[2009 128i e88] Lost power while driving/ now wont crank. History of misfire

[lvfb]

I was driving my car and it lost power while going up a slight freeway hill at approx 80mph. I pulled over and tried to start again and no luck. Let it sit for a bit and tired it again and no luck. I've had issues with miss fire on 4 5 and 6 cyl but havnt had any issue driving it before


I'm not even getting a crank or anything.

I have a light on that says inactive and is an exclamation mark "!" on the dash.

When i put my foot on brake and push start button it makes a single click sound and the interior lights dim and the car does not start but it does make a gong sound and flashes the "!" symbol

[lvfb]

here are the codes i get now

View post on imgur.com

[lvfb]

bump

[spidertri]

Did you check all of the ground cables and connections? Battery cables okay where they run under the car?

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by spidertri

Did you check all of the ground cables and connections? Battery cables okay where they run under the car?

i havnt check the battery cables but assumed that even if it were a battery cable it wouldnt explain why the car died while it was being driven since the alternator should have been able to take it over

[Dru128m]

I'd charge the battery up to be sure. If the alt died then the battery would run down till the car shut itself off, but not before several warnings I'd think. Definitely check your battery cables and all the connections at the battery, I've found them to spontaneously loosen before.

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by Dru128m

I'd charge the battery up to be sure. If the alt died then the battery would run down till the car shut itself off, but not before several warnings I'd think. Definitely check your battery cables and all the connections at the battery, I've found them to spontaneously loosen before.

thanks for the response. I tried an entirely different battery with the same result. and jumping from the posts the original battery. i am gonna take it to autozone to have them charge it just to make 3 attempts at this trouble shoot

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by lvfb

thanks for the response. I tried an entirely different battery with the same result. and jumping from the posts the original battery. i am gonna take it to autozone to have them charge it just to make 3 attempts at this trouble shoot

So has the car started again or are you towing it to autozone?

It might be cheaper to buy a trickle charger or a battery powered jump starter.

Seems a bit odd that it would die while driving.

How old is the battery? And do you drive the car regularly and more than say 15 miles each time?

Since there's power to the car I don't think it could be that the battery cables have loosened. Maybe the alternator has kicked the bucket?

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by ///Makis

So has the car started again or are you towing it to autozone?

It might be cheaper to buy a trickle charger or a battery powered jump starter.

Seems a bit odd that it would die while driving.

How old is the battery? And do you drive the car regularly and more than say 15 miles each time?

Since there's power to the car I don't think it could be that the battery cables have loosened. Maybe the alternator has kicked the bucket?

i have (2x) e88's. a black one and a gray one. the gray one (which is in much nicer condition) is the one thats having the problems.

i bought the car in july from a guy who bought it from a auction house. check engine light was on it when i bought it and INPA told me it was for misfires in 4,5, and 6 cyl. USUALLY (from what i learned on the forums) that is a typical VANOS issue. took car to Crevier BMW in Long Beach CA to get it fixed under the sulev warranty. Dealership replaced all the items in the picture. Said that the valve cover job which was done by an indy shop is why the misfires are happening. drove car from long beach to Vegas (where i live) and going up the final hill before getting to vegas car just loses power to engine (rest of car like lights radio ect are fine) pull over and try to restart car and all i get is click.. ive swapped the battery from my black e88 to see if it was a battery problem and i still get the same issue.

[NorthernDancer]

Sure sounds like a loose/dirty battery cable somewhere. Most common is the ground cable, very low on the drivers side between the engine and the car body. Likely this one:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...e/12427549393/

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Sure sounds like a loose/dirty battery cable somewhere. Most common is the ground cable, very low on the drivers side between the engine and the car body. Likely this one:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...e/12427549393/

So say this wire were loosened up and fell off while driving... would that kill the power to the engine while i am driving it?

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by lvfb

So say this wire were loosened up and fell off while driving... would that kill the power to the engine while i am driving it?

Yeah I think it does, I believe the ground cables for the ignition coils which are on the valve cover will cause that bank not to work when they are not connected but I could be wrong. I have seen that wire braided cable someone posted from ecs before but didn't know what it was.

I just read the below after a google search

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-ground-...ry-replacement

Also possible but unlikely is that it can fail without warning. If this happens, even using jumper cables won't start your vehicle as the engine needs to be grounded to the chassis first. Severely worn engine mounts are also a contributing factor to ground cable wear as engine movement greater than allowed will stress the ground cables greater than they're designed to be.

I'm guessing maybe going uphill lead to greater load and engine movement and maybe broke the ground cable or pulled it off from where it was bolted on if that's possible.

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by ///Makis

Yeah I think it does, I believe the ground cables for the ignition coils which are on the valve cover will cause that bank not to work when they are not connected but I could be wrong. I have seen that wire braided cable someone posted from ecs before but didn't know what it was.

I just read the below after a google search

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-ground-...ry-replacement

Also possible but unlikely is that it can fail without warning. If this happens, even using jumper cables won't start your vehicle as the engine needs to be grounded to the chassis first. Severely worn engine mounts are also a contributing factor to ground cable wear as engine movement greater than allowed will stress the ground cables greater than they're designed to be.

I'm guessing maybe going uphill lead to greater load and engine movement and maybe broke the ground cable or pulled it off from where it was bolted on if that's possible.

i guess that is a possibility and worth checking since its free lol ill give a look at it in a few hours when it cools off. damn las vegas sun...

[MightyMouseTech]

Check the ground strap by the drivers side engine mount.

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Check the ground strap by the drivers side engine mount.

i dont see a ground cable on the driver side but there is a ground cable on the passenger side its braided and about 1 foot long and secure. is there a second ground cable on the engine?

also something to add there is a high pitched hum that last about a minute when i unlocked the car. maybe the prime for the fuel pump?

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by ///Makis

Yeah I think it does, I believe the ground cables for the ignition coils which are on the valve cover will cause that bank not to work when they are not connected but I could be wrong. I have seen that wire braided cable someone posted from ecs before but didn't know what it was.

I just read the below after a google search

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-ground-...ry-replacement

Also possible but unlikely is that it can fail without warning. If this happens, even using jumper cables won't start your vehicle as the engine needs to be grounded to the chassis first. Severely worn engine mounts are also a contributing factor to ground cable wear as engine movement greater than allowed will stress the ground cables greater than they're designed to be.

I'm guessing maybe going uphill lead to greater load and engine movement and maybe broke the ground cable or pulled it off from where it was bolted on if that's possible.

the only braided ground cable i have found is on the passenger side under the manifold and is about 1 foot long. mine still looks new and is flexible and secured via screw to the chassis

[spidertri]

When you unlock the car the fuel pump does prime the system, that hum is normal.

On my 2011, the main ground strap is on the driver side, you have to pull off the belly pan and look right near the driver's side engine mount.

The strap near the exhaust manifold is much smaller in comparison.

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by spidertri

When you unlock the car the fuel pump does prime the system, that hum is normal.

On my 2011, the main ground strap is on the driver side, you have to pull off the belly pan and look right near the driver's side engine mount.

The strap near the exhaust manifold is much smaller in comparison.

when you say belly pan you mean the bottom plastic from under the car?

[spidertri]

Yes, the underbody plastic cover.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by lvfb

the only braided ground cable i have found is on the passenger side under the manifold and is about 1 foot long. mine still looks new and is flexible and secured via screw to the chassis

That is not the main ground cable. The main one is right near the driver's engine mount. Look down, way down. Although, being in LV, doubt it would be corroded. Also check the power cables near the charging point under the hood.

[lvfb]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

That is not the main ground cable. The main one is right near the driver's engine mount. Look down, way down. Although, being in LV, doubt it would be corroded. Also check the power cables near the charging point under the hood.

Looks like my cable is pretty new looking and feels flexible but firm

View post on imgur.com

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by lvfb

Looks like my cable is pretty new looking and feels flexible but firm

View post on imgur.com

So I was googling the codes you posted and learned A0B4 is a code for "tried to start but failed" or something like that.

I've been googling the codes and reading posts by others and haven't found anything definitive. You said when you push the start you hear a click but the engine doesn't turn over but the lights dim. So the solenoid is activating but not cranking.

I read one post about someone having an immobilizer problem that caused the car not to start, but if he removed the battery for a few hours the car would reset and he could start the car again but if he turned it off and tried to turn it on again the car would not start. I don't think this is the case for you because your starter solenoid does click but it's free to try.

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/e...-over.1317705/


I take it your car isn't manual and you can't push/roll start the car right?

I've searched through the rest of the codes and nothing jumps out as to why the car would 1. Die when driving 2. Not turn over.

I had read something about a small cable that needed to be plugged into the starter of an e9x otherwise the car wouldn't start but that wouldn't explain why your car died unless the alternator failed the same time as the starter.

It might be worth trying the starter next if no one else chimes in with something else to try