PLEASE HELP Nothing works after battery installation
 

So my oem battery was dying and I replaced it with a duralast gold from autozone. My father has a shop and has a Schumacher/5 Ah battery memory saver machine that you plug into the car computer under the steering wheel so you wont lose your factory settings. he frequently uses it on many cars so you wont lose your basic functions like factory alarm and it works everytime.

anyways, we replaced the battery and had the battery memory saver machine plugged into the computer so when we completely removed the battery the truck computer would still have power.

We did NOT notice the machine was not charged and we removed the battery completely and replace it. The car runs and drives but nothing works. Alarm does not work, windows dont work, unlock button doesnt work, trunk does not close or open basically it just runs and drives. I know you dont need programming for the e53 as I did some research on the site.

How the hell do I get my functions to work? Windows, door locks trunks etc. Very frustrating

im thinking maybe disconnecting the battery completely but this time making sure the battery memory saver machine is powered on when removing and then plugging in the battery again.


PLEASE HELP ASAP THANKS

fuses

check fuses, especially in the glove compartment, the ones for the GM module...

You think the fuse was blown because we completely removed the battery?

when you install a fresh battery, you might be touching the terminals several times before a permanent contact is established, even if you do it in one single swoosh... at that very moment the electric current rushes through the systems and may cause a surge in current, which in turn may blow fast reacting fuses... the fast reacting fuses are protecting more sensitive electronics, as obviously, it is easier and cheaper to replace a blown fuse than dig a module out...

start in the glove compartment, pull each one at a time, and do an ohmmeter check, not just simple visual, as it is known fact that visual can miss a bad fuse (been there, done that!!)...

if, after the fuse check you still have the same symptoms, then we move further in troubleshooting...

I wouldn't be using any "battery memory machine" on a BMW, especially when removing a battery and reconnecting it. There is no need (in my experience, I had the battery disconnected for months once while overseas, and when reconnected it, everything was exactly how I left it. Working 100%.

As terminator X5 stated, check the fuses, but I would also be disconnecting the battery completely, wait an hour or so, touch the negative and positive leads together (off the battery) then reconnect it again. And, do all this WITHOUT a "battery memory machine" plugged in.

If the fuses are intact, you might have fried a module.

Little update after further research i narrowed it down to 2 possible things.

1) how terminator previous mentioned it could be the gm3 module. several members in other forums had similar issues after replacing their batteries and send off their gm3 module to bmwgm5.com which i believe he is a member on the site as well. he fixes these modules and a lot of members have had positive feedback.

2) i also read after replacing the battery several members in other forums stated the computer goes into "Transport Mode/Shipping Mode". one member went to the dealer and they charged him half an hour labor another member just used a AUTOLOGIC OBD MACHINE and brought back all the functions.

i found a shop that stated they could fix it but they will charge me 116.00 which i think is pretty steep. he also said he wont charge me if he cannot fix it. i figured i might go with him and if that doesnt work ship my module out to Cali to bmwgm5 to fix. just upset i cannot drive my car because the windows are down and i cannot park it any where.

any one knows who has this AUTOLOGIC OBD MACHINE IN NYC?

from what i remember, the transport mode limits the RPMs of the engine, so the dock workers in a port do not do donuts on the piers while loading the cars on and off the boats...there are some other things the transport mode does, i just don't remember off the top of my head - is your engine power reduced?

So, it is safe to assume that you have checked all the fuses and they all checked out A-OK? it would be really upsetting to spend all those dollars just to come back to base one and find out all it was a $0.50 fuse...


Did you try to disconnect the battery completely, and then touch the (+) and (-) leads together (both leads MUST be disconnected from the battery!!!)? This procedure removes any residual/static electricity that may be stored in the capacitors and may reset a module that is otherwise "stuck" in la-la land...

removing a car from a transport mode should take about 5-10 mintues max - that is including connecting the computer to OBD, pushing the buttons and whatnot... $116 for that - rather steep... try to find member, triple-o, he does programming, maybe he can suggest something of a better value...

for $40 you can get yourself a suite of software and a cable and you can do your programming yourself - you just need a laptop running an XP Pro...

I changed my battery out in the AutoZone parking lot without any problems at all. In fact, I was surprised to see my radio station presets were still there! I agree with TerminatorX5 and would check fuses first.

2002 X5 3.0 241,000 miles
2004 325i 107,000 miles

If it were me I would disconnect the battery tonight.....let it sit with no battery connected and reconnect it in the morning and see what happens. I'll bet everything will work.

If not, like other posters had mentioned start checking fuses under the glove box and the right kick panel of the rear cargo over the passenger rear wheel.

:iagree:

That is precisely what I would do. And to be clear, that means no battery saver machine.

IBS (intelligent battery sensor) & Transport Mode FYI
 

You're correct for now...but if you move up to a BMW model that is newer than our generation (the ones with iDrive etc)...BMW uses an IBS (intelligent battery sensor) that monitors the charging system between the alternator & battery...and adjusts the output of the alternator as the battery ages.

With this system, a new battery requires "coding" (yeah, more complication). :(

#

ok thanks, so does a trickle charger need to be used on a say a end of 2004 e53 when the battery is being changed or not? and does the fella who originally posted need to get he car to the dealer to turn off this transport mode if thats what has happened to his car>?

The e53 DOES NOT use an IBS on the battery...so you don't need to keep a trickle charger hooked up to the jump start locations when you change the battery...unless you want to for other reasons. :) If you have an e70 X5...then yes, you would...if not you'd probably have to get the new battery "coded".

I'm skeptical when I read about BMW owners' assuming their car has slipped back into TRANSPORT MODE...especially if they haven't used any diagnostic equipment or no one else has used diagnostic equipment on the vehicle. As you can see in the document, transport mode is DELETED before the vehicle is delivered. And to put it back into transport mode requires BMW DIS (or other aftermarket software/hardware like INPA etc) to access. I guess there is a small possibility that an electrical glitch could occur and it can come back by itself...but I'd personally need more proof/evidence.

Little update
went to 2 different shops and fuse#14 was blown which is for the obd port. After the fuse was replaced my car still does not read any computer attached to the obd machine, I went to get my NYS inspection and the computer could not make connect so now this is another issue.

as far as the functions that werent working my windows and sunroof work. Door locks trunk lid and interior lighting doesnt work along wi th wipers. I removed the gm3 module and will be shipping it to the gentlemen in california to fix. After that I will be forced to take the car to the stealership because my obd port does not work. The car runs and drives perfectly and atleast I got my windows to work. I will send the gm3 module to be fixed and then hopefully the obd problem is not too serious

anyone have an idea why the obd port does not work even after replacing the blown fuse that controls it?

Thanks for the help and input

Does it have to be the pro version?

Interesting saga. Sounds incredibly likely to me that the memory saver device caused you some trouble. Plugged it into that port, correct?

the other XP versions are junk - the PRO with service pack 3 is the way to go... unfortunately, i lost mine, and could not reinstall it after disk format... so now i am stuck with win 7 and it sucks... the INPA still works, but i like the XP Pro...

F14 is a 5A fuse that is fed directly from fuse 200 from the battery (200A main vehicle fuse) and the other end of the F14 is feeding into pin one of the left 26-pin connector of the GM, which is electrically same as pin 16 of the OBD connector.

i suspect that you have more than just one fuse blown... however, if you are adamant about sending the unit out for repairs, our troubleshooting efforts are meaningless... nevertheless, i will look up to see what other fuses you might want to check, it might save you a buck or two on the GM repairs...

what is the month/year of your car's production? what is the engine? there were different GM pinouts throughout the years...

Will have to check it out. I have a 2004 x5 3.0i this sucks because I cannot drive my car either now because my inspection is up.

Thanks terminator for the continous effort

anyways, here are the fuses to pay close attention to:

F27
F60
F14 - resolved
F41 - has direct impact on to the wipers

once you have eliminated those fuses as potential issue, then we can move to other modules that control specific functions... or, you can try to repair the GM...

just keep us posted about your developments...

:)

If I replace these fuses hypothetically speaking, would they function even without the gm3 module. I removed it this afternoon

half of your car will not function without the GM module... however, i am not sure if the GM affects the drive-ability... definitely, the alarm, the locks, the other things should not work... does the removed module smell like something burnt inside?

No it does not smell burnt. And your right it only controls the interior functions and i have driven the car at high speeds for many miles

if you haven't sent out the module, try to stick it back in and see if the new fuses help - it is Sunday and the post office doesn't deliver on Sundays anyways...

another quick way of checking fuses without taking them out ,is put your meter on dc volts with the battery hooked up of course and probe each side of the fuse contacts on top of the fuse ,if you have voltage then the fuse is blown Ive been doing it this way for years hasn`t failled me yet.

elaborate, please...:dunno:

by leaving the fuse in place touch the meter leads(meter set at dc volts greater than 12v) to each side of the fuse at top you if you don`t get any voltage reading means fuse is good, but if you get around 12-14v means fuse is blown make sense? hope this is a bit more clear.

interesting concept that clearly should work - but what if the suspicious fuse is fed though another fuse that is blown for real? would that not give an impression that tested fuse is bad, while in reality, another fuse is bad, upstream?

each fuse should be on their own circuit right so it should work all the time and it has for me. .so what your saying is there could be 2 fuses linked to the same circuit then I could see that being a problem ,but ive been doing this way for over 20 yrs .

we might need to start another thread on this situation lol :)

i don't remember off the top of my head, but there are some circuits that have fuses cascading - you can see on the diagram before, that we have master fuse at 200 amps feeding the rest of the fuses... it was easy to come up with, as i remembered this particular diagram... there are others... also, there is sometimes backfeed of the voltage on some circuits - i have played with fuse 41 for the rain sensor for a project, but a backfeed prevented me from realizing the project, so it was a no go...

thats good to know in the future if I ever come across a situation like this thanks for the heads up I agree with ya 100% on this . I guess my way is good for some circuit but not all .