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Thread: 2000 323Ci No starter activation

  1. #1
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    2000 323Ci No starter activation

    My son's car is 500 miles away and the starter doesn't activate. I figuring there are three things that this can be, bad starter, bad ignition switch or EWS lockout. Problem is, how to determine which it is. The battery is only a few weeks old. Is there any indication if the EWS is locked? Research has indicated that the ignition switches can be problematic. He had just driven it the day before and it started fine several times. He had to leave it and will be back to try again. He is taking another key to program and try. He tried to kick start it without success so I'm thinking that rules out the starter. Any suggestions on isolating this issue? TIA

  2. #2
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    No need to program that key. If it came with the car it's already good to go. You don't need the remote portion to work. It will still start the car. I agree if it was starter related it should have started with a push start. I bet the new key will work

  3. #3
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    I bought him a new key at the stealer because he only had one. It needs to be programmed to the car. That's the key he will try.

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  4. #4
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    If the dealer sold you a key that is completely blank he won't be able to program it to the car without special tools and software. If they sold you a replacement that is already keyed to your car there is no programming required to use it in the ignition. The only programming required is for the remote functions and that has no bearing on using it to start the car.

    My guess is they sold you a standard replacement that is already cut and the ews chip is already coded to your car. I've never heard of BMW selling blank keys.

  5. #5
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    the key is plug and play other then initializing the push buttons for the locking system
    Last edited by jclausen; 09-05-2017 at 09:34 AM.

  6. #6
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    It was cut and will turn the ign but not start

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  7. #7
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    You're a long way from home with no tools. I hate to break the Shade Tree Mechanics code of conduct but there are times when calling a tow truck is your best option. Tow it home or find a mechanic locally. I've seen these scenarios play out before. People spend 2 weeks banging their head against the wall instead of opening their wallet a little and getting it fixed today.

  8. #8
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    Doesn't the new key need to be sync'ed to the car?

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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by kampy View Post
    Doesn't the new key need to be sync'ed to the car?

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    That's what we're trying to tell you. The key has two functions 1) it remotely locks/unlocks the car. 2) it starts the car

    Those 2 functions are not related to each other. When you buy a key from the dealer it comes 100% ready to start the car. It does not come ready to remotely lock/unlock the doors. The key needs to be sync'd to the car for the remote functions to work but you can take that key straight from the parts desk to your car and use it to start the car. If the car doesn't start it's not related to the key.

  10. #10
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    Ohhhhh....... I've been a little confused as to the difference between starting and unlocking.

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  11. #11
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    On another note, would a broken ground to the block stop it from push starting?

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  12. #12
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    On another another note, is there any indication that the ews is in lock mode?

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  13. #13
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    Absolutely. If you can't fix that ground wire you can quickly bypass it. Take a single jumper cable and clip it onto any metal part of the engine. Clip the other end onto one of the strut tower bolts. You may have to wiggle the clamps to get good contact.

  14. #14
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    If the ground broke while driving, would the car die? He was driving the previous day without out incident, went to start the next morning, nothing

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  15. #15
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    That strap supplies ground for the spark plugs, alternator and starter. It's extremely rare for them to break but it's not uncommon for the connections to get rusty or corroded and fail to supply a good ground.

    If it failed while he was driving the car would most likely die but I had a situation on one of my other cars where it ran great one day and wouldn't crank or run the next day. It was that ground strap. It's wicked easy to by pass it and find out. You don't even have to inspect the strap before hand. Just bypass it and see what happens. In my case I was too busy to jack the car up and repair it so I ran a temporary ground wire from the engine to the strut tower. Ran it like that for 6 weeks.

  16. #16
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    Ok, thanks for the info. I'll make sure that's on the list to check. This is on the passenger side under the exhaust manifold, correct?
    Last edited by kampy; 09-05-2017 at 12:01 PM.

  17. #17
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    Ok. My son is going down Saturday to try to get his car started. We have it narrowed down to 3 possibilities, bad ground, bad key, ews antenna or other ews issue. Anybody care to give odds on each? Is there any way to tell if the ews is reading the key?

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  18. #18
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    You can use Inpa to access the ews system and see if it's reading the key

  19. #19
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    What is that?

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  20. #20
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    BMW specific software used for diagnosis

  21. #21
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    Is that commercially available or dealer?

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  22. #22
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    Nvm, i did some research. This isnt going to help in the short term. Need to get cables etc. Why doesn't BMW provide a visual indication thar the ews is in lock mode?

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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by kampy View Post
    Nvm, i did some research. This isnt going to help in the short term. Need to get cables etc. Why doesn't BMW provide a visual indication thar the ews is in lock mode?

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    Because you only need to worry about it if it fails. That is very rare and 99% of the original owners are not interested in diagnosing an issue with their car.

  24. #24
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    What is the failure rate of the antenna ring, key and ews box?

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  25. #25
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    Well, he put his backup key in and it started right up. When he gets home, he will try his old key again to verify.

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