Several Dashboard warning lights on and off - Any idea's??

[Bad_Pritt]

Hi guys,

For a while now I've had different dashboard warning light coming on and of once in a while:

- after longer drives, sometimes the ESP and ABS orange warning lights come on, only as from a certain speed, I also get that typical warning beep. But I don't feel like the ESP or ABS are actually off.
- When turning the Zed off, not always but sometimes I get another beep and the oil warning light comes on (so not after startup or during driving, only when I turn her off). The oil level is actually fine.
- Yesterday for the first time the airbag light came on and seems to stay on since then.

The ESP, ABS and oil sensors have been replaced less than a year ago but the warnings came back just two months later. The airbag light is new.

So maybe these things are not necessarily related, but it's starting to worry me now... The car has always been well maintained at a dealer but now it seems to be letting me down a little. Can anyone help to spot the issue(s)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Toe-side]

Bad battery/low volts possibly?
Low volts causes all sorts of strange warning light activity. Check volts when engine not running and at around 2000 rpm to check battery and alternator ok

 

[srhutch]

Could well be battery related. Mine started doing strange things, door locks and roof not working properly. 3 engine lights on at times. New battery fixed the lot.

 

[Sp33dy1]

Chech battery connection first

 

[Bad_Pritt]

Thanks guys, that is actually good advice! I had battery issues before... Will check tomorrow.

 

[Bad_Pritt]

So I tested the voltage (without disconnecting and engine off) and it said 12,4 volts. So that should be OK? I'm usually getting the issue after longer drives, so maybe it is a voltage issue but due to the alternator needing replacement? Does that make sense if the voltage is good now although I didn't connect a trickle charger...?

The airbag light stays on, no matter what. But I've seen somewhere that this is a common issue on the early E85 models? I'll have a search on the forum...

 

[Bad_Pritt]

Bad battery/low volts possibly?
Low volts causes all sorts of strange warning light activity. Check volts when engine not running and at around 2000 rpm to check battery and alternator ok

How do I check it at 2000 rpm? I mean, if the battery is connected, it will still read 12,4 volts? Or should I put the airco, radio and some other stuff on to check if the voltage goes down?

 

[GaryT]

Bad battery/low volts possibly?
Low volts causes all sorts of strange warning light activity. Check volts when engine not running and at around 2000 rpm to check battery and alternator ok

How do I check it at 2000 rpm? I mean, if the battery is connected, it will still read 12,4 volts? Or should I put the airco, radio and some other stuff on to check if the voltage goes down?

When the engine is running you should be getting 14volts approx

 

[Bad_Pritt]

Thanks, will test that tonight...

 

[Toe-side]

Bad battery/low volts possibly?
Low volts causes all sorts of strange warning light activity. Check volts when engine not running and at around 2000 rpm to check battery and alternator ok

How do I check it at 2000 rpm? I mean, if the battery is connected, it will still read 12,4 volts? Or should I put the airco, radio and some other stuff on to check if the voltage goes down?

When the engine is running you should be getting 14volts approx

 

[Bad_Pritt]

OK, so I tested this as well. I'm getting 13,95 volts at 2000 rpm, so that seems to be OK. THe voltage goes down slowly to 12,5 volts when I turn the car off...

As I am getting the errors usually on longer drives, could it still be that the battery is not strong enough or just bad quality even though the voltage seems OK?

 

[daveparkinson]

Are your dash lights still coming on

 

[daveparkinson]

Are your dash lights still coming on

 

[Bad_Pritt]

yes... I'm thinking of replacing the battery, I don't really see any other option.

 

[yg54sg]

If the battery is several years old i'd replace it for peace of mind, for the last couple of years i noticed my original battery would struggle to start the car if left for a couple of weeks, i ignored this and in december just gone one night the starter motor just wouldn't crank at all. After doing a bump start everything came back to life but the starter motor was toast... a trip to euro car parts 1 bosch battery and starter motor swap and a few hours fitting in the snow and all was well! I am pretty sure that the starter motor was stressed more with lower voltage getting to it, it takes longer to crank and causes more heat finally causing it to fail.

 

[Bad_Pritt]

The battery is not that old actually, the previous one was and gave issues as well, dying at a certain point too. But the starter seems to be OK.

 

[Ewazix]

I'd start thinking about the connectors and wiring on modules as well, I had electrical gremlins on a previous BMW, fixed with a new module under warranty although the tech said the problem was damp getting in to the connectors. I'm sure there has been threads on this before.

 

[Bad_Pritt]

I'm starting to think it could be anything

 

[wildathart]

Hope you dont have same problem as mine.abs light handbrake light and dtc light on intermitent.had it checked and its abs pump, ouch. £2200 from main dealer. Sent it off to ecu testing for repair which is £250 so hopefully when it comes back it will be ok.