[Brettucks]

And on cue after joining I have a question. The odometer blinks. I have seen
1- disconnect battery (possible replace, June 2020)
2- remove taillight?
3- turn hazards on and off?
Lots of things suggested. Some seem silly.

is this common if 12v battery is going bad?

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Unfortunately, if the 12v battery is going bad in a 500e, the most common situation is to have absolutely no sign at all*, until the car "suddenly" fails completely**, which is why it's a really good idea to get your own alarm, such as a "BM2":

A 12v in a 500e can last over 5 years, or fail in as little as 23 months, presumably due to heat from the adjacent onboard charger, which is why it seems to help to add a piece of styrofoam:

The best easy way to estimate 12v health is resting voltage, preferably after parking for several hours without charging, such as overnight or at work. If you don't have a Bluetooth gauge like that BM2, try to leave the hood cracked open so you don't need to open a door or hatch (to pop the hood) which awakens the car, dropping the voltage, & if it's the left door, it also charges the 12V for half a minute, which can raise the voltage temporarily.


* Sometimes the locking beep will go soft, RIGHT before it dies (1 more start, & dead for the next one). Even more rare is an actual warning on the display, usually with it's first appearance as "final warning" . I've never seen any report of a 12v causing flashing odo.

** It only seems sudden. What actually happened is the battery had 300% of the needed capacity, & as it gradually wore out it went to 299%, 298%...101% & 100%, at which point it still works fine with no discernable difference. Then next time it hits 99% of the needed capacity & it "suddenly" fails.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

As for #s 1-to-3 above, feel free to try 1 & 3 & report back, but besides something called a "proxy alignment" that I don't know how to do, #2 is the only one I've seen reportedly working. The key seems to be getting a brake light warning to show on the car's display, which I believe requires turning the car on & hitting the pedal. I think the light assembly has a plug, so you might just be able to unplug it without needing to remove the bulb.

 

[Brettucks]

Thanks bud .. #2 I thought was ridiculous. Will try this week..

 

[Don Mac]

Thanks bud .. #2 I thought was ridiculous. Will try this week..

You can buy a Portable Jump Starter and carry it in the boot. $50 to $100. A 100% charge on my jump starter has lasted 5 months so far. You just need to get it started, then drive to an Auto Parts store and get a replacement.

 

[FiatCares]

And on cue after joining I have a question. The odometer blinks. I have seen
1- disconnect battery (possible replace, June 2020)
2- remove taillight?
3- turn hazards on and off?
Lots of things suggested. Some seem silly.

is this common if 12v battery is going bad?

Hello!

Our team understands if you would like to continue discussing this matter with the rest of the forum community, but please know our team is here as a resource to you if you decide to visit your nearest Fiat dealership. We are always one private message away.

Hannah
Fiat Cares

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

You can buy a Portable Jump Starter and carry it in the boot.

True, & I felt fairly safe with one, until a few owners were unable to jumpstart their dead 500Es. That made me realize that since a 500e will often start even when the battery is 90% drained, by the time it won't even start, it can be considerably lower. That's WAY below the point where a fuel car won't start. SO low that it may or may not even jumpstart.

Someone suggested disconnecting the dead battery, but I tried that & it didn't work. Apparently portable jumpstarters won't work without a battery connected. Cables would likely work though.

I prefer to avoid failure in the first place, so I recommend getting an alarm, such as the BM2 in post #2 above.

#2 I thought was ridiculous.

Ya, me too. About as ridiculous as a humidity sensor preventing a car from starting. But apparently it can work, & it's pretty easy, so please let us know how it goes.

 

[Brettucks]

Removed tail light, unplugged, turned key on, hit brakes, saw message, turned off key, replaced taillight - blinking still there. Have seen no other effects.

Just unplugged, but did not remove bulbs. And yeah, my driver tail light is considered 'left' like mentioned elsewhere.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Since driver side is the left, I guess you mean the display shows the wrong side, like mentioned elsewhere.

I've never heard of a blinking odometer due to a low or replaced 12V, but it seems pretty common with any aftermarket audio component, like the new amp you mentioned on the speaker thread.

The solution is apparently "proxy alignment".

Apparently AlfaOBD can do that, at least for 2013-15* (so your '14 is covered), but I couldn't locate it in the app so I asked the forum & @jmetteer had the answer, so I posted pics of the process in post #3 of this thread:

How to do Proxy Align in AlfaOBD

EDIT: "How To" pic in post #3 below. Proxi Align is supposed to be in AlfaOBD somewhere, but there are so many menu selections I haven't been able to find it yet. If anyone knows, please let us know. Thank you!

www.fiat500owners.com

* Apparently as of late 2019, AlfaOBD wouldn't always align a 2016+ 500e

 

[Brettucks]

Just an update- odometer stopped blinking on its own accord. Did not scan or unhook battery. It just stopped blinking after 3 weeks or so.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

I read once that some issues are cleared by 50 key cycles (minimum 2 minutes off) so maybe that's what did it.