BMW E90 Water in the battery compartment
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- This video is about water entering the rear sections of the car, specifically both right and left hand side corners where the battery is situated and the amp/cd changer. Also the back seat is wet too.
I explain how I removed all the water and where you can find the grommets to check and remove the water.
I had the airbag and seatbelt warning light come on and the backseats being wet which started my investigation.
Luckily for me my battery cables and BTS cable was fine. I cleaned these up and put everything back together and the airbag light has been reset with no further issues.
I have also checked for water entry by getting it hosed down with water from outside while looking and searching in all areas of the boot and all looks fine.
GOOD LUCK!
Oh my goodness thank you, discovered battery was partially submerged in water and shorting out, rest of trunk was completely dry like yours, what a joy it is to be a BMW owner...
Thanks so much!!! The car was fine this morning going to work, when I got off, she wouldn't start. Attached a jumper to the front terminals, still won't turn over, then I looked at the battery compartment, just as you described, dry walls, but filled with water. Took an Uber home as I'll deal with this tomorrow!!! Thanks!!!
HEY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM! DID U FIND TJE FIX??
Yes. i took out the battery. Took out the rubber drain plugs and Dried out the rain water from the compartment . Now its running again.
@@TamNguyen-ng1kw did you have any corrosion problems with the wires? everything of mine was corroded down there
@@guccijayy2033 No Corrosion . Only water.
Great Vid! Everyone with an E90/E92 should check this. I had this issue. I also drilled a small drain hole in my battery compartment so if it ever does happen again at least it will drain. Because when it happened for me, i only noticed when the water froze and killed the battery actually. killed a 1yr old battery in one night.. fixed the wires and new battery, all good. I want to replace the bulkhead fittings for the wires one day or find a way to just bypass them because i think it's unnecessary really..
If the B+ terminal/BTS wire popped, from the air bag connector, youd have no starter but the inside would work fine, as far as having power for the radio, etc..
great video with an excellent explanation, thanks
Just changed battery noticed water under it. Not as much as yours. This vid saving me a lot of time I'll know what to do soon to resolve the issue 👌
Spot on video man, very helpfull for all e90 owners including myself. Thank you
Thank you for this vid! I feel your pain, had the same problem. Battery compartment completely filled. $2500 in repairs and I still have 2 blown speakers and a bad connection somewhere
My question is how in the hell did BMW drop the ball on this? My old E36 has a drain in the battery compartment. I called BMWUSA and complained and of course you know how that went. Brand new $42k car and to have this happen is ridiculous. Shame on BMW and their brilliant engineers for this design. How many cars did they produce?2 million? Garbage
Very true , bad design and no lessons learned from previous models. The issue I have with these manufacturers, and it’s not just BMW, their liability is kept to a minimum and more needs to be done.
Thanks for the video - very helpful. I had watery sloshing noises from around the rear seats, and water seeping up into the underlay under the rear seats. No water in the battery compartment as far as I could see, but once I took out all the trim (same as in the video) I found there was a bit of pooled water in the compartment on the other side, where I guess the CD changer would go.
Mine's a later LCI E90 (build date Feb 2010) but the holes under the car are in about the same place. A fair bit of water came out when I removed the bungs, and there's been no sloshing in the week since, despite rain. So looking good.
The gap highlighted at ~4'00" looks like it's welded shut on mine, but there's no shortage of other gaps for water to potentially get in and slowly build up.
(I haven't replaced any of the seals on mine. I'll see how it goes.)
Thank you! I hope damage isn't too bad. Just found a bit of water in my battery compartment.
Thanks this helps. Just found the same issues with my e90
Me / hubby in Wales just wanna say thanks for this video - so flipping helpful! We owe u a beer....or two!
Thanks for your comment Amy. Glad it helped. Always wanted to visit Wales. 😊
Waw I have the cable damege plus my battery has an hole downside submerge by water. Thank you for this it helped understand the cause of this problem
Lifesaver I just had the same prob, got water out of battery compartment going to do those 4 drains next
Great work mate - very like the issue I have on an E91... going to see if the sub floor is flooded now! Thanks!
Thank you for the knowledge!
You saved me!!! ❤ Thank you for documenting this.
Really good video, I have very small amount of water near the battery, can't find leak anywhere looks like I'll be doing this in the morning.
lol.. thanks for the vid. maybe the fish tank option was added, since its not easy to make water not drain out, out of a metal frame :D :D
I had the same problem water was more on my amplifier side my battery only had a bit not alot what i did was cleaned the water and lifted the amp more up since its in the bottom if more water builds up its lifted so when it rains ima be checking on it alot but my speakers dont work
first point thanx for this video my friend and the second one is the main problem is the drain hose for sunroof you should check it and the third one there is drain area for the battery covered by plastic piece
Thanks AnAs for your feedback!
Many thanks for such a information I have the same problem in my car
Thanks for the video. I had another problem, the car stunk of diesel, airbag and seatbelt lights showing same as you on the dash. It was diesel, not water in the battery well. Same as you, removed battery, there was diesel about 1/2 inch up the battery, connections all covered with diesel. In the process of drying all out, to try and find leak. I reckon it's coming from breather pipe, and leaking down the inside of the wheel arch. Will test tomorrow. Punched out the plastic grommet at the bottom, so at least it won't fill again.
That sounds worse than the water. Hope you fix it soon.
C_Campbell sorry I accidentally hid your comment. If you are reading this I wanted to share the following with you. Hi Campbell, also check the rubber vents in the wells. The black plastic/rubber vents next to the battery. These can let water in too. While you have everything open you might as well check that area too.
Yeah those boots vents caused a problem for me. The water filled up in the side cavity and went under the panelling to the battery. Be careful with aftermarket retro fitting, as they can use vents to feed wires.
Very informative video, l too had false sensor alarns and gt to see the water in boot of my 530d. Will ck the plugs tom.
So so happy you posted this video, will hopefully save me and others a lot of money, but can't work out where the drain points are exactly as couldn't see where they were in relation to the rest of the car, as I don't know the terminology very well from the parts you mentioned! Would you mind describing where they are so I can drain the gallons and gallons of water stuck in my boot? Haha, Thanks!
Hi, thanks for the comment. Ok so the corner areas do not have any drain points hence the water collects. You will have to take the water out with a small cup or large syringe. However, if you have water under your back seats then there are rubber caps (grommets) under your car which you can pull off to let the water drain.
@@kwikmechanic6844 Okay thats great thanks a lot. I had a guy come out to check the car and he ended up just drilling a hole in my battery compartment! Problem solved haha
@@codewordzebra that solves the problem but may cause rust issues later. If you can get some primer and/or rust protector then coat that hole with it to avoid issues later
@@kwikmechanic6844 Yeah, great shout. thanks a lot for the responses
Was the source of the leak only from the trunk seal and have you stopped the water from entering ?
Thanks man i really appriciate that, i have same problem with mine bmw e81 2007 1 series, and i was wondering all the time how the water come in back seats. Also i opened same under exhaust and there was almost 1 liter of water. Thnx for help, now i will drain all other water. 😁😁
Same problem, car turns over but won’t start. Water in the battery bay, ground cable corroded off all together, full things getting stripped out and new cables and battery. What a nightmare 🤣
@@FatmanconNthem sorry to hear that, it’s crazy how that water collects in that area.
Thank you for this video!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you 🙏 I’ve had this problem for years,my seats went mouldy,
All my electronics stopped working and corroded then my partner at the time fixed the electrics to the best he could that which saved me a lot of money thank God and sealed the back lights because that’s where it was coming from,or so we thought 😬
but I still have the same problem and I just can’t find the leak do you have a video to show how to actually fix the leak please,because I’m trying to do it myself thank you
It’s stressed me out for years and has ruined my car the stereo etc still doesn’t work and my car battery just keeps dying,plus the Immobiliser messes around to because of all the water damage ( help please ) 🙏 lol 😂
Hi Michelle, basically you need to replace your boot rubber seal. Easy to take off and put back on. At least that’s where the water was coming in from my car
Nice video. Just had the same problem on my 2009 E90. Battery terminals snapped off.
That’s a shame Philip. The good thing is you can get a replacement one and get that installed. The battery cable runs through the body at low level, so when water comes in that’s the first part that gets wet. Hope you get it fixed
bro this saved me, thanks for a great video!
Thanks for that valuable information!!!
Hello I purchased a 2013 bmw 1 series and I could hear water splashing in my boot and happened to look in the boot side compartment and low and behold it was full with water, opened the battery compartment this also had a few inches of water, my back seats are soaking too. Do you think this will be a similar issue ?
Hi Emily, yes it sounds like it. Keep an eye on that water level, don’t let it get to high otherwise it will damage your electrics. Empty the water and dry it all out. You car windows will probably start misting up.
top man, cheers.
very informational video , it fixt my problem, thank you brother ,all the best to you..
Glad it helped
Were the back seats wet as well or did you only notice it when taking off the rear seats? I got the same issues with water in the battery compartment in my e91. Can't figure it out where its coming from.
@@t.t.599 back seats were wet as well.
Great video, same issue with my e90 and the battery cable snapped off. Did you put the rubber bungs back into the chassis??
Thanks, yes I put the rubber bungs back on
did you have problems with the parts that the battery cable mount to? those are corroded for me and i don’t know if i can change them or not
So your soruce of the leak was the trunk seal? Im just trying to undersrtand so i know for the future for my car..
Did a new Trunk/Boot Seal solve the water problem? or is still slowly leaking in?
Yes, the boot seal was replaced.
Excellent job, this is exactly the problem on my X3. Are you replacing the seal around the truck area to prevent the eater from coming in ?? Many thanks
Yes the seal is replaced
This is happening to my 528xi 😢
The dealership saying they have to do a water test $380
I got water in my battery area too and I recently lift up the trunk mat in the back and see water there also..but my car malfunctioning rightnow.all the computers in the car malfunctioning and I’m assuming water is somewhere causing that..my car in limp mood no power no nothing..it start fine but idling real bad and shake and it say engine malfunction transmission malfunction and all different light on abs everything since located water in the trunk
So I’m having the same problem and the water has gotten in so bad it’s causing problems with how my car is running so maybe it’s the red wire in my car or whatever that is I’m not real car savvy.
Yes, remove the battery. Empty the water and then inspect the cables for corrosion or damage. If not damaged then dry it out and put everything back. Don’t forget to sort the source of water coming in which is probably the boot seal
Hi Thanks for the video, Of course I also have the same problem in my E90- I would like to ask you if you solved the leakage problem by changing the hood seals, or what did you do? Thank you
I basically took off the boot seal and made sure they were put back properly. All dry since then
hey man, my wires were so corroded to the point where they fell of. my car started tweaking out electrically and popping out of gear. (i have the dct). i opened the battery compartment and it was full of water. can i replace the mounting points for the cables on the bottom? or is that non replaceable? because mine look too corroded for save.
Hi, yes you can replace the cables. There is a cable that runs from the battery compartment and then inside the car up to the engine bay. If you’re referring to that point then the whole cable will need to changed if you don’t have a crimping tool. Otherwise you can crimp a new end on.
I have the same exact issue, I have removed all the plugs on the drain hole sections and the water isn't coming inside the trunk anymore but my back seats are still getting wet underneath. I want to find the cause of the leak but where else can this water be coming from ?
Check your boot seal and then check your window seal. It’s not likely the boot seal as it was for me
@@kwikmechanic6844 there isn't any more water coming into the battery or the amp area but its soaking wet underneath my back seats ?
@@THEFLOORISYOURS what did you replace ? Did you change anything ?
The leak is coming from the driver side back seat panel right before it reaches the window section
I have not taken the rest of the panels off but can see the water drip. Can’t believe BMW has not done recalls considering how many owners have these leak issues
Did u have any battery problems?
I just turned my bmw 3 series on and the airbag light was on got home so first thing was I turned it off and back on again no change so opened the boot to check the battery and low and behold it was half full off water 🤦🏻♂️ I’ve managed to empty it now one of my positive wires has corroded so thinking I may need a new wiring harness and I need to make sure it doesn’t so it again
Really sorry to hear that, trust me when I say I know how you feel. The good news is you can remove the whole wiring system out of the boot and clean it before making the decision to replace it. Make sure there is no water in your floor, just remove the rubber grommets from underneath the car and that should tell you how much water is hiding by how much pours out. I’m guessing you will have water if the airbag light connector is covered with water. Good luck
I thought my battery was going bad then I buy a $220 battery and was gonna put it in until I noticed that I needed to buy a new positive terminal cable only 🤦🏻♂️ the cable got all corroded
Make sure the connections are all clean. It’s a common problem and needs attention
Great vid…thanks. What did u do to replace resolve the issue - replace the boot seal ?
Thanks! Yes replace the boot seal
Looks like I have the same problem, one of positive cables totally fizzed and broken. Did you drill a hole in the battery compartment as mine seems not to have any drainage points E91 2007
They don’t have drainage points at all. If you do drill a hole make sure you treat it to avoid rust
Hi, I have a similar issue on an e93, but can't figure out how to remove the black plastic section at he back of the boot, it's got these 2 black discs on either side with notches where the boot lid stoppers rest on.
Do you know how these come off please?
Hi, the black plastic covers should be oval shaped and you will need a small screwdriver to pull that out. There will be a screw underneath that will allow you to take the plastic trim off.
How did you get the water out of the battery compartment ?
May have just saved me a lot of headache. Lets find out! Was your airbag light a pass. restraint malfunction?. I keep getting those especially after I changed my steering wheel to carbon one but it's the same airbag. I already removed and checked the cables. They seem to be connected properly.
Hey Diego,
My airbag and seatbelt light was a pass and it reset perfectly with no issues. That small 2 pin cable was wet which caused the issue in the first place. When you changed your steering wheel and put everything back together did you reset the codes? The light won’t just turn off, you will need a code reader to reset it
@@kwikmechanic6844 no i didnt reset it. Maybe thats why. Not sure how to reset it
@@DiegoHEduardo you will need to reset it. You will need a code reader or a mechanic that can do this for you.
Bought a 5series with the same problem. Found out the previous owner bored a hole near the battery compartment drain the water out. If I change the seal to a new one will that prevent the problem from happening again.
Hi Michael, yes if the water is coming in from the seals. Making a hole is not a bad thing, but if it’s just a hole that hasn’t been primed then you could develop rust later on down the line. Are you getting a lot of water collecting even though you have the hole? make sure the area the water runs down the edges of you boot lid are clear with no leaves or gunk.
How to fix it?
Ye
My cords actually snapped off. I’m going to cut the wire and change the ends, but can you tell me the gauge size I need for the battery terminal on the left and the right?
Hi, what do you mean by cords? Do you mean the large red mains cable ? If so then these are available on eBay
@@kwikmechanic6844 I wAs able to crimp them, but the nut was stuck on piece they get attached to. That bolt. Any idea what that piece is called?
@@daSTARPlayer if it’s the positive battery terminal then it’s just a connection terminal which is a 10mm nut if I remember correctly. The bolt doesn’t come off and is a complete piece to the fuse box
I had the same issue on my BMW F10 5 series, battery compartment was flooded 3 quarters with water. Now my car wont start? Just cranks no start, any idea why this could be? I've checked all fuses and fuel relay, they seem fine. Thank you!
Have you scanned for any codes? Used a diagnostic tool?
@@kwikmechanic6844 Yes, its showing fuel rail pressure low, air inlet throttle actuator, rail pressure control valves, glow control unit, fuel supply pressure control.
@@imranansari7006 remove the battery and check if the wiring hasn’t corroded or snapped. You could possibly have a bad connection caused by the water.
@@kwikmechanic6844 hmm i will disconnect all wires and double check tomorrow, thank you
To make matters worst they saying my fuel pump is ruined because of the water my warranty won’t cover anything from water damage 2015 528xi this is absolutely ridiculous
Sorry to read that. I hope you get things resolved soon.
Silly question but how do you clean the black air bag cable ?
Isopropyl alcohol
@kwikmechanic6844 thank you for the reply, think I'm ah ing the same issue. Water all around the battery etc. Cleaned and dried the area. Cleared the fault but still have the warning lights so I'm at a loss
@@pennysniffer2348 check the faults what are they saying or referring to? You may need to replace the cables if they have been damaged by the waters
How did you remove the airbag switch or cable?
Hi, please watch the video at 1:25, the air bag cable does not come out as it runs through the length of the car. The air bag connector is what you need to disconnect and check and if necessary clean
Hey men did you fix the problem, thanks :) ?
Yes
@@kwikmechanic6844 and what was the problem :) ?
People keep saying to drill holes under the battery. But I can see 2 round plastic plugs there. Would removing them not create drainage?
I don’t think there is a drainage hole in the battery compartment. If you do make a hole that’s not solving the problem. Check the boot seal which could be letting the water in through the sandwich part of the body. I’d you do make a hole then rust proof it and seal it.
@@kwikmechanic6844 then what are those round plastic plugs under the battery? They are seen in your video at 0:58
@@funitoo they are not rubber removal caps. What’s in your car? If they are removable from your car then you can remove them, however will that solve your problem ?
How do you fix the water getting in though?
Depends where you water is coming in from
@@kwikmechanic6844 any easy ways to tell?