Car won't start... no idea why.

[smidley]

So I went down to the garage to get in the car and get some food earlier today, and I turn the key in the Z4 and nothing happens. Doesn't even make a noise like it's trying to start. I checked to make sure that the battery isn't dead or anything. All the lights come on fine, stereo works fine. I don't have any jumper cables around to try a jump start, and my room mate is gone for the day so I will have to wait till he gets back to try that, but since all the electronics work, wouldn't that mean it's fine?

I decided to check fuses for the ignition system and those all look fine also. Unplugged the battery for about 5mins to let everything reset and that didn't work either. Anyone have any ideas what this might be? I don't have another vehicle so I'm stuck until I get this figured out.

Thanks for any help.

[b0bab0i]

Try to use a different key. Thats what happened to me. The sensor in the key tied to the ignition died.

I used another key and car worked fine.

[smidley]

Originally Posted by benmoooon

Try to use a different key. Thats what happened to me. The sensor in the key tied to the ignition died.

I used another key and car worked fine.

I only have one other key and I think it might be dead since I can't use it to unlock the doors. But I tried it anyway, and it does the same thing. I can get the stereo and electronics to come on, but when I turn the key the rest of the way for the engine, nothing happens.

[Flying Scotsman]

manual or auto?

[Rick F.]

Smidley,

It's not uncommon for a battery to have enough juice to run the lights and stereo but not enough to turn over the starter. Sometimes you'll hear the solenoid click as it tries to engage the starter, but not always.

If you have a voltmeter, see what the battery voltage is. A good reading is 12.4 volts, and a not-so-good would be 11.5 or less. How old is the battery? Were the terminals nice and clean?

Battery failures aren't uncommon. If it isn't the battery, then other causes are generally a lot more obscure. Bad starter solenoid, bad starter, bad ground cable, bad ignition switch, bad sensor in key (as already mentioned), bad A/T shift-position sensor.

Oh, one other thought: If you have a manual trans, did you remember to put the clutch in before trying to start? Even if the car's in neutral, it won't start without the clutch in.

Sorry if these thoughts are overly basic. Anyway, good luck and let us know what it turns out to be.

Rick F.

[smidley]

Thanks for all the help guys. It's an Auto transmission. I don't have a volt meter, but I'm going to wait till my room mate gets home tomorrow and I'll try to jump start it. The battery terminals look perfect and the battery is only about a year old. I'll keep you guys updated!

Thanks again.

[smidley]

Well bad news. I just tried jump starting it and no luck. I took the battery down to get tested and it checked out perfect. Any ideas on what I might check next?

[WhoU4]

There is something I read about in the TIS manual, safety battery terminal (SBK) which is located in the trunk area off of the battery. It is apparently for carrying high current and is designed to pop off to protect the car if there is a problem.

Here is a post from 2008 that kind of describes what to look for: http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ttery+terminal

[smidley]

I think this is what it's talking about. Just opened this box and snapped a picture. Does this look right to everyone? I'm not really sure how it's supposed to look. Thanks.

[WhoU4]

Smidley, The fuses look good, if they were blown they should appear burnt or cracked, in other words destroyed. If you wanted to be sure that they are not bad you could use an Ohm meter across the two silicon fuses (without any power applied across the fuse)

Is there a chance the transmission isn't all the way in park? If so have you tried to start in neutral? Keep thinking it has to have a start safety switch within the shifting assembly.

[smidley]

Well more bad news. I just got the battery reinstalled in there and tried the trick of starting it in neutral but that didn't work either. This is so weird and such a hard problem to troubleshoot because there are no sounds to go off of or anything and I'm all out of ideas. I really can't afford to have this thing towed to a stealership and have them tell me it's going to cost more than what I owe on the car to get fixed either. If anyone has ANY other ideas they'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Huz-Z]

How is the starting motor positioned on the Z4?

Would it be possible to pop the hood and visually inspect the starting motor to check for problems? Loose wiring to the starter motor, etc?

Good Luck!!!

[smidley]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

How is the starting motor positioned on the Z4?

Would it be possible to pop the hood and visually inspect the starting motor to check for problems? Loose wiring to the starter motor, etc?

Good Luck!!!

I'm not sure where the starter is located or what it looks like... anyone know?

[nickpapa]

starter is kind of in a weird spot. you might have to take off the intake manifold to see it. i know you definitely have to take it off to remove it but i cant remember if you can see it with it on or not. if you're standing behind the drivers side fender (on the side of the car) and look below the intake manifold towards the firewall, the starter is bolted to the trans. that will show the connections of the starter. the body of the starter runs parallel to the top of the trans which you probably cant see from the engine bay.

it could be a stuck starter or a cable problem as suggested. it could also be the ignition switch itself. your best bet is to probably take it to a reputable independent bmw mech in your area to get it checked out

[smidley]

Thanks for the info! After I get off work tonight I'll see if I can pull the intake manifold off and see if anything looks strange. I'll keep you guys updated.

[nickpapa]

Originally Posted by smidley

Thanks for the info! After I get off work tonight I'll see if I can pull the intake manifold off and see if anything looks strange. I'll keep you guys updated.

just so you're not confused, by intake manifold, i dont mean the intake (intake tube, airbox etc.) i mean the actual intake manifold. it's a bit of a bigger job to take that off since you gotta pull off the injectors and a bunch of other things that are in the way.


EDIT: i was looking at some DIY posts on E46 fanatics and it looks like on the M54 you dont need to remove the intake manifold (unlike the E36's). so you might be in luck without taking that off (although it would probably be much easier if you did). here is the thread i was taking a look at. not everything is exactly the same but the majority is. take a look: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=starter

[Graham M]

Yeah your starter is probably toast. Mine started to get weaker and weaker, but I had no other to drive so I keep driving it, then it just went from 50% to stone dead. Like with you, everything worked fine. The starter is a bitch to get to, at least it was with my 3.0I, it may be different with your 2.5. You'll have to drop this lower plate, which almost resembles a skid plate. You'll probably also need a special tool, much like a large torx driver, for the actual bolts that secure the starter.

[smidley]

Any idea how much a new starter will cost me to replace it? I looked around in the engine bay a little bit but couldn't really tell where to locate the starter. I'll probably have more time to look at it tonight though.

[WhoU4]

BMW Parts Unlimited and Tischer BMW both list a 03'-05' Z4 starter at $237.12 w/core cost of $50...

http://www.bmwpartsunlimited.com

http://getbmwparts.com/

[WhoU4]

Originally Posted by nickpapa

EDIT: i was looking at some DIY posts on E46 fanatics and it looks like on the M54 you dont need to remove the intake manifold (unlike the E36's). so you might be in luck without taking that off (although it would probably be much easier if you did). here is the thread i was taking a look at. not everything is exactly the same but the majority is. take a look: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=starter

As nickpapa stated, it looks a bit easier on the M54. The TIS DVD and my 99-05 3series/Z4 manual both state that the work can be performed from "above" the car... But I would suggest taking a look yourself after removing the airbox.

These are the listed steps.

1. Disconnect Battery
2. Remove the air filter housing (box and tube)
3. note their installed positions, then remove the nuts and disconnect the wiring from the starter motor.
4. Remove the starter motor mounting bolts from the transmission bellhousing.
5. Lift the starter out

1. Install in the reverse order
2. Tighten all nuts/bolts to specified specs. (45 Nm / 33.19 lb/ft)

[Graham M]

Yeah, dont buy anything through BMW if you can avoid it. I bought mine through Napa here in Calgary. BMW wanted $400 for it, I bought it for $270.... same thing.

[nickpapa]

assuming you have a 2003 2.5, autohausaz seems to have it pretty cheap. bosch reman too

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...d=4152@Starter