Filth 5 Report post Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) Hi Guys, Well I have the dreaded error message and after a bit of research the solution could be to do with my battery. A few times the battery light has come on and the other day the car didn't start at all. Jumped it and drove it around to charge the alternator and now it's fine. Has anyone run into this issue before and can share any knowledge on this? Transmission fluid is ok so I guess it points to the battery. Edited July 1, 2014 by Filth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arma 134 Report post Posted July 1, 2014 Take it in for a look / scan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Filth 5 Report post Posted July 1, 2014 Take it in for a look / scan. Hey man, Yeah I've got a friend that's a Team Mcmillan mechanic - he's scanned it and reckons it's the battery. I'm more posting to see if anyone else has had this issue and maybe have had a different solution. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 If its been scanned by a BMW tech & comes back as a battery problem I'd follow his advice. ~$300 is a cheap fix versus a full transmission overhaul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 The problem occurs because the battery's ability for load just isnt there any more. The ZF 5hp19 (530) & 5hp24 (540) transmissions have solinoids that require quite a bit of grunt to move them. If the EGS detects a drop in voltage and current it will trigger the fail-safe program in the EGS and appear on your IKE->MID. This happens a lot when a battery is nearing the end of its life, has been damaged with under charging. The problem gets amplified because of cold weather. This also occurs when other batteries are used other than DIN88. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 but to be safe get the trans fluid checked/changed and filter etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 ^ What Josh said. Before you buy a new battery get your current properly charged and see how it goes. If it runs down quickly and the problem reoccurs replace the battery. E39s have quite a lot going on even when they're not driven so you may just have left the timed heating on or something like that, and the battery may be okay. Well worth charging and checking before you spend $300 on a new one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
graememck 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 I had this problem (trans failsafe prog), intermittently, with my e38 and replaced the battery. Doing the simple battery test available via the car diagnostics it was reading only 11.5V. Also, the battery was 7-8 years old so I figured I would be up for a replacement battery some time soon anyway. Haven't had any problems since then but it has only been a month or so. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted July 2, 2014 Hi Guys, Well I have the dreaded error message and after a bit of research the solution could be to do with my battery. A few times the battery light has come on and the other day the car didn't start at all. Jumped it and drove it around to charge the alternator and now it's fine. Has anyone run into this issue before and can share any knowledge on this? Transmission fluid is ok so I guess it points to the battery. You mention the "battery light" has come on a few times. I assume while engine running. This is nothing to do with battery condition, rather an intermittent charging fault, probably alternator itself. Obviously if that is out, the car is going to be running on battery voltage, & low at that. You could still have a battery issue as well - past it's use by. Get it checked by a sparky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidB 1 Report post Posted July 7, 2014 Related question, I have an E39 530i and got stuck with flat battery the other day. AA 'rescue' guys hit me $400 for a battery (installed)! From whom would you get a battery if you had warning it's about to be needed, Auckland area. BTW, next time I'll also make SURE they get all the wires out of the way before an install. The battery has caught, and ripped out, the wire that is for the boot lid release. Extremely inconvenient, until I can figure out where the wire came from (Bentley Vol II, here we come). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted July 7, 2014 I got a din88 for $380 from supercheap. Though many will use a din65 which are on the shelf at sca for $265. The smaller one should be fine especially a 6cyl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmarco 56 Report post Posted July 7, 2014 Automotive Supplies (Bosch), AutoStop, Batterytown, your local auto sparky, Repco, Supercheap etc, etc... If they ripped that wire out then I would be asking them to fix it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) I got a din88 for $380 from supercheap. Though many will use a din65 which are on the shelf at sca for $265. The smaller one should be fine especially a 6cyl NUP, not at all. They still have the 88/92 as factory & depending on spec - require it. There is considerable load on these cars - over 5 amps on acc position itself Edit: Batteries - you get what you pay for too Edit !! Our Battery Town (Endurant) are around the $380 mark too Edited July 7, 2014 by hotwire Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
