[DervJim]

Hey guys

A week ago I upgraded from my trusty 320D to an E91 (06) 330D tourer and I love it but yesterday while sitting in it, not driving, it went nuts with errors suddenly.

it pinged up a 'Central Electronics failure' saying not possible to continue journey etc. Car wasn't running but I tried starting it and it started ok.

But then it came up with "Caution Engine Alert" (Engine will start at next press of button, possibly without pressing clutch or brake).

Here's the problem though - the first error suggested it wouldn't run, but did, and the second one suggested it WOULD start, but wouldn't. No combination of trying to start it would to. No cranking over, no clicking solenoid, nothing.

Have connected an OBD cable and tried INPA and when clearing errors it comes up with 29 - DSC "error_ecu_request_correctly_received__response_pe nding", and says 'Running' at the bottom of the screen but doesn't do anything further.

At various points today since then the CCC system has flashed up DSC/ABS faults, and Tyre pressure monitoring faults.

My pal came to help and we checked a load of fuses relating to all the things relating to engine/start button/DSC/brakes etc. Most of them actually - all fine.

Tried disconnecting battery and the "Caution Engine Alert" fault is still there after 15 minutes disconnected.

So we tried to bump start the car and it fire up no problem! BUT, the fans are running full tilt with cold engine, and some readings I was getting through an OBD app (Carly BMW) are way off. E.g. as soon as it was running it said oil temp was about 115C (bullshit), and level of 15% (again bullshit as I checked the night before and checked it there & then). Fan shows as zero. So I drove it home after watching it for a bit, and engine temp only got to about 67 tops (due to fans I presume) and the fans were still on when I got home, but otherwise drove fine.

Soon as I turned off and tried to start again, same fault. No starter activity.

I have sent a report from Carly BMW app with errors, and it has mentions under different modules of:

General Bus cable fault
CAN LOW ERROR
Communication CAN Low
CAN-BUS error
Central control timeout
CAN-Low, Physical bus error

Junction Box Passenger / Beifahrer:
- Fault: Short circuit to positive or open circuit - additional water pump
- Code: 00A6D1
- Fault: K CAN LOW LINE
- Code: 00C904
- Fault: Bistable relay
- Code: 00A731

Line fault detection K-CAN
CAN fault

And under "Central Control":
Bus low error rate / CAN physical error error

So I'm not well up on these sort of modern diagnostics, but it sort of smacks a lot of a general communication fault that's affecting a load of systems, so potentially one dodgy wire that carries a load of signals.

Was absolutely fine when I started it this morning and drove to work.

Really pissed off though that it's left me effectively stuck a week after buying it. Don't think at all this is any sort of dodgy seller as it's been perfect until today, then everything all at once.

Any ideas would be great fella thanks!

The full message I got from CarlyBMW was as follows - if anyone can help I'd be incredibly grateful thanks guys:



--->
iPhone Fault Report - Carly for BMW - 25.51 - 2016.04.22.1815 LV
ID1: 8C4092A8-2DC8-446C-9309-D78B1E350233-5737-00000CF5B78EDF2F-9d4 45-40-608 ID2: 3CEFFDBE-F58C-4D0E-BED8-DBEE006C557B-5737-00000CF5B78EE01F-12fe
2016-05-06 17:45:40
BASE: E91
BUILD-YEAR: 2006
MODEL: 330 d alle/all (44)
FAULTS: 23
ECUs: 20
BATTERY: 11.6V
DEPTH: Normal communication
SPEED: normal
CONNECT: (null)
VERSION: 9.3.1
DEVICE: >iPhone< >iPhone OS<
WIFI: >CLKDevices v00<
ELM: >ELM327 v1.5<
COM+: >UNKNOWN<
<===========================>
0. Motor Control:
<--------------------------->
Engine / Motor:
- Fault: internal ECU 4
- Code: 0046D1
- Fault: data failure
- Code: 004BE3
- Fault: data failure
- Code: 004BE8
- Fault: torque data gearbox
- Code: 004DF3
- Fault: Glow plug cylinder 1
- Code: 004212
- Fault: Cylinder 2 Glow Plug
- Code: 004222
- Fault: Cylinder 3 Glow Plug
- Code: 004232
- Fault: Glow plug cylinder 4
- Code: 004242
- Fault: Cylinder 5 Glow Plug
- Code: 004252
- Fault: Cylinder 6 Glow Plug
- Code: 004262
<===========================>
1. ABS / DSC / Brake:
<--------------------------->
Dynamische Stabilitaets Kontrolle / DSC:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
2. Airbag:
<--------------------------->
Advanced Crash and Safety Management (ACSM):
- Fault: General Bus cable fault
- Code: 00C944
<--------------------------->
Airbag B-pillar left/ B-Saeule links:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Airbag B-pillar right/ B-Saeule rechts:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
3. Transmission Control:
<--------------------------->
Transmission / Getriebe GS 19:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Transmission / Getriebesteuerung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Gear switch / Gangschalter:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
4. Instrumentation:
<--------------------------->
Instrument cluster / Kombiinstrument:
- Fault: CAN LOW ERROR
- Code: 00E104
<--------------------------->
Central info display / Zentrales Display:
- Fault: Communication CAN Low
- Code: 00E5C4
<===========================>
5. Light/Rain Control:
<--------------------------->
High-beam / Fernlichtassistent:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
6. Heating / AC:
<--------------------------->
Air conditioning / Klimaanlage:
- Fault: CAN-BUS error
- Code: 00E704
<===========================>
7. Immobilizer System:
<--------------------------->
CAS:
- Fault: Central control timeout
- Code: 00D904
<===========================>
8. Park distance control / PDC:
<--------------------------->
Park Distance Control / PDC:
- Fault: CAN-Low, Physical bus error
- Code: 00E204
<===========================>
9. Cruise Control:
<--------------------------->
Active cruise control / Aktive Geschwindigkeitsregelung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
10. Sunroof / Roof:
<--------------------------->
Roof / Verdeck:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Sunroof / Schiebedach:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Roof / Dach:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
11. Audio / Navigation / Communication:
<--------------------------->
Phone / Telefon:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Tuner Antenna / Antenne:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Hybrid Radio USA:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Digital Satellite-Tuner USA:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Navigation:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
CD-Changer / Wechsler:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Audio-System:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Video:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
DAB:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
12. Seats:
<--------------------------->
Seats / Sitze:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Seats / Sitze:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
13. Systems:
<--------------------------->
Junction Box Passenger / Beifahrer:
- Fault: Short circuit to positive or open circuit - additional water pump
- Code: 00A6D1
- Fault: K CAN LOW LINE
- Code: 00C904
- Fault: Bistable relay
- Code: 00A731
<--------------------------->
Fuel pump / Kraftstoffpumpe:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Tire pressure control / Reifendruck Kontrolle:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Passive Go System:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Car Communication Computer CCC:
- Fault: Line fault detection K-CAN
- Code: 00E184
<--------------------------->
MASK:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Car Communication:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
14. Anti-theft alarm system:
<--------------------------->
Interior protection / Innenraumschutz:
- Fault: CAN fault
- Code: 00D944
<--------------------------->
Theft alarm / Diebstahl Warnanlage:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
15. Chassis:
<--------------------------->
Air suspension / Luftfederung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
16. Body:
<--------------------------->
Automatisches Front Steering:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Fussraummodul /FRM:
- Fault: unknown failure
- Code: 00E584
<--------------------------->
Dynamic manager / Dynamik-Manager:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
17. Other:
<--------------------------->
Central Control / Zentrale Bedieneinheit:
- Fault: :Bus low error rate / CAN physical error error
- Code: 00E2C4

[N54Twin]

Originally Posted by DervJim

Hey guys

A week ago I upgraded from my trusty 320D to an E91 (06) 330D tourer and I love it but yesterday while sitting in it, not driving, it went nuts with errors suddenly.

it pinged up a 'Central Electronics failure' saying not possible to continue journey etc. Car wasn't running but I tried starting it and it started ok.

But then it came up with "Caution Engine Alert" (Engine will start at next press of button, possibly without pressing clutch or brake).

Here's the problem though - the first error suggested it wouldn't run, but did, and the second one suggested it WOULD start, but wouldn't. No combination of trying to start it would to. No cranking over, no clicking solenoid, nothing.

Have connected an OBD cable and tried INPA and when clearing errors it comes up with 29 - DSC "error_ecu_request_correctly_received__response_pe nding", and says 'Running' at the bottom of the screen but doesn't do anything further.

At various points today since then the CCC system has flashed up DSC/ABS faults, and Tyre pressure monitoring faults.

My pal came to help and we checked a load of fuses relating to all the things relating to engine/start button/DSC/brakes etc. Most of them actually - all fine.

Tried disconnecting battery and the "Caution Engine Alert" fault is still there after 15 minutes disconnected.

So we tried to bump start the car and it fire up no problem! BUT, the fans are running full tilt with cold engine, and some readings I was getting through an OBD app (Carly BMW) are way off. E.g. as soon as it was running it said oil temp was about 115C (bullshit), and level of 15% (again bullshit as I checked the night before and checked it there & then). Fan shows as zero. So I drove it home after watching it for a bit, and engine temp only got to about 67 tops (due to fans I presume) and the fans were still on when I got home, but otherwise drove fine.

Soon as I turned off and tried to start again, same fault. No starter activity.

I have sent a report from Carly BMW app with errors, and it has mentions under different modules of:

General Bus cable fault
CAN LOW ERROR
Communication CAN Low
CAN-BUS error
Central control timeout
CAN-Low, Physical bus error

Junction Box Passenger / Beifahrer:
- Fault: Short circuit to positive or open circuit - additional water pump
- Code: 00A6D1
- Fault: K CAN LOW LINE
- Code: 00C904
- Fault: Bistable relay
- Code: 00A731

Line fault detection K-CAN
CAN fault

And under "Central Control":
Bus low error rate / CAN physical error error

So I'm not well up on these sort of modern diagnostics, but it sort of smacks a lot of a general communication fault that's affecting a load of systems, so potentially one dodgy wire that carries a load of signals.

Was absolutely fine when I started it this morning and drove to work.

Really pissed off though that it's left me effectively stuck a week after buying it. Don't think at all this is any sort of dodgy seller as it's been perfect until today, then everything all at once.

Any ideas would be great fella thanks!

The full message I got from CarlyBMW was as follows - if anyone can help I'd be incredibly grateful thanks guys:



--->
iPhone Fault Report - Carly for BMW - 25.51 - 2016.04.22.1815 LV
ID1: 8C4092A8-2DC8-446C-9309-D78B1E350233-5737-00000CF5B78EDF2F-9d4 45-40-608 ID2: 3CEFFDBE-F58C-4D0E-BED8-DBEE006C557B-5737-00000CF5B78EE01F-12fe
2016-05-06 17:45:40
BASE: E91
BUILD-YEAR: 2006
MODEL: 330 d alle/all (44)
FAULTS: 23
ECUs: 20
BATTERY: 11.6V
DEPTH: Normal communication
SPEED: normal
CONNECT: (null)
VERSION: 9.3.1
DEVICE: >iPhone< >iPhone OS<
WIFI: >CLKDevices v00<
ELM: >ELM327 v1.5<
COM+: >UNKNOWN<
<===========================>
0. Motor Control:
<--------------------------->
Engine / Motor:
- Fault: internal ECU 4
- Code: 0046D1
- Fault: data failure
- Code: 004BE3
- Fault: data failure
- Code: 004BE8
- Fault: torque data gearbox
- Code: 004DF3
- Fault: Glow plug cylinder 1
- Code: 004212
- Fault: Cylinder 2 Glow Plug
- Code: 004222
- Fault: Cylinder 3 Glow Plug
- Code: 004232
- Fault: Glow plug cylinder 4
- Code: 004242
- Fault: Cylinder 5 Glow Plug
- Code: 004252
- Fault: Cylinder 6 Glow Plug
- Code: 004262
<===========================>
1. ABS / DSC / Brake:
<--------------------------->
Dynamische Stabilitaets Kontrolle / DSC:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
2. Airbag:
<--------------------------->
Advanced Crash and Safety Management (ACSM):
- Fault: General Bus cable fault
- Code: 00C944
<--------------------------->
Airbag B-pillar left/ B-Saeule links:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Airbag B-pillar right/ B-Saeule rechts:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
3. Transmission Control:
<--------------------------->
Transmission / Getriebe GS 19:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Transmission / Getriebesteuerung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Gear switch / Gangschalter:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
4. Instrumentation:
<--------------------------->
Instrument cluster / Kombiinstrument:
- Fault: CAN LOW ERROR
- Code: 00E104
<--------------------------->
Central info display / Zentrales Display:
- Fault: Communication CAN Low
- Code: 00E5C4
<===========================>
5. Light/Rain Control:
<--------------------------->
High-beam / Fernlichtassistent:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
6. Heating / AC:
<--------------------------->
Air conditioning / Klimaanlage:
- Fault: CAN-BUS error
- Code: 00E704
<===========================>
7. Immobilizer System:
<--------------------------->
CAS:
- Fault: Central control timeout
- Code: 00D904
<===========================>
8. Park distance control / PDC:
<--------------------------->
Park Distance Control / PDC:
- Fault: CAN-Low, Physical bus error
- Code: 00E204
<===========================>
9. Cruise Control:
<--------------------------->
Active cruise control / Aktive Geschwindigkeitsregelung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
10. Sunroof / Roof:
<--------------------------->
Roof / Verdeck:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Sunroof / Schiebedach:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Roof / Dach:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
11. Audio / Navigation / Communication:
<--------------------------->
Phone / Telefon:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Tuner Antenna / Antenne:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Hybrid Radio USA:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Digital Satellite-Tuner USA:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Navigation:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
CD-Changer / Wechsler:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Audio-System:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Video:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
DAB:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
12. Seats:
<--------------------------->
Seats / Sitze:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Seats / Sitze:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
13. Systems:
<--------------------------->
Junction Box Passenger / Beifahrer:
- Fault: Short circuit to positive or open circuit - additional water pump
- Code: 00A6D1
- Fault: K CAN LOW LINE
- Code: 00C904
- Fault: Bistable relay
- Code: 00A731
<--------------------------->
Fuel pump / Kraftstoffpumpe:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Tire pressure control / Reifendruck Kontrolle:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Passive Go System:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Car Communication Computer CCC:
- Fault: Line fault detection K-CAN
- Code: 00E184
<--------------------------->
MASK:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<--------------------------->
Car Communication:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
14. Anti-theft alarm system:
<--------------------------->
Interior protection / Innenraumschutz:
- Fault: CAN fault
- Code: 00D944
<--------------------------->
Theft alarm / Diebstahl Warnanlage:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
15. Chassis:
<--------------------------->
Air suspension / Luftfederung:
- ECU not present/no answer
<===========================>
16. Body:
<--------------------------->
Automatisches Front Steering:
- ECU not present/no answer
<--------------------------->
Fussraummodul /FRM:
- Fault: unknown failure
- Code: 00E584
<--------------------------->
Dynamic manager / Dynamik-Manager:
- ECU OK, no fault code
<===========================>
17. Other:
<--------------------------->
Central Control / Zentrale Bedieneinheit:
- Fault: :Bus low error rate / CAN physical error error
- Code: 00E2C4

U have TEAM V?

[DervJim]

I don't think so mate, sorry, is that some software? I've got Inpa, NCS, NFS, WinKFP, and Tool32, but I've only ever really used INPA just to read and reset codes in the past.

I had plugged in my cable and checked the codes in INPA just before this all happened, so is it possible I have hit something in there that has caused this all somehow?

I can't believe it went from being perfect one moment to loads of stuff being wrong the next instant.

So I can start the car if I push it but the fans are running full power. That's the main issue right now - something is preventing the starter from turning, and the fans must thing the engine is hot, even when the OBD info from the sensors say it's not.

Hope that gives a clue.

I'm sorry that I'm not very knowledgeable with this stuff but after just buying the car and having to transport it from the UK to the island where I live, I have no funds to take it to a garage so I have to try and figure this out with kind help.

[DervJim]

Here's the first error I got (while not driving!)



And at this point the engine still started ok.

But then this next one came, and nothing I have been able to do since then has been able to get rid of this message.



It suggests that the engine will start, but nothing happens when I press the start button, and the only way to start the car is pushing it.

While it is running I can see the voltage is good, getting up to 14v and the battery is not old so there's no problem with the battery or alternator I don't think. This is a control/communication issue I suspect?

[DervJim]

I have checked all the relevant fuses and they are fine.

This bit concerns me a bit in INPA when I try to clear codes. It says it's pending a response but does not change from this? Could this be causing the other issues?

[Sensible_]

Just my 2 cents. A lot of these can be sometimes be explained by a bad battery with low voltage. I see Carly detects 11.6v.

Charge the battery, clear the codes then retest and show us what's left...

[DervJim]

Thanks Sensible - I have heard the same and am happy to try charging it anyway, but carly tested this while engine off and after we got it push started was reporting 14v happily. I don't know what it is after the 15 mile drive home but will go test it as it should be a bit higher now.
Had a new battery a year or two ago though for what it's worth.

A friend has also suggested checking the ECU connections as there are a lot of can errors, so maybe a bad earth somewhere. Someone else suggested there are can resistors that can go. Not sure where or if it actually has those though?

[DervJim]

And as a coincidence (maybe) I believe the ecu is below the scuttle panel, which I had removed the night before while replacing the air filter. I wonder if something could have got disturbed while moving plastic covers etc.....

[DervJim]

Right, I have wrestled the massive tractor battery out of it and stuck it on the charger now. The charger showed it as being 'Lo', which is not ideal, so I'll let it charge then try it again. I know a low battery can cause weird issues, but a bit stupid that it can't simply tell you that the battery is low and likely to be causing issues, or about to!

I kinda hope it is that, because if it is, then it saves a lot of horrible electronic troubleshooting potentially.

[Sensible_]

Originally Posted by DervJim

Right, I have wrestled the massive tractor battery out of it and stuck it on the charger now. The charger showed it as being 'Lo', which is not ideal, so I'll let it charge then try it again. I know a low battery can cause weird issues, but a bit stupid that it can't simply tell you that the battery is low and likely to be causing issues, or about to!

I kinda hope it is that, because if it is, then it saves a lot of horrible electronic troubleshooting potentially.

My money is on a power issue. Does your car an intelligent battery sensor?

Any aftermarket accessories which may be causing a parasitic drain on the battery?

Once charged, try clearing the faults and see what returns...

[DervJim]

I don't have anything aftermarket in it yet apart from a bluetooth audio USB dongle which is only powered when the ignition is fully on, so that can't be draining it.

Not sure about the IBS thing. I heard it's only later than 2006 but mine has a small blue plug on a wire from the battery so it might be.

I'm going to buy a new battery since it clearly has an issue, but I'll be crying if that doesn't cure it.

[TrollToll]

11.6 is low. A fully charged battery should be 12.6 and even with a load from the car it should read higher than that. The alternator is working so that's good, but it may be worth having the battery load tested.

[DervJim]

Thanks mate. I charged it all through last night and today and it was 13.38 after finishing, but settled very quickly back to 12.75 and seems to be still around that.

I have tried with jump leads also connected from my truck in order to boost the power available but same damn error, and in Inpa I keep just getting at least one that appears like the image above where it says response pending. I have only been going into the bit in the INPA menu for "Functional Jobs", so I am not 100% certain this is the correct bit for clearing any & all faults?


Is there anything I could have done in INPA without realising that could cause this sort of behaviour?

I'll have to buy a new battery I think if nothing else to just rule it out but that's already going to cost, when it may actually be alright. Let's put it this way, the voltage on my truck's battery when I checked was 12.6 and that starts no problem.

I could understand if it tried to crank and was sluggish doing so, but this is a signal somewhere that's causing the persistent error about starting without pressing the clutch pedal, and then the fact that it doesn't even try to start anyway.

Are there other reliable methods aside from INPA for fault investigating? I have a host of programs that came on a disc I got with the OBD cable, but I do not have any knowledge really of what the purpose of each program is as such.

I think I'm going to have to do a lot of studying as it's bad enough buying a battery just to rule it out but I just don't have the money to pay someone several hundred £ to start digging around when it surely must be something basic that happened.

I could just about cry at the moment and the mrs is pretty upset too. I think she is mad at me as she probably thinks I bought a dog, but was lovely car to drive until the 'incident' occurred on Friday.

[DervJim]

Bloody hell - I've just been reading up on all the hassle of coding a new battery - I wanted to buy a 110ah one because it is a Yuasa battery and I think they are the best, but this isn't the same as the one in it, and is higher capacity than I think is available in the list of options in Tool32 or NCS Expert or whatever I need to do it with.

Does that mean I need to get a lower power battery after all? I'm not sure what the OEM spec is for my car E91 2006 330D SE, but I will find out and maybe just order the same to avoid any hassle. Then as I understand it, it will not need coding, just registering?

[Sensible_]

Download ISTA-D Rheingold.

It's alot more user friendly that INPA / Tool32. No offence but I think it will suit your needs better.

Battery should be registered. If you are changing the amperage then car will need coding:

If you are unsure on the history of your car, using NCS-Expert check your VO to see what battery it's coded for. These are the following codes you might come across:

VO CODE // TYPE // CAPACITY
VO B046 // BATT_46AH //46 Ah-Batterie
VO B055 // BATT_55AH //55 Ah-Batterie
VO B070 // BATT_70AH //70 Ah-Batterie
VO B080 // BATT_80AH //80 Ah-Batterie
VO B090 // BATT_90AH //90 Ah-Batterie
VO B110 // BATTERIE_110AH //110 Ah-Batterie
VO A070 // BATT_AGM_70AH //70 Ah-AGM Batterie
VO A080 // BATT_AGM_80AH //80 Ah-AGM Batterie
VO A090 // BATT_AGM_90AH //90 Ah-AGM Batterie

I don't think e9x chassis uses above 90a from factory? E6x does.

If your VO has B090 and you want for example to put in an AGM 90a battery then you need to delete B090 and then add A090. Then using Expertmode code the CAS module to default. That it battery coded.

Then you register the battery. It's a simple process in Rheingold.

[DervJim]

Thank you very much for this info Sensible_ - I will download that and have a look.

I'm still not 100% convinced the battery is actually bad as I see from the vehicle notes that it is only 7 months old and is a Bosch one, so surely shouldn't have gone bad in that time.
I can't help but think it's a different issue, but I guess if it's the same with a new one then it means my camper truck suddenly gains a 'leisure' battery even if the wife will want to kill me that little bit more for spending money and still having a broken new car!

Not sure what the OEM spec for the battery is for my model (need to look it up), but I just wanted the Yuasa as I think they're the best brand, and had a higher rating that would give it an easier life. If it's not suitable for the car though I'll look elsewhere.

[DervJim]

And no offense taken at all - I'm very new to the diagnostics on these cars and am extremely grateful for all help towards solving this problem. My alternative transport uses 3x as much diesel so is costing me more in fuel each day I don't have the beemer figured out.

I did have a thought that potentially if they just fitted a new battery, different to the previous one, and neither registered nor coded it, then it's possible it's died prematurely as a result maybe?
It currently has a Bosch S3 013, which is 720cca, and 90Ah.

[Sensible_]

Possibly. But 11.6v is too low.

If I were you I'd do this:

1. Install Rheingold
2. Run full vehicle test
3. Clear codes
4. Drive vehicle (if possible)
5. Vehicle test again.
5a. Post results here.
6. If battery identified as problem then replace. BMW did go through a phase of using exide batteries which are great. I think they upped the amp rating to 92a for example (code as 90a still).

Good luck.

[DervJim]

Thanks matey.

Well I picked up a new yuasa battery today as a friend got me a discount, so I can guarantee its not an issue.

I found and downloaded a copy of rheingold but an issue with activating it (I don't mind paying once I know something is genuinely useful), so I need to figure that out then run tests and code new battery.

[DervJim]

Well the new battery is in and unfortunately made no difference but a couple of things have occurred to me.

1) The voltage on the new battery is about the same as the old one - around 12.6v. However, when I connect with the Carly BMW OBD app, it is telling me the voltage is 11.6v, so it seems there is voltage drop somewhere maybe (unless the app is not accurate but I'd be surprised).

2) A friend of mine who is a mechanic and has dealt with a few beemer issues (isn't a BMW tech albeit) has suggest to look for water ingress in the battery tray in the boot, and suggested there is a connector low down in there that gets corroded and then causes issues. Sure enough when I put the new battery in just now there was water in there. Not sure how it can get in, but that's by the point right now.

I can only see in there that low down there are two fairly large +12v terminals and they seem solid enough but it's hard to know properly, so I'll take a closer look.

I 'Think' the larger of these two might be the main cable to the front of the car, so like to feed the starter circuit and the smaller possibly the jump start connection to the front?

Can anyone clarify? And do these also branch off else where that might be corroded or have a bad connection?

It seemed suspicious yesterday that the battery when measured with a meter was 12.7v but only reporting 11.6v through OBD. I think the same info that is being reported in OBD is being picked up and used for other systems, and causing them to error and think the battery is knackered, so I have to find the cause.

In the meantime I am trying to get a working version of rheingold installed.

If anyone has any knowledge of leaks that cause corrosion in certain parts affecting the electrical system though it'd be brilliant to get your input!

Many thanks
Jim

[DervJim]

Ok, here's the latest, I finally managed to get Rheingold installed and running and it 'seems' to connect to my OBD cable (bought from Cable Shack), but generally I get an error saying "The recognized vehicle type is incompatible to the selected tester brand. Please select the correct tester brand and try again."

I've got it set up to use Ediabas, and I think it was working at one point as I got this out of it, but I can't get it to enable the Vehicle Test Button/screen, which I guess is the bit I really need. Anything Obvious I'm doing wrong here?

[DervJim]

Update - finally starting to get somewhere! I got the cable set up correctly for communicating with Rheingold and the errors I have relate to the DDE module (wherever in the car that is situated).
6 Errors relating to glow plug activation, and 3 relating to transmission/torque data, but all DDE

So question now is this a module that's actually screwed up, or something causing it to just think it has a problem? I'll post up the individual codes but any suggestions welcome.