[5hpstickers]

Hey everyone.

I'm freaking out because I bought a 07 335i Coupe in May with 76,500 miles on it in great condition well taken care of.

I barely drive it, only on the weekends as I have a civic for a daily so I've put maybe 1000 miles on it since May.

Yesterday I went to start it and it would not crank and when I pushed the start button the dash lights flickered/flashed and I saw an exclamation point and car on lift come up.

I did some research and thought it was the battery although all interior lights and everything turns on. I tried jumping it but it did not work.

So I push started it and it ran fine but as I drove it started giving me a "Charging Malfunction" error.

Then I parked it and had to push start it again. Then it started overheating and going into limp mode.

I saw someone on here had same issue but his oil temp was not going up although it was telling him it was overheating. My oil temp was going up to the 270ish area.

I'm not sure if it's the battery that is causing all kinds of issues including the overheating or if it can be the water pump and battery

Any suggestions?

[guywithawrench]

alternator would be my guess

[Miller335]

Have you done any voltage tests?

[5hpstickers]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Have you done any voltage tests?

Not yet, I had to leave to Washington, DC for work so won't be able to test anything until friday.

[NightStalker]

Invest in an obd cable and mobile app...should narrow down what's wrong with your car

[5hpstickers]

Originally Posted by RSNGH

Invest in an obd cable and mobile app...should narrow down what's wrong with your car

I will do that once I get home, thanks..

Will keep this thread updated as soon as I get more info.

[5hpstickers]

I actually found this vid on youtube:

It's the exact same thing I am encountering when trying to start the car.

[Jeef]

That video sounds like a solenoid stuck closed or something...

Have you gotten your water pump replaced before?

[5hpstickers]

Originally Posted by Jeef

That video sounds like a solenoid stuck closed or something...

Have you gotten your water pump replaced before?

Sorry, I was referring to the dash lighting on mine like that. I do not have the noise he has in the video.

And I have receipts from the previous owner changing it at around 65k


Once I get back to NY I will check voltage on some things and first try replacing the battery myself, checking IBS, and checking ground. So far those are the things I think it might be as some people have said if there is low voltage the water pump won't actually turn on which may cause the overheating.

I will also call BMW to see if the battery cable recall has been done on it yet

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

First thing that comes to mind is the starter. Guy in that video replaced a laundry list of parts including starter and that didn't fix it though.

Since it was 07 I was thinking a DME issue perhaps.

[Jeef]

Check the wire from the starter to the post under the hood.

[5hpstickers]

Ok here is the update. I got home from DC today and went straight to my friend's house to try to get the car home.

I push started it again and drove it home. It was all normal until I was almost home then got the overheating issue again but it never went red.

I accessed the hidden menu on the dash and saw that the battery voltage is at 10.8V which is not good.

I also checked for codes with the JB4 and got 2E7C: bit serial-data interface, signal

I have heard if the water pump is not receiving the correct voltage it will not run properly so I will place a battery charger/tender on the battery over the next two days then check the voltage and try to start it.

I will also check the fuses for the water pump and check to see if battery cable recall has been done.

Thanks for all your help and I will continue to update this.

[Zacm829]

If it is the original battery, I would suggest replacing just as a precautionary measure. This might also solve your problems.

[///Mposter]

An easy way to check if your battery is still good is to look at the "eye" on the battery. If its green, it's good, if its black , you need to replace it. I'm guessing that you just need to replace it since it is already 7 years old. If you keep trying to push start it, you are going to have belt problems like the guy in the video and then your alternator is going to go out from trying to keep up with the demand of all the electronic items such as the cooling fan, water pump, a/c fan, radio , headlights, DME, navigation, fuel pump, and many others. Best of luck .

[///Mposter]

Tischer has one for about $175. The dealer will likely be more expensive. The website is (Getbmwparts) . Not sure if the link will be removed or not.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/20...ow=1&maxRow=10

[JamesM3M5]

There are an awful lot of electronics that start and run the engine, but starting with the basics is still step 1. Flickering lights / clicking while trying to start usually just indicates a low battery charge OR poor or corroded connection on the positive or engine ground or battery ground.

Charge the battery with an electronic charger. It will tell you whether the battery is bad in the first place. CTEK and others come to mind - cheap and effective. If you have a black AGM battery or anything other than a BMW battery, there is no such charge indicator 'eye'.

First disconnect the battery ground. Why? Because if you're wrenching on any positive cable and accidentally touch the body, you'll get fireworks and a hell of a scare at best.

Put a wrench on all of the positive connections from the battery. There are many connections just on the top of the battery, then between the battery box into the right rear fender well. Also check the positive jump point and connection on the starter. Move forward to the alternator connection to the battery cable. It is the one that can get perilously close to aftermarket charge pipes.

Then check the engine ground strap. You may want to pull it off and clean any corrosion off the ends. Any car that spends time in the salt belt can have this problem.

Then reconnect the ground cable to the battery. Attempt to start the car. If it starts, check voltage with a volt meter. You should see at least 13VDC, more like 13.8-14.2VDC with the engine running. If not, you have a bad alternator. The codes for BSD interface probably mean the alternator is not responding over the Bit Serial Data interface. The ECU tells the alternator how to run regarding voltage and current demands, etc over the BSD. Don't ever count on the alternator/battery light to tell you whether the alternator is working or not. Many times the alternator is bad and you don't get any warning indicator on the dash.

If it doesn't start, you may need to have it towed to a good shop for further diagnostics. DO NOT continue to drive the car, especially since it overheats. Voltage fluctuations can wreak havoc all around the car. These things can be very sensitive, and you can cause damage to multiple modules.

[Andrewah05]

Overheating could warp the block I agree with everyone else get it towed

[JamesM3M5]

Warp the block? Not exactly. Since these engines come with electric water pumps, they have programmed in failsafes. The ECU cuts power to prevent damaging the engine due to overheating.

Heads warp and/or crack from overheating. Aluminum blocks can lose their heat treat, which means that the head bolts rip the threads out when you go to torque them down after replacing the head or head gasket.

[5hpstickers]

Thank you everyone for your input and testing tips.

I float charged the battery overnight them checked voltage in the hidden menU, it's now at 12.2V still not starting.

Going to check grounds and connections.

Will update

[N8N]

Is your car subject to the battery cable recall?

[5hpstickers]

Originally Posted by N8N

Is your car subject to the battery cable recall?

Just called up the dealer near me and they said my car has no open recalls

[Jklad]

Originally Posted by 5hpstickers

Just called up the dealer near me and they said my car has no open recalls

You should verify this is true by checking the billeting yourself. Don't trust the dealer.