94 318i no crank no start

[xINDOx318I]

Sup guys, as of late I've been trying to chase down an issue I've been having with my charging system, with no success, but after removing my alternator and reinstalling it bc it tested fine, all of a sudden it wont even crank. Anyone have any ideas bc I am running out of solutions. All connections are fine on the starter and dash lights up but it will not crank or start. All suggestions appreciated.

[Avec]

Have you checked the battery?

[Colin Slaughter]

(This may be a dumb question) have you tried giving it a little gas when you crank it?

[JDStrickland]

(This may be a dumb question) have you tried giving it a little gas when you crank it?


He said it does not even crank. You can give it gas all day long, but it it does not even crank, then the gas won't help.


I'm a bit puzzled by the title, No Crank, No Start. If there is no crank, then by definition there is no start.

Can the car be started by pushing it, or rolling it down the driveway? If yes, then the car is fine, and your issue is entirely within the starting circuit.

Stuck starter, broken ignition switch, broken clutch safety switch (if there is one), something like that.

If an automatic, then the Neutral Safety Switch comes into play because the electronics will all come to life, but the starter will not engage if the car thinks it is not in P or N. You can test for this, sometimes, by holding the key in the START position and moving the shifter to see if P or N (from the car's perspective) comes at a place that does not look like P or N to you.

- - - Updated - - -

Your dash lights will come on at very low voltage -- current, really -- levels, but when the starter is engaged the current demand rises several orders of magnitude and if the battery is dead then the voltage will plummet, and nothing will happen.

If all of this started with the car making several clicking noises first, then you just described a dead battery or a poor connection between the battery and the starter. The Positive lead from the battery goes to the jumper post in the engine bay where there is a nut that can come loose. From there there is another wire that goes to the starter where there is another nut that can come loose. From there, there is a wire that goes to the back of the alternator. If any of the connection points is loose or corroded, then the symptoms will mimic a dead battery. But, a dead battery is more common than any of these connections coming loose.

If you have a helper, or a volt meter with long leads, then you can connect to the jumper post in the engine bay and watch the voltage while starting. If the voltage starts out -- before the starter is engaged -- at less than 12 volts, then you already have a crap battery. No matyter where the voltage starts, if it falls below about 10 volts when the starter is engaged, then you have a dead battery or a shorted starter.

[xINDOx318I]

New battery, alternator, and starter is like 2 yrs old. The car has been starting and not charging, then after trying multiple things and removing the alternator a few times, when I threw it back together this time I had no crank mysteriously. That's what im trying to figure out. From what I see all connections at the starter are correct and I have fire to the starter, so im thinking relay?

[xINDOx318I]

And I have checked the bolts on the junction block and at the starter, both are tight and no corrosion. Im a young tech with 8 months dealer experience for bmw so I understand the system and have been tearing through my car just scratching my head, im gonna go to my local scrapyard and get the wire that goes from the j block to the starter and the starter to the alt wire and see what that gets me also gonna grab some relays

[flyfishvt]

Have you even tried putting a charger on the battery? During this whole process did you remove any wires from the starter? if you did not remove any then there is no reason to believe its a wiring issue.

One thing that will definately prevent the car from cranking is if the ground strap from the passenger motor mount bracket to the car body is corroded or broken or loose. You have a 94 so there is a chance you can test the starter from the round 20 pin diagnostic connector. Open it up and look to see if there is a pin in slot 11. If there is then put the car in neutral and run a wire from Pin 16 to pin 11. The car wont start but it will crank if the starter is working properly AND if the engine is grounded properly. Only cars built before 1/95 have pin 11. Not all of them but most do.

[xINDOx318I]

Yes I have charged the battery, and I will check for that pin and give that a shot, the only reason im grabbing wires is for my alt/ charging issue

[xINDOx318I]

Issue solved, it was the starter. It seems that the starter was internally danaged and was not allowing the voltage to get back to the battery and took the alternator out in the process. Which explains why even after replacing my alternator and battery several times and checking the system all voltage numbers were in spec. Then finally the starter stopped working completely. Luckily it was less than two years old and I have a lifetime warranty on that unit. Had it replaced bc I live in an apartment complex, cost $160 and now shes charging beautifully even with my sound system hooked up and on full blast. Feels good to be back on the road :D