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-   -   Nav constantly reboots/blank screen - try holding down eject button (https://xoutpost.com/electronics/navigation-system/55167-nav-constantly-reboots-blank-screen-try-holding-down-eject-button.html)

danieljsinclair 12-08-2008 12:36 PM

Nav constantly reboots/blank screen - try holding down eject button
 
I'm starting a new post here because this problem seems to come up time and time again on different boards, but nobody has a solution for it.

This is the problem where the GPS computer keeps rebooting. It may work for a few seconds/minutes and then suddenly it'll go blank, and you'll get the logo again, it may just about get to the menu and it'll cycle again. Or, it may recycle so fast that you just get a blank flickering screen.

What differentiates this problem from other blank screen/boot problems is that if you hold down the eject button on the DVD drive, the system will boot and work normally.

You may also experience the system working perfectly some days. I've noticed this seems to be temperature related. Winter and cold days are signficantly worse. I've taken the drive unit into the house overnight before on winter days and when slotted back in first thing in the morning it's worked right off when it wasn't working the day before.

I'm hoping that all users with this problem can share their experiences here and see if we can try and find a permanent solution that doesn't involve blue-tac or sticky tape on the eject button as you drive around :)

Anyone....?

BMW_X5_FAN 12-31-2008 09:58 AM

daniel, I have the same problem. Have been looking around for a solution but haven't found one yet. I gave the car in for a service a couple of days ago and they advise that the whole GPS montior unit in the dash needs to be replaced... that doesn't sound cheap. I tried upgrading the firmware this morning to see if a reboot would help but no luck the monitor turned off after 10 or so minutes of driving.

KiwiJochen 12-31-2008 12:06 PM

Maybe dried up capacitors on the power circuits.

Try replacing the caps....

Or corroded contacts on the unloader relay. Cheap and easy to replace - swap it with another relay in the car to see what happens.

KiwiJochen 12-31-2008 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW_X5_FAN
I gave the car in for a service a couple of days ago and they advise that the whole GPS montior unit in the dash needs to be replaced... that doesn't sound cheap.

Why replace the screen when it is the computer that is rebooting?

Screen has nothing to do with the problem...

BMW_X5_FAN 01-03-2009 02:44 PM

KiwiJochen, thanks for your reply. When you say replace the cap, do you mean the relays located in the boot with the fuses? I'm not 100% sure that the system is rebooting... the screen just flickers. Thanks.

KiwiJochen 01-04-2009 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW_X5_FAN
KiwiJochen, thanks for your reply. When you say replace the cap, do you mean the relays located in the boot with the fuses? I'm not 100% sure that the system is rebooting... the screen just flickers. Thanks.

Caps = capacitors inside the nav unit
Relay = Unloader relay located in the boot near the main fuse block.

But a flickering screen is a screen problem, not a nav problem.
The high-voltage circuit in the screen is failling - happens when they get old.

There are some places that can repair failling LCD screens - use goolge to find them.
Or replace the screen with another one.

danieljsinclair 01-05-2009 07:34 AM

I agree. The "monitor" or BordMonitor as it's called (the screen) won't have anything to do with your problem if you're experiencing these symptoms. It's the GPS CD/DVD unit in the boot. Your dealer should know the difference.

The screen will flicker if the system is in a reboot cycle, but the dealer should be able to ascertain if it's still flickering after the system has correctly booted. They're usually (but not always) right.

It's about £3500 for a complete Nav system so you probably won't want to do that. However, you can pickup new computers (the CD/DVD) unit in the boot for about £250 on ebay quite readily. You can possibly also replace it with a unit from a Rover 75 for around £75, but I've never tried that and I wouldn't know the right part number.

I replaced my previous Mk3 (CD version) with an upgraded Mk4 (DVD) version when it started exhibiting this problem. Many months later, the new one now does the same thing which makes me wonder if this is a much more common problem with these units than is widely understood.

Replacing your unit with a newer one should fix the issue - at least for a while, providing the one you get doesn't already have the issue.

danieljsinclair 01-05-2009 07:38 AM

OK, now *this* sounds interesting, and along the lines of what I'd expect. Does your relay theory hold true in light of the power supply issue somebody else posted above?

How would we find out which relay it is that needs replacing?

As far as the capacitors go - I'm reasonably tech-savvy (I got a very poor electronics O-level grade) but that sounds like a very hard thing to diagnose. Have you any experience of repairing one of these units like this, or are you theorising with standard electronics repair know-how?

Richard E39 01-05-2009 07:22 PM

I had this problem (constantly reboots) when using one of the new Road Map DVDs with Double Layer but NOT having V31 Firmware installed.

After I updated the Nav Software, the Problem was gone.

BMW_X5_FAN 01-06-2009 07:15 PM

All,

This GPS monitor flickering problem was driving me nuts. It became worse and more common during the period of a year. I went to a second BMW dealership to see if they could fix the problem, the serviceperson advised that it could be the DVD, DVD player or the whole monitor unit in the dash… and wait for it I would have to leave the car for a couple of days and would cost between 700-3000 CHF (swiss francs). Guys, that’s alot of beers!

Anyhow, I thought I give it my last shot this evening and I think I found the problem. I started with the advice that some of you gave i.e. re-installing the OS. I also, cloned my BMW DVD map to a new DVD just in case there was a problem with the original. However, after a few minutes the screen started flickering again. I then put my hand at the back of the DVD unit located in the boot (trunk) and moved around the wires and you know what it was a loose connector. There’s a burgundy coloured connector at the back and when I moved the two wires going into it I could make the system work and vice versa.

In my case of which was not pretty at all, I soldered the wires directly to the pins at the back of the unit. Personally, I would suggest that you try and get a new connector. I just didn’t have the patience. Fingers crossed, all seems to work well now :)

I hope this post will help someone else out.

Cheers and good luck.

KiwiJochen 01-07-2009 02:37 AM

Ahh... loose contacts in the connector. If I only had 10c for evry time I've fixed a loose-contact problem!

It'll be affecting the RGB and Sync lines.

Solutions:
1. Contact cleaner spray. Spray and hope :-)
2. OR Tighten the contact pin pressure with long nose pliers. A trick is to deform the pin slightly to make it apply better pressure
3. OR: replace any suspect / corroded pins with new ones. Available from BMW, cheap


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