Help! Battery died, car won't start now

[E34play]

95 540i/6. I blew out a tire a week and a half ago and after getting the car home it sat for a few days. Radar detector drained the battery during that time, so I took the battery out and had it charged, tested good, and re-installed.

Now, it just won't start. No click, no crank, nothing when I turn the key. The alarm never went off, no lights are flashing and everything else seems to be working properly. I checked the fuses under the rear seat and the engine bay, and nothing was blown. Any ideas? I need to get this thing back on the road! Thanks!

[HE53]

I read something the other day from an E36 person that said it can kill the signal from the key and it will have to be reprogrammed. Can't remember where I read it though...

(when the car goes completely dead)

[762Armo]

Try to jump-start it, and see what it does.

[HE53]

Just read like 6 threads that were like this one.... Hopefully this isn't what happened, but since I just saw an article on this I wouldn't rule it out.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1563131

Here ya go... I found the article I was thinking of... from this months Performance BMW Mag.

[E34play]

Hmm, no go so far. Is there any way to test the immobilizer chip? I only have the one key. Come to think of it I did try to start it when the battery was flat and it tried to turn and clicked a bunch afterwards. So, I'm wondering if that could have messed up the chip in the key?

I really don't want to have to tow this to the dealership...

[SinisterMoose]

I'm not sure the logic is sound here. There is no voltage connection from the car to the chip in the key. I believe the problem may be in the immobilizer/alarm system on the car. The chip in the key is a "static" device, similar to RFID, or the Sensormatic security units in retail stores. When the chip is within range of the antenna in the steering column it resonates a specific signal back to the car. Unless the chip can be degaussed (which would be foolish), or can be somehow damaged by an extreme RF field (also foolish), the chip will continue to respond in the same manner.

I could understand it if the immobilizer/alarm system could suffer from a low voltage situation causing it to "zap" the eeprom, making the immobilizer system refuse to recognize the chip in the key.

The EWS system basically just has an "antenna coil" around the key switch. If the immobilizer/alarm system doesn't recognize the chip in the key, it may be a simple matter of reprogramming the immobilizer to recognize the key.

Several of the aftermarket alarm systems for the E34 and E36 with EWS come with switchblade style keys and they warn that the new switchblade key won't allow the car to start unless you remove the chip from the original key and put it in the body of the new switchblade key, again only if the car has EWS.

I bypassed the EWS system on my wife's 1996 E36 328i convert, because it was easier than reprogramming the key to the car.

There were a lot of GM vehicles that used a "Pass Key" system which had a small chip embedded in the key, with two very small contact points on opposite sides of the key. In the case of the GM system, the chips could be fried by a low voltage situation, or the contacts would become worn preventing the car from starting. BMW doesn't use this type of system.

[SpiritofBavaria]

Busted ews2. Provided your battery and fusible links, and central locking and other backseat fuses are working.

You need to do the ews2 bypass and pick up a non ews 404 dme for the m60 engine (730/40 and 530/40, ecus are interchangeable here). Or purchase an ews delete chip for your existing ecu, cut pin or wire 66. I prefer this option as the new chip would have boosted fuel air maps. Great way to turn a repair into an upgrade.

You need to read this carefully :

http://qcwo.com/technicaldomain/ews-deletion-chip

The 404 dme is around $60 shipped, and the boosted ews2 delete chip is under $100. Both from ebay. Chips are clones of course.

The ews bypass is reversible, btw...

[E34play]

If it were ews, wouldn't the ignition still "click" or try to crank the engine?

[paperplane94]

95 540i/6. I blew out a tire a week and a half ago and after getting the car home it sat for a few days. Radar detector drained the battery during that time, so I took the battery out and had it charged, tested good, and re-installed.

Now, it just won't start. No click, no crank, nothing when I turn the key. The alarm never went off, no lights are flashing and everything else seems to be working properly. I checked the fuses under the rear seat and the engine bay, and nothing was blown. Any ideas? I need to get this thing back on the road! Thanks!

That screams EWS. Yes, the EWS system will make the car not respond at all to a start command i.e. no click, no nothing, but voltage is present.

Read this for a bypass:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=536505

[Binjammin]

I'm not sure the logic is sound here. There is no voltage connection from the car to the chip in the key. I believe the problem may be in the immobilizer/alarm system on the car. The chip in the key is a "static" device, similar to RFID, or the Sensormatic security units in retail stores. When the chip is within range of the antenna in the steering column it resonates a specific signal back to the car. Unless the chip can be degaussed (which would be foolish), or can be somehow damaged by an extreme RF field (also foolish), the chip will continue to respond in the same manner.

I could understand it if the immobilizer/alarm system could suffer from a low voltage situation causing it to "zap" the eeprom, making the immobilizer system refuse to recognize the chip in the key.

The EWS system basically just has an "antenna coil" around the key switch. If the immobilizer/alarm system doesn't recognize the chip in the key, it may be a simple matter of reprogramming the immobilizer to recognize the key.

Several of the aftermarket alarm systems for the E34 and E36 with EWS come with switchblade style keys and they warn that the new switchblade key won't allow the car to start unless you remove the chip from the original key and put it in the body of the new switchblade key, again only if the car has EWS.

I bypassed the EWS system on my wife's 1996 E36 328i convert, because it was easier than reprogramming the key to the car.

There were a lot of GM vehicles that used a "Pass Key" system which had a small chip embedded in the key, with two very small contact points on opposite sides of the key. In the case of the GM system, the chips could be fried by a low voltage situation, or the contacts would become worn preventing the car from starting. BMW doesn't use this type of system.

Just to clarify on passkey, gm used just a resistor in the keys, not a chip. The early keys with the exposed resistor terminals would wear, causing a no-start. The later passkey systems worked slightly differently, basically the resistor was in the ignition, not the key. You can even swap ecus on some gm cars and recode them to the passkey resistor on the car. There weren't even a lot of different resistor values, it was only something like 17 or so. There are a bunch of different passkey bypasses you can do too, it's only really helpful to keep owners repairing their gm cars, because really, who wants to steal something GM made?

[SinisterMoose]

Just to clarify on passkey, gm used just a resistor in the keys, not a chip. The early keys with the exposed resistor terminals would wear, causing a no-start. The later passkey systems worked slightly differently, basically the resistor was in the ignition, not the key. You can even swap ecus on some gm cars and recode them to the passkey resistor on the car. There weren't even a lot of different resistor values, it was only something like 17 or so. There are a bunch of different passkey bypasses you can do too, it's only really helpful to keep owners repairing their gm cars, because really, who wants to steal something GM made?

Yep, my '96 Impala SS suffered from Pass Key problems. There at the end, even leaving the keys in it, in the hopes someone would steal it didn't help, the damn thing still wouldn't start, or it would start and die in 45 seconds. I ended up having to change the ignition switch, and get new keys. Still took a bath on that barge, awesome cruiser at 15K miles, but started to fall apart at 30K.

[Leonator134]

Yep, my '96 Impala SS suffered from Pass Key problems. There at the end, even leaving the keys in it, in the hopes someone would steal it didn't help, the damn thing still wouldn't start, or it would start and die in 45 seconds. I ended up having to change the ignition switch, and get new keys. Still took a bath on that barge, awesome cruiser at 15K miles, but started to fall apart at 30K.

Damn I want one of those so bad. I was actually looking at them before the E34.

[SinisterMoose]

Damn I want one of those so bad. I was actually looking at them before the E34.

Save yourself the pain. Hand me a few grand, and I'll kick you in the nads, throw chunks of plastic at you, raise your insurance rates and steal your wallet. The end result will be the same.

Sorry to sound so dickish, but I dumped $18K into buying that pig when it only had about 12K miles and another $5K in "upgrades" to correct GMs lack of engineering prowess, only to end up selling it for $5K at 32K miles. It handled like a dump truck, got 5mpg in town, rattled and squeaked like a stage coach, and ate tires like they were free. For all the hype, the LT1 wouldn't hang with my 525i turbo in a straight line, and show it a curve and it would do it's best imitation of a flat rock skipped across a pond with no warning of impending traction loss.

[HE53]

If it were ews, wouldn't the ignition still "click" or try to crank the engine?

Nope... nothing happens at all.


Not all those Impala's were bad mechanically, but they were junk from the factory as far as build quality. I have a buddy in MO who uses his for road trips and runs 80mph while getting 25mpg which is pretty good... similar to my 540.

[SinisterMoose]

Nope... nothing happens at all.


Not all those Impala's were bad mechanically, but they were junk from the factory as far as build quality. I have a buddy in MO who uses his for road trips and runs 80mph while getting 25mpg which is pretty good... similar to my 540.

It wasn't all bad, don't get me wrong. It would get 25mpg at 80 and not break a sweat, however the driver would break out in a sweat just maintaining the lane. I added Hotchkis rear trailing arms (to properly center the rear wheels in the opening. Completely rebuilt the front end with performance bits, and spent over a grand with an alignment specialist, and could never get the car to stop tramlining on the interstate. It just wasn't meant for those wide tires.