Need Help Asap!

325isedan · 01-25-2006, 05:04 PM

I was driving home from school today when my obc started to dime severly. Next thing I knew it was off. Then the car started to shut off stuttering as if it didnt have n e gas in it. This happend to me the other day and I took out the battery and went back and then it started. Today it started fine in the morning and after school, but driving home it shut off again like the other day. What is the cause of this b4 it died the obc said CHECK CONTROL OK. What's that mean? BTW I took out the speedo and tach gauges to get them customized and have been driving without them for a week or so...do u think this is the root cause or a bad alternator or belt, pulley or what? cuz I jus payed 700 bucks for a new belt, alt and pulley with labour.... HELP GUYS ITS STRANDED and I need to bring er home its in a bad part of town...

Justin e36 · 01-25-2006, 05:12 PM

This is tough to diagnose, but definitely electrical (or lack of electricity) related. Since you just got the alternator replaced, I would have to say it sounds like a connection is loose, or one of the wires is frayed. If you need a discounted tow in the GTA, let me know.

edit: is the rest of your guage cluster installed still? if so, did the charging system light (looks like a battery) come on before the car bogged down and shut off?

325isedan · 01-25-2006, 05:58 PM

no i dont remember bro, but I also bought the battery new 2 months ago if that...
I jus charged the battery and gonna go try again, and install the cluster while im there, wish me luck, thanx for the tow but I'm in Kitchener-Waterloo.

325isedan · 01-25-2006, 05:59 PM

I'm also gonna sand down the crud on the terminal connectors and the terminals itself. I'll keep u posted later tonight.

325isedan · 01-25-2006, 07:33 PM

K figured out the problem, a long time ago I got stranded in the middle of nowhere because the fuel pump relay failed, and I didnt have n e thing, accept for some ground wire and some tools. So what I did was take out the back seat and find the fuel pump, and connect the ground wire from the positive battery terminal, to the wires in the fuel pump till I heard the pump go on. Ever since then thats how the car has been, but I installed a switch to the wire wich I routed to the inside of the car from under the back seat where the fuel pump is located. Well to make a long story short the wire connected to the battery was all loose and rotted, I cut it and hooked it up again to the positve battery terminal and bahm the car started again and stayed on without shuttind down even when I go over bumps jus like it worked b4 getting rotted. Hopefully this was the root cause and nothing else. Thanx for the quick reply justine36!

325iSBimmer · 01-25-2006, 07:40 PM

...and that kids is why you dont patch up electricals in BMW's...makes them go COO COO..

glad you figured out your problem. How much is the fuel pump relay from the dealer?

325isedan · 01-25-2006, 07:46 PM

I dont know, I like this because it makes it impossible to steal the car even if u have the key, if I hide the switch...but if they got a tow truck or w.e. then they got me beat, or want to strip the car, otherwise its a good theft deterent.

Justin e36 · 01-26-2006, 05:55 AM

nice fix.. I have something similar on my car too... add on an ignition kill switch as well.

note that the wire probably corroded near the battery terminal from getting burnt out.. you need a thicker wire for the job, or it'll happen again. also a fire hazard. when you have a chance get a good connector on the end of that wire to hook onto the battery terminal, also soldier your connections to the fuel pump.

325isedan · 01-27-2006, 01:53 AM

Thanx, I keep puttin it off man. Good thing u told me about a thicker wire cuz I currently have the thin ground wire and would hate to go through this again.