Hi,
the only information I have to hand is outlined below and is an extract from a BMW techincal bullitin which has been published on many forums on the net. The issue has since been fixed to my knowledge with a vehicle software update......
SUBJECT"High Battery Drain" Message in CIDMODELE60/E61 (5 Series) with N52 engine.SITUATIONA check control message "High battery drain, increased battery discharging while stopped, vehicle may not start" is shown in the CID (Central Information Display) when starting the car.Fault code 2DED "Power management, closed circuit current monitoring" is stored in the MSV70 DME (Digital Motor Electronics).The vehicle starts every time, and there are no other symptoms of low battery problems.CAUSEThe closed circuit current momentarily exceeds its threshold value when the TCU wakes up to perform the "Stolen Vehicle Recovery" function. This should not cause a discharged battery.CORRECTIONDo not replace parts. A solution is being developed and will be published shortly.In case of customer complaint, check the battery and recharge if necessary.If the battery is low, then the customer may have an additional problem causing the battery to go down. In this case, carry out additional troubleshooting to identify and correct the root cause.
~Rich
Hi Rich,
I need to find official wording from BMW on what this error message means. Either from some type of BMW service manual or some other official source like Chiltons. Is there no list of BMW error messages for troubleshooting purposes?
The problem is that the fault code you have there is not a generic code but BMW specific. The code is one of hundreds possibly thousands used to link to test modules on our diagnostic equipment and as such no definative list is available as a manual.
Rich.
The service report states:
"Draw was excessive on two different times during 31 cycles. E60 closed current should not exceed 60-70mA."
Right, this refers to power cycles ie the times when the vehicle enters sleep mode. During the vehicles sleep mode the 'off load' current is monitored, meaning that the amount of current needed to keep the memory of all the individual control units alive is monitored. If the amount of current drawn during any one sleep cycle exceeds the specified amount, which can be different depending of vehicle spec, a log is created. These logs can now be very detailed down to which control unit 'woke' the vehicle.
So basically the car was turned off and sitting there (i.e. perhaps in a garage overnight) and something came on that shouldn't have? Do you have anything BMW official?
Yes. The technical bulletin I have posted above comes directly from BMW, directly from the dept which deals with common faults with vehicles that lead to multiple Puma (technical help dept) enquiries. If I were to ask BMW about the fault you are experiencing with your vehicle this would be the response they would provide me with. It provides information on the symptom and cause. It is says that that due to a software problem the telematics control unit may draw excess current during the sleep period (in the garage overnight).
Well that is a possibility, and would show up in the energy history report, obtainable on the testing equipment, which will literally detail the number of journeys you carry out at varying distances and it's a fact that a large number of very short distances will deplete your battery. It is worth noting though that in the dealer at the moment we experiencing a number of problems with IBS (intelligent battery sensor). This sensor is mounted on the negative terminal of the battery and monitors the charge state. When these sensors go wrong they cause the vehicle to completely shut down if engine start capability is threatened, the usual give away of this is that the clock and date will be lost.
Rich
Are you losing the time and date settings?
Clock and date are never lost. My average trip is 17 miles per trip as per the car's computer.
In that case you need to go back to your dealer and have them carry out a battery drain test manually with an amp clamp during an entire day or night. This will determine whether there is actually a drain or if there is a fault within a control unit. If they still cannot find any drain then they must submit a Puma case to BMW asking for assistance with this issue.
They did a drain test and found nothing. The problem is it only happens once every few months so I understand why it would come back no problem found.
The dealer is stating that 17 miles is not enough distance (even though charge is based on time no distance), to recharge and that I am not driving it far enough after every start. (BTW, I drive it every day). I did the math, and at 20 amp recharge, it would take 1-2 minutes to recharge after a start.
I'd have to say that regular trips of around 17 miles would be enough to keep the battery sufficiently charged. We do experience this kind of problem regularly, faults that are very intermitant are difficult to diagnose. Now your dealer should be looking at replacing either the TCU or the KBM (body module) which analylses the energy data and creates the fault message if the fault persists. That is of course unless the guys at the Puma dept do not come up with anything, afterall they do have remote access to all the fault data stored on your vehicle.
Do you know why they would use a diagnoses of I don't drive enough when the errors they were getting indicated a E60 closed current should not exceed 60-70mA error?
As a side note, on three different occasions, the car wouldn't start for 5 minutes and threw general steering wheel lock errors. The car did not provide them with any other errors so they had no idea why the car wouldn't disengage the steering wheel lock. They then said that the car wouldn't start because there was not enough juice in the battery to unlock the steering wheel. However, the car started each time after 5 minutes and I never recharged the battery.... On one occasions I drove to a relative's house that was 50 miles away and was only there for an hour.
It sounds like they don't actually know what's wrong with your car to be honest and they haven't carried out a thorough diagnosis.
With regards to your steering lock problem the steering lock actuation will be blocked if an under voltage fault is registered, but if the battery is sufficiently charged enough to start the engine eventually then this just provides more evidence to suggest that there battery monitoring fault in the system somewhere.
BMW Technician
5 years main dealer experience.