help, No-Start situation! - BMW Forum

SD318is · 03-11-2006, 10:34 PM

my 93 318is was starting to not start on the first try sometimes (no crank) so i figured it was the starter sincee its got 120,000 miles on it... put in a reman. starter from carquest and it started up fine for about a week. then i go out to start it today and nothin again. im pretty sure i can hear the starter gears engage (click) but it doesnt turn over! is it possible this new starter alread took a dive?!?!?

Da Prophecy · 03-11-2006, 11:14 PM

Have you had the battery tested?

Kyle

SD318is · 03-12-2006, 01:56 AM

no but it hasnt been showing any signs of going bad... ill throw some jumper cables on it tomorrow just to be safe though

El Presidente · 03-12-2006, 12:59 PM

test battery. starter and ignition switch. fuel pump and filter.

Its one of those.

soulsurvivor713 · 03-12-2006, 05:44 PM

mine is doing the same thing.... when i first turned the key it made a weird noise but now it is doing exactly what was described in the first post.

97alpineM3 · 03-12-2006, 06:07 PM

I vote for battery...

Les

SD318is · 03-12-2006, 11:24 PM

not the battery. tried jumping it today and no luck. can still hear the starter click, so that rules out everything else right? is it possible that power is getting to the solenoid to engage the gears but something is preventing the starter from energizing (security system, etc)? or does that just mean the starter is F'ed. i really dont want to pull that thing out again, what a freakin pain

:

Gator · 03-13-2006, 07:37 AM

It could still be the battery or the battery connections. The click you hear is the solonoid and normally when you hear that and the engine doesn't turn over, it's the battery. Jumper cables often get the car started, but if the battery has an internal short or dirty posts, the starter may still not be getting enough current to turn over the engine. Before you go to a lot of trouble and expense replace the battery with a known good one, or take it out to be load tested.

SD318is · 03-13-2006, 11:28 PM

well, the baatery is in the trunk... i tried jumping from the engine bay, doesnt that kinda by-pass the battery?

walshja · 03-14-2006, 10:37 AM

try putting the car in gear, and rocking it.

sometimes getting the starter to move will get it working again, of course temporarily.

or get a hammer and hit the starter a few times, sometimes that gets it working again.

SD318is · 03-14-2006, 10:45 PM

its confirmed, its the starter! F*#&k i really hated doing this job once, now i have to do it a second time cause the carquest starter was a piece of S^$T.

and you shouldnt hit these starters with anything to get them to crank cause they are different than most and hitting them will just further damage them... permanently

walshja · 03-15-2006, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD318is

and you shouldnt hit these starters with anything to get them to crank cause they are different than most and hitting them will just further damage them... permanently

well, it's dead anyway, I would definately hit it with a hammer now !!