Roadster owner in trouble

[Roadster owner]

Got a problem that is way beyond my pay scale. 2001 Z/3. Parked it about 2 weeks ago and as always, put a trickle charger on it to keep the battery up. Got in it and the only thing that shows any sign of electrical life in the car is the ding, ding, ding, from the key going in the ignition switch and the emergency flashers still work. No dash lights come on when I turn on the ignition, no headlights, brake lights, turn signals, NOTHING. The battery checks 12.5 volts with my Fluke meter and I am a retired industrial electrician so I do know how to use one. I know ZERO about this car. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might look for in order to find out what might be causing this issue? I would certainly appreciate any and all help I can get. Thank you in advance. I am a 71 year old man and I really could use some younger eyes on this problem. Now if it were a 56 Chevy, I would know where to start and where to look, but with this car, I am lost. Help please.

 

[t-tony]

First suggestion would be get a “jump” battery and connect it to the jump posts under the bonnet and see what happens. The Earth connection is on one of the front suspension turrets, the live one is towards the of the engine bay and has a red plastic cap on It. Do not connect the jump battery to the cars own battery in the boot.

Tony.

ps. Where are you located?

 

[Shelly]

 

[ExMX5owner]

As Tony said, I have had many a battery that read 12.5, often better, but under any load at all it drops to less than 10. Eliminate that first...

 

[Roadster owner]

First suggestion would be get a “jump” battery and connect it to the jump posts under the bonnet and see what happens. The Earth connection is on one of the front suspension turrets, the live one is towards the of the engine bay and has a red plastic cap on It. Do not connect the jump battery to the cars own battery in the boot.

Tony.

ps. Where are you located?

Thank you sir. I will check that out today. I live near Cookeville, Tn. USA.

 

[Roadster owner]

View attachment 313439

Thank you for having me.

 

[t-tony]

Thank you sir. I will check that out today. I live near Cookeville, Tn. USA.

We were in Nashville for 3 days last year. Really enjoyed it and will come back one day. Also had a couple of days in Greenville, SC. when we visited the BMW factory.

Tony.

 

[Roadster owner]

Got it going.....Plugged my code reader in it and let it do a complete scan, cleared everything and BINGO. It started right up. I have no idea what the problem is, but it said "low voltage". Now, I did, when it didn't do anything to start with, disconnect the battery and put it on a charger and allowed it to charge for a while, but I didn't read the voltage prior to doing that, so I don't know how low the battery was when the problem occurred. It is possible that the battery, though showing good now for some reason, possibly a light such as the trunk light being on and me not realizing it, drained the battery when it was sitting. I checked it with an amp meter and found no leaks anywhere after I removed the bulb from the trunk lid, so I think that might have been the culprit. Regardless, it ain't going back in there. Thanks everyone for your time and help. I really appreciate you helping this old man out. In the words of the great, though often overlooked Vulcan philosopher Spock..."Live long and prosper"

 

[t-tony]

Boot light is a common issue on Z3s.

Tony.

 

[Mint]

Hi and to the forum from me too in Stafford, England. The battery would be my first port of call.

 

[ExMX5owner]

Got it going.....Plugged my code reader in it and let it do a complete scan, cleared everything and BINGO. It started right up. I have no idea what the problem is, but it said "low voltage". Now, I did, when it didn't do anything to start with, disconnect the battery and put it on a charger and allowed it to charge for a while, but I didn't read the voltage prior to doing that, so I don't know how low the battery was when the problem occurred. It is possible that the battery, though showing good now for some reason, possibly a light such as the trunk light being on and me not realizing it, drained the battery when it was sitting. I checked it with an amp meter and found no leaks anywhere after I removed the bulb from the trunk lid, so I think that might have been the culprit. Regardless, it ain't going back in there. Thanks everyone for your time and help. I really appreciate you helping this old man out. In the words of the great, though often overlooked Vulcan philosopher Spock..."Live long and prosper"

Put your phone in video mode, drop it into the trunk and close the lid. you will see if it was that or not..

 

[markba633csi]

Battery terminal post corrosion is responsible for a great many problems such as yours- and several bewildering symptoms
Also, check any battery you purchase carefully for acid leakage around the posts and anywhere around the case

 

[Nodzed]