Car starting issues - Page 3

Stonestreet · 09:11 AM

Ok. Bit of an update here. I'm back in Toronto. Shortly after leaving Charleston for the drive home, issue started again and car hasn't turned over since. Been bump starting for the last week.

Today I:

-Cleaned ground strap at transmission
-Checked voltage at #50 connection at solenoid. Reads 10.3V
-Cleaned ring terminal for #50 wire at solenoid

Still not cranking or clicking.

Does that leave me with a bad Starter/Solenoid?

Also, on a G50, do I need to drop the transmission in order to get the starter off and open it up? Bentley said yes, but I've heard that there are ways around it.

Thanks again guys.

mreid · 05-04-2014, 09:28 AM

Before you do that, I have a suggestion. Pull the 14 pin connector, find the yellow starter pin, and touch 12v to it. If it cranks (make sure the tranny is in neutral!), your starter is fine and you can avoid dropping the engine. Always test the easiest point first, half splitting the circuit until you find the problem.

Stonestreet · 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mreid

Before you do that, I have a suggestion. Pull the 14 pin connector, find the yellow starter pin, and touch 12v to it. If it cranks (make sure the tranny is in neutral!), your starter is fine and you can avoid dropping the engine. Always test the easiest point first, half splitting the circuit until you find the problem.

I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but are we talking about the harness in the engine bay panel on the drivers side? EDIT: I believe we are and I'm pretty sure it's the 1st pin that is the yellow but if someone could confirm, that would be cool.

Also, I don't know how to touch 12v to something. I have a lot to learn. Do I use the battery from the car as a source and connect something to the positive post. Would a jumper cable with a copper wire in the alligator clip do it?

Stonestreet · 05-10-2014, 02:53 PM

Being an intermittent issue coupled with my novice level skill set, I'm having a hard time here guys. I touched 12V to the connector (female) and the engine cranked. I imagine it didn't start because pulling the harness also disconnected the power to fuel pump or ignition coil? Regardless, I reconnected the harness and tried to start the car, and it started. I made it to my destination, had lunch, came out and car wouldn't start. Touched 12V to 1st female at 14 pin and engine cranked, reconnected and started using the key again. Is it just a coincidence that it happened to start? I also stopped for gas on the way home and it started fine, which was great because a guy in an '89 325i was chatting me up about the car.

I'm not sure what to do, since when the car wasn't starting, I was getting 10.3V at #50 wire to solenoid and 12V gave me crank at the 14 pin.

I'm sorry if this thread is boring, but I'm hoping to have it sorted out to help anyone else having this issue in the future.

Again, many thanks

Marc

mreid · 05-10-2014, 03:32 PM

That's good progress!

Disconnect the 14 pin connector and press on each of the male pins to ensure they are firm and not pushing into the connector. Inspect them for any corrosion or carbon. Pull the back off of the engine side of the connector (be careful the pins don't all come out) and inspect the solder joints where the wires connect to the pins. Make sure they are not frayed or loose. Pay particular attention to the yellow wire. Slide the chassis side out of its mount on the fuse panel and do the same thing. It sounds like you have a loose connection, cold solder joint, or loose pin. Now wasn't that better than dropping the engine? Good luck!

Stonestreet · 05-10-2014, 04:49 PM

Thanks for the support, Mark.

Way better than dropping the engine and definitely way better than putting in a new starter without needing one.

I checked the connections and they don't look bad. The males all have about 1/32" - 3/64" of play which I assume is ok. My electrically advanced friend is drunk at the moment but I'll swing round his place tomorrow and see if he can find anything wrong with them.

Thanks again for your help. Next time I'm in San Antonio (in-laws) I'll get your pints.

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

If you look carefully at the male pins you can see they are split down the center twice. You can push a razor blade down them to spread them out a bit for a tighter fit in the female receptacle.

Clean off the pins and clean out the female receptacle with some vinegar and rinse with water.
Then put a little battery post protectant on the male pins. (very thin film)

Everything works better when it's tighter and lubed after a vinegar and water douche!

Stonestreet · 05-10-2014, 05:12 PM

Thanks Dennis!

Stonestreet · 01:11 PM

Conclusion:

After trying everything under the sun to chase down the intermittent no start issue, I brought the car up to Auto Select Repair in Newmarket and had Franz see what he could find. We went over the list of actions I took and he decided after a while that the only thing it could be is the starter itself. He made sure it wasn't the ignition switch before moving to starter. He checked all grounds, removed the battery and cleaned every connection relevant to the problem. When he went to disconnect the starter, he noticed that the solenoid cap was not fixed to the body anymore. It had the slightest bit of play. Franz figured that as things heat up, the moisture around the cap could steam and get into the guts of the solenoid. After almost an hour of trying to get it off, it finally came. It was almost fused in place from corrosion. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it, but believe me, it was pretty nasty. It has been almost 3 weeks since installing the new starter (refurb bosch) and I have not had a single instance of the issue. Ran car in the rain, washed the car, etc.

Seems it was the starter all along.

Franz is a super cool guy, he let me hang out in the shop all day while he worked on it. He put me to work a little bit trying to get the headlight ring off as the gasket was sort of hanging on to the fender a bit too hard. Finally got it while he was testing the ignition switch. Dim headlight was due to a cooked harness. Easy fix.

Anyway, just wanted to provide a summary to close the thread and also to thank everyone for all the help with the issue. It's much appreciated and provided me with a great opportunity to learn a lot about this little piggy of mine.

So cheers,

Marc

EDIT: I was confused why jumping 12V to engine side of 1st point in 14 pin connector would crank engine and then reconnecting the harness would sometimes fix the issue (when not pouring rain) and Franz's best guess was that the full 12V direct to the solenoid might have been enough to dry the connection long enough to carry current through the circuit. Sounds reasonable to me.

mreid · 06-02-2014, 05:36 PM

Glad you found it, Marc. Here's to many happy driving experiences!

Stonestreet · 06-03-2014, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mreid

Glad you found it, Marc. Here's to many happy driving experiences!

As they say, the journey is the destination. So thanks for all the hand holding. Even though I ended up getting my mechanic to sort it, I had a lot of fun staring at the engine bay and the Bentley manual with a beer in my hand trying to get it. Good times.

Cheers.