Dang...time for a new car 
Posted by Archeo-peteriX
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Went out to take the iX to the library and the battery was dead; well dead enough that the starter doesn't have enough juice to crank the engine over :X
I'm a little bit peeved because this was a new battery last spring. I started to notice that it wasn't holding a full charge by late summer so I put a solar charger in and that seemed to help a lot. But the last couple of months have had short day light hours and mostly overcast and/or the car covered with snow. Last week, I noticed the starting was getting a little weaker and even took the car for a couple of 1 hour drives(which did put a good charge on the battery) but it still loses it's charge when sitting. I checked for any high current drain but it's very healthy with only a 15mA drain which should not drain the battery in 4 to 5 days of not being driven. I suspect a weak battery and will be taking it back for replacement. Maybe the car gods are telling me it's time to move on 
Should I get a nice new Ferd Focus? |
Shame on you Peter, it sounds like you just need a battery. I've had a few bad "new" ones (one tested good too at the parts house, but it was still bad). Now, be a good fella and put those new car thoughts out of your head  although, there are a few dandy cars coming to our shores in 2010 
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Wow, that is one expensive battery!! 20 grand for a car that starts...you should run for Parliament.
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Ok, I can wait...I don't have any money anyway and no place to go
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I wish I could figure out how to get in on that without becoming a lying, cheating, stealing politician 
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Maybe you should think about opening a bank! 
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That would be a no go...I have a conscience
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the old one was put on the tester and failed within 5 minutes.
No problem, still under warranty and I still have 27 months left until it gets prorated for the remaining 2 years B)- I'll keep the iX for a little longer
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There you go
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The strangest thing has occurred... When the original battery, that had been in the car for a little over 12 years, died; the econometer was acting up. When I put the new battery in(the one that just died); the econometer sprang back to life. Since last summer, the tach and the econometer have both been completely dead. Now that the new battery is installed; both the tach and econometer are functioning perfectly. Additionally; the 6 button OBC that Dave traded me now has a bright display backlight as soon as I fire up the car. With the old battery, it was dim until I had driven for several minutes 
It's really amazing what low voltage does to the electronics in these cars. I'm happy that the new battery has restored a lot of things I thought I was going to have to trouble shoot 
One other thing I discovered when I pulled the battery and the plate that it sits on; was a pool of water in the well. Some previous owner had plugged up the small 'D' shaped drain with caulking...frigging morons :X I scraped away the caulking and cleared the hole so the water could escape and dried the well out with a towel. Miraculously there is not a single sign of rust anywhere
BMW built this iX to withstand winter and wetcoast weather
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No...I was thinking of one of the really nice Euro models
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Felt inclined to add a little update...
Initially the car ran like crap with the new battery(obviously factory default mapping is out of touch with the condition of the system); but after three or four outings, the car runs better, smoother and with seemingly more oomph than it has for a while. It may just be psychological with all the instrument cluster once again functioning and the cols running hesitation gone but I swear it's almost like a new car
I'll keep tabs on the fuel economy and see if it is any different than with the old defective battery... |
The car should never be running off the alternator. All electrical and electronics run off the battery. The battery is constantly being charged by the alternator through the voltage regulator
In the case of this bad battery, the voltage regulator was probably not able to keep the voltage high enough...thus the poorly functioning gauges. Most of the electronics in our cars require at least 12volts to operate properly. Electrical stuff like the starter and window motors will work fine down to much lower voltages, so long as there is enough current to run them. |
Yes, these cars are funny (not the laughing kind) when it comes to low voltage/wattage whatever. Your condition doesn't surprise me at all, I've had all kinds of otherwordly electrical things go on with these cars, they just need the full umph to make em happy from both the battery and the charging system. Over the years this forum has born that out for sure, hey Archie? |
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