[thormessiah]

Driving to base for drill today... suddenly ABS LigHt pops up, follow by DTC and a whole bunch of other shit. I pull over and turn the car off. Try to turn it back on, not even a hint of a crank. Then the yellow car is unbalanced light comes on when I stick the key in. Anyone please have clues?

[tcphoto]

Original battery? I would have the battery and alternator tested plus have a code reader handy.

[Efthreeoh]

What to you mean "yellow car is unbalanced light" Are you trying to say the CBS menu notification that the car needs service; i.e. the "yellow car on lift" icon?

As tcphoto said, it sounds like the battery died. Did you open the hood and check to see if the serpentine belt is still on the pullies? When the lights came on, did the steering get heavy?

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

Original battery? I would have the battery and alternator tested plus have a code reader handy.

Battery is brand new and coded, barely 3 months old. I’ll have them test it and see.

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

What to you mean "yellow car is unbalanced light" Are you trying to say the CBS menu notification that the car needs service; i.e. the "yellow car on lift" icon?

As tcphoto said, it sounds like the battery died. Did you open the hood and check to see if the serpentine belt is still on the pullies? When the lights came on, did the steering get heavy?

Yes that’s exactly the one.
Steering felt pretty normal, I did not check the belt but that was also replaced not too long ago. I forgot to mention the little yellow gear icon also popped up following all the codes,

[Efthreeoh]

If the battery is new, then it sounds like the Battery Safety Terminal (BST) blew for some reason.

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If the battery is new, then it sounds like the Battery Safety Terminal (BST) blew for some reason.

What’s the best way to test that out? I noticed that the car took about a second longer to crank the last 2 days but no other indication that something was off.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by thormessiah

Driving to base for drill today... suddenly ABS LigHt pops up, follow by DTC and a whole bunch of other shit. I pull over and turn the car off. Try to turn it back on, not even a hint of a crank...

1) Check the battery terminals to make sure they are tight and ground to chassis tight;
2) Check for water/battery acid in battery well;
3) Using multimeter, measure Voltage at battery posts;
4) Measure Voltage at Jumpstart Terminals under hood;
5) Using "Hidden Menu 9.00" or Scan Tool connected to OBD II Socket, what "System Voltage" is read?
http://e90.wikifoundry.com/page/BC+hidden+menus

Let us know if you have multimeter and/or battery charger, and results of tests above, and someone can provide "next steps."

George

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

1) Check the battery terminals to make sure they are tight and ground to chassis tight;
2) Check for water/battery acid in battery well;
3) Using multimeter, measure Voltage at battery posts;
4) Measure Voltage at Jumpstart Terminals under hood;
5) Using "Hidden Menu 9.00" or Scan Tool connected to OBD II Socket, what "System Voltage" is read?
http://e90.wikifoundry.com/page/BC+hidden+menus

Let us know if you have multimeter and/or battery charger, and results of tests above, and someone can provide "next steps."

George

Ok so I towed the car home. It actually started for a few minutes long enough for me to get it on the tow truck. Got it home, scanned it with MHD and I’m getting this:

2A15- DME FUEL TANK VENTILATION SYSTEM, MINOR LEAK
2AAF-Fuel pump plausibility
2DEB- Power management electrical vehicle system
2DEC- battery
2E98- BSD, message alternator missing

Car will absolutely not crank, and barely registers key. Battery holds 12v on a battery charger

[EyeGuy]

Happened to me this past Tuesday and had to get it towed to local shop. Battery tested fine, it ended up being the alternator. Got it fixed for $850. If you are lucky maybe it is only the alternator regulator that failed. A fairly inexpensive part.

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by EyeGuy

Happened to me this past Tuesday and had to get it towed to local shop. Battery tested fine, it ended up being the alternator. Got it fixed for $850. If you are lucky maybe it is only the alternator regulator that failed. A fairly inexpensive part.

I’m taking it to my local mechanic tomorrow to try to get to the bottom of the le issue, hopefully it’s nothing too serious

[roadkillrob]

I think the alternator missing message is the key - sounds like alternator is shot and battery went low.

[blueloco]

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

I think the alternator missing message is the key - sounds like alternator is shot and battery went low.

Not necessarily. The communication can stop but the alternator will still function normally. I have this code persistently due to the PO using a CarQuest reman than just wont talk but charges fine.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by EyeGuy

Happened to me this past Tuesday and had to get it towed to local shop. Battery tested fine, it ended up being the alternator. Got it fixed for $850. If you are lucky maybe it is only the alternator regulator that failed. A fairly inexpensive part.

850! A lifetime grranty alternator is 350$.

[EyeGuy]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

850! A lifetime grranty alternator is 350$.

I think the alternator itself was $512.

[320IN54]

holy shit idk if this is a coincidence or if all of our cars just decide to shit itself in the same day but I just had the same thing happen to me. Literally finished a track day running the best times I have ever ran and right when I left to go home the car freaks out and dies. Tried to jump it once and it ran about 500 meters before it shit itself again and completely died.

[Gamb1t]

Originally Posted by 320IN54

holy shit idk if this is a coincidence or if all of our cars just decide to shit itself in the same day but I just had the same thing happen to me. Literally finished a track day running the best times I have ever ran and right when I left to go home the car freaks out and dies. Tried to jump it once and it ran about 500 meters before it shit itself again and completely died.

Congrats, your car died a glorious death after giving you its best at your track day. There is no better way for a car to die. I say give it a hero's funeral and write an ode as remembrance. Revel in its tale of glory to your future cars.

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by 320IN54

holy shit idk if this is a coincidence or if all of our cars just decide to shit itself in the same day but I just had the same thing happen to me. Literally finished a track day running the best times I have ever ran and right when I left to go home the car freaks out and dies. Tried to jump it once and it ran about 500 meters before it shit itself again and completely died.

Mine was still on stock tune, I was planning on doing stage 1+ but I guess not now.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by thormessiah

Driving to base for drill today... suddenly ABS LigHt pops up, follow by DTC and a whole bunch of other shit. I pull over and turn the car off. Try to turn it back on, not even a hint of a crank. Then the yellow car is unbalanced light comes on when I stick the key in. Anyone please have clues?

Battery or Alternator

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

850! A lifetime grranty alternator is 350$.

+1

And while I realize the “easiness” of a job is entirely dependent on experience, R&R of alternator is a 15-minute job on N52, or probably an hour if you’ve never done it and are moving super slow and methodically.

Even if you (OP) think this is outside your abilities, I’d suggest checking out a few DIY procedures just to see what’s involved. They might change your mind.

Nonetheless, still need to pin down whether your problem is in fact your alternator.

As others have mentioned—and in my own experience—electrical issues with these cars often result in codes and perceived issues that are misleading. I was once in an X5 with a dying battery. All of a sudden faults for just about every system started to appear on the dash: cameras, 4x4, you name it. I’m sure there were 20+ codes thrown in that moment.

Best of luck.

[thormessiah]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

+1

And while I realize the “easiness” of a job is entirely dependent on experience, R&R of alternator is a 15-minute job on N52, or probably an hour if you’ve never done it and are moving super slow and methodically.

Even if you (OP) think this is outside your abilities, I’d suggest checking out a few DIY procedures just to see what’s involved. They might change your mind.

Nonetheless, still need to pin down whether your problem is in fact your alternator.

As others have mentioned—and in my own experience—electrical issues with these cars often result in codes and perceived issues that are misleading. I was once in an X5 with a dying battery. All of a sudden faults for just about every system started to appear on the dash: cameras, 4x4, you name it. I’m sure there were 20+ codes thrown in that moment.

Best of luck.

So my mechanic just told me the alternator is charging, and the car turned on with no warnings just now, but he’ll give it a spin around the block to see what happens. Maybe it’s a loose connection somewhere?

[thormessiah]

I went ahead and ordered the voltage regulator off of pelican parts. Let's see if this fixes the issue.