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Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:32 pm
by jonnyivy
Got to laugh,.... but hopefully when it stops raining I can have a look.....  Started the X5 up this morning,.... first part of the journey the satnav started shutting down, going to empty screen,.... stopped at the school,... got back in,  radio stopped working too ! Went home, pulled into our drive and the blooming indicators are now not working !!
Just as I was going to switch it off the warning flashed up saying "air suspention not working"..
Thought I'd take it out again,.. this time the satnav now shows the screen below, totally differant colour...radio sometimes goes on then off,...and the indicators only work turning right (sometimes 0
The two small arrows at the side of the info display on the dash are both flashing away too.
Any suggestions please ???
Image

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:09 pm
by Horizon
[quote="jonnyivy"]
Got to laugh,.... but hopefully when it stops raining I can have a look.....  Started the X5 up this morning,.... first part of the journey the satnav started shutting down, going to empty screen,.... stopped at the school,... got back in,  radio stopped working too ! Went home, pulled into our drive and the blooming indicators are now not working !!
Just as I was going to switch it off the warning flashed up saying "air suspention not working"..
Thought I'd take it out again,.. this time the satnav now shows the screen below, totally differant colour...radio sometimes goes on then off,...and the indicators only work turning right (sometimes 0
The two small arrows at the side of the info display on the dash are both flashing away too.
Any suggestions please ???
Image
[/quote]
First thoughts are to check for water ingress in the spare wheel well.( air suspension and radio modules are in the boot well ) Water can have an affect on the voltage to other systems as well.
Try up plugging the nav unit as well ( cubby on the left in the boot )
Also check the fuse holder in the boot Too for any signs of water or connection issues.

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 8:49 pm
by jonnyivy
It has stopped raining ( Hurrah !! )
Took the spare wheel out and disconnected the battery for an hour.
While I was waiting I had a closer look at the satnav unit in the boot and surprisingly it was a little bit wet on top ( where the hell did that come from ?). So I unbolted it and slipped it out and disconnected it. I've now got it opened up and the wifes hairdryer gently blowing warm air over it in the kitchen. It dont look too wet if anything at all, but you never know where that wee bit of water has went down into.
I did switch the ignition on before I removed it,..the radio was back working as well as the indicators. Just need to wait for this unit to dry out to see if satnav will re-appear.
Is there a fuse or reset button for the unit?..as far as I remember there was always a small orange light on the front when the car "woke up"....its not coming on at the moment..

Jonny.

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 9:08 pm
by Horizon
Look up mk4 satnav unit light sequence, also look on eBay at MK4 sat nav repairs, as they tell you what the lights should do.
I've dried out PCB boards at work. We have even had machines that have been in flooded rooms a couple of years ago when the river in Hebden bridge burst it banks and totally submerged some of our customers machines, after drying them out ( not using too much direct heat , they were as good as new. pCB's do t take kindly to getting too hot.
Good luck

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 9:33 pm
by jonnyivy
Cheers for that info,... I just been to kitchen to move hairdryer back a few feet !!...

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 4:01 pm
by jonnyivy
Yup,...dampness,..... dried out the unit,..plugged it back in this morning and everything back to normal..

Cheers,

Jonny

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 4:28 pm
by weirdfish
Make sure you find out where the water is coming from, or if you think it's a bit of condensation get one of those silica gel bags and place it in the compartment where the sat nav unit lives.

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:21 pm
by X5Sport
Check for blocked roof drains, missing drain bungs, leaking light units, leaking windows, bad tailgate seals.

Your battery should also have a vent pipe connected to it that gets rid of charging fumes (hydrogen gas!) and the water vapour that is generated sometimes.  It is surprising how many E53s are missing the battery vent hose.  It is about 1/4" diameter clear plastic and normally connected to one end of the battery top.

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 8:40 pm
by jonnyivy
I had a wee look for water tracks,.. all pipes are clear,...  the only water I could see was a tiny amount on top of the satnav unit,..about quarter of a teaspoon ,...  down below in the quarter panel well, there was a tiny bit of moisture, just enough to make the small amount of dust and particles damp, no puddles or anything.
Looks like its dripped down from somewhere,..mind its been hellish rain up here last few days.
I'll keep my eye on it next few days.......still find it strange how the indicators were playing up at the same time !!!
No ingress in the battery box either,...and the battery vent is on and routed though its proper channel X5sport.....
Think I will try one of those silica gel packs though...
cheers,

Jonny

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:02 pm
by Horizon
Make a pitched roof for the satnav unit

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:02 pm
by jonnyivy
Mind bring a coat !!!  and the midges are out in force jist now !!

Enjoy your holiday.... hehe

Re: Damned electrics !! satnav /radio/indicators all gone at once !!

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 6:29 am
by Horizon
[quote="jonnyivy"]
Mind bring a coat !!!  and the midges are out in force jist now !!

Enjoy your holiday.... hehe
[/quote]
I e experienced the Highland midgies when we were at the Mountain bike championships at Ben Nevis a coup.e of years ago.
When we walked the course we wondered why the stewards had nets on their heads.
On returning to our campsite that night, under the trees by a lovely river