04 2.2 fault codes

[Joez4]

On scanning and clearing codes on my 04 z4 five codes keep returning, two i know the cause of but the other 3 i could do with a bit of help with, car runs and drives fine with no lights on the dash, codes are as follows.

279d linked to electric fan or power management issue, I think it's the latter as I'm sure I have a battery drain somewhere.

281c bsd fault linked to the alternator i think, ista says this is not currently present whenever I check but it keeps coming back, I also had 281d but that has gone since changing alternator and regulator which before I did I had both codes currently present and no charge from the alternator.

985f belt tensioner front left too low, now this one is airbag related I think but I don't have an airbag light on, but when I cycle the ignition and all the lights come on as a test I've noticed the airbag light never illuminates which is worrying, is that normal or has a previous owner decided to just remove the led from the instrument cluster.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

[colb]

Airbag light should come on when ignition is turned on, if all is well it should go off within a few seconds.
You need to check the instrument cluster and see if someone has removed the bulb or if the bulb in the airbag light has blown.
If the bulb is removed there should be a small led on the circuit board that mimics the main airbag light so if the bulb is taken out and there is a fault in the system the led will show as a dim light in the airbag symbol.
985f is telling you that the left belt tensioner is at fault with its resistance.
There is a youtube video on how to test the tensioner resistance here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZHpPVZKQ6k
How old is your battery, low battery can cause issues.

 

[Joez4]

Battery was replaced a year ago after I had complete electrical failure whilst driving, the same thing happened recently which led me to change the alternator and regulator.

If I leave the car for a week the battery will drop to nearly under 12 volts hence it goes on trickle charge to stop that happening.

When I hook up a multi meter in series with the battery and the car goes to sleep I get less than 50 milliamps but I suspect a module might be waking the car up.

I will remove the cluster tomorrow and have a look and report back

 

[Joez4]

So I've had my instrument cluster out and all the leds are intact, but what a crafty previous owner has done they have put a piece of black electrical tape over the airbag light and the bulb out light.

So I've removed this and I'm now left with the airbag light I knew I had, on a positive note I don't have a bulb out fault too.

 

[Rolls1392]

Joez4. We had a similar thing with our Z4.
We've had the car for 5 yrs and never noticed any light.
Last Mot an eagle eyed tech saw a bit of tape over the airbag light.
Checks made and both sensors knackered.
So far one replaced and one on order with no date for its supply.
It's really annoying!

 

[Joez4]

Was the tape on the outside of the display or underneath and we'll hidden like mine?

I think a thorough tester would have failed both our cars as the light is suppose to illuminate then go out, the fact it never illuminates is a fault in its own right

 

[colb]

Ok now we know the light was taped over to hide it. Turn your attention to the belt tensioner fault now as thats the likely cause of the light being on. Until thats fixed the light will not go out when you clear the code and it will return immediately as its a hard code due to the tensioner being bad. Check the resistance of the tensioner, clean the connections and try that before replacing the tensioner with a good used part. If you fit a replacement, clear the codes and see if the light goes off. cycle the ignition so the system runs it system check and watch for the light to go off when it finishes its check.

 

[Joez4]

So today I've had the passenger seat out and all connections are good and very clean, the resistance was 0.2 ohms I take it this to low just like the ista says as the one on the video colb posted they had 0.7 ohms.

On connecting everything back up and reconnecting the battery i had an extra fault code for passenger b pillar satellite undervoltage it did clear tho and didn't come back up when I scanned the car again.

 

[Joez4]

So I've cleared the codes using Ista and the airbag light went out and hasn't come back since so maybe there was a loose connection, anyway the replacement seat belt tensioner turned up today and the resistance measured on that is 0.07 ohms so maybe the airbag light will come back on at some point and I'll swap the tensioner over if needed.

On a side note Carly couldn't clear the same fault I tried that first and nothing, also the diagnostic codes are sometimes different on Carly and not very helpful and I can't get the live data to work, I haven't tried any coding yet but so far I don't think Carly is worth it, a cable and Ista is more more useful just my thoughts.

 

[enuff_zed]

I don't think Carly is worth it, a cable and Ista is more more useful just my thoughts.

I'm inclined to agree, though I have never actually used it tbf.
I have Inpa, NCS, WinKFP, and Tool32 in one suite which seems to deal with most of the recoding stuff.
Then I invested in Scanner 1.4, initially just to simply reset transport mode. Since discovered it does all the coding options I want in a very simple format, just a series of tick boxes.
I am a complete IT numpty; if it doesn't involve a spanner or hammer I'm lost; but with a bit of assistance from the more enlightened members I am now able to achieve quite a bit.
Certainly won't be paying out for Carly!

 

[Joez4]

What kind of coding can you do on bmw scanner?

 

[enuff_zed]

What kind of coding can you do on bmw scanner?

Well, so far I have reset ttransport mode, set the dipped beam to come on when the engine starts, (Driving a grey car on country roads you really do need the lights on), set the passenger window to come up with one touch, changed the clock display to 24 hour, got the roof to open and close by holding the key fob buttons down, got rid of the annoying beep when the alarm is armed/disarmed. You can also decide whether you want the lights to flash when the alarm is switched on/off, whether the horn beeps or just thre lights flash when the alarm is set off, what speed the doors lock at (or switch that off).
Loads more I can't remember tbh.
The cable cost me £19.95 from Ebay and I downloaded the most recent files for nowt.

 

[Joez4]

Thanks enuff_zed

I probably should have purchased that rather than Carly, I only purchased Carly for a more user friendly go at coding options on my car.

 

[enuff_zed]

Thanks enuff_zed

I probably should have purchased that rather than Carly, I only purchased Carly for a more user friendly go at coding options on my car.

Can't remember if you said where you're based?
I'd be happy to let you take a look at mine if you were close enough?

 

[Joez4]

Thanks for the kind offer but I'm based a fair old drive from you in the West Midlands