Car is completely dead, help!

[Gopher2k]

Yesterday I installed a new thermostat and fan clutch with a friend and also flushed the coolant and cleaned the throttle body/maf. For the most part everything went smoothly and upon finishing the job I drove the car with my wife to visit friends out of state.

Felt good getting up there, no check coolant warnings, needle stayed where it was supposed to, engine felt smoother and more torquey no issues. Wake up this morning and drive 70 miles back home without so much as a hiccup. Car felt great.

The car was off downstairs for literally an hour and a half and I was just about to run out again and the damn thing is completely dead. My battery was completely drained and the car would not turn over. I tried jump starting it, which brought my lights/nav back, and it now sounds like it's at least trying to turn over, but in about 6 minutes of being connected it would not take on enough juice to start.

This battery was purchased and installed 1 month ago and is brand new. My final stage unit was replaced 2 weeks ago.

WTF is going on here?

[BlackBMWs]

Are any of the battery terminals loose? Didja remove neg ground when you did the cooling work? :cool

[Gopher2k]

nope, we left it connected. And the car has driven almost 200 miles since the work was complete without a hiccup.

[Gumbi4u]

I say lose connection. Perhaps ground. It might be a bad battery too. It can happen.

[razzy530]

Something has drained your battery--obviously..... Check your codes whether you show any or not. Replace your battery, take it where you got it and see what they say. Go back and check your work from 200 miles ago. Double check to see what could drain your batt.

[Gopher2k]

Bizzare. On my third attempt to jump it, I connected both ends on my battery before pluging in the other side and all my lights came back on... She started right up.

Terminals don't seem loose and are fastened securely, and its brand new so there is no corrosion, but something about it changed and it started right up without a donor charge. I'm stumped.

[flyboyy]

if you replaced with new battery not long ago.. and you changed the FSU...

I have to say loose connection at the battery terminal check that out...

are you getting any cranks ? or nothing at all ?

if you getting cranks and its not turning over ...then its sometingg else...


if you get nothing no sound or any sort...check your keys...make sure its good condition..possible worn key and it thinks you are trying to steal the car with a fake key and car does not start....

[mattmartindrift]

Bizzare. On my third attempt to jump it, I connected both ends on my battery before pluging in the other side and all my lights came back on... She started right up.

Terminals don't seem loose and are fastened securely, and its brand new so there is no corrosion, but something about it changed and it started right up without a donor charge. I'm stumped.


sounds like my issue. It might not even bee a battery at all. I just revived a thread called "electrical power loss". Look for more weird problems in the future.

[jagerhund]

sounds like my issue. It might not even bee a battery at all. I just revived a thread called "electrical power loss". Look for more weird problems in the future.

If connections at battery were/are good..... it could be engine ground strap. Best to eliminate simplest possibilities first.
BTW my Uncle used to live in Haup before he moved to Texas, I have been there a few times when I was younger.

Good luck, I know it is a bear to work on stuff in the winter up there.

[mattmartindrift]

woops double post.

[NY Bimmers]

at least it's working now, i'll swing by tomorrow if possible, i know i grounded my amps to where the neg ground for the battery bolts to in the trunk, the subs shook the nut loose, not off, just loose, and i had that same problem till i tightened it down and figured out what it was. You don't have a system and no reason that nut should've been touched but i'll check it out tomorrow, it's definitely a loose ground somewhere.......