BMW Werkz banner

530 Diesel can't start when it's between warm and cold

16K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  bozmandb9 
#1 ·
I really hope that some one here can help me, because the local BMW dealer and I are out of ideas now :-(
I have a diesel 530 from 2000 (M57, E39), and when the engine is cold then it starts whit no problems at all, and the engine sound nice as it should. When it is warm, it starts whitout any problems too. But when I have benne driving, and I leave it for 2½-3 hours and the temperature is between warm and cold, the engine runs but it doesn't start. Sometimes I just have to leave it for 10 minnutes other times for 1½ hours, and then it starts rigth away again.
We have updatede the software on the engine control unit, and there are no failure save at the computer.we have changed a lot but nothing works, soem of the parts is:
Diesel pump (the one under the driver seat), Diesel pump relay, DDE relay. the sensor at the crank, the heatglower. I have tried to take of a lot of plugs for the air control unit, normally it can start with out these plugs on, and with out them it will normally just go in emergency program and it should start anyway, but when I have the periodic fail it will not start.

Please help I'm desperate.
 
#4 ·
Thank you witeshark.
My idea is also that it must be something at the fuel system, that makes this failure. I haven't changed the injectors, but my idea was that maybee at least one of them couldn't make the right pressure. To try to se if my idea was right, I have squeezed the hose with return. My BMW dealer says that the use that trick to find out which one of the injectors that er bad (can give the right pressure). But i will sure try and have BMW to meassure the pressure. Have you heard about this faliure before?
 
#8 ·
To day I have talked with one of the best Diesel compagny in my area, and they say that it might can be the injectors. He said that it's more complicated to day, because of the commonrail, so they say you can't say it isn't the injectors just because it can start when it is hot. But at the same time, they say that they are not sure. The bad thing is that because of holliday, they will first be able to take a close look at my car in about 4 weeks :-(
My car have been runing 330.000 km (app 215.000 miles). They told me that maybe the injectors was getting leak when it was cold, but again, it starts with no problems when it is totally cold.
Thank to both of you for the ideas :)
 
#15 ·
BMW Won't Start when warm

Guys,
I don't want to throw another spanner into the pot but I have just got my 2000 530d Sport back fromj the garage (not BWM as they are useless), my car would start fine when hot or 1st thing when cold but when the temperature gauge was just above the blue it would turn over but not fire up. I took it to BMW who said there was an intermittasnt fault on the Glow plugs and the Cam sensor and wouldn't look at it until they sorted that out 1st at a cost of £500 so I told them NO more of my business for you (just to put you in the picture they charged me £325 for an oil service):mad. I found a local garage that would service my car for £165 and had a great can do attitude:D so I left it with them for a couple of weeks for them to get stuck in. They tested everything and even took out the ECU and sent it to a specialist to test and it came back OK. Eventually after exhaustive testing they had another look at the ECU and found a cracked solder joint that hadn't been picked up by the specialist as when he had the ECU is was always COLD. It cost 2p worth of electricity to repair the cracked solder joint.

They spent a total of 15 hours trying to find and resolve the problem.

Total cost including oil service and new fuel pipe £545.

These guys will get my business from now on :rule:rule:rule

Phil
 
#16 ·
530d wont start

hi all iv own a 530d motorsport version, i was on motorway and had judering got it home and used it local while i ordered feul filter, changed the filter and put in some injecter cleaner ran it around for a few days and then it stopped and wont start now does anyone have any ideas, feul injection is on the dash read out but is it posible for anything to shut the injection down that i need to change.

help if you can anyone.

cheers dez70
 
#17 · (Edited)
Guys,

Re '99 530d

I've just had a number of issues, which I thought I should share.

My first symptoms were car running out of fuel with 1/4 tank left. Other symptom was not able to acclerate over 3,500 rpm. Diagnosed faulty in tank pump, replaced, and cured problem of running out of fuel.

Problem of not full rev range still there though, also car would occasionally fail to start. Garage dianosed and replaced cranshaft sensor, no improvement. I suspected inline fuel booster pump (nearside under passenger seat), got it replaced, interestingly when the guy was replacing it he tested it with an oscilloscope, it was running at 3,200 rpm, should have been around 5,400. Also it fuel pressure was at 3 bar, should have been over 3.5.

Replaced pump and solved problem of not revving past 3,500 rpm, now fulll range of revs under full load, and changes up at 4,300 as should do.

However it was still failing to start occasionally when warm. I did my research and diagnosed cam position sensor (aka pulse generator), £70 from stealer. Now I may be stupid, but I made a meal of fitting it, removed all engine covers including having to remove drivers side airbox, only needed to remove central cover with one hex bolt. Never mind. Eventually fitted the cps, and note well, it looks different to the old one, has a larger bore grey sensor, which seems too be plastic, compared to the black smaller bore original.

Anyway, hopefully problems solved. I don't think there's any doubt that the pumps replaced were faulty,but they may have soldiered on, and I probably could have solved the problem I wanted to solve at an earlier stage by replacing the cps.

Cheers,

Bozman
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top