[e36mmm]

Hi guys, did a small research just then as I almost got stuck on the road on the way back home tonight. While I was doing a u turn, the i drive screen shut off, car went to limp mode and dash warning lights flickered on like a christmas tree. Got all sorts of warning signs such as battery warning, esp, seatbelt light, wipers turned on on its own, transmission warning and coolant light to say it's hot have all come on at once. Tranny got stuck in first gear and barely made it home after having to pull over 2 times for the engine to cool down. I also realised that my power steering fluid cap was greasy as hell as if it had leaked a bit. Research shows that alternators on these cars are very finnicky and can play with the ecu to show all sorts of warning lights. Research on e90post shows that signs of alternator failing are evident from the faults above. I will give active motorwerks a call to book it in but was contemplating whether to risk driving it there or not. I thought it wouldve been the battery as the battery warning light warned me first but Bmw roadside assistance said that the car would not run if battery was kaput and that all the warning lights are due to the alternator failing. I also heard the infamous alternator whine as I pulled over to cool it down. What a pity but I am lucky to make it home without the assistance of a tow truck.. What do you guys think? Anyone experienced this before? Car is 2008 model and is still on original alternator and battery.

[EB89]

I wouldn't drive it if you can't change gears, you might find the engine shuts off.

[e36mmm]

True. Seems like it will need towing. I diagnosed the power steering resevoir leak and research shows that the o ring has worn out resulting in a small leak which is an easy fix by replacing the o ring under the cap. The car was in storage for the last two months and I ran it for 30 mins and drove it around the block to avoid flat spots on tyres once a week. And today I thought driving it for a lengthy period would be good for her..

[EB89]

Tried pulling the negative on the battery?

[Fundguy1]

Mine just failed. At first thought it was the battery or a short as I just did my big install. After jumping the car we let it idle for a while. Volts didn't increase at the new battery but went down after 15 min. I was told when they fail they work intermittently at first.

[e36mmm]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Mine just failed. At first thought it was the battery or a short as I just did my big install. After jumping the car we let it idle for a while. Volts didn't increase at the new battery but went down after 15 min. I was told when they fail they work intermittently at first.

Thanks for the reply, sorry to hear .seems like If i drove it for a couple more minutes, it was going to shut off. I just made it into the garage lol. Let me know how you go..

[e36mmm]

Originally Posted by EB89

Tried pulling the negative on the battery?

No, please explain

[Fundguy1]

Pulling the negative resets the computer. Gotta let it sit for a few hours. If you have low voltage however it's probably battery first, alternator second. My batteries last 5-6 in Florida heat. Alternator lasted 227k.

[MR.BLUECOLLARMAN]

Depending on the mileage either one may go at any time. You can test a new battery though, which I would do first before changing alternator.

[Fundguy1]

Test the battery at a shop. If it's bad, problem solved. If not, try the alternator. 3 hour labor plus $500 in the US for a new OEM, I got a used one for $125.

[e36mmm]

Okay will test battery first, the car is on 119000 kms.

[Fundguy1]

Most likely battery then.

[e36mmm]

I hope so bro.

[DR-JEKL]

An 8 year old battery with a car having electrical issues in winter... (cooler ambient conditions puts extra strain on the battery) yeah I would definitely be replacing that battery dude!!!

[EB89]

I got a Bosche S5 for like $150 recently (I think it was that much)

[Coupes33]

When my battery failed, I had similar notices, lights and auto jammed in 2nd gear. Once the battery was replaced, all was good again.

[rooks335]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Hi guys, did a small research just then as I almost got stuck on the road on the way back home tonight. While I was doing a u turn, the i drive screen shut off, car went to limp mode and dash warning lights flickered on like a christmas tree. Got all sorts of warning signs such as battery warning, esp, seatbelt light, wipers turned on on its own, transmission warning and coolant light to say it's hot have all come on at once. Tranny got stuck in first gear and barely made it home after having to pull over 2 times for the engine to cool down. I also realised that my power steering fluid cap was greasy as hell as if it had leaked a bit. Research shows that alternators on these cars are very finnicky and can play with the ecu to show all sorts of warning lights. Research on e90post shows that signs of alternator failing are evident from the faults above. I will give active motorwerks a call to book it in but was contemplating whether to risk driving it there or not. I thought it wouldve been the battery as the battery warning light warned me first but Bmw roadside assistance said that the car would not run if battery was kaput and that all the warning lights are due to the alternator failing. I also heard the infamous alternator whine as I pulled over to cool it down. What a pity but I am lucky to make it home without the assistance of a tow truck.. What do you guys think? Anyone experienced this before? Car is 2008 model and is still on original alternator and battery.

You can see the voltage on your dash as you drive to see if your alternator is working. Mine shows about 14.3V during motion

procedure to get the volt reading is well covered in this forum.

however this is the procedure i used

total the last 5 digits of your vin
for example NE12345 = 15 (15 is your code to unlock the dash hidden menu)

1)turn on the engine
2)hold down your odo reset stalk down for 10-15secs. you will see a yellow triangle and it will go back to the ambient temp display...keep holding
3)you will then see 01.00xxxxx (xxxxx=german word) - let go
4)hold down the reset stalk again as u see 01.00xxxxxx
5)you will now see 01.__ hit the stalk 19 times and 01.19 LOCK ON will display - let go
6)hold down the reset stalk at 01.19 LOCK ON CODE 00 will now appear - let go
7)here is where you enter the total of your vin added together. (this example enter 15)
8)once enter the code it will display LOCK OFF.
9)all the hidden menus are now open.repeat step 1 to 4
10)as you see 01.__ hit the stalk 9 times

basically
01.09 = voltage
01.07 = coolant temp

*Sorry if the steps are abit out, working off memory here
Steps are daunting as you read through it but practice makes perfect.

Havent played with the rest of the options but full walk through on the link below.

http://e90.wikifoundry.com/page/BC+hidden+menus

[rooks335]

Originally Posted by EB89

I got a Bosche S5 for like $150 recently (I think it was that much)

Thats a good price for a battery! From repco/scheap or batteryworld?

[EB89]

Originally Posted by rooks335

Thats a good price for a battery! From repco/scheap or batteryworld?

From a local mechanic who is a distributor for Bosch batteries.

[stashtrey]

Exact same thing happened to me. Locked into gear, wipers on etc. In my case I ended up testing my batter while the car started and the load on the battery was spiking way over spec. Alternator regulator was toast. I ended up replacing the entire thing but read another member replaced only the regulator (black piece on the back of the alternator) and problem solved. Not long after I had to do my battery.

I replaced the alternator myself and I have to say it was one of the more difficult jobs I've diy'd on this car to-date...and I've done a lot of work (ugh).

[e36mmm]

Guys I may try charging the battery with a battery charger first. Battery must've been very flat when I took it out. Heading to bunnings to see if they sell one.. may be worth a try as other fellas in the states have fixed the issue with a battery charger from the bonnet area..

[bmwheath]

DONT DRIVE IT! Your electric water pump will not be working! Chuck a multimeter across the battery and see what its charging at. Mine failed and was over charging, caused all soughts of problems. Mine failed at 97km's