Need some Battery Replacement pointers

[kpro]

Going outside to take the battery out of my trunk, it died. I think it was Friday it started slow cranking and was dead by last night. All is good, there is a battery being delivered here soon, and my car came to work on a flat bed, lol.

I know with Honda's there are radio codes and other crapola that needs to be reset when you change the battery, should I look forward to that stuff with the bimmer too? How long can I leave the car with no battery in it, or will it reset all kinds of weird things. My car is a touch too complicated for me to understand at times. I didn't want them to wait on me to take the core out basically, and wanted it to be ready when they deliver the new one, but if its bad to let the car sit with no battery in it for a few hours than I might as well wait til they get here with it.

Thanks Guys :)

[billschusteriv]

Sorry Kristen, my "experience" with battery replacement is limited. Normally if I replace a battery, I hate running back and forth to the autoparts store so I pull the battery ahead of time.

I had the battery on hand I puled the battery from my e46 since there was no core charge when I bought the battery from BMW. So I noticed no ill effects when replacing the battery in my e46.

But when I replaced the battery in my e30 - I did pull the battery ahead of time because I was buying it from Autozone and there was a core charge. In the e30, the computer reset itself and the car needed to "re-learn" how to run. So the idle hunted - low and high - and occasionally would stall when reversing into my garage. Or would stall if I would rev the engine and then suddenly have to stop (going from full open on the throttle to full closed?).

These are two vastly different computer types - so it may not translate well between models.

Don't know if that helps.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Kristen, you can ignore my other question -- in the other thread. You'll see what I mean when you see it.

I just had my battery replaced. My guy hooked up another power source and put it on the front of the car (in the engine bay) on the battery post. Then he removed my battery from trunk. As a result, we did not have to reset anything, since the car was never without juice. However, my battery (in trunk) was still perfectly good. I was replacing it as a preventive measure. Not sure what happens when the battery dies. Not sure if your settings are lost when that happens.

Someone with more knowledge than me will chime in.

[danewilson77]

Nothing needs to be done. You'll be all good. You will just need to set your time.

[billschusteriv]

You will just need to set your time.

I did have to do this...

[Marcus-SanDiego]

So that's all I avoided? hehe.

[billschusteriv]

I don't remember if I had to reset my radio stations or not. That is usually a pain. :)

[MrMaico]

When I had my battery unhooked for a couple of weeks last winter while my steering wheel was being wrapped all I had to do, like Dane said, was reset the clock. Radio stations were still there. You could always get one of these.....

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GK504&cat=GDT

Barry

[kpro]

whew!!! good. Thanks guys! I gave them a Honda battery core when they dropped it off since I wasn't sure yet as to hook up a jump pack to change it or not. I'm making my oil change boy do it, its raining out.

[TRELO]

What we do is connect a booster pack on the car to not lose power. If so it's not a newer BMW that needs battery registering done or window sync crap.

Hardest part about a BMW battery swap is the weight of the damn thing lol ESP when you're trying to be cautious.

Just make sure the wrench you're using doesn't slip out of your hands and ground the positive post!!!!




Opa iPhone

[Crickett]

+1 to everyone else's responses: I had mine out for an hour or two after some slow cranking to have it checked & charged at AutoZone & when I put it back in all I lost was the current time. Radio stations, performance, etc. were as I left them.

Good luck!

[johnrando]

+1, no loss of stations on my replacement.

[billschusteriv]

whew!!! good. Thanks guys! I gave them a Honda battery core when they dropped it off since I wasn't sure yet as to hook up a jump pack to change it or not. I'm making my oil change boy do it, its raining out.

This reminds me. If you have to change out the alternator and the battery is dead... charge the battery first before restarting the car so you don't kill the new alternator as it tries to recharge the dead battery. It apparently voids any warranty on the new alternator you just bought too.

You may already know this... it makes sense... I just picked this up when I replaced my alternator with a defective one recently. This tidbit should probably be posted somewhere for the rest of us..

[Oli77]

Nobody has commented on loosing (or not) the phone contacts (for those of us that use factory bluetooth). Anybody knows if the contacts disappear when the battery is removed?

[kpro]

My starter is dead. Im the worlds biggest idiot and taught myself once again not to try and diagnose the bimmer with my Honda knowledge, at least opening my bentley manual would have saved me $$ on a battery, and I probably would have tested it at least. I figured slow start was battery, especially the way its just gotten worse over a few days, definately a battery. Parking on inclines from here on out, what a day. Screw the gym, I need an effing drink :(

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Hang in there, Kristen.

[kpro]

LOL, Im good now. Its in the driveway, I will roll down the driveway and pop my clutch at the bottom, then be on my way to work in the morning. Get to work and search out my parking strategy...must find incline. I will put it on a lift at somepoint tomorrow and whack the starter with a hammer and see if I can get a few days out of her til I get a new one. I can just drive the NSX machine in the rain if it turns into a mess trying to clutch start it more than a day or two.

[lilcdkey]

For my E36 all my OBC readings (MPG, MPH, etc.), the time, and the radio stations were reset.