Hi fellows. my 99' needs an informed opinion

[kingfisher1]

99 2.8 5 spd. blk 123.xxx very well sorted baby for my weekends.I put a battery in her 1.5 yrs ago a good one.but since she sits so much in a warm/cold garage when not out she started needing jumps after re-charges to drive.Then after a recharge she was drove to the gym about 20 miles away. after an hour there it was not going to start!.No light on the dash.new battery,could my started line be loose or is the new battery done./

[BimmerBreaker]

If the battery was last replaced 1.5 years ago it is no longer new and is probably the issue

[s8ilver]

Batteries are just bad sometimes. You can have it tested at most parts stores for free; just charge it up before you bring it in. I went through two in less than a year once until I got a good one. Figured it had to be an alternator or some sort of parasitic drain, but just got two bad ones in a row. Third one was great for many years to follow.

Also, if it's quite cold one day and battery is on the edge, that'll usually do it. I stopped at the bank in the Coupe a couple years back, went out 10 minutes later and the car was dead with no warning sign. I still had accessories, but Torque showed me a voltage in the mid 11s, not enough to crank but enough to power up the interior gear.

I always say I'll carry one of those portable jump box thingies, but I never have. I just make sure my AAA is always up to date, or rely on the kindness of strangers.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[///MRoadyJPL]

Sounds like a bad battery. I would recommend a battery tender when you don’t drive it for a few weeks.

[325bob]

Batteries are just bad sometimes. You can have it tested at most parts stores for free; just charge it up before you bring it in. I went through two in less than a year once until I got a good one. Figured it had to be an alternator or some sort of parasitic drain, but just got two bad ones in a row. Third one was great for many years to follow.

Also, if it's quite cold one day and battery is on the edge, that'll usually do it. I stopped at the bank in the Coupe a couple years back, went out 10 minutes later and the car was dead with no warning sign. I still had accessories, but Torque showed me a voltage in the mid 11s, not enough to crank but enough to power up the interior gear.

I always say I'll carry one of those portable jump box thingies, but I never have. I just make sure my AAA is always up to date, or rely on the kindness of strangers.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

If you own a manual , just park on a grade, if you're battery is going out, I've never had a low battery not bump start immediately.

[Vinci]

If the battery goes flat and stays that way, the plates will experience sulfation. This is a buildup on the plates that reduces their capacity. After enough of that, the battery is junk.

Batteries should always be kept charged to avoid this, and a battery tender will help with that.

[jbourne99]

I went through batteries quicker than expected. In hindsight it was due to a aftermarket CD changer controller BMW-PILA that introduced parasitic draw around 35 milliamps on its own when car was turned off. If you have any aftermarket items consider them as possible cause of trouble.

Check connections to battery, make sure they are good, tight, and corrosion free.
Check water levels in each cell, add distilled water as needed.
Put on maintainer until it says battery is fully charged.
After starting car check voltage, should be 14v+ if I recall correctly.
Use multimeter to check parasitic draw. Just insert the meter inline between battery and negative terminal. Make sure car is turned off. After connection there will be 100+ milliamps of draw. After a minute or so it should settle to right around 30 milliamps. Make sure both of your doors and hood are closed. Unplug your trunk light before taking readings.

[bkirk]

I purchased a $50 trickle charger on Amazon and it came with an 18" cable with battery terminal connections on one end and a quick disconnect terminal on the other. The charger itself is smaller than a brick and has a six foot AC cable and a six foot charging cable with the quick disconnect on that end.

I wired the 18" cable directly to my battery terminal and the wire was just long enough to peek out of the battery cover. When I know I won't be driving it for a while I spend two minutes, pop the hatch, connect the charger and slowly close the hatch on the charging cable. Battery is full every time I go to start it. The whole process takes two minutes for setup and disconnect.

Here is what I purchased - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[JWLZ3]

I purchased a $50 trickle charger on Amazon and it came with an 18" cable with battery terminal connections on one end and a quick disconnect terminal on the other. The charger itself is smaller than a brick and has a six foot AC cable and a six foot charging cable with the quick disconnect on that end.

I wired the 18" cable directly to my battery terminal and the wire was just long enough to peek out of the battery cover. When I know I won't be driving it for a while I spend two minutes, pop the hatch, connect the charger and slowly close the hatch on the charging cable. Battery is full every time I go to start it. The whole process takes two minutes for setup and disconnect.

Here is what I purchased - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use a trickle charger when my 99 2.3 Roadster is not being driven. I connect it to the lugs in the engine compartment. One red covered one for the + and the - on the lug on the spring tower. Easy to connect and disconnect.