Starter Replaced but the Car still does not crank, more issues now.

[Sebas1223]

Hi,
When I first bought my 2004 330ci the car would not crank when the ignition was turned but after two or three tries it would finally start, though as time went on the car would not crank at all and would not start with out roll starting it. I had believed the issue was the starter so I went ahead and bought a starter from the junkyard and had it tested at my local auto parts store (it worked). So, I went ahead and took on the task to replace it myself and when I put everything back together and went to test it, no crank still. I went ahead and roll started the car to make sure the engine was fine after I put everything back together, and the engine turned out to have a very rough idle (not present before) and the throttle had zero response, does anyone have any ideas as to what the problem could be?

[Muzz258]

1) Do you have the ASC/DSC yellow light up? If you do, then get the trouble codes read from the ABS module and post them here with the descriptions. This may impact the zero rev's once you get the engine started.

2) Have you checked with a DC volt meter the charge of the battery? It should be above 12.5 V. Anything less and you start having problems when you try to start the engine.

3) Do you have a good scanner with BMW software? You will need one to be able to check that your key is being recognised by the security system (EWS). The EWS will disable cranking if the key is not recongised. This could be due to the key, antenna ring around the ignition switch or the EWS. If the EWS has disabled crank, it will have also disabled spark, so a bump/push start will not start the engine.

4) Rough idle can be caused by many items. As you will have removed the MAF and moved around the rubber boots from the MAF to throttle body, check the following. Is the MAF pugged in? Are there any splits, cracks, holes in the rubber boots between the MAF and throttle body. Especially check the small tee off that goes to the idle control valve.

With your scanner check the following.

Do you have a vacuum Leak?
The proportion of unmetered air from a vacuum leak to metered air is higher at idle and lower at revs. Do this test.
With a hot engine at idle, check the 4 fuel trims, 2 short-term and 2 long-term. If any are > 8% then you likely have a vacuum leak. Rev the engine to 3,000 rpm for 30 seconds and watch the short-term fuel trims. If they reduce significantly, might even go negative, then it is confirmed that you have a vacuum leak. Smoke test the engine to find the leaks.
If the short-term fuel trims do not reduce significantly, then it’s something else.

Do you have a fuel supply problem?
The fuel supply system has to deliver 2 key functions:
1) Fuel pressure. It should be 50 PSI at the fuel rail Schrader test valve with the key at position 2 and the engine not running. The fuel pressure regulator is part of the fuel filter. It could also be the fuel pump.
2) Fuel volume. If your fuel trims are +/- 5% at idle, but get worse, > 8% when at highway speeds, then you could have a fuel volume problem caused by a blocked fuel filter or a failing fuel pump.

Do you have a faulty MAF?
The MAF should be drawing around 3.5 g/s at hot idle.
Make sure that the MAF is marked BMW or Siemens/VDO. The cheap Chinese knock-off MAF's or the Hyundai part number MAF's don't work well on the E46's.
Many people unplug the MAF and discover that the rough idle or lean condition disappears. They conclude that the MAF is faulty. This is not always the case. When you unplug the MAF the Engine computer (DME) reverts to using fuelling tables already programmed into it. These fuelling tables are richer. This richness often compensates for a lean running condition caused by vacuum leaks. So, confirm that you don't have any vacuum leaks before unplugging the MAF. If you then unplug the MAF and it does improve the lean condition, changing the MAF with a good quality one is your next step.

[Sebas1223]

Good afternoon,
I apologize for the delayed response. I came to the conclusion that the issue is a vacuum leak somewhere in the engine. Its a pretty hefty one considering I found an entire vacuum hose under the car when I pulled it out after testing the possible issues you prescribed. I noticed that as put the car back into reverse and let the clutch out the engine stopped shaking so much and went back to a normal "sound" ( I'm not sure how to properly word that) , though it didn't respond the same way when I put the car in first, the car stuttered more than it did at idle. Most likely due to the vacuum leak. I'm lost on where the hoses plug into though, I know for certain that the "f" hose that attaches to the MAF is out of place and I'm not sure where that would lead to. The second hose was very brittle and broke when I was removing the exhaust manifold and I have no clue where that goes as well. Do you have any idea where these hoses lead to or connect to?

[Kit2kay]

I've recently changed the Crankshaft sensor and both Camshaft sensors in my E46 and it has a strong crank but doesn't start. I'm thinking that it's the fuel pump, or the alternator, but i'm not sure. Any ideas.

[jclausen]

If the engine does not turn over but the dash lights come on with no clicking noise try another key