35 PM..
Appreciate 0
      09-21-2017, 12:40 AM   #2
DYOOS
First Lieutenant
DYOOS's Avatar
United_States
88
Rep
325
Posts

Drives: 335i E90 N55
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Bay Area

iTrader: (0)

Ended up just being a dead battery. Apparently, me taking a lot of short 2-5 minute drives to run errands/grocery shopping has been draining my battery life.

Upgraded to an AGM, registered and coded it. We're all good now
Appreciate 0
      10-18-2017, 06:42 PM   #3
EB89
Brigadier General
EB89's Avatar
Australia
541
Rep
3,131
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i e92 DCT
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Australia, NSW

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Get a charger and run it at night when parked.

Its the same for me, my office is a 5min drive away so the battery doesnt charge much.

CTEK are quality
__________________
/ MHD Stage 2+ / AR CATLESS DP / PE MOD 4 INCH TIPS / BMR FMIC / K&N DROP IN / BMS CP /
Appreciate 1
DYOOS88.00
      07-18-2020, 09:29 PM   #4
mosaud98
New Member
United_States
5
Rep
23
Posts

Drives: BMW 328 (AWD)
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Chicago, IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by DYOOS View Post
Ended up just being a dead battery. Apparently, me taking a lot of short 2-5 minute drives to run errands/grocery shopping has been draining my battery life.

Upgraded to an AGM, registered and coded it. We're all good now
Why did you code it? I thought all you had to do was register the new one and that's it
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:59 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST