Battery/Alternator Issues

I got my alternator out earlier today and might need to replace it. I found that some alternators are noted as not being "one wire capable"

What does this mean?

I wonder if this is my issue as well. I replaced my old battery last year at BMW. I only drive once a week or so (~100-200 miles) a month total. A week after replacing the battery, I had a bunch of dash lights come on (traction control, ABS, BRAKE, and sometimes SES). If the lights are on when I shut off the car, it turns off as if being unplugged so it doesn't go into accessory mode. When I start the car not long after, the starter barely cranks but accessory mode comes on. Then I go to start the car again and it starts up. The dash lights are intermittent. I never had a low battery warning with this new battery. I brought it to BMW and when they tried to diagnose, they tell me it's the steering angle sensor causing this issue. After I left the dealer without them fixing anything, I drove for about 30 minutes and when I shut off the car, it shut down completely again, but the battery was completely dead this time. No power, would not turn back on or restart. Ended up having to jump the car. This time driving I had no codes in the trip before needing a jump, and the trip home after the jump. After last trip, car shut off completely again, acted as if flat battery, but after a few minutes power came back and I was able to start the car.
I highly doubt the steering angle sensor is causing this.

SS e93 wrote

I wonder if this is my issue as well. I replaced my old battery last year at BMW. I only drive once a week or so (~100-200 miles) a month total. A week after replacing the battery, I had a bunch of dash lights come on (traction control, ABS, BRAKE, and sometimes SES). If the lights are on when I shut off the car, it turns off as if being unplugged so it doesn't go into accessory mode. When I start the car not long after, the starter barely cranks but accessory mode comes on. Then I go to start the car again and it starts up. The dash lights are intermittent. I never had a low battery warning with this new battery. I brought it to BMW and when they tried to diagnose, they tell me it's the steering angle sensor causing this issue. After I left the dealer without them fixing anything, I drove for about 30 minutes and when I shut off the car, it shut down completely again, but the battery was completely dead this time. No power, would not turn back on or restart. Ended up having to jump the car. This time driving I had no codes in the trip before needing a jump, and the trip home after the jump. After last trip, car shut off completely again, acted as if flat battery, but after a few minutes power came back and I was able to start the car.
I highly doubt the steering angle sensor is causing this.

have you checked voltage of the battery? everything and anything will say its the cause if the battery is the culprit but could also be the alternator, I'm seeing more and more of the around 10 year mark cars having electrical issues due to the alternator/battery. from what my brother tells me since the alternator has been replaced, all my accessories work fine, no lights, no shutting off

SS e93 wrote

I wonder if this is my issue as well. I replaced my old battery last year at BMW. I only drive once a week or so (~100-200 miles) a month total. A week after replacing the battery, I had a bunch of dash lights come on (traction control, ABS, BRAKE, and sometimes SES). If the lights are on when I shut off the car, it turns off as if being unplugged so it doesn't go into accessory mode. When I start the car not long after, the starter barely cranks but accessory mode comes on. Then I go to start the car again and it starts up. The dash lights are intermittent. I never had a low battery warning with this new battery. I brought it to BMW and when they tried to diagnose, they tell me it's the steering angle sensor causing this issue. After I left the dealer without them fixing anything, I drove for about 30 minutes and when I shut off the car, it shut down completely again, but the battery was completely dead this time. No power, would not turn back on or restart. Ended up having to jump the car. This time driving I had no codes in the trip before needing a jump, and the trip home after the jump. After last trip, car shut off completely again, acted as if flat battery, but after a few minutes power came back and I was able to start the car.
I highly doubt the steering angle sensor is causing this.

Monitor your voltage while driving the next couple times. If you see that it is low ~12V during operation then it can be assumed that the alternator isn't charging properly. Then in my case it would start operating properly after a few restarts. Usually means the voltage regulator on the alternator is worn. Some replace just that piece of it, I opted to replace the whole unit since it was nearly the same price. Good luck!

JP10 wrote

SS e93 wrote

I wonder if this is my issue as well. I replaced my old battery last year at BMW. I only drive once a week or so (~100-200 miles) a month total. A week after replacing the battery, I had a bunch of dash lights come on (traction control, ABS, BRAKE, and sometimes SES). If the lights are on when I shut off the car, it turns off as if being unplugged so it doesn't go into accessory mode. When I start the car not long after, the starter barely cranks but accessory mode comes on. Then I go to start the car again and it starts up. The dash lights are intermittent. I never had a low battery warning with this new battery. I brought it to BMW and when they tried to diagnose, they tell me it's the steering angle sensor causing this issue. After I left the dealer without them fixing anything, I drove for about 30 minutes and when I shut off the car, it shut down completely again, but the battery was completely dead this time. No power, would not turn back on or restart. Ended up having to jump the car. This time driving I had no codes in the trip before needing a jump, and the trip home after the jump. After last trip, car shut off completely again, acted as if flat battery, but after a few minutes power came back and I was able to start the car.
I highly doubt the steering angle sensor is causing this.

Monitor your voltage while driving the next couple times. If you see that it is low ~12V during operation then it can be assumed that the alternator isn't charging properly. Then in my case it would start operating properly after a few restarts. Usually means the voltage regulator on the alternator is worn. Some replace just that piece of it, I opted to replace the whole unit since it was nearly the same price. Good luck!

A tip from someone who went through this ordeal recently- just replace the whole alternator.

I took off my old regulator and saw the brushes were worn down, but even after putting a new one on I still had problems. A new alternator fixed everything. My alternator ended up having a crack in what looks like the needle bearing housing.

Thanks for the advice guys. Going to drive around today and see what happens, and stop by autozone so they can do a battery and alternator test.
Also, is there a way to know if the battery was registered when it was installed?

SS e93 wrote

Thanks for the advice guys. Going to drive around today and see what happens, and stop by autozone so they can do a battery and alternator test.
Also, is there a way to know if the battery was registered when it was installed?

Check advanced auto parts. That's where I got mine and it was a lot cheaper for the same part number. Shipped sooner too.

I have an alternator for you if you want it...just pay for shipping or come pick up. It's in my garage taking up space. It was working fine when removed but it's also original, hence why it's free. It was my JBE giving me issues in the end and swapped it.

Quick update:
Brought my car to an independent shop. They did some diagnostics on the battery and it was fine, turns out they said it was a loose cable from IBS during the initial install by BMW. It never fully disconnected due to the way it was on, but that's what lead to the issues popping up randomly. I'll keep an eye out to see if the issue happens again. I did have an EDC fault that they were able to clear.
Side note: any chance I could get money back from BMW for not checking that this was a possible issue when I brought it up? Started right after battery install by BMW but they said because they couldn't replicate, they couldn't do anything. Tests via scanner showed alternator and battery were fine (I paid bmw dealer diagnostics fee).

Just so you guys know there is actually a recall for this from BMW. It is not your battery or alternator. It's a the positive wire that goes bad/loose from the battery towards the front fuse box in the glove compartment. I had this same issues for the past few years and could never figure out what it was. Replaced batteries, alternators, the sensors on the batteries and still kept leaving me stranded in many places and paid tow truck fees to get my car back home until I got this recall about a month ago so if you guys are having the same issues check with BMW.

P.S. If this happens and you can't get the car tow to BMW, just open the glove compartment and reach behind the fuses and wiggle the cables until the power comes back on. I know it sounds strange but it works

Recall Notice - Power Supply System

G-Lo408 wrote

Just so you guys know there is actually a recall for this from BMW. It is not your battery or alternator. It's a the positive wire that goes bad/loose from the battery towards the front fuse box in the glove compartment. I had this same issues for the past few years and could never figure out what it was. Replaced batteries, alternators, the sensors on the batteries and still kept leaving me stranded in many places and paid tow truck fees to get my car back home until I got this recall about a month ago so if you guys are having the same issues check with BMW.

P.S. If this happens and you can't get the car tow to BMW, just open the glove compartment and reach behind the fuses and wiggle the cables until the power comes back on. I know it sounds strange but it works

I did that recall too for behind the glove box and changed the alternator at an indy shop. So far so good.

G-Lo408 wrote

Recall Notice - Power Supply System

I checked for any applicable recalls for my car and it doesn't come up. I did pay the indy to fix this though. I'll double check with them what they did and hopefully it ends up being covered at bmw and I can get it refunded.