BMW e46 320ci convertible CLICK NO CRANK..?

[Stephen Riley]

battery is good .12.6 volts to starter motor + is good under load
when i check the voltage under load on the soloniod lowwer + connection 2,7 volts, upper + connection less than one volt.
So im losing voltage ,, earth to body of starter under load shows no voltage loss.
Problem seems to be in the ignition or ews, if i cross the+ on the starter to solonoid it works fine and turns engine ,, also if push start the car starts first time..
Any ideas what to check next ,should i be getting 12V to ews pin 1,starter motor, pin 2 ignition switch crank..thanks

[flyfishvt]

Do a simple test first. Use some jumper cables to another car and see if the car cranks or starts. 12.6 volts is meaningless. I can string a few D cells together and get that. Battery life is determined by amps

[Stephen Riley]

Hi thanks for reply, with jumper cables still click no crank ,, starts with push start , battery tested under load is good ,, ignition wire on starter solenoid has voltage drop under load,, should nt that remain at 12 .. volts under load
When i checked at the igniton switched key turned full on i have 12,,5 volts but under load volts drop to 1 or 2 volts

[Muzz258]

Sounds like a loose connection or burnt connection.

Check:
- battery terminals are tight
- jump start terminal bolt is tight
- for corrosion on the crash disconnect by the positive battery terminal

Its not going to be the EWS as it push starts.

[MIKYZZ4]

Sounds like the solenoid.
Have a friend rap on the solenoid with a wrench while you simultaneously turn the key, that should confirm.

[Stephen Riley]

Thanks for the reply ,, i tried using the jump start terminal for main power to see if there was a difference and its the same click no crank ,
The power does not drop on the main terminal of the starter when cranked ,only on ignition wires on starter,
I was thinking it was unlikely to be the ews as well because starter clicks.
I have this bimmer garaged and parked the last 2 yrs,, and it would do this click no crank from time to time ,, so i would leave the battery disconnected , but forgot one day to remove it after starting it
If the starter was faulty would it still work when i cross the terminals as it does work like this and turns engine,
If the connections and battery are good ,, what else could be drawing the volts from circuit thanks,,
Could it be a faulty ignition switch ,,?

[Stephen Riley]

Thanks for reply ,, I have tried that no difference ,, Im losing current some where on the ignition circuit but not sure where to look next ,,

[MIKYZZ4]

That battery may be at end of life.
Do you have a spare one, or one in another vehicle to swap and test?

In the states we can easily go to the nearest autoparts and have the battery load tested.
Btw, it would be a good idea while garaged, to have the battery hooked up to a battery tender/trickle charger.

[Stephen Riley]

Im going to replace the ignition switch ,, its the only thing that completes the circuit ..

[MarcoZandrini]

First, try cleaning the ignition switch’s contacts with fine (800 grit) sandpaper and then flush with alcohol. Sometimes the contacts become corroded or contaminated.

[whiskychaser]

The power does not drop on the main terminal of the starter when cranked ,only on ignition wires on starter

They should both read about 9.6v under load. If the solenoid is faulty, it could drag down the 12v trigger voltage. Any terminals getting warm?

[Stephen Riley]

I will try cleaning contact thank you for reply.

[Stephen Riley]

Thanks for reply,, when i cross the terminals on starter and solenoid the engine cranks straight away ,, I have a little volt drop from the main connetion on the starter and hardly any volts on the ignition when cranked ,,I have 12,6 volts going in on the ignition switch but not coming out ,, the terminals are not getting warm , also noticed the heater coming back on and radio when i switch the ignition on ,, even when i have switched them off ,, will try cleaning contact on switch ,,,
If the solenoid is faulty would it still crank ok when i cross the terminals

[Stephen Riley]

Hi just finished cleaning contacts and made continuity test seems ok ,but no change click no crank , back to square one lol

[Stephen Riley]

Ignition is ok i think after cleaning and testing ,, i think the only thing left is the starter motor ,checked every thing else on the ignition i think, cant see what else it could be ,yesterday i put the wiring harness and inlet back on thinking its not the starter ,,lol,

[whiskychaser]

If the solenoid is faulty would it still crank ok when i cross the terminals

What were you using to connect the terminals?

[MIKYZZ4]

With battery at full charge condition +
Starter clicks, but will start when starter solenoid contacts atop starter are jumped = Bad solenoid.
Replace starter. When starter was previously removed it could have been easily tested.

[Stephen Riley]

Fine grit..

[Stephen Riley]

I think your right ,, there is nothing else it can be ,, , reason i did not remove the starter completely ,, I got down to the very last bolt , meaning the 2 on the starter , removed top one and the other looked slightly rounded ,if you know the bolt im talking about , you ll know its a nightmare to remove ,lol, my plan was to remove it and test its cheap to recondition, , I was hoping it was the ignition ,, sods law,,

[Stephen Riley]

Well after dramas getting the starter off , i had it serviced and a new solenoid battery fully charged ,, its the same click no crank.
I noticed the connection for the igniton switch is loose ,, it effected the dash,it flickers ,and i can hear sensors resetting was not like that before ,
So i removed the igniton switch checked it again, reconnected it ,same ,dash came on but dimmer and slow flicker
So removed it and crossed the terminals to simulate ,key turn 1 and 2, i noticed the dash looked dimmer and would still have kind of slow flicker and the negative terminal was getting hot (key off ),if i remove the negative terminal and place it ,some times also not getting hot .key off or on
Seems like a bad earth, I already cleaned and checked the ignition switch , but i will replace it..
I will try testing the grounds and parasitic draw test tomorrow,,
might seem like a silly queston , but is it possible a relay has burnt out,causing a short
Many people have had this same problem , but for different reasons,,any ideas..

[Stephen Riley]

Problem solved ....

[MIKYZZ4]

What specifically fixed your no start problem?
Inquiring minds would like to know!

[whiskychaser]

Problem solved ....

Not the old 'put your tongue out of the left side of your mouth' trick?

[harrier]

Problem solved ....

Don't leave us hanging, man!

[mdschurtz]

What wound up fixing it? I have a very similar issue and hoping this will give me more things to look at