[uvebeenrobd]

Good morning everyone; here are the details of the issue I'm experiencing

2006 E90 325i
Production 9/2005
Auto

ISSUE: Drove to a location without any symptoms & parked for 15 minutes. Upon returning to the car, it would crank (as in I push the key, makes the cranking or starting sound) & acts as if it is attempting to fire or turnover then nothing.

RECENT HISTORY: A week prior I had to have the alternator rebuilt & replaced the battery. The battery is a Duralast Gold to replace the previous Duralast regular that had been placed in the car previous to my ownership. I have not gone through the battery registration process; however, I've also not noticed any performance or electrical issues since replacing the components. Since the repairs, I've also filled the tank up once & have gotten through 1/2 of the tank before this issue.

I've done a lot of searching through threads & never seem to come to a definitive conclusion that has resolved this problem for others & the threads just seem to die off. I began looking through the fuse closet locate din the glove box; however, I can't seem to locate the fuel relay based on the diagrams that are associated to my fuse closet. I also have considered that it might be the fuel module located under the backseat.

Any guidance or insight would be appreciated because I'm totally baffled by this recent event. Thanks

[nissubaru]

Can you jump start the car at least and it will run just fine? If so the following may be helpful, but its just my two cents since I was recently chasing down an electrical issue. Check the ground wire on the drivers side, you'll have to jack the car but its basically under the firewall. I could be completely wrong but it only takes a few minutes to check and is a vital part of the electrical system.

I replaced my alternator 2x and replaced the battery before finding out the ground was bad. Maybe I'm a shitty DIY'er but nothing in my searches said anything about bad grounds.

---
An easier way to test this would be to take a multimeter if you have one and read the voltage at the alternator. Put the positive (red) lead on the alternator output and touch the negative (black) lead to a metal bolt in the engine bay somewhere but not the block itself. I would suggest the strut bolts since this is part of the body & is where I initially took my readings from. Set the multimeter to 20V and take a reading. Remember this measurement.

Now move the negative lead of your multimeter from the strut bolt to the oil filter housing or something metal on the block that's easily accessible. Take note of the measurement again.

When I was tracking my issue down I was seeing ~13.3V using the strut bolt as my ground and ~14.2V when using the block as ground.

Additionally you can take your measurements at the battery using the normal positive and negative terminals. If your readings from the alternator differ more than a couple 10ths (in my experience) or so from your readings at the battery then you have an issue somewhere in the wiring. I was seeing over 1V drop which made my battery have one hell of a time staying charged. Solution was to add a new ground cable.

--

If your car wont start even with a jump or after charging the battery then my reply would be different

[uvebeenrobd]

Thank you for the input. I don't believe this to be an electrical issue as I'm getting plenty of spark. My battery is at 14v, starter & alternator at 13v if my memory serves me correctly from last night. I remember the numbers being consistent & normal; however, I will look into the ground as suggested.

Does anyone have any thoughts on fuel delivery or where the fuel relay is for my vehicle?

[GoRomeo]

Yeah look into the grounding but I am leaning more towards the starter.

[BimmerNugget]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Yeah look into the grounding but I am leaning more towards the starter.

Can't be the starter....OP says the car is cranking fine. Even if the starter was on its' way out, after a few (weak) cranks the car should start. If the starter was 100% busted, the car would not even crank.

OP, was there any issues with rough idles or rough starts prior to this? Any SES lights?

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by BimmerNugget

Can't be the starter....OP says the car is cranking fine. Even if the starter was on its' way out, after a few (weak) cranks the car should start. If the starter was 100% busted, the car would not even crank.

OP, was there any issues with rough idles or rough starts prior to this? Any SES lights?

Yeah, I agree with you but I would not discard the possibility of a bad starter if never has been replaced. I would add to troubleshoot starter in the to do list. Sometimes low or weak battery will cause starter to fail.

[BimmerNugget]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Yeah, I agree with you but I would not discard the possibility of a bad starter if never has been replaced. I would add to troubleshoot starter in the to do list. Sometimes low or weak battery will cause starter to fail.

The OP seriously needs a BMW scanner or at least an ODB 2 scanner at a minimum.

[uvebeenrobd]

Thanks everyone. I've acquired a bavariantechnic.com basic cable that I'm hoping will help diagnose the issue. So nobody here thinks I could be having a fuel delivery issue? Any thoughts on where the fuel relay is or is that what the fuel modulator is?

[uvebeenrobd]

Ok everyone, here are the results:

Short Test
Engine module for N52
Current Fault Codes
2A80:
2A80 inlet-Vanos variable cam control test, input signal
Error will cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed
Signal or value below threshold

Customer Information
Vehicle: 2005 BMW 325i VB23
Production Date: 09 / 2005
Odometer/License: 185286 /
Engine module for N52
Module Identification
Hardware Number 7577968
Hardware Version Number 00
Coding Index 04
Diagnostic Index 0100
Variant Index 3334
Date Of Manufacture 20050912
System Supplier Siemens
Message Catalog Version 0.0.0
Software Version 0.0.0
OS Version 0.0.0

Current Fault Codes
2A80
2A80 inlet-Vanos variable cam control test, input signal
Error will cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed
Signal or value below threshold

Freeze Frame Information
Event 1Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 2Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 3Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.68 V

2A85
2A85 outlet-VANOS variable cam control test
Error will cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed
Signal or value below threshold

Freeze Frame Information
Event 1Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 2Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 3Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
Voltage terminal 87 11.68 V

2EF5
2EF5 map thermostat, input signal
Error will not cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed
Signal or value below threshold

2E85
2E85 elctrical cooling pump, communication
Error will not cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed

Freeze Frame Information
Event 1Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
cooling fluid temperature OBD 28.00 °C
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 2Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
cooling fluid temperature OBD 28.00 °C
Voltage terminal 87 11.88 V

Event 3Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 0.00 rpm
cooling fluid temperature OBD 28.00 °C
Voltage terminal 87 11.78 V

2A9A
2A9A camshaft sensor inlet, signal
Error will cause a warning light
Error is currently present
Test conditions have not been completed
Short circuit or signal interruption

Freeze Frame Information
Event 1Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 160.00 rpm
(Engine) oil temperature 34.00 °C
Voltage terminal 87 10.56 V

Event 2Odometer 298184kms 185282miles
Engine speed 128.00 rpm
(Engine) oil temperature 34.00 °C
Voltage terminal 87 10.26 V

[Desertraptor]

Are both battery terminals are clean and tight?

[uvebeenrobd]

After doing some research on the above codes I decided to take a look at the Vanos solenoids to see if cleaning them up would help out. When I pulled them both out they were literally coated & dripping in oil. I sprayed them both down with brake cleaner then compressed air dried them both & also wiped down the solenoid entries before putting them back in. The car now seems to be cranking much stronger now but still no starting. ordered 2 new ones & wait for them to arrive hoping that it will resolve the issue. If anyone has any other thoughts please feel free to interject.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by uvebeenrobd

After doing some research on the above codes I decided to take a look at the Vanos solenoids to see if cleaning them up would help out. When I pulled them both out they were literally coated & dripping in oil. I sprayed them both down with brake cleaner then compressed air dried them both & also wiped down the solenoid entries before putting them back in. The car now seems to be cranking much stronger now but still no starting. ordered 2 new ones & wait for them to arrive hoping that it will resolve the issue. If anyone has any other thoughts please feel free to interject.

Hopefully that should be it since those are the codes you are getting. You should also look for oil in the Eccentric Shaft Sensor connector.

[uvebeenrobd]

Two new VANOS solenoids & still no starting.

[stormtrooper7]

Replace the starter.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by uvebeenrobd

Two new VANOS solenoids & still no starting.

Can you post a video?

[PhaseP]

You can remove the backseat and listen to fuel pump running or not. Back seat comes out easy. You can even check the pump voltage if it is receiving or not when cranking.

There is a fuel pressure port (like a schorder valve, or however that is spelled) on the fuel rail beside the intake manifold to engine connection. You can measure the fuel pressure that with fuel pressure gauge set also to see if you have fuel pressure. It can get a bit messy, fuel may spray if not seated well, and the set I had used for this in the past wasn't a good match for the size and threads of the valve on the car. I would do it only on a cold engine just in case not to cause fire.

I think INPA/ISTA can somewhere show you the fuel pressure by ECU too.

Check eccentric shaft sensor seal that is on the top of the valve cover. Remove the cable to it look if it has oil.

I don't know, crankshaft sensor going bad causes no start, but don't know if it is common on these cars as an issue or not.

Good luck

[uvebeenrobd]

I ended up taking the car into a reputable area shop to have them diagnose & repair what the heck is happening & this is what they found out.

1. Motor mount broke & the bolts snapped causing the motor to shift.

2. When the motor shifted it damaged the thermostat, shredded the thermostat wire loom & connector.

3. The shredded wires then cause a short which blew the starter fuse in addition to a couple of other fuses.

Tech said that he has only seen this happen one other time in an X5 due to hitting a gnarly pothole. 1300.00 later & I have a new thermostat, motor mounts, fluid, harness, fuses & vanos solenoids.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by uvebeenrobd

I ended up taking the car into a reputable area shop to have them diagnose & repair what the heck is happening & this is what they found out.

1. Motor mount broke & the bolts snapped causing the motor to shift.

2. When the motor shifted it damaged the thermostat, shredded the thermostat wire loom & connector.

3. The shredded wires then cause a short which blew the starter fuse in addition to a couple of other fuses.

Tech said that he has only seen this happen one other time in an X5 due to hitting a gnarly pothole. 1300.00 later & I have a new thermostat, motor mounts, fluid, harness, fuses & vanos solenoids.

Sorry to hear it bro! And you never heard or felt anything funky with your car? Usually motor mounts can cause noises when shifting, turning etc...


Well...at least you found the issue...

[tlow98]

Sorry to hear about your troubles but thanks for updating, OP