"She's Dead Jim"
 

On my way to work i noticed traction control and ABS light come on. I thought maybe because of the cool morning my tires were reading low, but the bulb was burnt out so at the next light I turned the car off to reset the lights...... Big Mistake........ She did not want to start again no matter what. I got it to click once and then I got ticks and dash went dead like battery was shot.

I got a friend to swing by and give me a jump but i got nothing, no clicks or anything. To me it sounds like it could be alternator because of the lights coming on but unsure of what to check first and wanted to ask the seasoned vets on here for advice. She did start slow this morning meaning that the starter was slow.

After renewing my AAA membership over the phone I got a tow home. You know it's bad when the tow truck driver is getting to know you and your car.

sounds like starter is dead and or your battery, if the battery is DED dead then it may not jump start. How old is your battery ? If over 3 yrs I'd get a good battery first, then if it won't start I'd guess starter.

ya; no clicks: crapped out battery.

also, LMFAO on that title!

Battery isn't more than a year old.... If battery was the cause wouldn't jump starting get me going again? While jumper cables were hooked up to a running vehicle she still wouldn't turn over.

Better start with battery, sometimes when the battery goes, it will take the alternator with it because it is basically sending all its power straight to the motor and working over time when it is just supposed to "maintain" the battery. Grab a battery and then hook it up to a battery tester and make sure its maintaining voltage.

Battery shouldn't be more than $110, I think mine was around $90

BMW builds in extra safety to their cars now that everything is electric. It won't even send a charge to the starter if it thinks the battery is too low.

A battery with a shorted cell will take down the voltage/current of the jumper car , and are you using BIG like 4 gauge cables or wallmart tiny cables ?

You can unplug your battery from the equation and try jump starting that way. Just remove the neg post and attach the cable to neg cable.

I have a battery checker, charger and other tools at my disposal. If you have a volt meter check the battery, if it's like under 12.5 try charging , if it stays below 12.5 it's gone. Take the battery to were you bought to have it tested if you don't.

Hard to direct you if I don't know what you have to test.

I have a Multimeter and most tools at my disposal. I've done most of everything to MJ so far. I think she's jealous because there is a new 4x4 in the driveway that needs attention too.


Very good point..... "My Dad's a plumber and has an ultimate set of tools, I can fix it." Jeff Spicoli

so measure the battery, if it's atleast 12.4 it should start the car, also put the lights on and see if it drops alot, below 12.0 . Do you have a charger ?

If not I'd buy one or take it to were you bought to test it. If you were like close I'd help you out myself.

FYI my sons 07 MCS went from running fine till one day no clicks nothing, put in a new battery, same thing, starter was DOA at about 70K

The fact that all his lights came on first means he had low voltage which I would suspect is the battery... the starter doesn't draw voltage while the engine is running. Sounds like a bad battery and or alternator since the battery isn't that old. Check all ground spots and connections to battery, starter, and alternator to make sure you don't have a loose connection.

well I checked the battery and it only had 11.5 volts, just needed a charge. Took her back to NAPA and battery was fine. So I ordered an alternator at $177 with an $80 core charge. Haven't checked yet but I'm sure that's half the price of MINI.

Check you ground wires....
Alternator MIGHT be OK....corrosion on a ground leads to a failure that looks like a dying battery or bad alternator in some ways....and can even fry the computer....
The one that connects to the front engine mount is troublesome corrosion wise....it is often removed to jack up the motor or replace the mount, but not clean or attached in the proper manner...

Well apparently it's not the alternator either. Looked at ground wire mentioned above and it's not corroded or loose. HELP!!!! I about through a wrench through the windshield.

Jeez. Here is another thought. There is a main fuse box and relay box under the hood on the drivers side near the strut tower, take the black covers off and check the condition of the large positive leads that go to it. Like above if a connection is loose or corroded it may give you those symptoms.

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like I stated earlier, could be the starter. My sons died at 70K, acted like dead battery, replaced and still noda, luckily he had extended warranty.

The this is the car starts when battery is charged. But it is not charging while car is running. I'm going to look at the fuse box like DriveHard said when I get home.

sorry I guess I missed that. Did you or can you have your old alternator tested ?

Yeah, I will get it tested tonight. The thing is even if it's good do I want to put it back in...... That was 3 hours and lots of cuts ago.....LOL

No but if it tests bad that would indicate you got a bad one to replace it, rebuilt alternators can be bad out of the box, been there before.

Good point.

Two thoughts...
You might have a bad battery cable....they do fail due to the length...they chafe or corrode...
Next...check you fuses? The "field" fuse supplies power For the alternator to amplify....

Which panel is the "field" fuse located?

What is the box to the right of the battery? We had some heavy rain the night before this happened and I drove home through some large puddles. There was water in th battery compartment the day it happened.

Relay / fuse box.

Now the water would have been nice to share with the rest of us.

This is an r50. Correct. I can't see sig on my iPad

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Inside the box is the dme. Outside is the relay box.

If battery box wet. Dme may be wet.

If so take connector off and see if water comes out.

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