HELP!!! TI WONT START! NOT A FUEL PUMP ISSUE!!

[pdxmotorhead]

Starter relay/starter as well could be the issue...


Dave

[JustinH]

Originally Posted by pdxmotorhead

Starter relay/starter as well could be the issue...


Dave

What he said. Now that we have more useful info you need to start with battery voltage, then if that's good make sure battery voltage is getting to the starter solenoid.

[AquaCali]

Camshaft position sensor. When mine went I got an error code a couple of days before it happened. Drove the car in to the shop to change the oil, after finishing the oil change the car would not start. No error code because the engine would not start and I had cleared the previous one, my best guess was the camshaft position sensor. Went to the dealer the next day to get a new one, installed it and the car started right up. BMW uses the camshaft position sensor for ignition timing; no signal from the sensor no spark.

[JustinH]

Originally Posted by PeterJ

Camshaft position sensor. When mine went I got an error code a couple of days before it happened. Drove the car in to the shop to change the oil, after finishing the oil change the car would not start. No error code because the engine would not start and I had cleared the previous one, my best guess was the camshaft position sensor. Went to the dealer the next day to get a new one, installed it and the car started right up. BMW uses the camshaft position sensor for ignition timing; no signal from the sensor no spark.

Not accurate. The ignition spark is dependent on signal from the crank sensor. With a bad cam sensor the injector timing will be off. The car will still crank with a bad cam sensor, this guy is saying it doesn't crank.

[ti cali ed]

The not cranking and not starting I see as two diff. non dependant issues. The starter should and will turn without spark or fuel. For the starter issue you'll need to start with the battery. voltage and load text the thing. Batteries only last about five years anything over that is luck. They however tend to slowly die after five years so a load text is needed. If the battery tests ok. Then test for power at the starter. Do this with a voltage meter at the starter silnoid (sp). Neg lead to a ground, pos. to the one of the big studs, one will be 12volt hot all the time the other only when you turn the key like you are starting the car. If you have power at the starter but it doesn't turn then the starter is bad. If there is power at one but not the other when the key is turned to the start position then check for power at the relay. Trying to make this easy on you switch the relay with another one and see if that works. If you still have no starter turning you're down to the switch in the dash. After you have the starter turning the engine over then you can worry about why it wont run. I've worked on a lot of car and can't say for sure if the cam sensor only times the fuel or spark. WIth most other makes you lose spark. I'd use your scan tool in the data funtion. Some cheap scan tools don't have this I know. If it don't go get another one that does. In the data funtion you should be able to read what the ecu is seeing from each sensor. If a sensor is bad it's going to give you a blank reading a bottomed out reading or a maxed out reading. Remember the ecu gives a code when one of the sensors is reading outside what the ecu says it should read. In other words use a little common sense. Hope this helps

[pi4ovete_84]

I had the same problem when I bought mine ti, since wasn't driven for a few years the ground of the engine(or the starter) was corroded and couldn't start. Wasn't making any noise at all. I had to push the car and jump in it and jump start it every time, since its manual. Took it to local shop, they cleaned the wire and no problems so far.
I had a mazda that had check engine due to bad camshaft position sensor, but was working fine.