battery or starter

[FlyLow]

hello everyone. how to check if you need a new battery or a new starter. my car will not crank just humming sound. lights are ok stereo is ok windows working fine.

thanks.

2006 325i automatic

[Pilgrim]

Normally a low battery won't hum, it will cause the solenoid on the starter to click but not crank.

Put the car on a good battery charger overnight, then try again. If no result other than hum, I'd think starter.

And before you do, check battery voltage with a multimeter between the charging contact and ground under the hood. If under 12V, it's battery.

If you own a car and have a garage, you should have a good battery charger in the garage. Period.

[FlyLow]

Normally a low battery won't hum, it will cause the solenoid on the starter to click but not crank.

Put the car on a good battery charger overnight, then try again. If no result other than hum, I'd think starter.

And before you do, check battery voltage with a multimeter between the charging contact and ground under the hood. If under 12V, it's battery.

If you own a car and have a garage, you should have a good battery charger in the garage. Period.


thank you. my battery reads 12.12v from a multimeter under the hood battery terminal. i even jump start my car and still no crank. looking for a new starter now. do i buy the genuine BMW or Bosch?

[Famous561]

thank you. my battery reads 12.12v from a multimeter under the hood battery terminal. i even jump start my car and still no crank. looking for a new starter now. do i buy the genuine BMW or Bosch?

Get the Bosch, it was cheaper and works just as good

[fun2drive]

Does your starter do this when the engine is cold? Typically BMW starter
Have the winding swell when they age and they will crank cold but not hot.
Starter is the minimal cost labor on this guy is steep and even DIY is a PITA.
By the way it really matters little what starter you buy since Bosch now buys bearing from China.
It should crank at 12.2 even if a little low so yes starter seems like the problem. One distant probably is the battery cable to glove box recall
that should have been done as a recall. It could cause the no start issue too...