Electrical problem draining my batery

[pjs51264]

Help, It seams as if there are some electrical problems developing in my 94 525 with 175K. For some reason there seams to be a little fan or something that continues to run even after the car is off and the keys removed. This will drain the batery overnight. Other unusual things have been happening as well. The other day when I attempted to start and the batery was mostly dead, I realized that I could work the electric windows without the key in the ignition?? That doesn't happen all the time though. Today my sunroof stoped working.... It is like the ignition stays in the accessory position all the time or something.. Please help with any ideas on what is going on as this problem could spell the end of the road for this car.
Thanks in advance
Pat

[billkirk]

How old is your battery? Yes, some things are constantly draining the battery even when everything is working properly. But when the battery is reaching it's natural use-by date the tiny continual drain is enough to flatten the battery overnight. The other symptoms could be totally unrelated. Have a battery shop check the battery and charging system first, then start looking for the gremlins elsewhere, if they still exist after the battery checks out OK.

Been there, done that...

Bill K in Sydney AU

[Kalevera]

I think you need a new battery. Most, if not all, functions mentioned are normal for the car -- the owners manual is a good read, you'll learn lots of new things.

Go to Autozone. Get a 49D. Or drive with the current one and see if the car stalls out somewhere (which is what it will do, when the battery gets bad enough)/consistent no crank/start issue.


best, whit

[uscharalph]

I think you need a new battery. Most, if not all, functions mentioned are normal for the car -- the owners manual is a good read, you'll learn lots of new things.

Go to Autozone. Get a 49D. Or drive with the current one and see if the car stalls out somewhere (which is what it will do, when the battery gets bad enough)/consistent no crank/start issue.


best, whit
What is the life expectancy of a battery on the E34's? In general?

[Kalevera]

What is the life expectancy of a battery on the E34's? In general?
Depends on how it's cycled, the climate (hot/humid = worst of all) and how well it's cared for. Some "maintenance free" batteries actually need water level checks.

That's why getting one with a good long warranty is a superb idea. I bought an Interstate for one of our cars two days ago -- 85 month warranty.

best, whit

[SRR2]

Can you localize the source of the fan sound? There are some things in the E34 that do run for a short time after engine shut down, but nothing that I recall from the time I had mine that would run for more than a short time. Have you sat in the car after shutdown and confirmed how long this fan runs?

[pjs51264]

Ok, I've changed out the battery. I started the car and let it run for awhile, then shut it off and listened for the faint fan sound. It continued to run for for over a half hour. As I am leening into the car listening, I see that the climate control fan is all the way off. For the hell of it I turn it on. The fan noise stops?? Could this be a problem with the fan control module?