Hi everyone, Im new to this forum, the name is Jon and I am a recent buyer of a 97 Dakar yellow M3 with 48k on her.
I am pretty knowledgeble about M3s (for the most part e36), but this problem has me stumped, especially since im not the best electrical guy.
So for all you electrical junkies heres my issue:
When the guy sold me the car he said it was in perfect order, and for the most part it was. But about a week after I started talking to him he said the car wouldnt start. So he said he took it to BMW and they replaced the battery and checked altenator and hooked it up to a computer to do a draw test and they couldnt find a thing wrong with it. They gave it back to him and in a nut shell said "your on your own".
So I took the car to Intersort in Mclean VA to see if they could find out what the issue was, by the way I would never take my car back there again they will rip you off and DO NOT stand behind there work (at least with me). Anway they said it was the battery and there was nothing wrong with the car just needed a new battery. The guy who sold it to me was straight honest, he said look, thats not it the car has an electrical issue, BMW said they couldnt find it. So he knocked some $$$ off the price and I was on my way.
So I buy the car and yes 3 weeks later I dont drive it for about 4 days and its dead......completley dead!!!
So long story and now heres where you guys can help please:
1.The car makes a whine like the altenator is going, so this could be it but not likely since bmw said no to that. But still possibility.
2. I did a bad thing :banghead I have been jumping it from the battery instead of from the front + terminal like you should. I dont know if this has screwed up my voltage regulator and now the car is drawing to much or what. And my OBC is giving me a BRAKE LIGHT CIRUIT-CHECK OWNERS MANUAL. This only comes on sometimes which is weird and is giving me a LICENCE PLATE BULB FAILURE. Which is weird to cause I just replaced the bulb so maybe im frying things by jumping it from the battery :banghead So what are the problems that jumping from the back can cause is basically what im asking.
3. And lastly my car idles low like right at 500.. maybe not putting out enough electricity??? altenator???
So any info about any experiences or anything you guys could think of would be much appreciated.. The car sits there now after one day and is dead... So maybe I shorted something out by the way i jumped it and maybe the previous owner did that to... if that is it how do i find the short or do i need to replace the ecu or one of the control units. I dunno Im stumped but thanks for any info and thanks for listening to my story.
I gotta figure this out cause Im in college and have no more money to put into her.
Thanks again in advance... Jon
I am pretty knowledgeble about M3s (for the most part e36), but this problem has me stumped, especially since im not the best electrical guy.
So for all you electrical junkies heres my issue:
When the guy sold me the car he said it was in perfect order, and for the most part it was. But about a week after I started talking to him he said the car wouldnt start. So he said he took it to BMW and they replaced the battery and checked altenator and hooked it up to a computer to do a draw test and they couldnt find a thing wrong with it. They gave it back to him and in a nut shell said "your on your own".
So I took the car to Intersort in Mclean VA to see if they could find out what the issue was, by the way I would never take my car back there again they will rip you off and DO NOT stand behind there work (at least with me). Anway they said it was the battery and there was nothing wrong with the car just needed a new battery. The guy who sold it to me was straight honest, he said look, thats not it the car has an electrical issue, BMW said they couldnt find it. So he knocked some $$$ off the price and I was on my way.
So I buy the car and yes 3 weeks later I dont drive it for about 4 days and its dead......completley dead!!!
So long story and now heres where you guys can help please:
1.The car makes a whine like the altenator is going, so this could be it but not likely since bmw said no to that. But still possibility.
2. I did a bad thing :banghead I have been jumping it from the battery instead of from the front + terminal like you should. I dont know if this has screwed up my voltage regulator and now the car is drawing to much or what. And my OBC is giving me a BRAKE LIGHT CIRUIT-CHECK OWNERS MANUAL. This only comes on sometimes which is weird and is giving me a LICENCE PLATE BULB FAILURE. Which is weird to cause I just replaced the bulb so maybe im frying things by jumping it from the battery :banghead So what are the problems that jumping from the back can cause is basically what im asking.
3. And lastly my car idles low like right at 500.. maybe not putting out enough electricity??? altenator???
So any info about any experiences or anything you guys could think of would be much appreciated.. The car sits there now after one day and is dead... So maybe I shorted something out by the way i jumped it and maybe the previous owner did that to... if that is it how do i find the short or do i need to replace the ecu or one of the control units. I dunno Im stumped but thanks for any info and thanks for listening to my story.
I gotta figure this out cause Im in college and have no more money to put into her.
Thanks again in advance... Jon