flatt battery and error message

[Smeeagain]

Hoping someone can help me with this ........

Went out the the X5 this morning and wouldnt start - appeared to be a very flat battery - nothing has been left switched on as far as I am aware and the vehicle was last run on Wednesday (an hour or so on the motorway)
I have a black and decker gizmo that allows me to charge via the cigarette lighter from one car to another and though it showed as "charged" it still woudnt start and momentarily this message appeared "TRANSSAFE FAIL Program or it may have been TRANSFAIL SAFE program
Has anyone encountered this or know what it means?

Thansk Smee

[X5Sport]

Had the same message on mine after a flat battery. All sorts of odd things can appear on the warnings if you do get a dead battery and they'll go away once the battery charge is back to where it should be. The on board electronics don't like low voltages and do all sorts of odd things.

That warning is supposed to tell you that you are in 'limp home' mode and the transmission will only use certain gears and limit your maximum speed. I would expect it to disappear once the battery is charged up again.

There are proper charging points under the bonnet - back right under a black cover for +ve and on the front right wing for -ve (large brass coloured nut) - that is if you are looking from the front of course. These are also the jump start points.

You won't be able to deliver enough starting charge through the cigaretter lighter

[Smeeagain]

thanks - yes it didnt charge through the cigarette lighter but the AA man got it going - however the DSC warning light is now on (looks like a warning triangle in the centre of the instrument cluster with 4 x 4 underneath it - I am guessing as you you say the electrics didnt like the low voltage - how can I go about resetting this?

[X5Sport]

Try turning the steering fully from lock to lock a couple of times. I have seen reference to this being needed after a flat battery. I've never had that, even with a flat battery, but have seen references to the procedure on the xoutpost.com site

[Smeeagain]

thanks I'll give it a go

[x555]

Failing that disconnect the battery for a short while and then reconnect that can sort out the gremlins

[Sanj]

Early days of my ownership and I got this error. Battery MUST be connected direct for best results but if it is dying get a new one and be done with it...

If you have a battery drain possibly, keep an eye out for it.

Not wishing to frighten you at all, but I ended up getting the error once and could not get rid of it, had to go to the dealer but got lucky with a re-set. BUT, it is just a sensor error and nothing more. So do the disconnect battery as x555 says and see how you go. The very best of luck...!

[Smeeagain]

Ok - yes the ass guy connected directly to the battery to get it goign - and he tested both battery and alternator and said all was good so will watch for abattery drain. if I disconnect it will I have other issues to deal with such as resetting radio codes or mileometer readings or anything other weird ?

Thanks Smee

[Smeeagain]

sorry that should say AA guy !!!!

[Sanj]

No you were right the first time...

The ass guy will tell you it is fine but it may not be. Do your own checks!

Disconnecting the battery is better than those annoying issues with radio station presets and computer settings...

[x555]

AA thats where i go on thursdays ............hi my nane is x555 and i'm an ......

[Pete]

I don't want to state the obvious too much but check that you haven't pressed the DSC button by accident when you were messing with the cigarette lighter

[Smeeagain]

No its not statig the obvious at all- i have tried pressing the DSC button again a few times but the warnign light still doesnt go away.

Sanj, appreciate entirely radio settign etc are simpler to deal with just trying to establish what to expect when the battery gets reconnected ...... - what if anything may need re-set ?

[Sanj]

Mine didn't need anything resetting. If you have standard radio, check you dint have to enter a code before it will work, like the non-factory units. If so, find that code first!

[Turks]

Smee, check your fuses... I know there is alot of them but this could be where your problem is. DSC or ABS or something like that might have been disturbed by the Ass man connecting straight to your battery rather than using the points under the bonnet...


Turks.