3.0d won't start or even crank

[lezmtaylor]

I've got a 2002 4.4 auto and have it rigged up to a CTEK M200 8 stage 15amp charger,with a mains timer to come on 8hrs every night.
I only use the car once or twice a month and have been caught out with a flat battery too many times that is why I have this system, never fails me ( have a really heavy duty charger with 400 amp start facility as well, but only use if forget to use method 1.
I also use a forklift type battery connector ( Anderson 55amp) from ebay about £7 a pair as it is a very secure connection, hard wired to under bonnet earth and pos connector.
I know the ctek charger is over the top, but a left over from the Boating days.
X5sport will know the charger which is best as long as it is ctek (BMW sell one , but it is a rebadged ctek at twice the price).

Lez

[Chrispy]

[quote="Alan Gunn"]
Let us know if the other niggle's start to work after the new battery.
The car could have been telling you in it's own way it wanted a new battery for a long time but you didn't know.
[/quote]

Will do - it's quite possible that it's not been right for some time as you say and ancillary "weirdness" that I just assumed was normal for the car was its way of telling me.  It's in on Tuesday morning for the new one so let's see......

[Leslie]

About the coding, really if you are replacing like with like ie amp hour and type of battery then coding wouldn't really be necessary as it will be the same code as already used but won't do any harm! where people have problems is if they fit a gel type battery where a conventional lead acid one was used (or viceversa) as gel type ones used when stop-start came in are much more expensive and these charge at different voltages so one type will get over charged and quickly ruined.

[Graeme]

Not sure that you're right Leslie. Mine is a 2007 E70 made long before start-stop came in, and has always had AGR batteries.  My understanding is that the cars have a smart alternator that adapts to the charge needed as the battery ages.  Coding a new battery resets the alternator to the lower demands of the new battery otherwise it would overcharge it.  Coding really is vital after fitting a new battery.

Graeme

[Spandex]

There are two parts of the battery coding. One is to tell the car the type/capacity of the battery and the other is to tell the car that a new battery has been fitted. If you fit a new battery you really need to do the second one regardless of what you fit. Obviously if you change the type or capacity of the battery, then you need to code both settings.

[Chrispy]

Can't wait to get it replaced - car started fine this morning, got to School for the school run (a good 5 miles away), stopped, dropped kids off, got back in, dead.  The school caretaker gave me a jump with his jump leads and his old Range Rover as mine in the boot decided to crumble and not conduct any charge, so I've ordered new ones of those too (they are about 20 years old....)

4.5 degrees this morning too so colder again than it has been - it's definitely taking its toll.  Roll on Tuesday for new AGM battery.

[Leslie]

The first cold snap usually shows up a lot of battery issues , I suspect the smart charging isn't quite as smart as the manufacturers would have us believe as accounting for the age of a battery would be difficult with different makes of battery behaving in different ways as they age,plus its often a case now of sudden death with little/no warning. A positive side effect s it keeps more of us securely attached to the dealer network !

[Chrispy]

When we had the really cold snap at the beginning of the year the car started fine however:

1. That's ages ago, so the battery has had much more use since then
2. My glow plug controller was duff at the time so there was extended cranking time but with that being dead I assume no glow plug activity, therefore no battery drain as a result. 

I have ended up using a dealer for the replacement as they could turn it around the fastest and can do the coding etc.  In total £338 ish if memory serves (£280 for the battery alone), whilst I wait and consume as much of their "free" tea, coffee, cans of pop and biscuits as I can can physically stomach.....

[Leslie]

Ouch ! but at least it shouldn't be an issue for years to come 

[X5Sport]

Remember that the E70 has to have the new battery coded onto the car due to the Intelligent Battery System.  Failing to do it can shorten the battery’s life or over/under charge it.

[Chrispy]

Update:

Had a new battery fitted on Tuesday by Stratstone BMW in Doncaster.  £338 and got the thing washed whilst I was there, plus a coffee and a 7up.....

All was well until today where after a good long run back from Halifax (50 miles) we stopped the car, quickly did the school run and got back in - dead again.  No cranking, just all the other noises like pumps priming etc.  ARRRRGGH. 

Tried jump starting it from a fellow parents Range Rover and also another Kia Sorrento and nothing - not even a spark when hooking up the live jump lead which was interesting as usually a dead battery will take some feed and result in some arcing as you connect it (brand new jump leads too).  All headlights and radio and everything else were fine too but it simply refused to crank.

So my other half got a lift home whilst I sat waiting for Green Flag and Googling the fault.

And low and behold I found this on here:

http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... 63.30.html

Hmm I thought.  Got out of the car, lifted the bonnet and vigorously wiggled the red cable that goes from the the positive jump point under the hood (near the scuttle tray on the passenger side) to the alternator.  And it started straight away......  :noexpression:

So it's highly likely that a new battery wasn't needed, although the car has one anyway now so I am winter proof, and this issue is as simple as a dodgy connection which I'm going to properly sort myself with a socket set and a brillo pad this weekend. 

Gotta love the internet.

[Leslie]

Good detective work