[k1ng_3nglewood]

I'm so frustrated with this, I'm about to set the car on fire and push it down a hill.

2009 e92 328i

The Issue: Battery drains while sitting still. Clock will reset after about 6 start-ups (from full charge).
Car will no-start after about 10-12 start-ups (from full charge). I have to put this thing on charge every night just to make sure I get to work and back. Short trips kill it fast. If I drive highway speeds for a good distance it drains much more slowly.

History Initially I had the battery and alternator tested. Was told both were bad, so I replaced both (yes, I registered battery with Carly). This didn't fix anything.

Codes The only code it is throwing is the IBS communication error (002E8E).

To the best of my research, non-iDrive cars did not come with the IBS. My car does not have the IBS on the negative terminal.

I'm 100 miles from the nearest BMW dealership in a small town with no good independent shops. No one else wants to work on it. I normally do all my own service but I'm at an absolute loss here.

[dpaul]

Originally Posted by k1ng_3nglewood

I'm so frustrated with this, I'm about to set the car on fire and push it down a hill.

2009 e92 328i

The Issue: Battery drains while sitting still. Clock will reset after about 6 start-ups (from full charge).
Car will no-start after about 10-12 start-ups (from full charge). I have to put this thing on charge every night just to make sure I get to work and back. Short trips kill it fast. If I drive highway speeds for a good distance it drains much more slowly.

History Initially I had the battery and alternator tested. Was told both were bad, so I replaced both (yes, I registered battery with Carly). This didn't fix anything.

Codes The only code it is throwing is the IBS communication error (002E8E).

To the best of my research, non-iDrive cars did not come with the IBS. My car does not have the IBS on the negative terminal.

I'm 100 miles from the nearest BMW dealership in a small town with no good independent shops. No one else wants to work on it. I normally do all my own service but I'm at an absolute loss here.

So you had the battery and alternator "tested", it was determined that they were "bad" and you had both replaced. What evidence do you have that the new alternator is functioning properly and that the replacement battery is not faulty?

To begin with, you could simply measure the voltage at the jumping terminal in the engine compartment will give some indication of this. You should see 13.8-14.5V when the engine is running. If so, then the battery is being charged and your alternator has at least basic functionality. If the battery then fails to hold a charge, then the battery is faulty, or there is a parasitic drain (which should throw it's own code), or less likely, there is an intermittent problem with voltage regulation that is dropping the alternator output while you drive around.

The most important take home is that presence, absence or indifference of an IBS sensor is not going to make any short term difference in these behaviors and your battery drain problems seem to occur on a pretty short time scale.

The presence of an IBS code, in the absence of any installed IBS device is a conundrum. True, there is a hardware relationship between alternator and IBS in that they communicate via the BSD bus. But even completely shorting, or putting spurious information on the BSD bus would not stop the alternator from establishing 13.8V, a default value if the voltage regulator (an integral part of the alternator) is functioning normally. But if in fact, you never had and IBS device installed in your car (and no one has changed a coding setting to make your vehicle think it has an IBS), then the IBS code may be a spurious report that will disappear once you've solved the problem with charging.

I'd focus with the failure of the battery to hold a charge first, then worry about IBS codes.

[TunafishE93]

You should check you voltage on battery when car is running to see if its getting said voltage. You could have said voltage at engine but not at battery.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by k1ng_3nglewood

...2009 e92 328i
Battery drains while sitting still. Clock will reset after about 6 start-ups (from full charge). Car will no-start after about 10-12 start-ups (from full charge)... Short trips kill it fast. If I drive highway speeds for a good distance it drains much more slowly. I had the battery and alternator tested. Was told both were bad, so I replaced both (yes, I registered battery with Carly). This didn't fix anything. The only code it is throwing is the IBS communication error (002E8E). To the best of my research, non-iDrive cars did not come with the IBS. My car does not have the IBS on the negative terminal.

QUESTIONS:

1) You indicate you have Carly. Will that display System Voltage as a parameter (Live Data)? If not, do you have a basic P-code reader (that WILL ;-)
1a) Any chance you have INPA or ISTA, or anything that can do "Activation" of the Alternator -- over-ride the DME and cause the Alternator Output Voltage to vary as selected, up to 15V? I have NO IDEA if Carly can do that.
2) Do you have a simple DMM (Digital Multimeter) that can read voltage at the Jumpstart Terminals under the hood?
3) Do you know how to read System Voltage on the Instrument Cluster, as you drive, using "Hidden Menu 9.00" (Willing to learn ;-) ?
4) Can you take two photos of your Negative Battery Cable at the (-) battery post, similar to the top & front views attached below, so we can see your Cable Configuration?

My NON-iDrive 2007 328xi has an IBS as shown in the attached photos of the (-) Battery post & Cable. Here are the BMW Fault Code Lookup Definition and Fault Information Link with Service Notes describing how to diagnose that code:
2E8E | BSD, message; intelligent battery sensor (IBS): Missing | msv80 | Engine electronics | View
http://www.bmwfault.codes/XMLDiagVie...AAOAAzADAANAA=

If you will answer the questions above and provide photos of your (-) Battery Cable, we can suggest specific "next steps" you can do with tools you already have, to get this diagnosed.

George

[ricx]

Originally Posted by k1ng_3nglewood

I'm so frustrated with this, I'm about to set the car on fire and push it down a hill.

2009 e92 328i

The Issue: Battery drains while sitting still. Clock will reset after about 6 start-ups (from full charge).
Car will no-start after about 10-12 start-ups (from full charge). I have to put this thing on charge every night just to make sure I get to work and back. Short trips kill it fast. If I drive highway speeds for a good distance it drains much more slowly.

History Initially I had the battery and alternator tested. Was told both were bad, so I replaced both (yes, I registered battery with Carly). This didn't fix anything.

Codes The only code it is throwing is the IBS communication error (002E8E).

To the best of my research, non-iDrive cars did not come with the IBS. My car does not have the IBS on the negative terminal.

I'm 100 miles from the nearest BMW dealership in a small town with no good independent shops. No one else wants to work on it. I normally do all my own service but I'm at an absolute loss here.

I'm going out on a limb here, if your car didn't have IBS, I don't think it would throw that code. Just maybe the car could be telling you what's wrong with it. Is your neg cable like the pic George sent or like mine?

[cass_pall]

Have the same issue as OP, however drain appears to be so be so bad that the car will not start without a jump. Replaced (and registered) battery, ground strap, IBS, and alternator in that order. Prior to replacing alternator, the battery sometimes held a charge if the car was not started once it was locked for awhile, usually about 12.6V (I was not driving the car at the time). If charged this much it would start, but only go so far before all system quitting and increases battery discharge light.

New alternator solved this, however the car will now not start w/o jump, drops down as low as 8-9V after its shut off, but runs/idles/handles all electric functions like a dream once running.

Have found 70ma draw, but car was unlocked so that I could pull fuses from the passenger side glove compartment (none changed the draw).

Is it possible that I don't have a draw, but in fact ruined a brand new battery ? After replacing battery initially, I drove it about 10 mins before limping it back home as all electric systems failed and it began to misfire, ultimately draining the battery quite low. Repeated this again (foolishly) after I replaced ground strap. I had it load tested in case it was the battery, it passed. Did this again after changing IBS, again thinking I had solved the problem, and again probably discharging battery.

Finally replaced alternator and now drives great, but cannot start/hold a charge. Should also note that through my earlier rides with the bad alternator, the car managed to throw a great many codes, and it is not difficulty to tell out of the tens of codes what specifically this new problem may be.

Any help please ?? Quite desperate at this point