Gremlins!!!! Electrical system has gone haywire!!!

[spoonerDee]

I'm sitting in my office when my wife comes back from an appointment and tells me it looks like my brake lights are on but she couldn't really tell because the light from the sun was on them. So I go outside and look and sure enough all 3 brake lights are light up.

I walk to my driver door and notice that almost all the warning lights on my cluster are on, dsc light, brake light, light out warnings for the brake lights, check engine light etc (don't remember if all of them but it seemed like it as I was freaking out).

So I push the door open button on my key and nothing. Push it again, nothing. I manually unlock the door get in and see all these lights still on. So I put the key in, turn it and the car barely cranks to life.

A moment later the DSC light goes off as do the other lights. The light that says brake stays on for a moment then goes off as does the brake light out warning and she tells me the lights then went off.

I have not driven my car since yesterday and have walked passed it several times today and they were never on. She was gone for about 2 hours and when she left they were not on so this happened just recently.

Anyone ever see anything like this before? To me it sounds like a short or something, but to cause them to all go on like that seems really odd.

Side notes: The moment I turn the car off, all the lights come back on and the temp gauge needle goes all the way up (car is ice cold only on for a few min) and if I turn the car on, the lights go off and the needle goes back to just above the blue.

Also, locks do not respond to my keys buttons, nor will the trunk open via the button on the back. But it does respond to the button by the hood release.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

[telijah]

I saw you thread on bf.c. It's either GM5 or some really funking electrical problem. As per usual with BMWs, have the car battery checked first.

[Oli77]

Could try resetting the cluster instrument panel.

[spoonerDee]

Well as Telijah said I checked on BFC and also e46f. E46f seems to think its the battery dying, so I did some more research and apparently this has happened to quite a few people when the battery was on it's way out. So I will be taking my car to my mechanic in the next few days to have the battery tested. If it's bad, new battery and problem solved, if not, at least it's where it needs to be so that he can help me track the problem.

I will report back in a few days when I get some answers.

[danewilson77]

Could also try to disconnect the battery for about 30 minutes...

[spoonerDee]

It's disconnected now. Will hook it back up in the morning.

[az3579]

It's disconnected now. Will hook it back up in the morning.

If it's more than several years old, or if you don't know when it was last replaced, I'd recommend you replace the battery regardless of what the test says. His test may find the battery good, but it could still be defective.

Mine was this way. Tested fine, car started fine, and didn't have any issues, but my Shark Injector refused to Shark until I replaced the battery. Can't judge a battery on "it seems to work", unfortunately.


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[spoonerDee]

Update:

I left the battery disconnected overnight. I checked on the forums again this morning and was pointed to this thread on e46f http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=963586 Same exact problem as mine, right down to the T. He thought it was the battery as most had suggested to me. He replaced it and still had issues.

Next he searched his fuses and found the fuse 34, and 43 were both a little black/charred on the inside, but not blown. He replaced his fuses and bam, problem solved.

So I followed suit, checked the same fuses and mine are fine. So I next hooked the battery back up and no lights come on. I start the car let her run for a few min then turn it off and still good.

So for now it's sitting with the battery hooked up and I am checking it every hour to see if the lights come back on. I'm still going to take it to my mechanic to have the battery looked at and 90% sure I'll replace it.

[danewilson77]

OK....well.....at least you're good for now.

[Hornung418]

Good data!

From a GS3, this was sent.

[spoonerDee]

Been a few hours now and I have gone out and checked it every hour and all is still well. No lights, responds to my key etc. I'll keep watching it closely and come early next week I'll have the battery tested and replaced. I have had the car about 2.5 years now, and the battery was probably at least 2 years old when I bought it, so it's a good chance it's on its last leg.

I'll have it tested anyway just to see what comes up (going to replace it no matter what) and report back with my findings. Hopefully help others in the future.

[johnrando]

Good info. GL. I think it's the battery.

[az3579]

:thumbsup

[Ryans323i]

Fwiw, Advance Auto does free battery testing.

[spoonerDee]

Fwiw, Advance Auto does free battery testing.

:rofl: so funny, just finished explaining on bfc that I live in the middle of nowhere. The only chain we have is McDonald's. My mechanic is a 30 min drive away. So I must wait.

[az3579]

:rofl: so funny, just finished explaining on bfc that I live in the middle of nowhere. The only chain we have is McDonald's. My mechanic is a 30 min drive away. So I must wait.

Just out of curiosity, where in CT? We're probably within an hour of each other.

[spoonerDee]

Ehh more like an hour and a half to two hours. I'm in the very NW corner of the state, 2 min from MA and about 10 min from NY in a town called Canaan.

So another quick update since I'm here, left the car overnight with the battery hooked up, all is well still.

[az3579]

Ehh more like an hour and a half to two hours. I'm in the very NW corner of the state, 2 min from MA and about 10 min from NY in a town called Canaan.

So another quick update since I'm here, left the car overnight with the battery hooked up, all is well still.

NW corner, near Lime Rock? It takes me about an hour to get up thurr. :)


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[spoonerDee]

NW corner, near Lime Rock? It takes me about an hour to get up thurr. :)


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Yup, Limerock is about 15-20 min south of me. You must not be doing the speed limit :shifty

So it's not Monday morning and still no sign of the lights again. Going to be on the road later this morning and hopefully wont get stranded (good thing I have AAA) Then hopefully later I will make it to my mechanic.

[spoonerDee]

Update: So I never made it to my mechanic, just haven't had the time, but I did swing by the two local part stores in town. The first was a private owned place that offered me a battery for $178.00. I laughed in their faces and left. Drove down the road to the other smaller one which is actually a Napa store. I was looking for a duralast 49-DL battery which neither place had. Napa had a "Napa" Brand battery (made by some company who's name escapes me) which they sold for $119.00 plus tax and core ($5.00) Comes with a 3 year warranty and the guys said I could bring it back no questions asked if it didn't work/fit.

So I picked it up and installed it yesterday and it fit like a glove, had the hole in the top side for the vent tube, and even supplied a spare elbow (the part that plugs into the battery) which I ended up needing as the old one snapped. Installed it and hooked up the cables and Christine came back to life. Still have not seen any indications of the weird problem that started all this and when I bring the old battery back (maybe today) I will see if they can test it and see if it is defective or on its way out.

[danewilson77]

Yeah. You got a NAPA Legend. Had one in my whip before.

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA

[spoonerDee]

So when I returned the battery the guy plugged a meter up to it, said my cold cranking amps were on the low side as was my voltage. Which could have been because it sat in my trunk a few days (not hooked up to anything) in the cold. He asked if I wanted to hang onto it to which I declined and snatched my 5 bucks out of his hand (core charge).

So I have had the new battery now for 12 days of frigid weather in the teens and no sign of any trouble. So my assumption is that unless it happens again (please lord I is the poor) it was the last death throws of a soon to be deceased battery.