335i won't start... not battery

slopokdave · 03-30-2012, 09:28 AM

I drove my 07 335 last night out to eat. Go to leave and it won't start. No click. All accessories work.

At first I thought it was my key fob (with comfort access). It had been telling me the battery was low. I changed the battery out but still not working. Went and go my spare key w/o comfort access, same thing, not working.

I jumped the battery just in case but again everything works. I imagine its not the starter because I can't even get into accessory/ignition mode to put it in neutral.

1. I put key in. Car tells me key is in ignition. Radio comes on. odo/obc doesn't come on though
2. Push brake and start button, nothing happens and all accessories turn back off as if I wasn't even pushing the brake.

In the past 24hrs I've washed the car, including wiped down the engine bay; but it's ran fine the past day no trouble at all. I also hooked my Active meth kit back up (not injecting though), I had it disconnected for a bit because it was leaking. Only thing I reconnected was the pump turn on back by the battery and physically plug in the water line to the quick disconnect. Some water did spill out under the battery, but I soaked it up and vacuum it right away.

So it sounds electrical to me.... But I just don't know what unless something shorted? But doesn't make sense to me why it ran great for a day, all night, then poof just no crank, click, anything.

I am running JB4 and currently have the ECU disconnected to see if it will go to sleep/reset.

I feel like its still something with the key maybe too because it will tell me the key is either dead or faulty every 5-6 tries.

joyride · 03-30-2012, 09:39 AM

I had water in my battery tray as well, (rear nut holding tail light was loose, rain would drip in) after swapping out my battery, it still had some charging issues. So i took removed the battery and cleaned up the posts that head towards the front of the car. They were pretty corroded, depending on how long you had water/meth in there that may have corroded the posts too. Worth a look, other then being heavy, it's not that hard to get to.

The reactions you are having are about the same as i had, so its sounds the car just doesn't have enough to start the car.

slopokdave · 03-30-2012, 10:17 AM

how does the battery come out? There is a distribution block on top strapped...

joyride · 03-30-2012, 03:25 PM

Take all that off, pull the cables out of the way, the side towards the rear of the car has a bolt (philips), it has some gray foam on it, it keeps it pinned towards the front of the car. once that is out, the battery moves around, it's heavy and a little awkward, but it will pull out, the cables on the battery, run to the post, you can unbolt them and look for any corrosion.

slopokdave · 03-30-2012, 10:22 PM

Not the battery. No idea.... had it towed.

MilehighM3 · 03-30-2012, 11:26 PM

Bad starter perhaps...

Dr_Dirt · 03-31-2012, 10:37 AM

Did you remove the JB4?

Jonny550 · 03-31-2012, 10:46 AM

This is one of 2 things

1) you blew a fuse

2) the more likely situation is your battery is dead

I dont know how you tried jumping your car, and people have told me that you cant jump a BMW ( which is absurd IMHO ), However you need to jump the car from the engine bay.

Look on the left top side of the engine bay and you will see a metal plate sticking up with a red + cap on it. Remove that cap and clamp the + to that metal plate.

Find the nearest largest strut bolt and mount your - to that. Start the jumper car and rev it for about 30 seconds.

Start your bimmer and buy a new battery for $150.

PS the battery is only supposed to last like 3 years until you need to replace it, so if its never been replaced then you got
a few extra years for free. 2-3 months before i returned my 3 it kept dying on me. The car would not even stay alive when i would pump gas
and wait....I would need it to be started so it does not die.

Moral of the story is that it barely lasted 3 years for me.

JayTdotP · 11-02-2012, 01:55 AM

Ive just had this problem , and unfortunately my car died on the highway..
Earlier on in the day i was at a autoshop, where they pointed out theres water in my battery compartment, they drained it, didnt take the battery out or anything..

I then went somewhere else, where i stopped to and eat the car was fine until i came out and tried to start. wouldnt start. So i had someone come boost me, it worked.

Now... Driving home down the highway, i get charging malfunction, low battery, and check battery terminals. and all every single type of light starts to pop up, and the car slowly dies.. and then i had no choice but to pullover on the highway, someone else tried to come boost me. but would not work this time around...

So I towed it home. Does anyone know what the problem would be? Dead battery? Alternator? or HPFP??

mkov608 · 11-05-2012, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slopokdave

I drove my 07 335 last night out to eat. Go to leave and it won't start. No click. All accessories work.

At first I thought it was my key fob (with comfort access). It had been telling me the battery was low. I changed the battery out but still not working. Went and go my spare key w/o comfort access, same thing, not working.

I jumped the battery just in case but again everything works. I imagine its not the starter because I can't even get into accessory/ignition mode to put it in neutral.

1. I put key in. Car tells me key is in ignition. Radio comes on. odo/obc doesn't come on though
2. Push brake and start button, nothing happens and all accessories turn back off as if I wasn't even pushing the brake.

In the past 24hrs I've washed the car, including wiped down the engine bay; but it's ran fine the past day no trouble at all. I also hooked my Active meth kit back up (not injecting though), I had it disconnected for a bit because it was leaking. Only thing I reconnected was the pump turn on back by the battery and physically plug in the water line to the quick disconnect. Some water did spill out under the battery, but I soaked it up and vacuum it right away.

So it sounds electrical to me.... But I just don't know what unless something shorted? But doesn't make sense to me why it ran great for a day, all night, then poof just no crank, click, anything.

I am running JB4 and currently have the ECU disconnected to see if it will go to sleep/reset.

I feel like its still something with the key maybe too because it will tell me the key is either dead or faulty every 5-6 tries.

I have an ’07 335i I and just started having the same problem. I was leaving the store, put the key in and pushed the start button … nothing. Lights and all accessories work; no clicking from the starter solenoid, and no DTCs. I was thinking the battery I just replaced was a bad one, but when I had it tested; it’s putting out 12.2 volts and 1000 CCAs. I did have the new battery registered at the dealership.

Next, I pulled out my Bentley service manual (121-14). Too bad the damn starter is under the intake manifold. With the “break point” being the starter, the book says to:

1. Check for battery voltage at the B+ terminal (top post) on the starter solenoid; no power, check the battery, cables, terminals, and ground connections. If you have 12V, go to step 2.

2. Check for battery voltage at terminal X6510 on the starter solenoid (just below the B+ terminal) with the ignition in the “start” position. If voltage is not present, check the wiring between the car access system (CAS) module and the starter terminal.

3. If you have power, it’s the starter; if not, it’s electrical probably related to the CAS module or the clutch/brake control module.

NOTE: If you have a manual, the clutch switch module sends a signal to the CAS and then power will flow to the starter. If you have an automatic, the signal comes from the brake pedal.

I’m thinking if it was the CAS or the clutch switch module I’d get a fault, or that little reminder light on the dash that reminds me to depress the clutch pedal. I suspect the starter has a dead spot, or there may be pitting on the contactor that is interrupting current flow. My problem is I can’t get the problem to duplicate when I have the car at home, and that makes it very hard to troubleshoot.

JamesM3M5 · 11-06-2012, 08:02 AM

Could easily be the clutch switch module which is clipped onto the clutch master cylinder. The part has been superceded at least two times, latest part is 61 31 9 231 129, $41 retail. My 2007 makes me sometimes mash the clutch pedal all the way to the floor to start, so I'm beginning to think the pedal position sensor is bad. It's not just a simple switch, it's a non-contact position sensor, which means it can definitely go bad.

Otherwise you'll have to do the Bentley test OR get a BT tool to check the CAS codes.

krazyking · 11-06-2012, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slopokdave

Not the battery. No idea.... had it towed.

Did you figure out what was wrong? Have similar problems..

mkov608 · 11-07-2012, 07:08 PM

I changed out the starter. Word of caution ... don't buy a starter at the BMW dealer. They quoted me $449.00 just for the part. I went with an Autozone Duralast starter w/ lifetime warranty. Sure it isn't Bosch, but I'm not too impressed w/ Bosch if the damn starter only lasted 66K miles! You will also need an intake manifold gasket set (a $34.00 dealer item), since you have to pull the intake to get to the starter. Another piece of advice, get the Bentley service manual; it came in very handy especially for torque values.

DR-JEKL · 11-08-2012, 04:51 PM

I had a similiar issue recently, idrive was stating ignition wa son but it kept flashing up on the dash service with a pic of the car with its boot up when I went to crank the car. I had a near new battery and wasn't getting a click from the starter at all, so had to have the car towed to the dealer.

Turns out that the voltage was dropping, due to a bad earth. The engine earth strap is grounded to the engine mount and the bolt fastening the strap was corroded. They replaced the bolt and bam she fired up like a charm...

TruStinger · 11-09-2012, 11:12 AM

You dont normall see starters just die, they take longer to crank over time until they eventually stop working. This sounds like a corroded/loose power or ground wire to the starter. It could still be the battery as your accessories dont require much power to operate.

slopokdave · 11-23-2012, 09:09 AM

It was the battery!

I had pep boys test it, they said it was good. So that was when I had it towed to my shop. They changed it out and boom.

farnsee · 02-12-2014, 05:27 PM

I had an issue like this. I stopped the car at the store. I was in and out in 10 min. The car would not start. All lights and everything inside worked but wouldn’t start. Of course it was --15 F ...A boost did nothing. I left the car. Came back a day later with a battery. No help. I came back next day still sub zero, removed engine cowl and hit started motor with a bar. . No help. Towed it home thinking it was the starter. Removed the started and it worked fine. Turned out the car had lost ground to the engine. There is a braided cable on the rear left side of the engine that goes to the frame below the drivers feet that had rotted out.

If you check with a booster cable from the engine to the ground post in the engine bay and it sparks you have a ground problem.
By the way after I reinstalled the starter, intake manifold and related equipment I had Codes. Crank sensor, DSC, Trans in third gear only, and limp mode . Turned out I cut a ty rap holding the cable to the crank sensor plug tight and It fell off the sensor. New ty rap and everything cleared .

007_e350 · 04-30-2014, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

I had a similiar issue recently, idrive was stating ignition wa son but it kept flashing up on the dash service with a pic of the car with its boot up when I went to crank the car. I had a near new battery and wasn't getting a click from the starter at all, so had to have the car towed to the dealer.

Turns out that the voltage was dropping, due to a bad earth. The engine earth strap is grounded to the engine mount and the bolt fastening the strap was corroded. They replaced the bolt and bam she fired up like a charm...

man your post saved my life yesterday - I changed valve cover gasket and car wont start, it was 3 am and I still cou;dnt figure out why ... read this post and checked ground, darn the screw was loose, tightened fired up rightaway!!

DR-JEKL · 04-30-2014, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 007_e350

man your post saved my life yesterday - I changed valve cover gasket and car wont start, it was 3 am and I still cou;dnt figure out why ... read this post and checked ground, darn the screw was loose, tightened fired up rightaway!!

Haha glad to hear man, that's the reason why i 'report' on such issues as its catalogued here for guys in future

Paps · 10-14-2014, 01:11 PM

I have a similar problem with my E90 330i, it starts normally every morning, but when I drive it around for a while turn it off and then try to start it will not start, just a buzzing sound no crank, all lights come up. I would have to wait a couple of hours until it starts again and it is driving me crazy.

I have changed the starter, changed the battery, CAS seems to be working ok, I haven't checked on any ground problems, but the fact that it only happens after I drive it for a while, and after reading this post makes me think could this be because of a heating problem making any ground cable to loose connection/conductivity?

Paps · 10-15-2014, 05:06 PM

Update... I opened the hood, looked for the ground engine cable and surprise! It is really worn out (on the engine side), so today I drove it like usually (tried to go as fast as I can in traffic), made sure it was hot enough and turned it off.. tried to turn it on and nothing, usual problem it didn't start, removed the key and put it back, pushed the button, did this 3 times and nothing.

So then, I took a booster cable, connected the tip of the engine's ground cable directly to the chassis ground and voila! it started!.. I'm still not 100% convinced because sometimes it does start after a while, however I already online ordered a new ground cable ($15.72) because I do know that a bad ground connection can cause a lot of electrical issues. I hope this finally solves my problem

VFitzyR · 05-29-2015, 08:21 AM

Had the same problem with my '07 335i this week. Came back to airport parking from a long weekend vacation, got in the car, hit the button and nothing. All lights and power accessories worked fine. We tried to jump it with no luck. I towed it back to my house and threw it on the charger for a few hours. I even tried grounding the engine with a jumper cable. No luck. Looks like I'll be pulling it apart this weekend to see what the starter situation looks like. Hopefully, it's the ground strap or starter.

03-30-2012, 09:28 AM	#1
slopokdave Private 20 Rep 89 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	335i won't start... not battery I drove my 07 335 last night out to eat. Go to leave and it won't start. No click. All accessories work. At first I thought it was my key fob (with comfort access). It had been telling me the battery was low. I changed the battery out but still not working. Went and go my spare key w/o comfort access, same thing, not working. I jumped the battery just in case but again everything works. I imagine its not the starter because I can't even get into accessory/ignition mode to put it in neutral. 1. I put key in. Car tells me key is in ignition. Radio comes on. odo/obc doesn't come on though 2. Push brake and start button, nothing happens and all accessories turn back off as if I wasn't even pushing the brake. In the past 24hrs I've washed the car, including wiped down the engine bay; but it's ran fine the past day no trouble at all. I also hooked my Active meth kit back up (not injecting though), I had it disconnected for a bit because it was leaking. Only thing I reconnected was the pump turn on back by the battery and physically plug in the water line to the quick disconnect. Some water did spill out under the battery, but I soaked it up and vacuum it right away. So it sounds electrical to me.... But I just don't know what unless something shorted? But doesn't make sense to me why it ran great for a day, all night, then poof just no crank, click, anything. I am running JB4 and currently have the ECU disconnected to see if it will go to sleep/reset. I feel like its still something with the key maybe too because it will tell me the key is either dead or faulty every 5-6 tries.
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03-30-2012, 09:39 AM	#2
joyride Second Lieutenant 43 Rep 231 Posts Drives: X5 M-Sport Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Detroit iTrader: (2)	I had water in my battery tray as well, (rear nut holding tail light was loose, rain would drip in) after swapping out my battery, it still had some charging issues. So i took removed the battery and cleaned up the posts that head towards the front of the car. They were pretty corroded, depending on how long you had water/meth in there that may have corroded the posts too. Worth a look, other then being heavy, it's not that hard to get to. The reactions you are having are about the same as i had, so its sounds the car just doesn't have enough to start the car.
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03-30-2012, 10:17 AM	#3
slopokdave Private 20 Rep 89 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	how does the battery come out? There is a distribution block on top strapped...
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03-30-2012, 03:25 PM	#4
joyride Second Lieutenant 43 Rep 231 Posts Drives: X5 M-Sport Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Detroit iTrader: (2)	Take all that off, pull the cables out of the way, the side towards the rear of the car has a bolt (philips), it has some gray foam on it, it keeps it pinned towards the front of the car. once that is out, the battery moves around, it's heavy and a little awkward, but it will pull out, the cables on the battery, run to the post, you can unbolt them and look for any corrosion.
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03-30-2012, 10:22 PM	#5
slopokdave Private 20 Rep 89 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	Not the battery. No idea.... had it towed. Attached Images
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03-30-2012, 11:26 PM	#6
MilehighM3 Brigadier General 914 Rep 3,456 Posts Drives: Harrop E90 M3 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Colorado Springs iTrader: (14) Garage List 2009 E90 M3 [6.50]	Bad starter perhaps...
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03-31-2012, 10:37 AM	#7
Dr_Dirt Major 62 Rep 1,476 Posts Drives: E90 335i 6AT Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DFW iTrader: (1)	Did you remove the JB4?
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03-31-2012, 10:46 AM	#8
Jonny550 Brigadier General 241 Rep 4,936 Posts Drives: 2012 550i Xdrive Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Jersey Shore iTrader: (14)	This is one of 2 things 1) you blew a fuse 2) the more likely situation is your battery is dead I dont know how you tried jumping your car, and people have told me that you cant jump a BMW ( which is absurd IMHO ), However you need to jump the car from the engine bay. Look on the left top side of the engine bay and you will see a metal plate sticking up with a red + cap on it. Remove that cap and clamp the + to that metal plate. Find the nearest largest strut bolt and mount your - to that. Start the jumper car and rev it for about 30 seconds. Start your bimmer and buy a new battery for $150. PS the battery is only supposed to last like 3 years until you need to replace it, so if its never been replaced then you got a few extra years for free. 2-3 months before i returned my 3 it kept dying on me. The car would not even stay alive when i would pump gas and wait....I would need it to be started so it does not die. Moral of the story is that it barely lasted 3 years for me. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] . Last edited by Jonny550; 03-31-2012 at 10:53 AM..
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11-02-2012, 01:55 AM	#9
JayTdotP First Lieutenant 17 Rep 338 Posts Drives: 07 335i Coupe Navi Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: GTA iTrader: (3)	Ive just had this problem , and unfortunately my car died on the highway.. Earlier on in the day i was at a autoshop, where they pointed out theres water in my battery compartment, they drained it, didnt take the battery out or anything.. I then went somewhere else, where i stopped to and eat the car was fine until i came out and tried to start. wouldnt start. So i had someone come boost me, it worked. Now... Driving home down the highway, i get charging malfunction, low battery, and check battery terminals. and all every single type of light starts to pop up, and the car slowly dies.. and then i had no choice but to pullover on the highway, someone else tried to come boost me. but would not work this time around... So I towed it home. Does anyone know what the problem would be? Dead battery? Alternator? or HPFP?? __________________ 2007 335i e92 Sport package (BSM)
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11-06-2012, 08:02 AM	#11
JamesM3M5 Some dude 91 Rep 1,780 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern VA iTrader: (0)	Could easily be the clutch switch module which is clipped onto the clutch master cylinder. The part has been superceded at least two times, latest part is 61 31 9 231 129, $41 retail. My 2007 makes me sometimes mash the clutch pedal all the way to the floor to start, so I'm beginning to think the pedal position sensor is bad. It's not just a simple switch, it's a non-contact position sensor, which means it can definitely go bad. Otherwise you'll have to do the Bentley test OR get a BT tool to check the CAS codes. __________________ RRT E92 335i/6MT with stuff and things
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11-07-2012, 07:08 PM	#13
mkov608 New Member 6 Rep 8 Posts Drives: '07 335i Coupe; Montego Blue Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Pensacola, FL iTrader: (0)	Problem solved! I changed out the starter. Word of caution ... don't buy a starter at the BMW dealer. They quoted me $449.00 just for the part. I went with an Autozone Duralast starter w/ lifetime warranty. Sure it isn't Bosch, but I'm not too impressed w/ Bosch if the damn starter only lasted 66K miles! You will also need an intake manifold gasket set (a $34.00 dealer item), since you have to pull the intake to get to the starter. Another piece of advice, get the Bentley service manual; it came in very handy especially for torque values.
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11-08-2012, 04:51 PM	#14
DR-JEKL Major General 898 Rep 6,285 Posts Drives: Space Grey E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Newcastle Ozstraylia iTrader: (3)	I had a similiar issue recently, idrive was stating ignition wa son but it kept flashing up on the dash service with a pic of the car with its boot up when I went to crank the car. I had a near new battery and wasn't getting a click from the starter at all, so had to have the car towed to the dealer. Turns out that the voltage was dropping, due to a bad earth. The engine earth strap is grounded to the engine mount and the bolt fastening the strap was corroded. They replaced the bolt and bam she fired up like a charm...
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11-09-2012, 11:12 AM	#15
TruStinger Private 10 Rep 76 Posts Drives: 07 335xi 4dr Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Anchorage, AK iTrader: (1)	You dont normall see starters just die, they take longer to crank over time until they eventually stop working. This sounds like a corroded/loose power or ground wire to the starter. It could still be the battery as your accessories dont require much power to operate.
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11-23-2012, 09:09 AM	#16
slopokdave Private 20 Rep 89 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	It was the battery! I had pep boys test it, they said it was good. So that was when I had it towed to my shop. They changed it out and boom.
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02-12-2014, 05:27 PM	#17
farnsee Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 335 Coupe Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Caledon Village Ont iTrader: (0)	335i wont start...not the battery I had an issue like this. I stopped the car at the store. I was in and out in 10 min. The car would not start. All lights and everything inside worked but wouldn’t start. Of course it was --15 F ...A boost did nothing. I left the car. Came back a day later with a battery. No help. I came back next day still sub zero, removed engine cowl and hit started motor with a bar. . No help. Towed it home thinking it was the starter. Removed the started and it worked fine. Turned out the car had lost ground to the engine. There is a braided cable on the rear left side of the engine that goes to the frame below the drivers feet that had rotted out. If you check with a booster cable from the engine to the ground post in the engine bay and it sparks you have a ground problem. By the way after I reinstalled the starter, intake manifold and related equipment I had Codes. Crank sensor, DSC, Trans in third gear only, and limp mode . Turned out I cut a ty rap holding the cable to the crank sensor plug tight and It fell off the sensor. New ty rap and everything cleared .
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10-14-2014, 01:11 PM	#20
Paps New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: BMW E90 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Guatemala iTrader: (0)	I have a similar problem with my E90 330i, it starts normally every morning, but when I drive it around for a while turn it off and then try to start it will not start, just a buzzing sound no crank, all lights come up. I would have to wait a couple of hours until it starts again and it is driving me crazy. I have changed the starter, changed the battery, CAS seems to be working ok, I haven't checked on any ground problems, but the fact that it only happens after I drive it for a while, and after reading this post makes me think could this be because of a heating problem making any ground cable to loose connection/conductivity?
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10-15-2014, 05:06 PM	#21
Paps New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: BMW E90 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Guatemala iTrader: (0)	Update... I opened the hood, looked for the ground engine cable and surprise! It is really worn out (on the engine side), so today I drove it like usually (tried to go as fast as I can in traffic), made sure it was hot enough and turned it off.. tried to turn it on and nothing, usual problem it didn't start, removed the key and put it back, pushed the button, did this 3 times and nothing. So then, I took a booster cable, connected the tip of the engine's ground cable directly to the chassis ground and voila! it started!.. I'm still not 100% convinced because sometimes it does start after a while, however I already online ordered a new ground cable ($15.72) because I do know that a bad ground connection can cause a lot of electrical issues. I hope this finally solves my problem
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05-29-2015, 08:21 AM	#22
VFitzyR Registered 2 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW 335i SP LP WP Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	Had the same problem with my '07 335i this week. Came back to airport parking from a long weekend vacation, got in the car, hit the button and nothing. All lights and power accessories worked fine. We tried to jump it with no luck. I towed it back to my house and threw it on the charger for a few hours. I even tried grounding the engine with a jumper cable. No luck. Looks like I'll be pulling it apart this weekend to see what the starter situation looks like. Hopefully, it's the ground strap or starter.
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