Newbie with bad Ac

[Helifletch]

Hi forum members, wanted to introduce myself as new to the forum.

Just bought my first BMW, a 2009 X5 E70 here in Qatar Middle East. As you can imagine no rust with the climate however temperatures do vary from 23 degrees now in winter to 50'C in summer. Any how unlike the rest of the world here tends to believe more in replace parts rather than repair 😢. Thankfully having found Xoutpost and already trawled through countless pages I'm really looking forward to being part of the forum!


So, this brings me to my first problem A/c if any of you could help.🙏🏽

Car when purchased was working fine, then unwittingly I disconnected the battery while out of country for a while. On my return the Ac stopped working (along with no rear view camera or sound from stereo - thankfully due to your forum these are fixed). While the engine is running, when i select Ac the revs increase however I see that the clutch is not engaging and I can only get warm /hot air (heater works fine). The gas in the Ac was ok however any garage I go to now says that they cannot fill /check gas levels as compressor needs replacing is that the case or could it be an electric problem/loose wire?

In desperation in case it was a glitch I've pulled/checked and cleaned the contacts on all fuses frt and back; disconnected the battery both terminals (and touched the wires together to dissipate any current), the battery is original and doesn't appear to need registering.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[mkurniawansyah]

Hi fellow Qatar X-er.

Have you got it scanned yet for error?
And what engine do you have?

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[ard]

A 2009 with an orignal battery? In temps up to 50C? I am not saying this IS the issue, but the days are surely numbered.

How did you 'fix' the other issues? What was wrong, what was the fix for each?

Www.newtis.info for schematics

You really need to understand that modern cars do not enjoy the shade tree mechanic tactics from 1970, like 'discharging' by shorting out contacts, etc. These are complex solid state active devices. Know WHAT you are doing, BEFORE you do it.

[dennisvab]

Originally Posted by ard

A 2009 with an orignal battery? In temps up to 50C? I am not saying this IS the issue, but the days are surely numbered.

How did you 'fix' the other issues? What was wrong, what was the fix for each?

Www.newtis.org for schematics

You really need to understand that modern cars do not enjoy the shade tree mechanic tactics from 1970, like 'discharging' by shorting out contacts, etc. These are complex solid state active devices. Know WHAT you are doing, BEFORE you do it.

www.newtis.info

[Helifletch]

Thx guys, I’ve got the computer scan on my pc I’ll post it tomorrow when home after night shift. Dennisvab yes your right about complex, I got the tip from an ex-manager at bmw on this forum who stated his mechanics would always do this - maybe that’s why ‘ex’manager!!

[CLS70]

Originally Posted by Helifletch

Hi forum members, wanted to introduce myself as new to the forum.

Just bought my first BMW, a 2009 X5 E70 here in Qatar Middle East. As you can imagine no rust with the climate however temperatures do vary from 23 degrees now in winter to 50'C in summer. Any how unlike the rest of the world here tends to believe more in replace parts rather than repair 😢. Thankfully having found Xoutpost and already trawled through countless pages I'm really looking forward to being part of the forum!

So, this brings me to my first problem A/c if any of you could help.🙏🏽

Car when purchased was working fine, then unwittingly I disconnected the battery while out of country for a while. On my return the Ac stopped working (along with no rear view camera or sound from stereo - thankfully due to your forum these are fixed). While the engine is running, when i select Ac the revs increase however I see that the clutch is not engaging and I can only get warm /hot air (heater works fine). The gas in the Ac was ok however any garage I go to now says that they cannot fill /check gas levels as compressor needs replacing is that the case or could it be an electric problem/loose wire?

In desperation in case it was a glitch I've pulled/checked and cleaned the contacts on all fuses frt and back; disconnected the battery both terminals (and touched the wires together to dissipate any current), the battery is original and doesn't appear to need registering.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

+1 with Battery and read codes

Also, check that the air distribution setting (in iDrive) is set for Cold Air ..... just in case.

[ard]

lol..info not org...I fixed it

[Helifletch]

OK, so i completely misread the battery, production date was week 47 2014, battery 12.37 stationary and running 14.5v.

There are 5 pages from diagnostic (hopefully attached!!).

As for radio+audible tones/warnings, from looking through various posts it appeared to be either the amp or Bluetooth box especially as I tried to connect it with iphone7, implications were that the connection could be stuck in a loop as it may not be supported 2009 v 2017!! Having nothing to loose I dismantled the bluetooth unit and cleaned it as you'll see from the pic (attached in next post hopefully) the left side is unclean, right side brushed. This worked for several months but in the last couple of weeks failed again so I purchased an Optical Loop to bypass this unit and have had no problems since.

As for the camera, ive no idea what i did but it started working again, but as with audio failed again in the last month - camera will be my next challenge after the A/C.

[Helifletch]

Bluetooth board

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by Helifletch

OK, so i completely misread the battery, production date was week 47 2014, battery 12.37 stationary and running 14.5v.

12.37v on the battery is NOT good enough. That means it's only at about a 70% charge. If you've driven long enough to charge it up fully after sitting for a while, (as you mentioned you did in your first post,) you need a new battery. If this is its full state of charge, that means its not holding a charge and it's shot.

The previous comment about the battery being original from 2009 was obviously sarcastic; these cars absolutely eat batteries. A 4 year old battery is already well beyond its life expectancy.

Don't forget to code your new battery. Don't waste your time chasing faults until you get a fresh battery; these cars are known to have all sorts of mysterious issues crop up when the battery starts to go.

Once the car has its new battery installed, clear all the faults and then see what comes back, and what doesn't work.

I would also look carefully for any other signs of water damage in the trunk and electronics areas. Look in the compartments on both sides, and also completely check the spare tire well, (or where the 3rd row seat goes). Since you're in a pretty arid country, it's unusual to see water damage, but it does not have to be caused by rain or flood. It could be a grocery spill in the trunk area, or a leaky ice chest that was being carried.