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Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Discuss the problems with your X5 (E53).
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Si
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Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by Si » Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:36 am

Hi all,

Well i have just returned from 2 weeks away to find my X5's battery dead.
This was a new battery just over a year ago, the better S4 battery.

I have now got the X5 running again via a jump start BUT,

I now have no screen working !!  So i have no way of viewing my satnav, radio stations, phone numbers etc etc.

Does anyone know how to get this back up and running ?
I need my satnav for work so it is really required asap :(

Kind regards,

Si

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X5Sport
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by X5Sport » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:40 am

Try disconnecting the battery for 20 mins.  Sometimes a flat battery can cause the electronics to have a tizzy fit.

Richard
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by Steamyrotter » Thu Jan 16, 2014 1:15 pm

+1 from Richard..

Jump starting these causes large current surges that will send electronics doollally.

Would be a good idea to give the battery a good charge as well whilst its off.
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by jaynana » Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:06 pm

i found a method to keep the battery charged through my C-tek while the car is parked outside - through the trailer socket! pins 9 & 13 are unswitched just like the cigerette ligher sockets and work the same :-[
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by Steamyrotter » Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:58 pm

If they are wired up (see other threads)

If you are handy you could put in a system near it so that if you forget to unplug it it will detach when you drive away!!
If things were meant to be easy, then I will soon complicate them....
Please note...
Anything I say is only from my personal experience and knowledge..
I don't assume to know everything, and know there is a lot I don't know..
But then I could be talking bollox.. O:-)

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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by X5Sport » Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:50 pm

You can get a CTEK adapter that fits onto the jump points (19mm socket to undo I think) and has a 'snatch plug'.  Route the cable somewhere convenient and then you can lock the car and all sorted.  The connection is watertight.

They also do one with an LED state indicator on a 3.5m or 2.5m cable.  I've got one on the E46 so I can now quickly see the battery state and flick the charger on to top it up.

Richard
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by Si » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:31 am

Thanks Richard,
Just giving this a go now and hopefully it will sort out the problem.

Regards,

Si.

[quote="X5Sport"]
Try disconnecting the battery for 20 mins.  Sometimes a flat battery can cause the electronics to have a tizzy fit.

Richard
[/quote]

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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by jaynana » Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:37 am

[quote="Steamyrotter"]
If they are wired up (see other threads)

[/quote]

guess they are..

[quote="Steamyrotter"]
If you are handy you could put in a system near it so that if you forget to unplug it it will detach when you drive away!!
[/quote]

yeah had to make it 'wife proof' lol
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by jaynana » Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:53 am

[quote="X5Sport"]
You can get a CTEK adapter that fits onto the jump points (19mm socket to undo I think) and has a 'snatch plug'.  Route the cable somewhere convenient and then you can lock the car and all sorted.  The connection is watertight.

[/quote]

you mean the clamp type? i already have it. or do you mean something else? damn! all my efforts might have been wasted then..

anyways here's wht i did. this is to make it 'wife proof' because for sure she'd forget and just drive off!:
bought a 13-pin plug off amazon  (under £10), shaved off the locking bits and covered it with a pvc pipe for smooth release on drive off. also secured a cable to pull the plug to prevent straining the wire. the cable is secured to an L-ion secured to the ground, , at the same height of the tow-socket, about a metre away from the car to give tolerance for car being parked slightly left/right but still the 'pull' to be relatively from the rear direction.

and then fail-safe: if the cable snaps or comes lose eventually: the wire must have a weak point to break from. in case that causes the wires to short - added a fuse at the c-tek end of the wire (the car's socket already has a fuse in the car).

Image

tbh not wife but i've been 'drivin off' forever since fitting this (around xmas) to test it, with teh rear camera switched on as well to watch the action. it works perfectly. never failed.

i need to periodically charge in the winter because i run the webo daily to pre-heat, after that the car often gets only about a half hr of running. before starting to charge, the car would start no issues. but there wasn't enough charge for the webo to pre-heat for half hr (webo cuts off leaving enough power to start the car).
Last edited by jaynana on Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by X5Sport » Sat Jan 18, 2014 11:32 am

The E46 has one of these which can be fitted through a panel if you wish, or you could make up a plate and mount it through that.  It has a 'snatch socket' that fits the CTEK connector....

I also use a 2.5m extension like these to give more options.  You can connect a couple together I think.

And one of these adapters for the X6.

The ciggie lighters are isolated when the ignition is off and the towbar is detached - plus I'm waiting for BMW to fits the parts when they come in from Germany (6months and counting now).

Richard
Last edited by X5Sport on Sat Jan 18, 2014 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by jaynana » Sat Jan 18, 2014 12:33 pm

Nice kit! Only thing the lid wouldnt close itself like the trailer socket in a drive-off situation. 

Plus where did you mount it? Have to cut a piece off the bumper or something like that to mount it externally?

I also have the extension lead and the other islet type adoptor.
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by jaynana » Sat Jan 18, 2014 12:43 pm

[quote="X5Sport"]
The ciggie lighters are isolated when the ignition is off and the towbar is detached - plus I'm waiting for BMW to fits the parts when they come in from Germany (6months and counting now).

Richard
[/quote]

Not in mine. Ciggy stuff don't go off in the E53 right? Pin 9 and 13 on the trailer socket also dont seem to Go off. Well, plug in socket right..
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by X5Sport » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:20 pm

Correct.  Only the later versions do this >:(

Currently loose run as it's the stored car but I will be making up a plate for the front and using existing bolt/screw points to attach it, possibly right at the edge of the kidney grill so the plug will just push in.

Richard
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Re: Back from holiday and a flat battery + other problems.......

Post by Si » Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:46 am

The X5 is all back up and working correctly now. Disconnected the battery and gave it a good charge, reconnected and all is well :)
Think i might invest in one of those CTEK battery chargers though :)

Thank you for all the help and the info guys  :punk:

Regards,

Si.

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