E53 X5 Battery Options - A List

[BigGar]

Originally Posted by davidJZU

"E53 batteries do not have to be registered."

Many people have said this but this site

http://www.munichmotorsport.com/wordpress/?page_id=164

says that 2005 or later E53's with the 4.4i also need to have their batteries registered.

Agreed.

I look after a number of X5 4.8is models for a family and it's about a 50/50 shot that I'm going to have a problem if I simply swap out batteries.


Gar

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by davidJZU

"E53 batteries do not have to be registered."

Many people have said this but this site

http://www.munichmotorsport.com/wordpress/?page_id=164

says that 2005 or later E53's with the 4.4i also need to have their batteries registered.

And your impetus/point/motivation for mentioning this and providing the link is....?

1. to show how false information continues to exist and misleads owners of E53s w/N62 engines?
2. to show that you're now confused as to whom to believe if the e53 w/N62 needs to be "registered"?
3. .... (add your motivation if both mine were wrong)

The reason why the site is incorrect about the 2005 e53 w/N62 is

1. ...nothing changed with either N62 engines regarding their vehicle electrical battery cables from their debut starting with the 9/93-up build date (which is the beginning of the 1994 model year & use of the N62 V8 engine)...so why would the 2005-up require "registering" whereas the 9/93-9/94 don't.
2. ...the way that the CPU (the DME) knows how to alter the alternators output based on the condition of the battery is with a SENSOR...this sensor is called the IBS (intelligent battery sensor)...and the 2005-up e53s w/N62 engines DO NOT have an IBS on the negative battery cable...nor anywhere else in the vehicles engine electronics system...so there's no way for the DME to control/alter the output from the alternator because it receives no constant data as to any changes in the battery (other than the old fashioned way of the BATTERY WARNING LIGHT).

If further proof is needed to ease your mind as to if the e53 requires "registering"... item #10 in the diagram and link to the part nbr index below is the negative battery cable...you can see that there is no IBS sensor designed into the cable...UNLIKE that of the e70 X5's negative battery cable (seen in the 2nd diagram below).

Hopefully this will help clarify any confusion owners of e53 X5's w/N62 engines may have...and those with I6 engines, too.

E53 Negative Battery Cable (#10 in diagram...no IBS illustrated in diagram, nor mentioned in the supplemental columns of the part nbr index at the link below)

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.8is Battery cable



E70 Negative Battery Cable w/IBS sensor (#1 in diagram below)...note that the IBS is mentioned in the supplemental columns in the link to the part nbr index below...as well as being illustrated in the diagram. And if you do a google search for this battery cable, you can visually see the sensor built into the negative battery cable.


RealOEM.com * BMW E70 X5 4.8i Battery cable

[BigGar]

So why do I have problems when I swap out a bad battery for a fresh one in these vehicles (2006 4.8is)?
Sometimes they're fine, other times there are issues.



Gar

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by BigGar

So why do I have problems when I swap out a bad battery for a fresh one in these vehicles (2006 4.8is)?
Sometimes they're fine, other times there are issues.

Gar

What are the "they" and what are the problems or issues? I don't know how to respond or answer an unnamed & unknown.

Are you referring to some of the things listed that may need to be reinitialized under the section titled POWER FAILURE from the owners manual below?

Also, not only do we not have an IBS (intelligent battery sensor)...there's nothing in the owners manual that infers that a replacement battery needs to be "registered" or "coded" to the vehicle...at least not in my 2006 owners manual.

[BigGar]

Sorry, the battery light would simply stay on. Had to take it to the dealer to have them "initialize" the new battery with the X5's electronics. Sounded strange to me, but they did whatever they did and no more light. Happened on two different X5 battery swaps.


Gar

[Qsilver7]

I would have loved to be standing there to see what they actually did to "initialize" the e53.

Next time you need to do this...ask them where the IBS (intelligent battery sensor) is located on the e53...then see how they explain it. If they tell the truth and say that the e53 doesn't have one...then have them explain how the DME monitors the data between the battery and alternator in order for the alternator to regulate its output to the battery.

Or if you're changing up the battery type from lead-acid to AGM...or vice versa...how does the e53 know which type of battery is installed.

Im sure the answer they give will be very interesting....and please post back what they say...it'll be an education for us all. Although I'm getting "older"...there still room for a few more cards in my "mental rolodex".

[BigGar]

I also had another interesting incident with one of the X5's (4.8is). Client called and said it wouldn't start. This thing would turn over like crazy but no joy. No fire. Wouldn't even try to start. Tried for a long time to start it and the battery eventually ran down, but no sooner than what I would think a brand new battery would endure before running low. I had no idea what the problem was so we had it flat bedded to the dealer. They said the battery was bad. I'm thinking, how can it eagerly spin the engine over for such a seriously long time, yet not have enough voltage to run the fuel injection, or spark plugs, or whatever electronics were preventing it from starting up? Either way, dealer installed a new battery, "initialized" it, and it's not failed to start ever since. It does occasionally forget there is a radio, and the only cure is to pull the negative cable for a minute or so and reattach. It does the same thing with the Bluetooth phone. It just won't recognize there is even a phone of any sort. Pull the cable for a minute, reattach, and viola, it all works again. I don't even have to pair the phone again. Strange beasts they are, but as always, very nice to drive.



Gar

[Qsilver7]

Do you know how to UNLOCK or have the instrument clusters already been UNLOCKED on these vehicles? I ask because in a situation as you described above...you can run TEST 9 (ignition in position 1 & engine NOT running) and get a quick look at the battery's voltage. If the battery is at 11.89v...its at 0% state of charge. This is many times enough "juice" to illuminate interior lights & dash lights & radio & starter, etc...but may not be enough to start the engine.

Again, thinking that I may have missed something...I'm really curious as to what your dealership is "initializing" because again, there's no IBS or power management system on the e53...perhaps they are just charging the battery making sure that its voltage is up to about 12.65volts. ...but apparently as you describe...they're doing something.

(note that registering a battery requires the BMW "power management system" which requires an IBS...which the e53 doesn't have)

[admranger]

FWIW, I replaced the battery on my 2005 (12/04) X5 4.4i (N62) with a Deka AGM battery. No problems from the new battery (from my incompetent install, well, that's a different story…).

[davidJZU]

qsilver ... thanks for your detailed reply. I didn't know about the IBS previously. Very interesting.

As you predicted, my late-model 2006 X5 does not have an IBS on its negative battery cable.

cheers
Dave