Cold Weather Electrical Problems

rogerdiaz · 02-20-2015, 02:00 PM

Hi Folks,

My car is possessed during cold weather. 30-35 F or less.

Car starts fine but then open door and open trunk dash lights go on and off, doors vary. Last a few minutes and all goes away.

Any ideas?

Yozh · 02-20-2015, 03:03 PM

Poor grounding somewhere.
Check the negative on the battery. Sometimes with cold they lose the connection and all hell breaks loose.

other_evolved · 02-20-2015, 03:37 PM

I'll get a delayed initialization of the radio and the gauge cluster display when it's super cold....but nothing like the lights flickering, etc.

rogerdiaz · 02-25-2015, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yozh

Poor grounding somewhere.
Check the negative on the battery. Sometimes with cold they lose the connection and all hell breaks loose.

Thanks, so far the symptoms are reproducible only in cold weather.

Left car outside overnight. This morning dome light possessed. dimming in and out. random door unlock dash light pops in and out. goes away after 5-10 minutes of driving.

I went to Advance auto parts and they checked the battery. the print out said it was good.

Waiting for bt obd2 dongle. maybe bmwhat can tell me something.

I hate to drop $150 diagnostic fee at stealership.

PSEE · 02-25-2015, 12:13 PM

How many years of service on the battery?

Since it goes away, it sounds as though the battery gets charged back up
enough to reach some threshold output voltage and the symptoms disappear.

You drove to AutoZone to get checked and at the time, things looked good.

I'll bet the output voltage is too log first thing in the a.m.

PSEE · 02-25-2015, 12:14 PM

How many years of service on the battery?

Since it goes away, it sounds as though the battery gets charged back up
enough to reach some threshold output voltage and the symptoms disappear.

You drove to AutoZone to get checked and at the time, things looked good.

I'll bet the output voltage is too low first thing in the a.m.

rogerdiaz · 02-25-2015, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSEE

How many years of service on the battery?

Since it goes away, it sounds as though the battery gets charged back up
enough to reach some threshold output voltage and the symptoms disappear.

You drove to AutoZone to get checked and at the time, things looked good.

I'll bet the output voltage is too log first thing in the a.m.

Battery is stock from 2/2011. Appreciate the trouble shooting.

rulonger · 02-25-2015, 01:36 PM

I experience the Door Ajar notification on cold mornings. SA said that he thought it was battery related.

He jinxed me, because a couple months later the battery did give up the ghost. New battery, same problems.

And to boot, a few weeks ago when I went to crank her up on a cold Monday after having sat for two days I got the eerie flickering dome lights, etc. Cranked fine, but the Door Ajar was binging every 30 seconds.

If you find a solution, let me know. I have a brand new battery and I have the problem. I will check the connections when I get back to the car (on business trip now).

rogerdiaz · 02-25-2015, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rulonger

I experience the Door Ajar notification on cold mornings. SA said that he thought it was battery related.

He jinxed me, because a couple months later the battery did give up the ghost. New battery, same problems.

And to boot, a few weeks ago when I went to crank her up on a cold Monday after having sat for two days I got the eerie flickering dome lights, etc. Cranked fine, but the Door Ajar was binging every 30 seconds.

If you find a solution, let me know. I have a brand new battery and I have the problem. I will check the connections when I get back to the car (on business trip now).

wow. exact same issues. strange. So far I checked all fuses, battery voltage checked at advanced auto parts. Checking alternator later today. Do you have any aftermarket audio installed?

rulonger · 02-25-2015, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerdiaz

Do you have any aftermarket audio installed?

NO, my car is as stock as they come

rogerdiaz · 02-26-2015, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rulonger

NO, my car is as stock as they come

Does your car have comfort access and is it working perfectly? im basically trying to run through our differences to narrow something down.

rulonger · 02-27-2015, 11:25 AM

No comfort access on my car

Puerto Rican 335d · 02-27-2015, 11:41 AM

Go to Autozone have them run a diagnostics on the car wow $150 at the dealer damn, my mechanic does for free to bring in clients. what a rip off

rogerdiaz · 10-11-2016, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rulonger

I experience the Door Ajar notification on cold mornings. SA said that he thought it was battery related.

He jinxed me, because a couple months later the battery did give up the ghost. New battery, same problems.

And to boot, a few weeks ago when I went to crank her up on a cold Monday after having sat for two days I got the eerie flickering dome lights, etc. Cranked fine, but the Door Ajar was binging every 30 seconds.

If you find a solution, let me know. I have a brand new battery and I have the problem. I will check the connections when I get back to the car (on business trip now).

Any updates on your electrical issues or solutions?

rulonger · 10-11-2016, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerdiaz

Any updates on your electrical issues or solutions?

No solution, but also no issues for months. Cold weather is around the corner - maybe it comes back.

kydiesel35 · 10-11-2016, 09:44 AM

Sounds like your FRM module, honestly. Each case may be slightly different.

I recently replaced mine with the exact same door symptoms (front and back open door message); it wasn't weather dependent happened repeatedly.

This FRM 3 is known to become corrupt, how no clue.

f00dstamps · 10-11-2016, 10:28 AM

It is the FRM. I had a issue a little while ago when my battery had a very low voltage. When I went to start the car, it corrupted the EEPROM on the microcontroller. I was able to flash the EEPROM but there is a corrupted byte which prevents me from updating the VIN to match my car. As far as the FRM is concerned, it thinks my car is an M3.

The battery likely caused the issue with your FRM but replacing the battery is likely not going to fix the problems. You will have to get your FRM reprogrammed. If you do not have any data that resides in corrupted bytes of the EEPROM, your FRM will operate normally.

Owen81 · 10-13-2016, 10:16 PM

I've read lots of reports of weird electrical issues where the battery checks out fine, but the issues are resolved with a battery replacement. If you're still on your stock battery it could definitely be worth the $120, especially since it only happens in cold weather.

rogerdiaz · 10-15-2016, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owen81

I've read lots of reports of weird electrical issues where the battery checks out fine, but the issues are resolved with a battery replacement. If you're still on your stock battery it could definitely be worth the $120, especially since it only happens in cold weather.

I actually agree. this is solid advice. My stock battery is from 2011. checks out fine, levels normal. but $375 for a new battery and registration at my indy.

supermann125 · 10-15-2016, 07:57 PM

I have the same random door open warning in the cold. My dealer had no idea what it could be and asked me to take a picture of it. I explained it wasn't reproducible, would randomly flicker, and most of the time while driving. He again asked for a picture.

dmanb2b · 10-15-2016, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerdiaz

I actually agree. this is solid advice. My stock battery is from 2011. checks out fine, levels normal. but $375 for a new battery and registration at my indy.

You can pick one up new at o'reilly or napa for less than $150. I used the carly app to register.

BBriner · 10-26-2016, 09:37 AM

Hi,

Hijacking the post as someone might have had the same problem and it is reproducible only with low temps and it is electrical related.

Car in question: E89 (Z4) 2009 - It shares perhaps the same electronics with the E90 series.

The problem: "Cold" weather, as far as I could test, below 12°C (approx 54°F), press key FOB to open door, almost everything normal except that door does not open. If I press the key FOB to open the trunk, it opens and immediately closes again after a few seconds. Basically the time for me to get the physical key out of the key FOB and open manually the driver's door, the "car on ramp" lights on in the dashboard.

On the car by inserting the key FOB, several error messages, electrical malfunction car cannot be driven, steering wheel malfunction, ABS/DSC malfunction.

The engine starts, it just take a bit longer, I would say no more than 5 seconds longer.

In the dashboard the tach doesn't work, fuel gauge does. Windows work, mirrors work, AC works, drivers seat heating works, passenger one doesn't, wipers don't work, "rear" windows don't work, all buttons in the steering wheel don't work, sport/sport+ button doesn't work, xenon lights work.

After the car heats up, a process that can take up to 40 minutes when it was 1°C (34°F) once, all comes to normal again, eventually I get a CEL light in the dashboard that during the day vanishes too. During the day, no matter what temperature, all normal.

During the o problem I tried to get information from the OBD2 port without success. The INPA could not communicate with the modules.

The battery is only 1 year old and it was registered, I measured the voltage before staring the car and it was a solid 12.4V. I did not measure anything related to the alternator as I think it cannot be the alternator since the problem appears before starting the engine.

If the temp is higher, these couple of days were at approx 12°C (54°F), no problem whatsoever.

Any help is much appreciated.

02-20-2015, 02:00 PM	#1
rogerdiaz Captain 28 Rep 743 Posts Drives: 2015 335i Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Raleigh, NC iTrader: (2)	Cold Weather Electrical Problems Hi Folks, My car is possessed during cold weather. 30-35 F or less. Car starts fine but then open door and open trunk dash lights go on and off, doors vary. Last a few minutes and all goes away. Any ideas?
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

02-20-2015, 03:03 PM	#2
Yozh Colonel 870 Rep 2,615 Posts Drives: 2011 335d M-Sport Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Wet Coast iTrader: (4)	Poor grounding somewhere. Check the negative on the battery. Sometimes with cold they lose the connection and all hell breaks loose.
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02-20-2015, 03:37 PM	#3
other_evolved Lieutenant Colonel 2026 Rep 1,895 Posts Drives: 2015 Chevrolet SS Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Saint Louis iTrader: (0)	I'll get a delayed initialization of the radio and the gauge cluster display when it's super cold....but nothing like the lights flickering, etc. __________________ Present 2015 Chevrolet SS 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk V6
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02-25-2015, 12:13 PM	#5
PSEE First Lieutenant 12 Rep 332 Posts Drives: 2009 335d Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: BMW, MA iTrader: (0)	How many years of service on the battery? Since it goes away, it sounds as though the battery gets charged back up enough to reach some threshold output voltage and the symptoms disappear. You drove to AutoZone to get checked and at the time, things looked good. I'll bet the output voltage is too log first thing in the a.m.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-25-2015, 12:14 PM	#6
PSEE First Lieutenant 12 Rep 332 Posts Drives: 2009 335d Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: BMW, MA iTrader: (0)	How many years of service on the battery? Since it goes away, it sounds as though the battery gets charged back up enough to reach some threshold output voltage and the symptoms disappear. You drove to AutoZone to get checked and at the time, things looked good. I'll bet the output voltage is too low first thing in the a.m.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-25-2015, 01:36 PM	#8
rulonger Lieutenant 111 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2011 335d E90 & 2010 328i E91 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC iTrader: (0)	I experience the Door Ajar notification on cold mornings. SA said that he thought it was battery related. He jinxed me, because a couple months later the battery did give up the ghost. New battery, same problems. And to boot, a few weeks ago when I went to crank her up on a cold Monday after having sat for two days I got the eerie flickering dome lights, etc. Cranked fine, but the Door Ajar was binging every 30 seconds. If you find a solution, let me know. I have a brand new battery and I have the problem. I will check the connections when I get back to the car (on business trip now).
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-27-2015, 11:25 AM	#12
rulonger Lieutenant 111 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 2011 335d E90 & 2010 328i E91 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC iTrader: (0)	No comfort access on my car
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02-27-2015, 11:41 AM	#13
Puerto Rican 335d Brigadier General 229 Rep 3,489 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335d Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Puerto Rico(Dominican Republic 03/2017) iTrader: (0)	Go to Autozone have them run a diagnostics on the car wow $150 at the dealer damn, my mechanic does for free to bring in clients. what a rip off __________________ RENNtech Flash(Lenny Wu)/WAGNER IC Enkei Rajin 18"/Execuhitch Hitch/Koni FSD Soft Ride Bike Rack/Brava Synthetic Motor Oil(Made in Puerto Rico)/Meth(in the works)/CBU done w Andrew EGR Race Pipe (whoa! what an animal it is now)
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10-11-2016, 09:44 AM	#16
kydiesel35 Lieutenant 166 Rep 460 Posts Drives: 2016 X5 35d Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: KY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 BMW 335d [0.00]	Sounds like your FRM module, honestly. Each case may be slightly different. I recently replaced mine with the exact same door symptoms (front and back open door message); it wasn't weather dependent happened repeatedly. This FRM 3 is known to become corrupt, how no clue.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-11-2016, 10:28 AM	#17
f00dstamps Second Lieutenant 24 Rep 234 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW 335d Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Kansas City, MO iTrader: (0)	It is the FRM. I had a issue a little while ago when my battery had a very low voltage. When I went to start the car, it corrupted the EEPROM on the microcontroller. I was able to flash the EEPROM but there is a corrupted byte which prevents me from updating the VIN to match my car. As far as the FRM is concerned, it thinks my car is an M3. The battery likely caused the issue with your FRM but replacing the battery is likely not going to fix the problems. You will have to get your FRM reprogrammed. If you do not have any data that resides in corrupted bytes of the EEPROM, your FRM will operate normally.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-13-2016, 10:16 PM	#18
Owen81 Lieutenant 83 Rep 432 Posts Drives: 335d, 17/22 TDI Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta, Canada iTrader: (0)	I've read lots of reports of weird electrical issues where the battery checks out fine, but the issues are resolved with a battery replacement. If you're still on your stock battery it could definitely be worth the $120, especially since it only happens in cold weather.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-15-2016, 07:57 PM	#20
supermann125 Private First Class 45 Rep 182 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: May 2014 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (2)	I have the same random door open warning in the cold. My dealer had no idea what it could be and asked me to take a picture of it. I explained it wasn't reproducible, would randomly flicker, and most of the time while driving. He again asked for a picture.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-26-2016, 09:37 AM	#22
BBriner New Member 3 Rep 27 Posts Drives: Z4 E89 sDrive 30i Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Lausanne iTrader: (0)	Hi, Hijacking the post as someone might have had the same problem and it is reproducible only with low temps and it is electrical related. Car in question: E89 (Z4) 2009 - It shares perhaps the same electronics with the E90 series. The problem: "Cold" weather, as far as I could test, below 12°C (approx 54°F), press key FOB to open door, almost everything normal except that door does not open. If I press the key FOB to open the trunk, it opens and immediately closes again after a few seconds. Basically the time for me to get the physical key out of the key FOB and open manually the driver's door, the "car on ramp" lights on in the dashboard. On the car by inserting the key FOB, several error messages, electrical malfunction car cannot be driven, steering wheel malfunction, ABS/DSC malfunction. The engine starts, it just take a bit longer, I would say no more than 5 seconds longer. In the dashboard the tach doesn't work, fuel gauge does. Windows work, mirrors work, AC works, drivers seat heating works, passenger one doesn't, wipers don't work, "rear" windows don't work, all buttons in the steering wheel don't work, sport/sport+ button doesn't work, xenon lights work. After the car heats up, a process that can take up to 40 minutes when it was 1°C (34°F) once, all comes to normal again, eventually I get a CEL light in the dashboard that during the day vanishes too. During the day, no matter what temperature, all normal. During the o problem I tried to get information from the OBD2 port without success. The INPA could not communicate with the modules. The battery is only 1 year old and it was registered, I measured the voltage before staring the car and it was a solid 12.4V. I did not measure anything related to the alternator as I think it cannot be the alternator since the problem appears before starting the engine. If the temp is higher, these couple of days were at approx 12°C (54°F), no problem whatsoever. Any help is much appreciated.
	Appreciate 0 Quote