car won't start...again

[Rapido5]

Car ran fine last week. Filled up tank and put in garage for the week. Went to take it out tonight and it struggled to turn over. Fan turns. Could it be the starter? I'll post a video when I go back inside.

update:

I will try jumping it on Sunday when my dad is over. As for the connections I cleaned them last summer. I had a no start issue then. I'll have to check them again as well as with the volt meter although I think the battery is strong. when I had this issue last summer the dash would go black and the headlights would go off if I tried to start it. As you can see from the video the headlights stay on. Dash lights stayed on as well.

Here's the video:

http://web.me.com/djuter/BMW/Blank.html

[e24pilot]

If it isn't turning over, most likely battery is low due to age, problem, or a parasitic draw over the week you didn't drive it.

If you jump it with another vehicle does it crank? If so, then go to a O'Reilly or Autozone or even Walmart and have the battery/alternator tested for free.

If the jump doesn't help, might need to check the grounds as well.

There are other steps, but at least see if a jump start works first.

[tlister67]

Have a charger? If you put it on charge a few minutes it should turn over if the battery has drained. Check/clean the battery terminal connections, a poor connection tends to arc oxidize and get worse. These are all things to try before suspecting the starter.

If you have a multimeter you should get ~12.6V for a fully charged battery. If below 12V then either a drain or battery is not charging. With car running you should get a voltage across the terminals above 13.5V without lights on. Remove negative terminal and put in DC current mode. You should get a fairly low current (20mA or less). Significant current would indicate a drain. You can isolate drain by pulling fuses to see when it drops.

[Rapido5]

well looks like I was completely off and you were right to check the connections. I took off the battery terminal connections to clean and they looks "ok." They were clean so I called my dad to come over to try to jump it and bring his voltage meter. I figured since they were off might as well just replace them so I drove over to autozone and bought new battery terminal clips. Sure enough...car started right up. so I guess I didn't do a very good job of cleaning them the first time.

Thanks for the help guys.

[SharkInfested]

If it isn't turning over, most likely battery is low due to age, problem, or a parasitic draw over the week you didn't drive it.

If you jump it with another vehicle does it crank? If so, then go to a O'Reilly or Autozone or even Walmart and have the battery/alternator tested for free.

If the jump doesn't help, might need to check the grounds as well.

There are other steps, but at least see if a jump start works first.

I agree with a parasitic draw when not driven. Remember, the OBC keeps working, which was my problem during short time storage. I disconnect my positive battery terminal when not going to drive (even for short periods).

Yes, you have to know your radio code, yes you have to reprogram the stations, and yes you have to reset your OBC, but it will start when you reconnect for your drive.