Bizarre cold weather behavior-

[jelt110]

In the last -20F cold spell in Chicago- the 2014 F-15 (85k miles) started fine- but several times- after short trips- 10 minutes or so- the car would not start up again:

"Drivetrain Malfunction" appeared on the dash- and the engine would crank- and start immediately then shut up by itself within a second... or it would crank without catching. Obviously this was a control issue. I did not ascertain a pattern between the two modes of not starting(i was too peeved at the time to pay better attention), but they would tend to switch off.

I tried 20 or 30 times the first time this happened. Then, as I finally gave up and was calling my wife (and the bluetooth automatically engaged), the engine caught and ran as normal "What's the problem dude??" the engine seemed to say.

The Drivetrain malfunction stayed on for the next few starts, then went away. Then it happened again. 20-30 tries- but then I pull out the phone, actually dialed BMW service this time- and tried starting while the bluetooth was active- SON OF A FREAKING GUN!

There is a bloody German leprechaun in that ECU...

Only 2 incidences- NOTHING else affected the problem- nothing else solved the problem, I locked the car and re-entered it, changed a boat load of controls and settings- tried starting in neutral, nothing had any effect except using the bluetooth.

Okay, I still love the x5, but yeah I now believe y'alls' stories. At least i was not actually stranded.

Other conditions- lots of dry snow- a bit of caking up around the wheels - so that may have messed with drivetrain sensors. I did wash the car good when it warmed up- did not have access to a good wash when it was cold- if it happens again i'll put in in the building at work and thaw it and see if getting the snow/salt/dirt off helps.

Don't think the battery was low- even though i was using a lot of seat heat and steering heat, rear defrosted and front defrost setting.

The engine turned over in -23F mornings better than my old subaru forester turbo- but the turbo started after 1 or 2 very slow cranks just fine in many a -15 F morning. The X5 sounded a bit slower than usual, but nothing as slow as the Subaru. Not sure what oil is in it- still had factory service. I'll probably put 0-30 mobil 1 in next change, unless there is any compelling reason not to. I've beat several engines hard with mobil 1 and zero problems- we also used Mobil1 in the Cessnas and Pipers in the flying club (WI10/5k6, now ENW).

No other cold weather weirdness noticed, the x5 is awfully nice when it warms up after a few minutes. Interesting traction mode differences.

[HJ]

It could be alot of things, the most common engine malfunction alert seems to be coil/spark plugs going bad which will then have to be replaced. It could also be something simple like your gas cap not being closed properly which happened to someone I know. Should get it checked out either way

[jelt110]

You know, the gas cap was a little weird last time i filled up. And I did fill it up in -22 F windy conditions (nice planning, John..).

I did OBDC2 it- had a plethora of errors- all went away. I have a few pics of some of the errors. Did not see a good pattern...

[The Libertine]

In my experience, incredibly cold weather (my scientific term) can cause strange things to happen that clear up once the temperature moderates.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by jelt110

In the last -20F cold spell in Chicago- the 2014 F-15 (85k miles) started fine- but several times- after short trips- 10 minutes or so- the car would not start up again:

"Drivetrain Malfunction" appeared on the dash- and the engine would crank- and start immediately then shut up by itself within a second... or it would crank without catching. Obviously this was a control issue. I did not ascertain a pattern between the two modes of not starting(i was too peeved at the time to pay better attention), but they would tend to switch off.

I tried 20 or 30 times the first time this happened. Then, as I finally gave up and was calling my wife (and the bluetooth automatically engaged), the engine caught and ran as normal "What's the problem dude??" the engine seemed to say.

The Drivetrain malfunction stayed on for the next few starts, then went away. Then it happened again. 20-30 tries- but then I pull out the phone, actually dialed BMW service this time- and tried starting while the bluetooth was active- SON OF A FREAKING GUN!

There is a bloody German leprechaun in that ECU...

Only 2 incidences- NOTHING else affected the problem- nothing else solved the problem, I locked the car and re-entered it, changed a boat load of controls and settings- tried starting in neutral, nothing had any effect except using the bluetooth.

Okay, I still love the x5, but yeah I now believe y'alls' stories. At least i was not actually stranded.

Other conditions- lots of dry snow- a bit of caking up around the wheels - so that may have messed with drivetrain sensors. I did wash the car good when it warmed up- did not have access to a good wash when it was cold- if it happens again i'll put in in the building at work and thaw it and see if getting the snow/salt/dirt off helps.

Don't think the battery was low- even though i was using a lot of seat heat and steering heat, rear defrosted and front defrost setting.

The engine turned over in -23F mornings better than my old subaru forester turbo- but the turbo started after 1 or 2 very slow cranks just fine in many a -15 F morning. The X5 sounded a bit slower than usual, but nothing as slow as the Subaru. Not sure what oil is in it- still had factory service. I'll probably put 0-30 mobil 1 in next change, unless there is any compelling reason not to. I've beat several engines hard with mobil 1 and zero problems- we also used Mobil1 in the Cessnas and Pipers in the flying club (WI10/5k6, now ENW).

No other cold weather weirdness noticed, the x5 is awfully nice when it warms up after a few minutes. Interesting traction mode differences.

Low voltage will cause shitload of issues and errors.

Car most likely stored codes (hidden). If you are under warranty, take it in and let them scan the car. If you are outside of warranty, get Carly, or BimmerCode (link?) or a cable and see what the codes are. That should give you better understanding of what is going on.

[LocksmithNick]

Easily solution:

Move out of Chicago and come to beautiful South Carolina!

[jelt110]

Originally Posted by LocksmithNick

Easily solution:

Move out of Chicago and come to beautiful South Carolina!

Global warming is coming, 5 years and we'll have your weather here!

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by jelt110

Global warming is coming, 5 years and we'll have your weather here!

With global warming in 5 years, downtown Chicago will be all underwater.

[jelt110]

Originally Posted by alphaod

With global warming in 5 years, downtown Chicago will be all underwater.

Okay... I'll play. :-) So does anyone know the fording depth of the F15?

Is there any listed?

For the gas models of course- I would assume the diesel would be more water resistant?

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by jelt110

Okay... I'll play. :-) So does anyone know the fording depth of the F15?

Is there any listed?

For the gas models of course- I would assume the diesel would be more water resistant?

Air intake ducts are behind the grill - so considering forcing any water will create waves - you'll need to stay safely below grill levels - otherwise you'll get bent rods and scuffed cylinders.

Judging by the side view of x5 - grills start about where top part of tire ends - so basically wheel height - which is about 27 inches. So you'll need to stay way below that to not force accidental water wave into intake. Probably 20 inch is safe lol.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by DuSh

Air intake ducts are behind the grill - so considering forcing any water will create waves - you'll need to stay safely below grill levels - otherwise you'll get bent rods and scuffed cylinders.

Judging by the side view of x5 - grills start about where top part of tire ends - so basically wheel height - which is about 27 inches. So you'll need to stay way below that to not force accidental water wave into intake. Probably 20 inch is safe lol.

You are very close.


“Driving through water
Drive though calm water only if it is not deeper than 19.6 inches/50 cm, and at this height no faster than walking speed.
Adhere to water depth and speed limitations
Do not exceed this water depth and walking speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the transmission may be damaged.◀


Page 189
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...3&d=1383778913

[jelt110]

Originally Posted by W37V

You are very close.


“Driving through water
Drive though calm water only if it is not deeper than 19.6 inches/50 cm, and at this height no faster than walking speed.
Adhere to water depth and speed limitations
Do not exceed this water depth and walking speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the transmission may be damaged.◀


Page 189
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...3&d=1383778913

Awesome infor and awesome deductive logic! Thank you good sirs! Hope I'll never need it, but....