E92 M3 Battery Discharge, clock reset and ABS issues

[chrisymarr]

Hi there,

Hoping somebody here is able to help me.

I bought an E92 M3 on Friday. Its a 2007.

I took the car for a drive on Saturday but when I started the car got the following warning "Increased Battery Discharge" and the clock needed reset.

I reset the clock and went for a drive a few miles down the road the ABS, DSC, DBC and FTM failure warnings appear on the iDrive. I am hoping they are related to the discharge issue.

Got home and attached a trickle charger to the car but it woldn't go over 11 volts and the battery is the original battery that came with the car and the previous owner has had the car parked up for 6 months.

Got a replacement yesterday and fitted it. It was an AGM battery and the same CCA as the battery I replaced.

Took the car a drive no errors on the dash.

I got into the car this morning the increased battery discharge issue is back and the ABS lights are back on and the clock needs reset. I checked the voltage of the battery and all is healthy.

Drove the 50 mile commute to work and shut the car off. Came back 10 mins later and started the car the increased battery discharge warning appears again and the clock needed reset along with the ABS lights.

The new battery hasn't been registered to the car yet as I am waiting the cable to arrive so I can register it and read any logged codes.

If anybody has any pointers it would be great

[///M Power-Belgium]

EDC ?

[chrisymarr]

Yeah the car has EDC

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by M3Post

Register the battery to the ECU. This let's the alternator "know" the amperage output needed for your new battery - otherwise it won't charge it fully - assuming your new AGM is higher amp rating than the original battery. If registering doesn't work then check the alternator output.

Thanks hopefully the registering fixes the issues with the car.

The battery I took out has a cold crank amperage of 800 and the battery I replaced it with also has a value of 800.

I would assume though due to the last battery being 11 years old it was degraded so the alternator will still be charging as if the old battery is in place?

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by M3Post

IF the replacement battery has the same 800 amp rating, then registering may not be necessary unless it was done incorrectly by the prior owner. AGM batteries rarely last 11 years - especially BMW ones. Look for a date on the battery labels or circular punch tabs.

Perhaps the alternator is your next stop to check it's output.

Thanks, the battery I removed from the car had 41 07 stamped into the negative terminal which I think means it was manufactured in week 41 of 2007. And the M3 is a 2007 car.

I have also read somewhere not sure if there is any truth in this if the battery completly dies a lot of fault codes becomed stored and have to be cleared before regular charging will come back

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by chrisymarr

Yeah the car has EDC

A faulty EDC module can drain our/your battery pretty quickly , saw this more than once..
Check your start/stop button , if the button stays longer illuminated than normal . Your EDC module is faulty .

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

A faulty EDC module can drain our/your battery pretty quickly , saw this more than once..
Check your start-stop button , if the button stays longer illuminated than normal . Your EDC module is faulty .

Thanks Roughly how long should the start stop button stay lit up for?

I locked the car last night and came out 8 hours later and it was off, but I am unsure what the expected length would be for the button to be illuminated.

Would I be safe to just unplug the EDC module?

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by chrisymarr

Thanks Roughly how long should the start stop button stay lit up for?

I locked the car last night and came out 8 hours later and it was off, but I am unsure what the expected length would be for the button to be illuminated.

Would I be safe to just unplug the EDC module?

+/- 5 min. For hours = Faulty EDC module.
Yes . You can unplug your EDC module.

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

+/- 5 min. For hours = Faulty EDC module.
Yes . You can unplug your EDC module.

Thanks I will give that a go tonight when I get home from work

[chrisymarr]

So an update

Drove home from work (50 mile journey)

Got out locked the car and waited to see if the start stop button stayed illuminated.

It powered off after 5 mintues of the car being locked.

Once the starter button turned off I waited another 5 minutes then started the car.

Increased battery discharge and the clock had to be reset again. Surely there wouldn't be such a drain to want it to reset within 10 mins of shutdown from a 50 mile drive?

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by chrisymarr

So an update

Drove home from work (50 mile journey)

Got out locked the car and waited to see if the start stop button stayed illuminated.

It powered off after 5 mintues of the car being locked.

Once the starter button turned off I waited another 5 minutes then started the car.

Increased battery discharge and the clock had to be reset again. Surely there wouldn't be such a drain to want it to reset within 10 mins of shutdown from a 50 mile drive?

OK . I see , it's your battery or your alternator .
Keep us posted about your situation..

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

OK . I see , it's your battery or your alternator .
Keep us posted about your situation..

Thanks

I am assuming its something to do with the battery not being registered so once my cable arrives I will clear the codes with INPA and register the battery and hopefully the solves it.

As long as its not the IBS is faulty. I hope its not the alternator but if it were the alternator would it not be discharging whilst the car is running?

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by M3Post

Can clear most codes by disconnecting the battery and while you're at it charging it over night while disconnected. Worth a try.

Thanks I will give that a go. But as its a brand new battery would it be low on charge?

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by chrisymarr

Thanks I will give that a go. But as its a brand new battery would it be low on charge?

Normally not .

[dty3]

OP
I have a 2008 and mine did the same thing. I replaced the battery and still had issues.
As it turns out, it was the alternator....I replaced that and had no issues since then

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by dty3

OP
I have a 2008 and mine did the same thing. I replaced the battery and still had issues.
As it turns out, it was the alternator....I replaced that and had no issues since then

Did the car bring up any codes to state it was the alternator?

Just seen they are quite cheap on eBay so may be a good thing to try.

Did you also have the DSC and ABS issues?

[Properstyle]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

A faulty EDC module can drain our/your battery pretty quickly , saw this more than once..
Check your start/stop button , if the button stays longer illuminated than normal . Your EDC module is faulty .

That’s what was killing my car. It was waking the car up when it was off which was killing the battery.

[Fooksdaddy]

Originally Posted by dty3

OP
I have a 2008 and mine did the same thing. I replaced the battery and still had issues.
As it turns out, it was the alternator....I replaced that and had no issues since then

OP, same as above. the alternator was working just enough to get started then went ape shit mid drive. took Indy shop about a day to diagnose.

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by Fooksdaddy

OP, same as above. the alternator was working just enough to get started then went ape shit mid drive. took Indy shop about a day to diagnose.

Thanks. My car isn't showing any discharge lights once driving its only on startup but then the clock needs reset and the abs and dsc lights come on.

Do you think the alternator could still be faulty and not providing enough charge?

[chrisymarr]

Originally Posted by M3Post

O'Reillys or Autozone will check the alternator voltage output for free. OR put a volt meter across the Battery terminals and see what the voltage is. Then turn on the headlights, heater and wipers and see if the voltage drops less than 12.5V when under load.

Thanks I will get a voltmeter to the car this evening. Is the onboard voltage check reliable?

[Helmsman]

Yeah a quick start and check voltage will tell you whether alternator is out. On board meter should do. For instance Carly also present alternator output current, as possible next step.

Good luck

[chrisymarr]

Thanks all for the pointers

Used the onboard meter

Battery with ignition on and engine off 11.9 volts

Engine on, heated seats on, blower full speed and headlights on: 14.4 volts

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