Sig says he has an 01, so it's an m62.

Yes,it is an M62, and water cooled. Almost exactly 2 years ago to the day the original unit seized up with bad bearings. I pulled it and took it to a local shop to have it rebuilt.

I just returned from a visit to their shop. They tested my charging system and said that my alternator is the problem (just as I thought). I am going to pull the alternator tonight and bring it back to them in the morning so that they can go through it again.

Pain in the butt now that my kids are driving and using our third car. Looks like my wife is going to need a ride tomorrow!

yes indeed - for some reason i did not see the signature in Tapatalk... wonder if i need to tinker with the settings or whatnot...

To the ChevDog - do they fix under "warranty" or something similar?

It's a pain. I've done it 3 times now on my 7. I had a bunch of spares from parts cars. First one lasted a year. Just replaced it yesterday and the replacement used one was bad. Just gonna bite the bullet and get a new one now.

I've had this pulsing problem on a 525i. It was the voltage regulator. The dealer replaced the alternator under warranty, the regulator itself is cheap to replace if you can find one.

Yes, he has an M62 - his X is a 2001 4.4 - water cooled alt. After 2004 with the N62 - air cooled alt.
:thumbup:

On a different car - Mazda Tribute, I had the pulsating headlights & dash lights. Turned out to be a defective DRL module. I know, different brands, but I also started by checking & testing the alternator, battery, etc.

Maybe the LCM starts futzing with you? But this would be the last step, after you test the alt & batt.

I got the alternator back from the repair shop. The voltage regulator had failed. Warranty was only 1 year, so it was not covered. $134.00. Put it back in the car Thursday night and all is well again. Holds steady voltage, and no more fluctuating lights.

Glad it's sorted out;)