NO crank problem.. AGAIN! :(

[dhong089]

Alrighty, best of luck to ya this weekend! hopefully you can sort out your issue (and help me along the way, hehe)

I'll also get my butt moving and see what I can do as well~

[jakobgr]

So I have a pretty pink solution ....I can start the car via button (sure the purist's are not gonna like my temp solution). We ran a wire from the starter to the battery adding a button so I can start it from inside. We ran through everything we could think of and could figure out via limited documentation. Not battery...not the clutch start switch...no bad ground that we could find. Basically...the button is hopefully a temp fix till I can save enough up to go to a dealership to have it looked at.

[dhong089]

Hey jakobgr, so this solution works all the time now?

The push-start acts like a by-pass, right? I really have no clue and am interested in that device. I could definitely use one. And can you further explain how you set-up this push-start device?

As for me, I went out and got myself a cheap voltmeter and a Schumacher SC-1000A. Cost me 60ish bucks altogether. Not too light on the wallet, but not too heavy either. Plus I added some valuable tools to my toolbox : )

First thing I did was test the battery’s voltage with no load. 12.5 volts. It looked good, but this time, I put a small load on it. I put the headlights on and then measured the battery. A good/charged-up battery should have a VERY small voltage drop. But this battery measured 12.15 volts this time. This is a huge voltage drop from just a small amp draw, so I assumed the battery is very drained. Considering it’s a new battery (only 3-4 weeks old), I only assumed that the battery was discharged. It has been sitting for a week or so. I am sort of skeptical whether a battery can go low in just a week’s time.. but I have no knowledge about that.

I did another test where I measured the battery’s voltage drop from turning the ignition. The original voltage was 12.5 volts. I had my brother get in the car and turned the ignition while I was probing the battery with the multimeter. As my brother turned the ignition, I only got the voltage to drop to 12.37 volts, MUST less voltage drop compared to the headlights. Well, obviously the amp draw is not high because the starter isn’t even cranking. But this tells me something funky. The starter isn’t even taking in the current??? I really have no clue. However, there IS a current draw, even though it’s only about .15 volts. Right now I’m thinking either the starter itself is truly bad, or there’s a faulty connection somewhere deep inside the engine-bay. These tests don’t really lead to any battery signs however. But since I already bought the Schumacher, I took out the battery and charged the battery.

On a 6amp charge, the battery charged up in approximately 8 hours. I measured the batteries voltage and it was a whopping 13.3 volts! So I put the battery in, attached the terminals… I did a quick prayer, and turned the ignition.

NOTHING!

This all happened about 10 minutes ago… Yes, it’s 4:50 AM… I was so anticipated that the car might start now, and was DYING for just a small test-drive... However I came back greatly disappointed (and deadly tired from lack of sleep).

So $60 bucks spent… Nothing worked. When it’s light outside, I might do some load tests on the battery. Maybe the battery is faulty.. however it’s a brand new battery, so I highly doubt any battery flaws.

Now that I have solid answers, I might start going deeper.
I might start removing the intake system in order to get to the starter motor. If anyone has experience with this, I would greatly appreciate some hints. I read the DIY Starter Replacement in the Knowledge Base of this website and it’s pretty helpful. I think I can tackle this job, but I’m not completely sure.

Anyways, looking forward to hearing your response about that ignition-button-start device jakobgr!

For now, I think I’m going to hit the sack >_>

[jakobgr]

So this solution works every time......and well because of how it is done the starter will crank even if the key is not even in the ignition and the car in gear. :-)
But the solution is super simple....and you can get to the part of the starter from below. You only need a slide on connector and long wire. You dont have to put a button on it or run it into the cabin. Basically connect a wire to the connector I have arrows pointing to...don't need to do anything with the nut of you use those slide on electric connectors. Once you have the wire on there..you just have to touch the wire to positive battery and boom. When working on it...be careful..the center nut is positive so if that touches the connector the car will crank. Anyway...if you have any questions ask away...and hopefully in the future will will be able to start the car normally.

Jakob

[dhong089]

Thanks for the info Jakobgr.

Based on only the things I know, it looks like you bypassed the ignition switch. Maybe your problem was the ignition switch all along? Considering this method works and the starter motor is spinning, your starter/solenoid must not have been the culprit of the no-start problem. Did you do any tests on the ignition switch component to see if it was the problem?


I’m kinda confused by this method though. Do you just use a long wire and touch the solenoid connector to the positive battery cable? I know the 318ti’s starter is located really deep in the engine, so how do you get the wire to reach down there?


Right now, I want to do some electrical tests with my multimeter and see if the starter/solenoid is getting any power. I need to rule some things out before I dish out money on new components. Is accessing the starter/solenoid difficult? how did you access it? I read a guide on this website where I can remove the microfilter and some hoses to get to the starter. Some said they removed the whole intake manifold. I’m not too sure what I’m going to do though. The only tools I have are a ratchet and socket set and a couple screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, and some allen wrenches. I really do want to do the job myself but I don’t know if I can handle it. Anyways, some insight is greatly appreciated!

[jakobgr]

So if you look at the picture of the starter I posted...that is my old starter......but that is how it is positioned on the engine. Now the big nut in the middle is live positive 12 volts all the time as I understand it. So if you take something metal and poke it so that it shorts between the connector on the right the starter will turn. So make sure the car is in neutral.
We jacked the car up on the drivers side and were able to get to the starter from below that way. I fed the wire from above down to the guy below...just have a flash light.
We used http://www.2carpros.com/images/artic...connectors.jpg
to connect our wire to the starter....we precrimped it and I fed it down to my friend and I connected it to the starter. He did say it was a bitch to get to..but its not too hard. In my case we fed it through a hole I already had in my firewall along with another wire that we ran to the battery ...and then we connected the two wires to a button switch we had laying around. We basically ran it through the firewall so that I wouldnt have to open up the hood every time I wanted to start it. Just be careful that you don accidentally turn the engine while you are under it and it's in gear.
Hope what I wrote makes some sense..if not..just ask away!:-)

Jakob

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by dhong089

Thanks for the info Jakobgr.

it looks like you bypassed the ignition switch. Maybe your problem was the ignition switch all along?

+1

[jakobgr]

As for the ignition switch, could be...but if it is..then it is probably expensive. One still needs the key in the switch for it to start..i.e. the immobilizer thingy.

[cooljess76]

Push to start button is cool, but how do you turn the car off?

[jakobgr]

Well it's pretty and pink...but I still need the key in the switch so we turn it off old school:-) This is pretty similar to running it down the hill which was my old solution...but now I can go to the grocery store and places that don't have hills....how cool is that:-) I hope this wont be my permanent solution but while I am broke..this will do.

[dhong089]

Right now I need to do tests on the starter and see if the electrical connections are working. If the starter/solenoid isn’t the problem, I will probably do the bypass switch like you did.

But the only part where I’m having confusion is how to access the starter. So you didn’t access the starter from the top, but the bottom? If I lift my car up and go under it, do you think I can perform the electrical tests on the starter/solenoid?

Or if anyone else has done a starter replacement, please give me some hints, as I can't even find the darn thing when looking in my engine bay!

[jakobgr]

You wont be able to access the starter from above w/out removing all kinds of crap which would require you to have new gaskets and stuff available. You can get to the starter from below..that is what we did. You can test to see if the starter cranks from below. You cant really see it from above...w.out removing at least the upper part of the manifold. Either way what ever you do its a bitch...but I'd start by jacking it up and investigating from below.
Jakob

[dhong089]

I see. If I go under the car in order to get to the starter, would I have to remove anything? Or is the starter easily seen?

I'm really wondering why BMW made the starter such a pain in the butt to access...

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by dhong089

I see. If I go under the car in order to get to the starter, would I have to remove anything? Or is the starter easily seen?

I'm really wondering why BMW made the starter such a pain in the butt to access...

Yeah, you can see it from underneath. It's not just a BMW thing, the starter is hard to get to on all cars. It's just the nature of the part. They have to engage with the flywheel, so they're always located on the back of the motor by the transmission. Yours is going to be located on the driver's side rear of the engine towards the top of the transmission bellhousing.

[dhong089]

Thanks for the info Cooljess,

So getting to the actual starter from underneath doesn't sound too difficult. I only have 2 jack stands, so I can just lift the front end up without worrying about the back right? (of course using wheel blocks in the back wheels). What I'm wondering though is if I can probe a voltmeter from underneath. Is it really high up there, or can I comfortable attach voltmeter probes to the starter system? Sorry for the loads of questions, it's just that I never done this before.

If I have to end up replacing the starter, I might just go to a mechanic, as I don't have the tools to do move the transmission down and all that jazz