[e36mmm]

Geez sad to hear.. nah i wont be driving it. Only drove it home before the engine became hot.. waiting on a new battery so its just sitting in the garage. I left it unlocked and opened the door now the doors wont shut because windows are all the way up. Gotta love technology..

[e36mmm]

Okay seems like car will be off the road for a few more days. Replaced the battery with oem and tested the alternator. New Battery is fine but electronics are still messed up due to the alternator pushing 18 volts instead of 12 volts and my mechanic told me that its the end of the road for the alternator since it is providing such high voltage that it's effecting the ecu. The car needs to be towed in and get the alternator replaced before it can be driven. I could've blown 2k on mods and detailing and it goes to repairs. Fekk!

[EB89]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Okay seems like car will be off the road for a few more days. Replaced the battery with oem and tested the alternator. New Battery is fine but electronics are still messed up due to the alternator pushing 18 volts instead of 12 volts and my mechanic told me that its the end of the road for the alternator since it is providing such high voltage that it's effecting the ecu. The car needs to be towed in and get the alternator replaced before it can be driven. I could've blown 2k on mods and detailing and it goes to repairs. Fekk!

My alternator pushes 14v with the engine on, I think that's normal?

[rooks335]

Woah 18v !? That is rather broken. Hope you're back on the road soon mate. Let us know how you go.


As for alternator output I'm getting around 14.3 / 14.4 v as per hidden menu display with the engine running and in motion.

[Fundguy1]

14.4 is what it should be making.

[e36mmm]

Uh so 14.4v is the norm.. Yes, 18v is abnormally high and I shut the engine off immediately after starting it to try the new battery to avoid damage to the ecu.. i can't believe the alternator gave up so early. It's getting towed on Monday to Active to get alternator replaced and then we gotta set up the window memories again as it defaulted due to battery disconnect. I hope I won't have to adjust any electronic setups for the roof mechanism. I can't wait to get her back on the road and enjoy her. Thanks guys, I'll keep you posted..

[Fundguy1]

It's the voltage regulator that went. Unfortunately it's built into the alternator. Get a salvage one. Should be 20-25% the cost of new.

[e36mmm]

Okay thanks I will keep them in mind. Here is the thing that's itching my brain. I posted the link below..the guy said that he had the same high voltage issue after replacing battery but the errors went away after registering the battery which he did not do straight away. Therefore did not need a new alternator. Could battery registration fix my issue by letting the ecu know that the old battery is no longer there and result in registering new parameters of the new battery and re adjusting the voltage? I'm curious because when we replaced the battery this morning, the battery did not get registered as the tool was at the shop. Could it be that the fault is still ongoing because the ecu thinks its still the old battery? Does anyone have a tool I can use to reset the battery to see if the problem will go away before I get it towed on Monday? I'm curious now and think I have a chance of saving the alternator by registering it first to see if I can fix the problem and save myself the money for a new alternator.. What are your thoughts? I could be misdirected to think that it's the alternator when all I need to do is register the battery?? http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=572496

[DR-JEKL]

This is exactly why the new battery has to be registered as tge battery ages the charge cycle differs to compensate. When a new battery is installed its important to register it as overcharging can occur

[e36mmm]

I agree, I shall see how I go on Monday.

[DR-JEKL]

Considering yiu have to register the battery it wont hurt to try it out , fingers crossed for you

[e36mmm]

Thanks mate

[e36mmm]

Car should be ready for collection in 2 days as the alternator is being replaced. I'd like to thank you all and member VTL for coming out on Sunday to diagnose and register my battery. Should be good to ler her rip in 2 days. Can't wait!

[bmwheath]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Car should be ready for collection in 2 days as the alternator is being replaced. I'd like to thank you all and member VTL for coming out on Sunday to diagnose and register my battery. Should be good to ler her rip in 2 days. Can't wait!

Don't count your chickens just yet mate! Mine was overcharging at 18.2V as well. I only drove it home and it ended up cooking my DME. New DME'S are about $2500. He will need to test all module circuits in the car as they are only built to handle a small amount of voltage after steeping down for 14V, they cant cope with the extra voltage.
I wish you all the best though and hopefully you have dodged a bullet!

[DR-JEKL]

What was the cause of your over harge issue heath?

[e36mmm]

My gawd Heath!! You're giving me a fright. Thank you for the kind wishes and hopefully I have dodged that bullet.. if that happens I'll sell the damn thing i did not drive it for more than 5 minutes once the issues arose. How long did you drive it for to get home?

[e36mmm]

Heath I have found this.. did your build date fall in between the following build dates below? Mine is in november 2007 so i should be good. Fingers crossed until Wednesday.

Oh found the extra info:

For some of you N54 engine owners out there.

SI B 12 18 07
Engine Electrical Systems October 2007
Technical Service

SUBJECT
N54: Running Issues with Various Faults in DME


MODEL
E90, E92, E93 with N54 from 6/10/07 to 8/18/07

E60, E61 with N54 from 6/10/07 to 8/18/07


SITUATION
Vehicle runs poorly, misfires, and may not start. One of the following fault codes, or the combination of the codes, is stored in the DME: 30BA , 30BB or 2ACC. Subsequent fault codes like 29CC, 29CD, 29CE, 29CF or 2ACB may be stored in the DME as well. Service Engine Soon Light may be illuminated.

CAUSE
Defective diode in DME.

CORRECTION
On a customer complaint basis and only if the vehicle is in the effected production range, replace the DME and reprogram/recode the complete vehicle.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Please refer to the latest KSD for all applicable labor operations and allowances. If the appropriate labor operation is not contained in KSD, then a work time labor operation should be used.

Defect Code
12 71 00 15 00

[e36mmm]

Hi guys, the alternator is replaced and turns out that the new battery is faulty. The battery will be swapped for another tomorrow and car should be good to drive.

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Hi guys, the alternator is replaced and turns out that the new battery is faulty. The battery will be swapped for another tomorrow and car should be good to drive.

Jeez thats some bad luck, what battery did you buy?

[e36mmm]

Brand new oem bmw battery agm lol wtf.

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Brand new oem bmw battery agm lol wtf.

Hmm that's odd...

How much did they sting you for that?

[bmwheath]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

What was the cause of your over harge issue heath?

Failed alternator mate. This was a while ago now : )