Fusible link location help e36 328is No Start

[ilikemycar]

Hello everyone.

I'm still experiencing this issue even after doing a number of repairs on my 98 328is 5 speed. My car shut down while driving and would not start, crank but no start. Felt like I was completely out of gas, except I had a quarter tank.

Parts that have been replaced due to this issue:
Engine harness
Fuel pump/filter/relay/regulator/injectors
Spark plugs

What should I look at next? I have heard something called a fusible link that may be causing this issue. Does anyone know an effective way to temporarily bypass any micro fissure in the link, would winding some thin wire around the two bolts which fasten the fusible link down work? If this is not a good way to test why isn't it a good way, and what is a better way to test or bypass the links?

If it can't be a fusible link, what do you know that would cause a car to lose power once it is at operating temperatures? Engine harness was replaced and car ran fine for a day then it shut me down.

Any help and advice is appreciated.

[Eric93se]

If the car cranks then it has nothing to do with the fusable link.

Have you tried putting gas in the car?

When I got my car, driving it around, all of a sudden it started dying when giving some gas, but it would run at idle with the car in drive. Felt just like it ran out of gas, tank said 1/4 left. Got someone to fetch me some gas and viola! it ran fine again. Did some figuring out and learned about the siphon pump on the drivers side of the tank, and sure enough it was disconnected. You can do some reading about the siphon pump there are old threads where I mentioned this issue before.

[JDStrickland]

Just because the gas gauge says 1/4 does not mean that you actually have 1/4. Lots of reports of cars that are out of gas even with 1/4 showing on the gas gauge.

[ilikemycar]

Thanks guys.
I haven't tried putting gas in the car. But now that I think about it, I haven't had more than half a tank ever since this problem started. Right after installing the new harness car drove very well for a day with less gas than I have now. Wouldn't I have experienced this issue at that moment?

Eric, I checked my siphon pump last night and it wasn't disconnected.

I'll look into putting more gas in the tank, i'll report back with results.

[JDStrickland]

Gasoline acts as a heat sink for the fuel pump, if you are in the habit of driving around all of the time with the tank near empty, then your fuel pump is overheating or at least running hotter than it has to if you kept it submerged in gasoline more often than not. You can be sucking air because the level is lower than you think it is, and you are cooking the pump because the level is at least as low as you think it is, and maybe lower.

Your fuel pump life will be shortened due to the heat that comes from driving the car on an empty tank all of the time. If you are the type to put in $5 all of the time, then you should fill the tank and drop 5 when the needle gets to 3/4. It's just a matter of retraining yourself to keep the tank full instead of holding it just above E.

Having said that, some of the problems you report can be from poor performance of the fuel pump.

You should fill the tank and reset the trip meter (odometer), then fill again when the odometer gets to 300 miles. You will extend the life of the fuel pump if you observe this relatively simple rule. My car is a '94 with the original pump. My F150 is a '97, also the original pump. Keeping the tank full instead of running it on Empty is key.

[ilikemycar]

I will fill up the tank.

I'd still like to look into the fusible links. Where can they be found on a e36?

[shogun]

In general the fusible link is always close to the battery, so follow the red wire from the battery, on my E32 it is hidden in shrink wrap

[Eric93se]

On the E36 its at the passenger strut tower, it acts as a distribution block as well.

[shogun]

someone has a pic of that in the E36? Once I read it is also in the trunk. Z3 is shown here https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...I-can-think-of
but cannot find a pic from E36

[ilikemycar]

Shogun to the rescue! Thanks man !

I understand there are 2 or even 3 fusible links on the E36. Where are they? Or roughly where are they?


Second, can I temporarily wind some normal wire around them. I want to rule out the fusible link in testing stuff on my car. I may have microcracks which are not visible. This is just a quick way to rule things out it is not a repair I understand that. If winding wire won't work as a quick way, what will ?


Third where do I buy fusible links and approximately how much should I pay for them? Must they be oem?


Thanks

[JDStrickland]

Fusible link is not used on any of the 4-banger cars, except the 318ti.

In '94, '95, and '96 the fusible link affects the entire electrical system on all cars that use it. The ti cars have a fusible link, but it's global in its affect on the vehicle.

On '97 and '98 cars, the fusible link affects the engine control module and engine control relay, transmission module, and fuel pump relay and the fuel pump itself. In all cases ('97 and '98 models with the link), you should feel the failure of the fusible link on Pin 14 of the Data Link Connector (DLC) -- the round 20-pin connector.

On cars that have a fusible link in a location that is not global on the rest of the electrical system, these would be the '97 and '98 inline sixes, I cannot see any condition where the fusible link would fail in a manner that was not complete and constant. But, if I am wrong, then the result could be that the car would intermittently shut off for no apparent reason. All of the modules that are controlled by the fusible link will have a major contribution to system failure if any or all of them go offline. All of the modules could remain online and the fuel pump relay can go away, and the engine would die as if it was running out of gas. In my estimation, the other things that would go away would be a sudden and complete loss of power.

An intermittent fusible link could easily be a loose nut/bolt that secures the connections of the power bus. On cars where the fusible link has a global affect, the wires come together at the fuse, then divide out on the other side. A bad connection could possibly affect some circuits but not others. On the '97 and '98, the wires from the battery, through the fusible link, and continue on to the affected circuits are wholly separate from the remainder of the Power Distribution System.

In all cases, the fusible link is between the battery and the B+ Post. It could be located near to the battery or on the firewall or underside of the B+ Post. If I was looking for mine, I would be looking near the battery. The schematic shows where it is electrically, not physically. The manual does not give any suggestions on where it is physically located.

[shogun]

Thanks for the details on the E36 fusible links, quite confusing. On the E32 it is much easier, both are close to the battery under rear seat. FUSIBLE LINKS A & B IN E32
X6400 is the power post inside the E box. It feeds only DME loads. ETM E32 Page 1361-01 for M30 and 1367-00 for M70. Fusible Link A is 50 Amps. Page 0670-10 Fusible B is 80 Amps. It feeds all the Rear Power Box loads like LKM, RM etc.
http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/kazam/P1010076.JPG
http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/kazam/P1010075.JPG
http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/kazam/735i%20FL.JPG

found on another forum this info: In case anyone cares the fusible link on the 95 M3 is located about two feet away from the battery along the smaller power cable inside the trunk just before it passes through to the back seat. The smaller wire and the larger wire were wrapped with a heat shrink tubing like plastic where the fusible link was located. The link was definitely blown and needs to be replaced but what was BMW thinking. For me it was fairly easy as all of the upholstery in the trunk was already removed but for most people this would require completely dismantling the trunk only to find a fuse that cannot be replaced without unsoldering the old one and resoldering the new one. I guess I am off to the local stereo store for a cheap fuse holder that will work infinitely better then what BMW came up with.

[ilikemycar]

Hi Shogun,

Thank you for showing me where the fusible links are on an E32, but I was really hoping you could help me eyeball their locations on the E36.

Anyway I really an expert's intelligence on my second question. Second, can I temporarily wind some normal wire around them. I want to rule out the fusible link in testing stuff on my car. I may have micro cracks which are not visible. This is just a quick way to rule things out it is not a repair I understand that. If winding ordinary wire won't work as a quick way to test, what will?

I'm literally about to go out to my car to work on it, so JDStrickland, Shogun, or anyone else please do me a huge favor and help me with this.

Thank you all.

[Eric93se]

If you want, you can temporarily bypass the fusable link by adding a jumper. You would add a large wire from the top connection (where the large wire from the trunk connects to the fusable link), to a lower wire at the fusable link, for example to the terminal that has the large red wire that runs across the top of the firewall over to the fuse panel. Like I said earlier I don't think your problem is with the fusable link. Be sure not to ground out any of the positive wires, especially the one coming from the trunk during any of this.

- - - Updated - - -

Other things you should do that you have not listed: Test all fuses, test all relays. To test a relay, remove it from the panel, energize the coil with 12V and ground (duh) and while energized measure the resistance across the contacts, should be near zero (1 or 2 ohms is ok).

[shogun]

I searched more and even found a pic, this refers to the 323i compact, copied: Compact 323ti , text translated
80 Ampere Schmelzsicherung, die im Pluskabel der Batterie knapp 50 cm nach dem Batteriepol sitzt. Eine genaue rep. anleitung ist hier:
80 ampere fusible link located in the plus cable from the battery to engine bay battery + pole, located approx 50 cm from the battery pole, repair instructions
Material/material:
1x Schmelzsicherung zum verschrauben 80 Ampere (gibts bei VW) fusable link for bolting on, 80 A, also available from VW
2x M5 Schraube 10 mm / 1 x M5 bolts 10mm
2x Mutter M5 /2 x M5 nuts
1x Isolierband/insulating tape
1x Messer / cutter knife
1x MULTIMETER /multimeter
und hier jetzt wie versprochen die Anleitung!/ instruction
1. Kabelbaum genau auf die schadhafte Stelle untersuchen und die Schadstelle beheben!!! /check cable loom and repair
2. Batterie abklemmen!!!/ disconnect battery
3. Pluskabel vorne im Motorraum am Starthilfepol in der schwarzen Box unten rechts abklemmen (10mm Mutter)/disconnect in engine bay at battery + pole in the black box lower side right
4. Mit Multimeter dieses Kabel gegen Masse prüfen! / test with a multimeter this cable against ground
>Sobald ein Durchgang da ist, Kabelbaum überprufen und schadhafte Stelle instandsetzen und sehr gut isolieren< in case you find a fault, check + repair and insulate well
5. Kofferraum unteren Teppich entfernen! / remove in trunk lower carpet
6. An den Seiten Plastikverkleidung entfernen (Ablage links und rechts) / remove the plastic covers in trunk on each side
7. Dämmmatte Kofferraumboden entfernen/remove sound absorbing mat in trunk
8. Pluskabel bis zu der Stelle verfolgen, wo ein Schrumpfschlauch zusätzlich angebracht ist und sich das 6mm Kabel verdickt/follow the plus cable from battery to the point where you find a heat shrink protected thicker point inside the 6mm cable
9. VORSICHTIG mit einem Messer den Scheuerschutz an der Stelle entfernen!/carefully remove with a cutter knife the protection
10. Schrumpfschlauch vorsichtig aufschneiden und entfernen! / remove with cutter knife the shrink hose
11. Schrumpfschlauch an dem 6mm Kabel VORSICHTIG entfernen/remove with cutter knife on the 6mm cable the shrink hose
12. Sicherungshitzeschutz vorsichtig entfernen!/remove fusanble link complete
13. Die Nieten mit 5,2mm Bohrer aufbohren und die "Platine" dran lassen /the rivets drill open with a 5.2mm drill and leave the 'platine' on
14. Defekte Sicherung entfernen/remove defective fusable link
15. 80 Ampere Flachschmelzsicherung mit den 2 M5 10mm Schrauben an der Platine anbringen/attach new 80A fusable link with 2 M5 bolts on the platine
16. Sicherung mit Platine gut isolieren!/insulate fusable link and platine well
17. Sichergehen das alles gut isoliert ist! Im Zweifelsfall nochmal eine Lage Isoband!/make sure that all is weill insulated
18. Beide Kabel wieder aneinander binden/both cable connect again
19. Kabel vorne im Motorraum auf Masseschluss prüfen und wenn kein Schluss da ist, anschließen!/check attach cable in engine bay with ground and connect again when o.k.
20. alles wieder zusammen bauen und Batterie anschließen/asselble all again and connect battery again
Und anschließend noch ein Bild der defekten Sicherung/here a pic of the fusable link
Here a pic, 323i, bmw, compact, e36ti, Hauptsicherung/main fuse So follow the battery cables from the plus pole of the battery and when you find something a big thicker in that loom, you got the place where it is
sicherung-219799425525429711.jpg

In that threat it was also mentioned that the compact versions have a small fuse box located behind the cluster.

Maybe someone can check in a Sedan and tell us/confirm or show a pic, how that is in other models, built years.

I also found a German wiring diagram, there are even 2 Sollschmelzstelle = fusible links (?) F97 shown on page 0670.2-00 , 1 x 70RT and 1 x in 25RT
Schaltplan 1998 E36 316i, 318i, 318is, 320i, 323i, 328i, M3, 318tds, 325td, 325tds inkl. Cabrio und Touring https://web.archive.org/web/20120417.../e36schalt.pdf for download

and another pic, trunk
IMG_4817.jpg
from here, that is a 325i http://www.e36racing.de/e36umbau.html

[ilikemycar]

So nobody knows exactly where the fusible links are on the E36 328i? No one has pictures? Cmon guys!

[ilikemycar]

Eric, Strickland, Shogun, I've got exciting news. You're not going to believe it! Let me check it out properly will update in a day or two. Watch this space!

[flyfishvt]

On the E36 its at the passenger strut tower, it acts as a distribution block as well.

no it is not.

Fuseable link ink is about 1-2 feet from the battery. The positive battery terminal has a large red wire and a smaller red wire. Both those wires run directly to the B post in the engine bay. The large red one goes to the starter then the alternator. The thin one supplies power to the rest of the car. Pull up the carpet in the trunk. Follow the cables from the battery. About 1-2 feet you'll see black shrink wrap on the smaller cable. That's the fuseable link

[Eric93se]

I stand corrected about the fuse link location. But the B post is a distribution block, so the connections made there can come loose.

[shogun]

See my pic above from the fusible link in the trunk.
But I am still wondering if there is a second fusible link in another location like on the E34 and E32 and E31. See my post above with the link to the wiring diagram E36, it shows German wiring diagram, there are even 2 Sollschmelzstellen.
Sollschmelzstelle translated is like a fusible link or desired melting points , so not sure if that is just a fuse which can also melt or a fusible link. It says F97 shown on page 0670.2-00 , 1 x 70RT and 1 x in 25RT.
Maybe someone can check

[flyfishvt]

See my pic above from the fusible link in the trunk.
But I am still wondering if there is a second fusible link in another location like on the E34 and E32 and E31. See my post above with the link to the wiring diagram E36, it shows German wiring diagram, there are even 2 Sollschmelzstellen.
Sollschmelzstelle translated is like a fusible link or desired melting points , so not sure if that is just a fuse which can also melt or a fusible link. It says F97 shown on page 0670.2-00 , 1 x 70RT and 1 x in 25RT.
Maybe someone can check

for the purposes of this discussion there is only one fuseable link

[JDStrickland]

I stand by my initial response that the fusible link would be an intermittent problem. It works or it doesn't. A fuse is a binary device, connects or open. In the odd event that a fusible link, or any fuse, is intermittent, then a solid rap on a hard surface should cause it to be forever failed. Sometimes a light bulb can fail in an intermittent fashion, seldom happens it's possible, and when true the light bulb is very fragile and is prone to permanent failure with very little mechanical force. The fusible link is the same, it should fail totally when it fails, in the random case where it is intermittent then a small mechanical force should destroy it permanently.

The fusible link on a very few E36 cars will affect a small portion of the car, in the vast majority of the E36 cars, the fusible link has a global affect that will shut down the entire electrical system, not just a small portion of it.

[ilikemycar]

I will check it out and post what I find.

[Eric93se]

So shogun, in your pic, I see a fuse on the small red wire but I don't see anything on the large red. So where is the fuse for the large wire?

[JDStrickland]

So shogun, in your pic, I see a fuse on the small red wire but I don't see anything on the large red. So where is the fuse for the large wire?

Your car does not have a fusible link on the larger wire. The large wire goes to the starter and to the alternator, the smaller wire has a link because it goes to multiple loads.

On ANY car with a Fusible Link, you can test the link by using your volt meter on Pin 14 of the Data Link Connector, if there is voltage, the link is good.

It is always true that the DLC, Pin 14 goes to the battery. In some cases, the fusible link is in between Pin 14 and the battery, but there is no case where Pin 14 does not go to the battery.