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X5 is Completely Dead! Even with a new battery...

Hey guys,

So my sister's car hasn't left the garage in over a year, as she has been out of the country. She's coming back soon so we started taking all the cobwebs off and tried to start it and obviously the battery was dead. We tried to jump it (both from the terminal under the hood and directly to the battery) and there was nothing! Even the interior lights wouldn't come on when the cables were attached.

So, I went to the dealer and got a new battery and put it in and there is still nothing. Again, even the interior lights do not come on. It seems like there is some master fuse/relay that is fried and thus there is no electrical connection/power throughout the entire vehicle.

Does anyone know what this could be?! Thanks for the help guys :thumbup:

Check the battery safety terminal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmv (Post 1002634)

Check the battery safety terminal.

Where is this? What should I look for?

If it helps, there is also a loose wire in the trunk, a secondary or tertiary wire from the main battery positive terminal wire that is not connected to anything. Could this be the issue?

Here is the wire, does anyone know what it is for?
http://i58.tinypic.com/b4t5hz.jpg

Someone might have disconnected the cable to save the battery from draining.

If you're not getting any interior lights with a new battery...as well as when you hooked up jumper cables...and you have the unconnected thick red wire...then as assumed...the positive battery cable appears not to be running to the high amp fuse box and the other fuse boxes. If this is so...looks like you may have spent a lot of money for an unneeded battery. :(

See the diagram below:

E53 Positive Battery Cable Run to starter/alternator/battery/fuses/engine bay jump start locations)

http://bimmerboard.com/members/q/ori...%20Diagram.jpg

(You can see in the illustration below how the 2nd wire attaches to the BST (battery safety terminal) which runs to the high amp fuses and the other fuses in the right rear cargo area and up to the glovebox. Also how there's an explosive charge on the positive battery terminal which is a good reason NOT to hook battery cables directly to the battery if the engine bay location can be accessed. ;) )

http://bimmerboard.com/members/q/ori...lustration.jpg

I am posting your photo vs factory photo, you can see that one cable is detached from the harness...

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Awesome! Thanks for all the input guys!! That fixed the problem :)

What was the exact cause?