Bad battery?

You can install a 12 volt supply through the cigarette lighter, they make a little adapter for it so you don't need to get it programmed. Here is a guide to help you change the battery out with instructions in the diagrams below to help show you how on your car.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-battery

Battery replacement information
REP-ALG-RAF0161-6120BAT-HINWEISE - V.15



A vehicle battery is constructed for the installation location and the individual power requirements of the particular vehicle. These individual power requirements depend on the motorisation and different types of optional equipment. The individually assigned vehicle battery is the ideal compromise between the power requirements of the vehicle electrical system and the weight and service life of the vehicle battery.



If the vehicle electrical system of electric vehicles is not accessible due to a faulty 12 V battery, proceed as follows:

Battery exchange in electrified vehicles



Vehicles with the automatic engine start-stop function or particular engine types and optional equipment are equipped with a special vehicle battery (AGM battery), since only this battery type can provide elevated power requirements over the extended service life. Installing a different vehicle battery can cause problems with vehicle electronics, can reduce functions or can cause leakage of battery acid.



In the event of an accident where the airbags are deployed in vehicles with a vehicle battery in the luggage compartment, the electrical connection between the vehicle battery and the trigger is automatically disconnected through pyrotechnics. This prevents possible short-circuiting.



Proper operation of all of these safety and convenience functions requires a battery that conforms with specifications and that is properly registered in vehicles with energy management systems (IBS, power module).



Vehicles with energy management systems (IBS, power module): Register battery exchange.

The vehicle electrical system is informed about the vehicle battery characteristic data, such as type, size, age and current power capacity. Therefore, there will always be only one work scope provided that is permitted by the current status of information.

When installing a new vehicle battery, the battery must be registered and thus must also be registered with the vehicle electrical system.

Diagnosis system:

Register battery exchange.

Service functions

Body

Voltage supply

Register battery exchange



When retrofitting, a more powerful battery may be used. Standard batteries may always be replaced by AGM batteries with the same specifications.

When installing a battery of a different size or a different battery type, this change in vehicle data must be programmed into the vehicle data in accordance with specifications.

Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

Reprogram is not the correct term, they need to re-assign the battery. That means the car needs to be "told" there is a new battery in the car to align the charging system to the battery. The new battery technology makes this a needed step in the proper installation of your new battery to avoid shortening its life from under or over charging. I am assuming the price is for the battery and the reassignment as well as checking for faults within the charging system, is this true?

Yes that is correct ,the price they quoted me is the cost of the battery and reassignment.
Thank you gentlemen for your expertise.

BMW might be a great car, but the dealer should have explained the issue to you so that you could understand. I am glad we were here for your question and will be if needed again.

Yes the battery is dead in my 525i BMW and I can not find the battery in the car.I see the cable and have traced it and do not see the battery.Can you tell me where it is located at in this car so I can change it out.

The battery is on the right side of the trunk (boot in British-speak) Pull the cover back and there you have it mate. ♥

2004 BMW 525i changed battery 3 months ago and have been having all fault errors (abs, transmission ect.)and dash screen going on and off.

E60 cars are electronically sensitive, be sure the connections at the battery are good and tight.

And the battery terminals are free of corrosion, they should be brushed shiny clean. Do this after the car has sat for at least 16 minutes.

Got a car wash when I got in the transmission warning was on pulled over and shut the car off. I went to restart car and it was hesitant like the battery was dying. After I got to my destination when I came out the car wouldn't start because of a dead battery. I got a jump and drove home no problem, it was at night ran fine. I never saw transmission warning again, but the car won't start, no juice in the battery. Is it just the battery and is it something I should attempt on my own?

Hi Reashell,

Yes this is definitely something you can fix, in general a battery only lasts about 3 years, yours seems a little young for that but never the less, here is a way to load test the battery yourself

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-battery

Also, is the battery light on, this would mean the alternator is not producing charge voltage which will also cause the battery to drain down.

Please get back to me so we can continue.

Hi, twice within 30 days I had to have AAA replace my car battery. The mechanic said that something is causing the battery to drain, he said his tester showed amperage flucuated...he gave me a card to see his 'friend' the mechanic to fix this. Does this sound normal? What could be causing the battery to go bad twice in 30 days?

help.

Hi jeffmgr. Welcome to the forum. You have two different things going on. If something is draining the battery while the car is not being driven, that does not mean the battery is bad, just discharged. A jump-start will get it going, then the battery will recharge while driving. That will take a good 10 - 20 minutes to charge enough to start the engine again, and around an hour or more to fully recharge the battery. You can connect a battery charger too on the lowest setting for about an hour.

The symptoms of a discharged battery are a rapid clicking sound, like loud playing cards in bicycle spokes, when trying to start the engine, dim head lights and dome lights that get dimmer or go out when trying to start the engine, or everything will be completely dead, no lights, no radio, and no remote keyless entry.

If your month-old battery was indeed defective, there isn't much that can cause that except the battery itself. That is very rare today.

You could also have a charging system problem but I would suspect you would have more problems than just once a month. Even a drain on the battery should show up more often than that unless there was something that got left on once. There is a small drain on all car batteries today because of the insane need to hang a computer on every imaginable part of the car. Every one of the dozens of computer modules draws a tiny current for their memory circuits. Most manufacturers state the engine should still start after the car has been sitting unused for three weeks if the battery is in good condition. Testing for an excessive drain has really been complicated now by the use of computers that draw high current for up to a half hour after stopping the engine until they go into "sleep mode".

If you describe the symptoms you're having, I may be able to help determine what's really going on.

caradiodoc

The possible failure items are often detectable with a "short test" of the car systems with the proprietary BMW software that most BMW specific repair facilities employ called a GT-1. They can include, but are mot limited to, a faulty final stage control module for the blower fan, a failed or failing general module that does not allow the car to enter "sleep" mode, aftermarket audio installations or security systems.

OMG, I love my beater but this is so annoying! Every morning I have to jump my car. It has become part of my morning ritual. I jump in thinking, "maybe it'll turn on today :)" so I put the key in, turn it, and get absolutely no response. I mean no headlights, no radio, no dash, and no sound from the engine. When I hook up the jumper cables, it doesn't even start right away, I have to wait a couple of minutes for the battery to charge (which is connected tightly with cables that have barely any corrosion, is almost two years old, and was tested at 97 and 98) then it'll roar to live when it's ready. After I get to work and park it for four to six hours, I'll come give it a whirl and sometimes it'll slowly come to life, but usually it starts right up and I go home. If I decide to drive somewhere else that night it turns on no problem, but after he sits in the driveway all night and I come back in the morning? I get nothing again! D: please help me figure this out, I'm desperate here!
P.S.- Two other things, not sure if they are important. 1) sometimes after I have to jump the car in the morning, my stereo is reset. 2) I may have blown head gaskets (that are getting fixed in two days).

Forgot to throw this in there, but before I head in for the night I sit in my car for about five extra minutes in an effort to make sure that absolutely everything is turned off. Do I need to start using that time to disconnect the battery at night and reconnect it every morning? Debating if that option or jumping BoldManWhite every morning is more of a hassle. lol

Welcome to 2CarPros. Sounds like you have a parasitic drain. That is something is staying on and drawing power from the battery while the car sets. There are a couple ways to find them and being this is a 1993 and not an overly computer loaded "modern" car, we'll use the simpler method. Get a test light and connect it between the negative battery terminal and the negative battery cable. It should light up bright if the draw is active. Do not try to start the car. Next step. Go to the fuse box. Pull the fuses one at a time while watching the light. When you pull the fuse that turns off the light, jot down what the fuse is and it's number. Keep going as there is likely at least two fuses that will turn it off, this is because there will be a fuse for a circuit and a fuse that powers multiple circuits, with the first fuse being one of them. Post the fuse(s) that shut the light off and we can start hunting for the problem.

My battery completely died and the doorlocks do not work. The BMW dealer said to apply pressure and turn the lock. I tried that but almost applied enough pressure to bend the key. I have heard I can hook up a 12 volt battery to the taillights with electrical wires but I do not know where at the taillights to actually do this. I do not want to blow any fuses but get just enough juice through the electrical system to unlock the doors so I can open the hood and get a new battery. I need a BMW person very knowledgable about this procedure. The dealer was wrong. I have everything but just want to know where to attach the electrical wires to to get enough power in the system to open the doors. I am greatly indebted to anyone with an answer.

Go to the passengers side front door. Put the key in the door lock. Lift the handle. Turn the key to unlock. Have a nice day ♥

this answer was already on line and i tried it and it did not work. please let me know the way using a 12 volt battery?

OK, so you can get in the trunk, but the key will not open the doors. Sounds like it might be in central arrest. The battery cannot be directly accessed from the trunk to charge it. Access to the battery cable is possible if you can get under the car on the left side where the starter is, I have gotten a small cable to charge the battery up in there, but it is not fun or easy.

I will give it a shot. I read on Google that some guy was able to connect the 12 volt battery to the tail lamp and that would send enough current rhough the system to open the doors. Have you heard of that? Another guy on Google said he was able to connect to the lamp above the license plate and that too sent enough current through the system with enough power to open the doors. I cannot get under the car. Please google my question and check out the answer about connecting a battery to either the tail lamp or the lamps above the license plate. Those google guys said they were able to open the doors that way by sending enough current to the battery to open the doors. I really appreciate the help. The dealer will charge major bucks if I bring the car to them as they will remove the back seats from inside the trunck somehow. Could be a great and invaluable learning experience for us all. I will write back and let you know if that worked if you can tell me where to connect to. Don't want to burn out any fuses. I will refer you all to all my frfiends for their questions. Thanks again.

On 2003 BMW 525i, with a 3month new battery, found car to be dead completely and alarm had gone off few hours before. Didn't know what caused alarm to go off, but was able to recharge the discharged battery to hold 1000 CCA (900 recd) at autozone. they found only 5.34 Volts left in new battery and said something is draining the car. Noticed a crookedly placed fuse for security alarm in the fuse box in the trunk near the battery (as I was looking for a drain) then put it in correctly. Put battery in and car was running again. Next day drove it around and noticed it was just not running smooth and noticed the cabin vents were blowing air irregularly and erratically with and without being turned on. this leads me to believe that this is the problem draining my battery. I do get a
'service engine soon light' but thought it may be from battery taken out, recharged and replaced. Car has never shut off on me on the road and AC vents have never done this before. Battery had died 3months ago after a bad thunderstorm overnight and thought that is what killed my battery previously. So my question is what is the problem draining my battery most likely? Is there an electrical drain pulling charge away from battery? Is it the vent problem or something else. What would be the typical repair in this scenario and can I save money and do it myself (in these tough economic times) or if I go to mechanic, how much would it run me approximately and what services should I expect...thank you

First, I believe you have a couple different problems. The first thing that should be done is have the computer scanned. If the check engine light is on, it has a trouble code stored in the computer. Many nationally recognized parts stores will do it for free.

Next, the battery drain is a problem. What to do is follow the directions listed at this site under the "How To" section listed at the top of the page. If there is a draw, remove one fuse at a time until the draw stops and you then have isolated the problem circuit.

As far as the vents, they are actuated by engine vacuum. Most likely there is a vacuum leak under the dash. Check for that. If you are lucky, you may hear a hissing sound with the engine running.

Finally, (and I'll shut up), you have me wondering about the storm. I question if the vehicle was struck by lightening and blew out one of the diodes in the alternator. That would explaine the electrical draw with the key off. You may want to have the alternator tested at the parts store.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

Got the charging system tested at autozone and said the alternator, battery and starter are fine. Drove the car home fine, but next morning car would not start, lights dim in car as if battery dying again...no check engine light. what part of electrical would you check or what is next on the list?

The key off draw is the first item we are going to tackle here. The possibility the generic scan the auto parts store did was inconclusive is present. BMW has not been in the forefront of OBDII scanning technology and their proprietary equipment might need to be employed to uncover the root cause of the problems. There is also the possibility the final stage unit that controls the fan is compromised and will require replacement. This could very well be the cause of the drain you are experiencing. Realoem.com is a site I like to use to get the part number(64116923204) and the retail price of the final stage unit. If you go to the site and put in the part number, it will pop up for you. The installation is quite straightforward. It is accessed from the passenger footwell area and the 1st thing to do is to pull the black plastic tray directly underneath the glovebox towards you as you sit in the seat, it will pop out. Then the carpet trim is held in by a single Phillips screw and some spring clips, take out the screw and push the carpet piece forward to dislodge the spring clips. There should be a wad of grey closed cell foam in the back corner, pull it out and you will be able to see the final stage unit, it has a 5 wire connector, push the plastic tab holding it in place and out it comes. Reverse the procedure for assembly and you are off to the races!

battery always draining out, whenever I turn off the car I would unplug the batter cable. but when I plug back the battery cable it's still drains out my battery. my other problem is I'm loosing water from the radiator. couldn't detect where the leak is coming from. I ran the car with aircond for like 30 mins but it's not overheating but the water on the radiator is too low.

The battery drain could be the aftermarket items such as amplifiers or alarms that find their way into 19 year old BMW cars. The cooling system will require pressure testing to pinpoint the leak(s)