Electrical - Dead Battery Energy Diagnosis Procedure
SI B 61 13 05General Electrical Systems
October 2007
Technical Service
This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B61 13 05 dated June 2007.
[NEW] designates changes to this revision
SUBJECT
Dead Battery - Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed
MODEL
E90, E91, E92, E93 (3 Series)
E60, E61 (5 Series) E63, E64 (6 Series)
E65, E66 (7 Series) from 3/2004 vehicle production
E70 (X5)
SITUATION
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "dead battery" complaints.
A dead battery can have various causes, most of which do not concern the battery itself. For this reason, replacing the battery is not usually a permanent repair. The cause of the dead battery must be analyzed in order to guarantee a proper repair.
[NEW] Only use the latest diagnostic software when diagnosing dead battery complaints
For this reason, "Energy Diagnosis" must be performed on all dead battery complaints. At the conclusion of the "Energy Diagnosis" test plan a diagnostic code will be generated.
This code must be included in the "Comments" section when submitting the warranty claim. Failure to quote the diagnostic code in the comments of the warranty claim may result in a delay in processing or refusal of the warranty claim.
[NEW] In some cases the diagnostic code may not be included on the printed version of the diagnostic report. During the test plan when the diagnostic code is displayed, a print screen should be performed. This error will be corrected with DIS V52.
The 2 exceptions to the rule are:
^ Battery damage and leakage
^ Use of mobile service and battery replacement to restore customer drivability as soon as possible.
CAUSE
Refer to the "Procedure" section of this service information for details.
PROCEDURE
1. Fault analysis (Energy Diagnosis)
There are currently 2 paths to access the energy diagnosis test plan:
^ If a power management fault is stored, the DIS will select the energy diagnosis test plan automatically.
^ The test plan can also be selected manually by selecting "Function selection>Complete vehicle>Body>Power supply>Energy diagnosis>Execute energy diagnosis>Test plan".
Note:
The vehicle must have had a dead battery before Energy Diagnosis can be performed. Also, fault codes must not be deleted.
Once the test plan has finished, the results screen will be displayed. Always select [1] "Most Likely Cause" to view the possible causes of the dead battery on the vehicle.
Possible causes are:
Vehicle fault:
^ Battery fault/alternator fault
^ Vehicle is not entering sleep mode
^ Vehicle is constantly woken out of sleep mode
^ Closed-circuit current is too high
Operating fault:
^ Lights/hazard warning lamps left on for too long
^ Terminal R/15 left on for too long
^ Unfavorable driving profile (e.g. extremely short distances)
^ Vehicle parked for too long
A functional description of Energy Diagnosis and terminal control, together with troubleshooting information, can be found in the Energy Diagnosis test module.
2. Closed circuit current measurement
Refer to SI B61 08 00 Closed Circuit Current Measurement for the procedure and troubleshooting hints.
Refer to the DIS/GT1 functional description for further information. Use the following path to access this information:
^ All except E65, E66: Complete vehicle>Drive>Voltage and current control>Voltage and current supply>Off-load current measurement.
^ [NEW] E65, E66: Complete vehicle>Body>Power supply>closed-circuit current performance>Closed-circuit current diagnosis..
3. Checking the charging system
Refer to SI B04 25 02 for information on how to test the charging system.
4. Checking the battery condition
Refer to SI B04 25 02 for information on how to test the battery.
Refer to the DIS/GT1 functional description for further information. Use the following path to access this information:
^ All except E65, E66: Complete vehicle>Drive>Voltage and current control>Voltage and current generation
^ E65, E66: Complete vehicle>Body>Power supply>Alternator
5. New battery registration
Registration of the new battery is necessary using the DIS/GT1 service function. If the new battery is not registered, erroneous messages (check control) may appear.
Use the following path the register the new battery: "Function selection>Service functions>Body>Power supply>Battery>Register battery change>Test plan". Follow the test plan instructions.
6. Recharging the battery Refer to SI B04 11 02 for information on how to recharge the battery.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Please refer to the latest KSD for all applicable labor operations and allowances.
If the appropriate labor operation is not contained in KSD, then a work time labor operation should be used.
Defect Code 61 21 07 59 00
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