Since new my 06 R53 has been relatively free of any strange problems (just the usual ones) but yesterday I had one that had me baffled. It was raining all day yesterday and after sitting in the parking lot all day I went out, started my car, turned on the headlights and turned on the wipers to leave. The wipers stayed off. I checked the rear wiper, it also wouldn't turn on, nor would either window roll down. Everything else electrical in the car seemed to be working, radio, lights, radar detector, scan-gauge, gauges, climate control, etc... I shut the car off and popped the cover off the fuse box to see if there was a common fuse that maybe blew. It seems the windows, front wipers and rear wipers all have separate fuses. I restarted the car to try more troubleshooting and low and behold everything worked again and hasn't given me any problems since. Anyone have any input on what was happening here?
OMFG!!!!! I'm with Blimy on this one. (Whoda thunk it?) Wouldn't be the first car it's happened to! Mat
Actually yes and I'm thinking it's nearing the end of its life but it still shows around 12.5V with the engine off and charges at 13.8-14.2V while running so I didn't think that could be responsible for the problem. I was afraid someone would say BCM, I guess I'll have to tear in there and see if it's staying dry down there. Blimey, I prefer to use original equipment smoke, you never know if those cheap imitation smokes are going to cause more problem down the road or not.
LOL We agree on *almost* all things MINI related. As long as neither Keith Olbermann or Glenn Beck is driving the MINI. :cornut:
It's been raining non-stop since then but the problem didn't resurface, not even when I gave Glenn Beck a ride or when I drove out to Keith Obermann's place. It stop raining tomorrow so I can check the BCM then and if not I'll drop in a new battery next week.
Maybe... you have to drive Beck OUT TO Obermans place for it to happen. Batteries aren't cheap. Hook up a volt meter to live source and watch your voltages. When the car is running you should get a nice high voltage cause of the alternator. Check what the batt puts out after you stop (just charged up) and right before the next time you drive (after some parasitic discharge). If it's a bunch lower, either the battery is weak or there's a current drain that's abnormal. IF it's the latter, getting a new battery won't fix it. If it's intermittant, then maybe it's gone for good! (One can hope....) But if it's not gone, I don't think a battery would be an intermittant problem like this. Matt
I use my radar detector to measure voltage day-to-day since my battery's stuck under a subwoofer in the back and I don't currently have a volt meter. The readings there seem normal still but there's been other little clues like the car seems to crank just a tad bit slower and longer when I start up, that make me distrust the battery. Sure they aren't cheap but this is the original one in an April 06 build car and the car sat with the battery disconnected for 15months while I was in Iraq (but still started the car right up when I hooked it back up. Add in the small aftermarket amplifier and the fact that I frequently would sit and listen to the radio for a bit with the car off and my battery's had a decent life. With it getting colder it's something I don't want to be leaving to chance.
Voltage good, current bad doesn't sound like a bad battery. It sounds like corrosion on some of the high current lugs. Check the grounding strap and the battery posts. Matt
Corrosion!? That is a good call. My John Deere was like that. A wee bit of corrosion but once cleaned up it was just fine. Heheh.......he's still gotta get access to the battery tho.
That'll be a pain... But general decent voltage operation and slowed cranking is most likely corrosion in the high current contact surfaces, then the starter, then the battery.... But then if he buys a new battery, he's got to get to it as well! If it's the engine ground strap, he's lucky! Matt
BCM seemed to be pretty dry in there, no sign of moisture getting there or having been there. The lugs on the battery look good but I haven't checked the starter or any of the other underhood wiring yet. Getting to the battery isn't so hard, it's trying to hold a subwoofer enclosure/amp rack out of the way while dealing with it that gets tough. How long do most of the factory batteries last for people? I always figured in a daily driven car three to four years was about the norm, it has been for me in the past and I remember a friends 03 Cooper having her stock battery die in March of 2006
I just replaced my Sept '05 build '06 with a RedTop........ I wasn't experiencing any weirdness, just being a bit proactive.