Battery Dead - Jump Start Issue

[Zayn1519]

Hi All,
Greetings from Japan, I have a z4 2005 e85, the issue i am facing is that i wasn't in the country for about more than a month due to covid restrictions, upon coming back, my friend and I tried to jump start the car from the battery in the rear end, tried to start it several times but was unable to start the car, then I googled why my car won't start on jump start, many people wrote that it needs to be tried from the hood from + terminal and ground in the hood. Also the posts I read said that jump starting it from the battery may cause the eml modules to fry! We still tried to jump start the car from the hood, we were unable to start the car. Everytime we would hear the starter noise and after 2 3 starter tries head lights would turn on. The meter in the car shows inspection but I'm guessing that is due to the battery being dead. Parts here are very expensive and mechanics charge crazily moreover I am a foreigner living here with very very less local language skills, so I am trying to find a cheaper solution to my problem.
My question now is that how do I know if I have fried up the modules? How do I jump start the car?( I might be doing something wrong) what should I do?
Can anyone please advise me on what to do?
I would appreciate any help.
Thank you for your time and advices

Regards

 

[Chris_D]

If it's cranking, i.e. you can hear the starter motor when jumping from the under the bonnet and not the battery then it may be fuel starvation somewhere or simply not enough amps from wherever you are jumping from. Look at your battery for 'CCA'. Your jump source should match or better it.

If you have time I can highly recommend buying one of those Suaoki jump packs and keep it handy for the future.
I regularly have to use mine as I also have 3-4 week breaks from driving the zed.

May also be that your battery is no good / not holding or taking a charge. How old is it?

 

[Zayn1519]

Thank you so much for your reply, even when i jump from the battery i can still hear the starter motor. I bought this car about a couple of months back like last october, so i don't really know how old it is. For sure my battery was dead like there was no power supply, my friend told me that if we jump start it we wouldnt have to change the battery.
What worries me the most are the modules which everyone says fries up easily, how do i know if i have fried them up in my attempts to jump start it?

 

[Chris_D]

if you can get lights on the dash at ignition position 2 then you should be able to scan for codes and that will determine if you have 'fried any modules' as you put it.
I'm betting on it being fuel starvation however. Is there a srong smell of fuel coming from anywhere when you try to start it?
Can you also hear the fuel pump prime at ignition position 2?

 

[PDJ]

If you have a fully charged battery and then it just cranks over and no spark ie does not even try to start, it could be the EWS and the DMS need re lining with INSTA a software program on laptop and a coms cable.

The EWS does not like jump starts and voltage spikes you could have miss aligned it doing just that.

 

[Special Kay]

Hi Zayn, I sympathize with your dilemma. I did something similar on a Z3 many years ago :headbang: . Like you've already stated jumping the car from the battery has caused a catalog of errors, and probably wasn't your wisest decision. I have to concur with what's already been said, they are very sensible suggestions and advice, especially the dreaded EWS. Best of luck mate, I hope its sorted quickly for you.

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi PDJ, so I would be needing a computer with INSTA to reset the settings and a new battery?

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi special kay, i really hope I havent caused any major damage by trying to jump start it! Can you tell me what solution you took when this occured with your z3?

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi Chris, thank you for the reply, no there is no strong smell of fuel when i am trying to start the car, the lights at the dash flicker with a click kinda sound when i try to start it and after 2 3 starter sounds the headlights turns on as well.
Yes i can hear that sound when im at position 2. Also at position 2 every light on the dash is onn, all check lights are on. My battery was dead when we tried to jump it cuz when i put in my key no lights would appear, nothing.
All of the situation which i have described is when i am trying to jump it

 

[PDJ]

Hi PDJ, so I would be needing a computer with INSTA to reset the settings and a new battery?

Yes a £40 cable a software down load and a laptop and it is in there somewhere it is the same software that BMW would use to fix it or tell you what is wrong

There are users on this forum that are fluent in the use of this software they maybe along to help

 

[PDJ]

Fit a new or known good charged battery

Try again

IF it is the EWS it is like the immobiliser stopping it starting.

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi PDJ, thank you but can you please also tell me what ews is?
Also for immobiliser stopping to start the car, should i give it a try with the spare key with me?

 

[Special Kay]

Hi Zayn, from what I recall, the 'independent bmw specialist' I used at the time ended up buying a used brain and ews, then calling in some non bmw tech whizz to reconfigure the parts to my car. Luckily everything worked out fine, but it did take them a few weeks of investigations and to locate the necessary parts and come to those conclusions. I remember the mechanics saying to me, it has been their worst nightmare. I think they all say that to hike the price you finally pay once all done.
I apologise I can't be more helpful.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I don't know if it will help but then the battery died in my E86 last year and I used a jumper pack connected under the bonnet it wouldn't do anything immediately, but after a minute or two it fired up just fine (although I did get some random warning lights)!

 

[PDJ]

EWS is a small white plastic box that lives (RHD cars) by the drivers ankle behind the plastic trim

If it has become miss aligned with the DMS you do not need to remove it, just sort it out with the laptop etc it is just 15 mins with someone that knows how to do it.

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi Guys, thank you all for the advices and suggestions, I appreciate it alot. I am trying to figure out which battery i should buy for my car, currently it has panasonic blue battery 100D23L but with my experience I don't want to put this one again. As far as i have read on google it says battery 096 should do the trick.
Can you guys please recommend me which battery i should put in like bosch or something and 75ah or 80ah?
Thank you

 

[Zayn1519]

Hi All, thank you for your replies, i really appreciate the great help. I am looking for a new battery now, can someone please guide me what ratings battery should I buy, according to google i think i need battery 096 type.
Currently my car has panasonic blue battery 100D23L, so which rating like 12V 75ah would be enough? Which company battery should I buy any models that you guys can suggest?
Thank you

 

[Mr Tidy]

My BMW Indy fitted an Exide to my 2nd Coupe as he said that was the OE fitment which makes sense as the cars were built in the States.

So I fitted an Exide to my current one.

Definitely an 096 battery in a facelift but hopefully someone can confirm if pre-facelifts use the same. I doubt there is much to choose between any of the decent brands like Bosch, Varta, Yuasa, etc.