Electrical Problems

[piggyboyz]

My take on it is that it's two separate problem..

I had the imtermittent light light problem as well. The common fault is that it's either the cluster ( light holder) or the wire connector.

For mine, PML changed both under warranty.... Get it checked... I know there is a few fella with E46 having this problem also, nothing serious, just irritating only...

 

[DC3]

My take on it is that it's two separate problem..

I had the imtermittent light light problem as well. The common fault is that it's either the cluster ( light holder) or the wire connector.

For mine, PML changed both under warranty.... Get it checked... I know there is a few fella with E46 having this problem also, nothing serious, just irritating only...

Thanks for the quick reply Piggy.

I sure hope that is the case. Will get it checked out next time I go down to PML. Having a dead battery sucks...the wipers were slower, warning lights flickering on and off. Didn't know if the engine will stall half way!

 

[Charontes]

yes... it will stall half way...
happened to me.

dunno wat happened, but the battery drained away so fast... it's unbelieveable..
i'm was driving in the middle of the night, suddenly the red battery sign lit up, then within a min, my car stalled.
i switched on my hazard light n waited for the tow truck.
5mins later, the cabin light starts flickering with the hazard lights.
15mins later, the hazard light became sooo dim, i cld barely see it.
30mins later, i couldn't switch off my hazard light anymore. the button just doesn;t work anymore.
BAttery completely flat...

pple at PML says the battery n alternator are perfectly ok.
changed the faulty voltage regulator, but they dunno what's the cause.

 

[yendor]

IMO, the problem that you guys described can have more than 1 possible problem. Here are some of them

1. The battery can be too old to hold charge properly, thus the hazard lights "drains" the battery in half an hour. The way to check this is to remove the battery and charge it external of the vehicle. Thereafter using a load tester, check the voltage of the battery when loaded. anything under 11volts shows it is a gonner..

2. There is a leakage some where or a short circuit some where ( amps, lights, other electronics). To test this, turn off the vehicle and connect an ammeter inline with the negative cable of your battery binding post. If you see any deflection then it indicates that your car is not completely off. The trouble shooting to find which device is the bitchy part.

3. Alternator regulator pack faulty, 2 more sub faults in this category:
a. Regulator pack IC blown: This means that the AC voltage developed by the coil windings is unable to be rectified into a DC for the vehicle's electrical system. Thus the alternator is actually discharging the battery during the negative portion of the sine wave.

b.Alternator Open circuit: This problem is more common where there is no output from the alternator whatsoever. This problem is easily detected as the alternator warning lights will come on. If there is a weak output, the light may not come on but there may not be enough juice to recharge the battery. This is checked by placing a volt meter across your battery and asking somebody to help start your car and to rev it to about 2000rpm for about 30 sec and then return to idle. Before starting, your battery should read about 12.5-12.8V. During starting, the reading should drop to about 11V. After starting the voltage should climb back to about 13V and when you rev the engine, the voltage will climb to about 14+V but not exceed 15V. Upon returning to idle, the voltage should drop back to about 13.2V thereabouts.

If the battery is fine, and the alternator is kaput, the car will drive normally until the voltage drops below 10V or so and the vehicle's systems start to go eratic. Vice-versa, if the battery is kaput and the alternator is fine, the car will drive as normal but you may hear a slight whining through the radio and the vehicles electrical power is not as pure anymore. If both kaput then you should have more time to read the forum cos you would not be going anywhere......

Good luck

 

[B_73_M]

Re: Electrical Problems

Check the wire connector holder at the rear light cluster, there might be a short somewhere.

If you are not sure how to disconn the connector, you can do a simple test by switching on the lights including hazard lights, see if all the lights intensity are the same.

If one side is dimmer than the other, tendancy that there might be a mild short somewhere.

Need some advise.

Been having intermittent rear light cluster warning appear but on checking the bulbs, all lights are working. Then suddenly, last week, battery went flat. Went toPML, they said was regulator spoilt. Changed it and charged battery- so car can run. However, they told me that the intermittent warning light may have been a sign that the battery was giving out an inconsistent voltage/power.

Problem is, now the intermittent right rear lamp cluster warning light has reappeared and I don't wish to be stuck with a flat battery again.

Anyone has experienced this before? Would appreciate some comments.

The car is a E46 320 with grounding and ITG air filter and Ecotek.

 

[Charontes]

IMO, the problem that you guys described can have more than 1 possible problem. Here are some of them

1. The battery can be too old to hold charge properly, thus the hazard lights "drains" the battery in half an hour. The way to check this is to remove the battery and charge it external of the vehicle. Thereafter using a load tester, check the voltage of the battery when loaded. anything under 11volts shows it is a gonner..

the battery is less than 2yrs old. i hope it's not considered "too old".

2. There is a leakage some where or a short circuit some where ( amps, lights, other electronics). To test this, turn off the vehicle and connect an ammeter inline with the negative cable of your battery binding post. If you see any deflection then it indicates that your car is not completely off. The trouble shooting to find which device is the bitchy part.

PML did say there's a leakage somewhere. but they couldn't find it.
(could it be the CCFL i just installed?)

3. Alternator regulator pack faulty, 2 more sub faults in this category:
a. Regulator pack IC blown: This means that the AC voltage developed by the coil windings is unable to be rectified into a DC for the vehicle's electrical system. Thus the alternator is actually discharging the battery during the negative portion of the sine wave.

b.Alternator Open circuit: This problem is more common where there is no output from the alternator whatsoever. This problem is easily detected as the alternator warning lights will come on. If there is a weak output, the light may not come on but there may not be enough juice to recharge the battery. This is checked by placing a volt meter across your battery and asking somebody to help start your car and to rev it to about 2000rpm for about 30 sec and then return to idle. Before starting, your battery should read about 12.5-12.8V. During starting, the reading should drop to about 11V. After starting the voltage should climb back to about 13V and when you rev the engine, the voltage will climb to about 14+V but not exceed 15V. Upon returning to idle, the voltage should drop back to about 13.2V thereabouts.

Alternator seems to be perfectly ok.

 

[yendor]

A battery usually lasts for about 2-3 years in a normal car. After I ICEd my last ride w/o increasing the alternator, the battery died after a year. The reason being that the battery discharges and charges heavily (deep cycle). The CCFLs cannot discharge the battery as the light switch is a mechanical device that shuts down the entire lighting circuit. It is usually the amps and other stuff that drains the battery. I once had a friend that fitted and aftermarket ECU and the car refused to start after he went on a short trip to batam (2.5 days) Turned out that the installed wired the ECU permernantly on and thus when the car shut down, the ECU was still running.

 

[Raffles]

2 yr batt life for ICEd car sound quite alright.

Check you intermitent shorts @ rear light cluster 1st (rubbers seals as well).... maybe rainwater entry, etc.

 

[Charontes]

A battery usually lasts for about 2-3 years in a normal car. After I ICEd my last ride w/o increasing the alternator, the battery died after a year. The reason being that the battery discharges and charges heavily (deep cycle). The CCFLs cannot discharge the battery as the light switch is a mechanical device that shuts down the entire lighting circuit. It is usually the amps and other stuff that drains the battery. I once had a friend that fitted and aftermarket ECU and the car refused to start after he went on a short trip to batam (2.5 days) Turned out that the installed wired the ECU permernantly on and thus when the car shut down, the ECU was still running.

Hmm... i guess my ICE is the culprit...
so maybe i ought to change my battery? oh yah.. another thing, the guy at PML says my battery couldn't charge fully.
so does it mean it's going kaput?
and an aging battery will affect the voltage regulator n cause it to go kaput?

 

[yendor]

normally so. Try changing to a battery that has higher capacity as the increased capacity allows lesser percentage of discharges and reduces the "deep cycling" effect. And no the battery does not affect the regulator all that much but it does increase the work load cos an aged battery does not give the same oomph during those heavy bass notes and the alternator is called to step in. I personally have used the Varta Silver battery as the guy has increased cranking amps which mean that the battery can muster a higher instantaneous current which is good for ICE and also means that it tolerates cycling more effectively.