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Hey all, I've got a puzzling one for you.
About three weeks ago, I got my car back from a head gasket job. I usually work on my car myself, but was pretty scared when it came to this job, so I had a pro do it. The head was machined, Vanos rebuilt, guide rails, tensioners and chains, head bolts, manifold gaskets all replaced. You name it. The car is running better than it ever has, that is, when it's running. A couple days after I got it, It didn't want to start. It was cranking, but not starting. You'd crank it about three times before it'd finally start, and a small cloud of greyish whiteish smoke came out when it started, but quickly disappeared. So, I had it scanned, and it was throwing a single code for the crankcase position sensor. So I purchased and installed a Meyle sensor from ECS tuning. The next day, it started perfectly, no smoke, nothing. But then, the day after that, it quickly went back to the same old 3 or 4 tries before starting, and the small cloud of smoke. So I had it scanned again. No current codes, one stored code for the crankcase position sensor. What's goin on here? It's pretty concerning for me. Also, similarly concerning, the coolant level is sloooowly seeping down, and the oil is likewise. The only place my car is leaking oil is from the rear main seal, and it's very very little. The coolant is not leaking at all, so perhaps it just needs to be bled again. I've no clue what to make out of all of this. It's worth mentioning that once the car is warmed up, it'll start with no hesitation after it's been turned off. It's only after about 4-5 hours of the car sitting, after it's cooled down, that it has trouble starting. I'm replacing the coolant temperature sensor per recommendation of my mechanic, but I highly doubt this will fix it. Anybody got any clues? Sorry for the long post.
Member
Its most likely your Cam sensor. The fact that you're loosing some coolant is probably just air working its way out. But it should stop going down after a week of driving it. If it doesn't you might have to snug up some hose clamps. If your still concerned then do a compression test to make sure they did a good job on the HG. If you have INPA diagnostic software you can better troubleshoot the Cam sensor.
Don't worry about the little puff out the exhaust after a no start.
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Okay, I wondered if that was a possibility, but I was told it wasn't. I guess it's worth replacing anyway just to see. Thanks for the reassurance and help! I reply once I've replaced that sensor.
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He is totally guessing on the cam sensor. I'd run more diagnostics before spending money on it. Check fuel pressure
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Also for the newer e36 cam sensor, I've measured pins 1 to 2 and 1 to 3 and got around 9 ohms, the bad sensor was near zero ohms.
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Thats better. I always check stuff before spending money cause im not the type of guy with extra money lolOriginally Posted by Eric93se
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I did tell him to do diagnostics with inpa
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Hmm so while waiting for a new Cam position sensor, I decided to try unplugging the battery overnight. Next morning it started right up. Could this be an ECU issue? I've read of that before, not sure how common. I had the codes scanned again, still saying Crankshaft position sensor, code 83.
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Since these ECUs learn I wouldn't be surprised if it was having a difficult time using the stored values from before the HG job. Although I would have assumed they had disconnected the battery at some point during the HG job? Granted, that's just an assumption and not a necessary step.
Either way, if you replaced the crank position sensor and it's still coding, follow Eric's suggestion and use INPA or another diag tool. Or bust out a multimeter / start checking wiring. I suggest a diag tool because it can actually show you values that the ECU is reading from the sensor which may give you a better idea of what's happening. I have a Schwaben tool that lets you do this from the diagnostic port under the hood, it's come in handy a number of times.
Last edited by Aeko; 03-23-2018 at 09:25 PM.
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I think it may be the coolant temperature sensor.. like I mentioned, the car won't start when it's cooled down for several hours, but when it's been driven recently, it starts right up. So, I unplugged the sensor one morning and it started right up. Did this several times after it had cooled down and it started first try every single time, but it is very hesitant to start when the sensor is plugged in and the car is cold. So, I replaced the sensor, and it's still having the issue. hm. Any other guesses?
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