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Hey guys, sorry for the long post.
I’m a new member. Just bought a 2006 X Type with only 93,000 km.
I searched the forum for my problem but couldn’t find exactly what I’m experiencing.
A little background:
When I bought it the seller told me every once in a while the engine won’t turn over when you turn the key, but you just need to try it again and it usually starts right up. He thought it was a failing starter, but he had simply inherited the car and didn’t really look into it or know much about the car.
5 minutes after we actually purchased the car the battery light came on. Took it straight away to a shop to make sure the alternator was ok before making the trek home which was 30 minutes away. The test revealed that the battery was good but the alternator needed to be replaced. The mechanic did say that the first time he ran the test the alternator was fine but the second time it had a fault. They didn’t have the parts in hand so he ordered a new alternator and told me I should be fine to drive it home and back the next day when the new alternator came in. After getting the keys back and attempting to start it up again the check engine light was on and a gear box fault message displayed. The mechanic thought it was strange but cleared the codes and when I restarted the car everything seemed fine and we drove it home. After we got home and we shut it off again we tried to restart it. The first 2 times turning the key the engine didn’t even try to turn. The third time it fired right up.
The next day we got the alternator replaced. This fixed nothing except I had to replace the serpentine belt because the new alternator was causing squealing.
When I got it home, I used my OBD tool to scan and the following codes were displayed: P1637 (see photos for details of 1637 code), P0629, P1643, P1699, and of course P1000. After clearing them, the check engine light and battery light will come in about every other time I start the car and not always at the same time (sometimes it’s only the battery light or vice versa)
Things I have tried so far:
- Checked all fuses
- Removed the battery minder which I believe was installed improperly, but hasn’t fixed the issue.
- reset the accident fuel cut off
Based on the codes generated I led to believe it’s probably an ECM issue or a CAN bus short circuit. I’m currently waiting to get a set of security screwdriver bits to check the ECM connections. I’ve also heard the CAN bus runs right under the cigarette lighter and can sometimes get pinched under there. I’ll check that shortly.
Any other suggestions form any of the experts on here?
These cars, like all modern cars, depend on constant, full battery voltage for proper operation. When they do not get it, odd symptoms crop up, often associated with codes being thrown.
The battery light illuminating does not necessarily indicate an alternator issue -as you have found out. The most frequent cause is a battery lead deteriorating within its covering. Totally unseen and therefore not suspected as the culprit. This scenario of the warning light happened to me. The cause was easy to discover and so was the cure - and you should do this now:
With the engine running for 5 minutes or so, lights on, climate control on, put your hand very near (not ON) each of the battery lead connections.
If the leads are sound, both should be at ambient temperature. If one is hot, you have found the problem. The leads are not expensive. In the case of my car it was the + lead that was faulty and replacing it (some years ago) has resulted in zero issues since.
P1637, P0629, P1643, P1699 codes + Battery light
