Help, E39 died on the way to work!!!!

[bimmerlover99]

I really hope someone can help me here, I have been searching the internet all day and dont seem to see anyone has had this issue!!

I was driving to work this morning, when after about a mile I lost all power. I pulled to the side of the road where the car stopped. I restarted the car after some effort and it missfired but ran for approx 30 seconds then stopped. now the car will not start when I turn it over. If I leave the car for a few hours, it may start and run for a minute but it will missfire and stop.

I have looked at a few posts but cant find anything like this. So far I have tried the following.
1) Both Keys, 2) Jump Leads, 3) Swap fuel pump relay. The car has 90k miles and a full service history with the last oilservice overdue. The fuel light is on but I dont think it has to do with cr@p from the tank.

I had a ford escort years ago that behaved in a similar way and that was down to a faulty rotor arm. Please for the love of god someone help me.

[Teh Prof]

Fuel filter? Fuel pump (not the relay, the actual pump)? Clogged fuel line?

I doubt enough injectors or enough coil packs could have died all at once to do this...

[bimmerlover99]

thanks teh prof, ok, so I fitted a rew fuel filter today, removing the old filter the fuel line still had plenty of preasure in it so I'm guessing that the fuel supply is good. In fact once i'm out of my bath Im going to take the fuel line off the filter and put the ignition on to check the fuel pump is good. As the battery is now dead I have been using weedy jump leads. They turn the car over nicely but I wonder if they are adding to the problem?

Noted that the new filter was loads easier to blow through than the old one (and it tasted better......)

[bimmerlover99]

OK so trip is a lying son of a whore who should die die die...... ok so it goes like this. I get out of the bath and grab some clothes..... Under the car i pull off the hose to the filter (tank side) lots of presure (AIR PRESURE) Ah so problem with the pump pumping air! (Humour me) Crank the engine and guess what more air and a drizzle of fuel. so either the pump is fubar or I'm a dick, just to rule out the latter a quick trip to the garage and a gerry can later and I'm putting in another gallon of fuel. Now as the wife has now decided that its no fun watching being covered in petrol if she can't toss a match on me so its time to rest it on my own. I crank the care over with the hose off and when I check low and behold there is fuel on the pavement.

I put the hose back on and tighten up the clamps, put the key in the ignition turn it to posistion 2 (AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) none of the dials work, fuel and trip BUT SWEET JESUS the thing starts!

So now I'm feeling a jock, A) Trip computer has been lying to me, (Its proberbly stealing from me and cheating on me too) B) WTF is up with the dials..... c) did the thing with the dials cause the thing with the fuel i.e. the pump and It was just coincedence (sorry about the spelling) that I put the gas in. When it stopped it had 33 miles left in it (that town driving as well) I normaly I get it down to 20 before I fill it up.

[Teh Prof]

I'm thinking you should fill when you get to 1/8 tank instead of 20 miles left. To go longer risks serious damage to the injectors.

The instrument cluster stopped working? New problem. I'm hoping you haven't blown something with a voltage spike.