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      05-31-2011, 08:53 AM   #1
brandobot
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06 Z4M Starter problem?

Just picked up an 06 z4m a week ago and have had no issues till yesterday evening. I drove it out about 20 miles to a shopping mall and when I finished shopping, the car wouldn't seem to start. It cranked and cranked, so I stopped, gave it a 30 second break, tried starting it again and it did the same. Gave it another minute break, and it fired right up.

My old 03 Z4 3.0 also seemed to have this issue where it would crank and crank but not start, but would immediately start up if I gave it a 5-10 second rest.

The only thing I changed in the last day was a new interstate mtp48/h6 battery.

Update:::
Did some research and found this recall for 06 Z4M's. I called Peter Pan BMW in Burlingame and provided my last 7 digits for my VIN and was informed that there was no recall for my vehicle.

I decided to take the time to remove my battery and tray just to double check and found that the cable was bent and twisted in the wrong position just like in figure 1. I electrical taped the wire down in the correct position and was able to start the car. It cranked for a good 3 seconds before it fired. I will monitor the car in the next few weeks and see if this helped resolve the issue.

Here's the link to the recall notice:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...7&d=1190441391

Day 1 of driving after performing the recall.
Car took a little longer on a cold start. After that, car has been starting within a few cranks. I turned off and on the car 4 times.

Last edited by brandobot; 06-07-2011 at 09:14 PM..
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      05-31-2011, 05:25 PM   #2
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Might very well be the battery has enough power to crank, but not enough to start. Others have reported the same issue with a battery on its last legs. Only way to know is to check the voltage, but if it's an 06 with original battery you're probably on borrowed time. Search on battery as there are AGM replacements cheaper than BWW. Here's one of the many threads on batteries to start off with. <Thread>
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      05-31-2011, 05:41 PM   #3
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I wonder why the BMW batteries go bad after three years or so? The original Motorcraft battery that came in my 97 F-150 lasted NINE years.....the alternator when out at the same time...
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      05-31-2011, 06:10 PM   #4
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Ship, did the mfg ask for that battery so they could disect it to see what "went wrong" (why it didn't fail sooner)?

I've never got more than 5-6 years out of a battery.

As for ours, even after a 20 mile (or longer) trip if I hooked it up to the CTEK it nevers shows a complete charge. Maybe it would when new? Don't know, I did "deep cycle" both of ours with the newer CTEK unit and the "full charge" lasts longer and no repeats of last fall's "dead battery" incident in 'Kitty's car.
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      05-31-2011, 08:08 PM   #5
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The battery on the wife's Roadster is the original battery also. That car is an 03 manufactured in Oct 2002. One of the first ones off the line..
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      05-31-2011, 08:14 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan View Post
Might very well be the battery has enough power to crank, but not enough to start. Others have reported the same issue with a battery on its last legs. Only way to know is to check the voltage, but if it's an 06 with original battery you're probably on borrowed time. Search on battery as there are AGM replacements cheaper than BWW. Here's one of the many threads on batteries to start off with. <Thread>
This happened after I replaced the battery with a new interstate battery h6 (which is suppose to be a direct replacement) When I got the new battery, I put it on a battery tender and trickle charged it for about 3 hours before installing.

Also, just to add. The car would crank for over 5 seconds and not start. Gave it a few seconds rest, tried again, and it fired up after two cranks.
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      05-31-2011, 09:28 PM   #7
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Well, battery is probably ruled out then.

Do you have a code reader? Other thoughts are the usual things: fuel filter, fuel pump, even "bad gas". A good code reader is well worth it (generic reader can't read all the extended codes). On my iPhone, so I can't search, but there are some threads on readers if you search. Only other thoughts are to run new gas and see if it recurs; if so find a good indie shop to check it. Others may be able to offer more help/ideas.

Last edited by Finnegan; 05-31-2011 at 09:52 PM..
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      06-01-2011, 08:45 AM   #8
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I don't have a code reader but I will bring it into a shop to have it checked. Currently, there are no dash lights. I'll try refueling and monitoring the car. Its just a little odd because it is not consistent. The car decides whether it wants to start or not start, a little scary...
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      06-01-2011, 10:31 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brandobot View Post
I don't have a code reader but I will bring it into a shop to have it checked. Currently, there are no dash lights. I'll try refueling and monitoring the car. Its just a little odd because it is not consistent. The car decides whether it wants to start or not start, a little scary...
Best to get it sorted out. The dash lights don't tell the whole story--it's possible to have a lot of codes stored and no dash lights. Keep us posted.
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      06-01-2011, 05:07 PM   #10
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Will do, thanks.

Just to add, the previous owner that the entire fuel tank system replaced at 35k.
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      06-02-2011, 08:54 AM   #11
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Scary, please keep us posted.
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      06-03-2011, 06:49 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by esqu1re View Post
Scary, please keep us posted.
It actually happens to me every so often. It's almost as if the dme didn't wake up yet. I usually pull the battery for a min and get going again.
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      06-06-2011, 05:51 PM   #13
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Did some research and found this recall for 06 Z4M's. I called Peter Pan BMW in Burlingame and provided my last 7 digits for my VIN and was informed that there was no recall for my vehicle.

I decided to take the time to remove my battery and tray just to double check and found that the cable was bent and twisted in the wrong position just like in figure 1. I electrical taped the wire down in the correct position and was able to start the car. It cranked for a good 3 seconds before it fired. I will monitor the car in the next few weeks and see if this helped resolve the issue.

Here's the link to the recall notice:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...7&d=1190441391
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      06-06-2011, 06:06 PM   #14
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Looks like they cannot read their own SIB.

"The Chassis Number Ranges listed below are only for informational purposes and are not to be considered as the only deciding factor."
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      06-06-2011, 09:29 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shipkiller View Post
Looks like they cannot read their own SIB.

"The Chassis Number Ranges listed below are only for informational purposes and are not to be considered as the only deciding factor."


Gonna check mine this weekend. The "older" fasteners on the OEM strut/firewall braces were the same way--supposedly only there through Oct 06 but my Dec 06 build has them. These SIBs often have the "YMMD" caveat.
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      06-12-2011, 03:24 PM   #16
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Been driving the car for the last 5 days consecutively and have yet to run into a starter problem since I've moved the ignition wire.
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