Safety Box

[Vinnie50]

So I just checked in the new user forum area. I have had my first major problem with the car today. I went to leave for work this morning and the check engine light was on. I checked faults at work with the ISID and there were no relevant faults stored. So I hooked up the aftermarket scanner and retrieved a P-code. As per my TC case I have a bad safety box. I can get all the parts tommorow except for the potential compensation screw. That is coming from Germany and will take a week or two. On the bright side I did get an i3 loaner.

 

[mindmachine]

So I just checked in the new user forum area. I have had my first major problem with the car today. I went to leave for work this morning and the check engine light was on. I checked faults at work with the ISID and there were no relevant faults stored. So I hooked up the aftermarket scanner and retrieved a P-code. As per my TC case I have a bad safety box. I can get all the parts tommorow except for the potential compensation screw. That is coming from Germany and will take a week or two. On the bright side I did get an i3 loaner.

What is the safety box, first I heard any reference to it.

 

[websterize]

Vinnie, too much jargon. Plain English, please, for this layman.

 

[alohart]

So I hooked up the aftermarket scanner and retrieved a P-code.

Are i3 P-codes (diagnostic trouble codes or DTC's) proprietary or can they be read by any OBD-II (on board diagnostics version 2) scanner? If some are proprietary, is there a public list of their definitions?

Is the CAN (controller area network) bus or are the CAN busses available on any of the data port pins? If so, maybe an enterprising i3 owner could decipher some CAN bus packets to learn more about our cars as is being done with the Leaf and i-MiEV/iOn/C-Zero where smart phone apps have been developed to display and log things like individual battery cell temperatures and voltages.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I've been told that there are LOTS of BMW proprietary info packets of data available. A generic OBD-II reader cannot decode them.

 

[Vinnie50]

There is something funny with how the OBD is setup in the i3. Not all scanners can pick up the diagnostic trouble codes. I tried multiple software versions in a high end scanner and some versions wouldn't even read that is was connected to a car. It took a cheap bare bones scanner to read the codes. The pin outs for the OBD should be the same as any other car. The problem with getting info out of the i3 is the BMW software. I am not sure how any other brand sets up their control units. I do know from working on bmw's for a while that they have problems with OBD setups. Generation 1 SMG transmissions used to not communicate properly with OBD scanners and would fail inspection. There was later a software fix. As of right now with the check engine lights For some odd reason BMW is having a conflict with their diagnostic software talking to the car. This happens from time to time especially since Bmw moved to using an Ethernet setup in the cars.
As for the safety box. It is located in the HV battery. This component houses the high voltage switch contactors. These contactors activate when you turn the key on and deactivate slowly when you turn the key off. If anything fails in the high voltage system goes bad in a short circuit type of way the contactors will stay open and high voltage will not be activated.

 

[mindmachine]

There is something funny with how the OBD is setup in the i3. Not all scanners can pick up the diagnostic trouble codes. I tried multiple software versions in a high end scanner and some versions wouldn't even read that is was connected to a car. It took a cheap bare bones scanner to read the codes. The pin outs for the OBD should be the same as any other car. The problem with getting info out of the i3 is the BMW software. I am not sure how any other brand sets up their control units. I do know from working on bmw's for a while that they have problems with OBD setups. Generation 1 SMG transmissions used to not communicate properly with OBD scanners and would fail inspection. There was later a software fix. As of right now with the check engine lights For some odd reason BMW is having a conflict with their diagnostic software talking to the car. This happens from time to time especially since Bmw moved to using an Ethernet setup in the cars.
As for the safety box. It is located in the HV battery. This component houses the high voltage switch contactors. These contactors activate when you turn the key on and deactivate slowly when you turn the key off. If anything fails in the high voltage system goes bad in a short circuit type of way the contactors will stay open and high voltage will not be activated.

OK I follow what you are saying about the safetybox and what it does, thanks.

 

[alohart]

For the curious among us, it would certainly be nice to have a set of i3 service manuals as I have with my gasoline-electric hybrid and had with my former BEV. These would help us understand faults like you have had. I have been unable to find a source for such manuals. Helm publishes service manuals for several automobile manufacturers but not BMW. Do you know where I might obtain i3 service manuals?

 

[jadnashuanh]

As I understand it, all of the BMW manuals are electronic so that they can always show the latest procedures and updates. Trying to maintain things on a moving landscape is both expensive and subject to error.

 

[websterize]

Do you know where I might obtain i3 service manuals?

The Facebook i3 group would be an excellent start. I deactivated my Facebook account a couple years ago but re-upped to access this page, which rivals this site for i3 news/tips/hangout. There's a wealth of information under the "Files" section. Here's a screen grab of some of the training manuals posted by Mary Demarest-Paraan, who I believe was one of the Active-E participants. Lots of i3 enthusiasts over there.

 

[jackt]

Service docs are here too:
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11837#p11837

 

[jadnashuanh]

Service docs are here too:
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11837#p11837

Those are some training and theory of operation documents...interesting and useful, but not service manuals.

 

[Vinnie50]

BMW does not publish service manuals. Everything is digital on the diagnostic system which is called ISIS. BMW is always changing the service documents so electronis is the easiest thing for them. BMW used to publis the documentation but that stopped in 2004 when they started shifting to computer based systems.