X5 Problems any help welcome

[Perry Bowden]

Hi everyone

I am new to the club and in a bit of a rut with my 2005 E53 30d ,I really love this car and have owned for 4 years ,it does everything I want from a car and is probably the best car I have ever owned, however I have recently experienced problems .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Full Story, about 6 months a ago I went to start the car,all dash lights came up but no cranking as though the immobilizer was not activated,a couple of turns of the key later and all was fine,then about 3 months ago same problem but needed to take out and then put back  3 immobilizer fuses in glove compartment before all was well again.                                Two weeks ago I changed the fuel filter and battery (I kept power to the car with jump leads while changing battery to keep any settings)                                                                                    A week   ago I went to start the car it cranked but no start ,went back to it the following day started first time,went for a short drive all ok, parked on my drive and went to start again but cranking no start ,Oh dear !! left it for another hour hey presto all is good again  ,turned off then  same again cranked no start                                                                                                     Ok,so after searching a few threads did this, with ignition on listen for fuel pump ,no sound ,remove fuel relay ,test relay all ok, put back in car started ,turned off and back to no start, removed relay and bypassed relay with fused wire (terminal 87 to 30) fuel pump running ,then with ignition on checked terminal 85-86  ,there was no current to activate relay ,swapped relay for horn relay all good again ,turned car off back to same no start and no relay activation current (getting fed up now)                                                                                                            THEN put relays back in tried to start no cranking as though immobilizer  was not activated as before ,removed 3 immobilizer fuses put back in and off we go again car starts,turn off and back to no start and no cranking                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Is there an immobilizer relay I can check or another fuse somewhere

I really like this car and saw me keeping it for a long time. I would very much appreciate anyone's help or ideas 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[X5smw]

Hi and welcome.

the first question is, do the doors work on the key button? Do they unlock and lock ok? 
I would look at the transponder on the ignition barrel. 
 
im sure more answers will be along soon. 
 

[Perry Bowden]

HI X5smw

Thanks for the response,all the doors except the drivers door work on the key button ,i have to lock that one manually 

I will take a look at the transponder ,any idea how i will know if it's defective or is it just a process of elimination by replacing it

I never thought I would own a car of this quality and i am really keen to keep it 

Thanks again

[X5smw]

Hi, I’m not sure how to check it. 
I also own an x5 and so does greydog. 
 

if you can, buy a bmw scanning lead and software off the well known selling site. 

I use bmw 1.4.000 or something like that. Plug it into the car on a laptop and you will be able to diagnose all issues and also do random stuff to the car. 
 

Maldonado worth checking when you turn the ignition to position 1, do you hear the fuel pumps prime? I think they are under the rear seats and you should hear them spin (they do on the petrol one anyway) 

my old 3 series e46 ramndomly failed to start and it turned out to be a faulty pump. 
 

[Greydog]

Hi Perry

Sounds like your having fun (not) and from what you describe and your actions you are capable of and don't mind getting your hands grubby.

If you are not aware take a look at www.newtis.info It is a BMW Technical Information site BMW main Dealers use the same for repair and service information. Either put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will call up your model. All the wiring diagrams are there plus technical information. As Stu says a BMW specific diagnostic program is a great help.

I had a few weird issues with my 4.4 when I owned it I traced it eventually to a poor earth point. BMW use common earth points (combs) so several items use the same earth point, in my case it was the one in the back of the boot behind the spare wheel (or in my case the LPG Tank god they are heavy) there is one bolt holding the comb to the chassis it was rusty so I undid it cleaned it treated the rust and used an electrical contact paste when bolting back. All weird behavior halted no more current drain. There are several earth points around the car one in the passenger footwell under the LCM I gave all mine the same treatment just to be sure. 

I don't know if that is your issue but as it's free it's got to be worth a go. However it could be the inline fuel pump, the glow plug relay, the high pressure fuel rail sensor, even a clogged/blocked fuel filter (when a was it last changed) I have even read of the transfer pump in the tank failing and when less than half a tank the issues start.

I would use the technical site and if you need parts check www.realoem.com same method last 7 digits of your Vin to call up your model 

I hope Iv'e helped not hindered

Good Luck

Dave

[Perry Bowden]

Thank you Xsmw for your ongoing help

I will get hold of a scanning tool and scanning lead asap and have a look whats being flagged up,I will let you know the outcome.

I can confirm when turning ignition  on to position 1 sometimes the pumps run and the engine starts , but sometimes they dont and no start ,I put this down to the fact that upon test the coil in the relay activating terminals 85-86 sometimes had no current but when bypass the positive 30 terminal with pump feed 87 pumps always ran so made me think it was something on the immobililizer/ or ecu end of things

again many thanks for your help I will keep you posted (I'm going to clean the earth terminals as suggested by Greydog next)

[Perry Bowden]

Hi Greydog thanks for your help

I will get the car details up on the site you suggested and take a look ,many thanks

as you suggest i'm not adverse to getting into the thick of things and hands dirty 🙂

I will clean the earth terminals  and see how that goes

Iv'e also noticed that when i turn ignition to position 1 after 30 seconds the temperature needle shoots to the top ,only returning to normal when the car starts ,bizzare indeed

the fuel filter was changed  a month ago

I will let you know how I get on 

[Perry Bowden]

Hi Greydog

I don't seem to be able to see the earth in the passenger foot well (sorry to appear stupid but what does LCM stand for )

[Greydog]

Hi Paul

Look in the passenger footwell behind the trim  you will find the LCM (Light Control Module) and near it a multiple comb type Earth point. The :CM doesn't just control the lights in true BMW fashion it also handles signals to several other components. The  earth point also has connections to several other circuits in the fuse board.

A Web Site that may help is www.pelicanparts.com they have some great "How To's" with pictures just remember it's an American site so steering on the wrong side 

Keep asking questions that is what the Forum is about

Dave

[Perry Bowden]

Hi Dave                                                                              

Sorry for late reply ,work ,family unimpressed with x5  wife lol  have got in the way of progress. so checked and cleaned earths ,no joy i'm afraid ,so spoke to the guy who does my MOT (he is a great honest bloke who knows i take on any  jobs I can manage required when mot is due) he is today going to scan the car for me

I had to wait until this morning as car now only starts as and when it feels like it ,when it does start no warning lights are showing and drives perfectly ,I now know if I turn ignition on and listen for pumps if I can't hear them its a no go ,this no go is also accompanied by the temperature gauge shooting to top, when i turn on and pumps start and temp gauge stays normal it starts

I found a post on the Outpost site with a guy experiencing exactly the same symptoms   as me ,after changing cam sensors ,crank sensors ,fuel pump  it turned out to be a broken wire which sometimes connected and sometimes didn't, the car starts rarely now so i hope the scan picks up where the problem is

 again Dave many thanks for your help

I will let you know the outcome ,

Perry

[Greydog]

Morning Perry

Whats the old saying "Life is what happens to you while your planning other things"

From your description it would appear to be Pump/Filter related there are 2 pumps in the fuel tank one feeds the fuel filter the other moves fuel over the transmission tunnel hump then there is another pump (on the Diesels) under the front seat area I believe. It is not unknown for fuel filters to be clogged as they are not the easiest to change (even Dealers have missed them) A Fuel Rail pressure check should tell you if (A) the pumps are running OK and (B) If there is leaky injectors that are letting pressure drop 

There are wiring diagrams on www.newtis.info so continuity checks for power to the pumps should be a straight forward operation

Good luck with the scan

Dave  

[Perry Bowden]

Hi Dave

Apologies for not getting back sooner 

So the scan revealed only 4.4v getting to the relay not enough to activate it (the engine not starting also brought up other warnings but they were all related to when it failed to start) so the garage suggested I get a specialist diognostics guy to look at it as when it did start everything was fine ,no warning lights drove faultlessly,so I did just that and got a local chap in ,he initialy thought it was a faulty ecu however when he jumped the relay to activate it (one under the bonnet not the pump relay)it started every time.going to the fuses in the glove compartment he found very low  voltage upon turning ignition on,went to ignition switch to reveal one burned contact "HOORAY"  making contact but not enough ,he returned the following day with a new connector which just unclipped from the back of the ignition barrel and my wonderful X5 is purring like a kitten again

Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your knowledge with me it was very much appreciated 

All the best

Perry

[Greydog]

Morning Perry

No apology needed just happy your back up and running 

Dave