Alarm going off and interior lights staying on

RenaissanceMan · #1 09-25-2018, 09:16 AM

2005 X5 3.0i - Was awakened by my e53's alarm at 3:30 this morning

Also noticed when I went out there that the interior lights were on and would not turn off.

Did a lot of searching in my exhausted stupor but not finding a solution yet. Since the interior lights stay on I was assuming that the X5 thought that a door/hood was opened, caused by a bad switch. More clues:

-Turning off the alarm and then re-arming it results in the alarm going off about 5 seconds later, every time.

-I can turn the interior lights off with the dome light switch, but then as soon as I _close_ the door (any of the 4 doors), the interior lights come on again.

-The interior lights do not turn off after the 16 or so minute sleep period. In fact, it is now 8am and the lights are still on.

-I disconnected the hood switch and it made no difference.

-Car starts right up all the time, making me think the battery is fine. (battery is 2.5 years old at this point)

Anyone experience these same symptoms before??

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andrewwynn · #2 09-25-2018, 09:42 AM

Do the loading lights come on the tailgate ?
Do the cabin lights come on normally when tailgate is open?
Any indicators of door ajar on dash?

You can save battery by putting dome lights on mechanic mode by holding de light for 3 seconds.

Oh also: try this: lock the doors twice (clown nose will blink fast for a few seconds): that disables the motion sensor. If the alarm doesn't sound and lights stay off that means something wrong with motion sensor circuit.

Ricky Bobby · #3 09-25-2018, 10:03 AM

Sounds like a GM (general module) problem -

andrewwynn · #4 09-25-2018, 10:19 AM

What he said: you can probably reboot the GM by pulling a battery terminal. Do you have a "second level" scanner it should report any issue that would cause your symptoms.

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RenaissanceMan · #5 09-25-2018, 10:57 AM

Thanks for the replies and also for the tip on disabling the interior lights. I just got to work after having to jump start the X5. Once I started driving this morning, the DOOR OPEN warning message immediately started flickering on and off the entire drive to work. I suppose this would explain the car thinking a door was open, setting off the alarm, and keeping the interior lights from going off.

Is it safe to assume that I have a failing door latch? If so, anyone have any ideas on how to isolate which one is at fault? I do have INPA/GT1 but that computer's motherboard died recently and I can't access the programs. Thanks-

Ricky Bobby · #6 09-25-2018, 11:12 AM

Door latch? Doubtful - I would email this guy and tell him your symptoms, he repairs modules -

https://www.bmwgm5.com/GM3.htm

andrewwynn · #7 09-25-2018, 11:33 AM

Loose wire with an open/short ? If the door open is intermittent I would bet on a mechanical failure like wiring. Do you get an alert of WHICH door is open?

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RenaissanceMan · #8 09-25-2018, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Door latch? Doubtful - I would email this guy and tell him your symptoms, he repairs modules -

My understanding is that there is a switch inside the door latch that determines if the door is open or not.

https://xoutpost.com/839517-post3.html

RenaissanceMan · #9 09-25-2018, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Loose wire with an open/short ? If the door open is intermittent I would bet on a mechanical failure like wiring. Do you get an alert of WHICH door is open?

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I sure don't. Wish my diag computer wasn't dead.

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