2001 bmw e39 540i automatic---no crank

[xaos]

Hi all, any help is appreciated.

I have a 2001 540 auto with no crank. i went into the store, came out and that was it. no crank, no click, nothing. i have done my research and tons of troubleshooting.

a local shop looked at it and 4 mechanics couldnt figure it out. $500 for them to check absolutely everything they could and still no luck.

Here's what they did and what i've done so far to try and figure this out. they said there was a code for the driveaway module (ews??) that's all ive got from them. they also said the 50a fuse under the pass seat would keep blowing? i have not verified this as it doesnt even make sense. ive never heard of the fuse box under the front pass seat to blow fuses unless it got soaked in water and got rusty, even then i never heard of that causing issues like this. i DO have a replacement fuse box for in the trunk and under the seat if you think replacing those would do anything at all.

the starter was checked and verified in working condition. all fuses checked. even the ones under the pass seat and trunk and under the hood obviously. i replaced the ews, key and dme from an identical car, even the part numbers were all the same. still no crank. i thought this would atleast get it to crank w.o fuel or spark??? guess not.
i by passed or jumped the ews module and still no go. i also jumped pin 6 and pin 40 together on the dme harness to try and bypass the ews and still no go. i replaced the ignition switch as well. still nothing. i am stumped and so were those mechanics. the instrument cluster brightness kind of likes to fade in and out very slightly if that means anything. thought that was weird.

thank you, you guys are the best on here. please help me figure this one out.

[SW530]

Have you manually verified the engine will still turn over?

[xaos]

Have you manually verified the engine will still turn over?

yes.

[xaos]

the fuel pump does not turn on either. im sure it's related.

[xaos]

Im honestly out of ideas..

new battery, starter checked, ews and dme/key ruled out, fuses are good, grounds are good...for giggles i replaced both fuse boxes..the one under the pass side floor and the one in the trunk and still nothing.

i dont see how a relay could cause this no crank issue. IS there a relay that could cause this?

edit: also just replaced the key ring antenna and that didnt work.

Considering theres no fuel pump kicking on, id say key...but ive already replaced all of that.

[xaos]

it has to be some kind of electrical issue? or ews. it's gotta be one of those 2; but i've already swapped everything out as. far as EWS goes and still no crank.

again i swapped the dme, ews, key, and key ring antenna from an identical year car that has all of the same part numbers even! also tried bypassing the ews and that did nothing.
also again all fuses and grounds where checked. starter checked and was good.

im totally stumped and dont want to take it to another garage to have them charge me again and not fix the problem. i called some shops already and they're like nahhhh no thanks because it's a bmw but also because i said it's already been at a shop and had the basics checked and no one could figure it out.

thank you.

[MtnGn]

Had similar problems. chek connections to battery and to starter. Ck voltage drop from ignition switch to solenoid. Listen for relay click beneath glove box. Worse case scenario, your DME is fried.

Alternative issue, crankshaft position sensor. When mine went out, it would sporadically kill ignition. Id be stuck sitting for up to 15 mins and then it would work again.

Good luck.

[xaos]

Had similar problems. chek connections to battery and to starter. Ck voltage drop from ignition switch to solenoid. Listen for relay click beneath glove box. Worse case scenario, your DME is fried.

Alternative issue, crankshaft position sensor. When mine went out, it would sporadically kill ignition. Id be stuck sitting for up to 15 mins and then it would work again.

Good luck.

thanks for the reply. the connections have been thoroughly checked already. the dme was swapped out along with the ews, key and key antenna. with these items swapped out, especially with ones from the same year car with the same part numbers, it should have atleast cranked this way. CPS was tested already, but would that really cause a no crank situation?
the iggy switch was also replaced.

[xaos]

I've confirmed there is a lingering EWS code. code number 94. i dont know why though as ive said already that the ews and dme/key were already swapped out AND the ews was bypassed. it should have atleast cranked...

[Ed CT]

Do you get any instrument panel lights at all?
I read thru quickly, but didn't see that you checked the Park/Neutral position switch to allow it to start, as you have an auto tranny.

[xaos]

Do you get any instrument panel lights at all?
I read thru quickly, but didn't see that you checked the Park/Neutral position switch to allow it to start, as you have an auto tranny.

Yes, i also checked that and yes, the cluster works fine.

[Chedley]

I've confirmed there is a lingering EWS code. code number 94. .....

Which scanner did you use to read this EWS error code 94 ? If it is INPA, can you read and post the Status (key F1 I believe) of the EWS ??
After swapping the EWS and DME (why ?), did you realign them or resynch them ??

[xaos]

Which scanner did you use to read this EWS error code 94 ? If it is INPA, can you read and post the Status (key F1 I believe) of the EWS ??
After swapping the EWS and DME (why ?), did you realign them or resynch them ??

I swapped them for two reasons. 1) i had the parts sitting there from an identical car i just parted out recently and was trying to confirm EWS issue/troubleshoot. 2) that's what i read online. if you swapped them and/or bypassed the EWS, then the car would crank but not fire. that's how i was gonna diagnose the issue and confirm that it was an EWS issue, then worry about fixing that next. i still have not heard it crank and tried literally everything.

what i have decided to do is buy a laptop, the K+Dcan cable, and download the bmw software/tools for free like INPA and DIS, etc. it has a lot of other misc fault codes for airbag stuff and such, so this laptop should pay for itself.
im currently doing research on what laptop to use and after figuring that out and picking one up, im gonna download the bmw software/tools and try to learn how to use INPA and such myself. I want to learn how to realign/resync the DME my self since i'll have the laptop, cable and software to do that. I just need to watch some tutorial videos.

[Chedley]

Well, good idea to get INPA installed on a Windows laptop.
You can get a used laptop on ebay for less than $100, and that will do for INPA purposes.
And a K+DCAN inpa cable for about $30.
Software is freely download it from "Mike's easy BMW tools" link.

Then, I'd suggest you install back the original EWS and DME modules. They are probably fine. Use INPA to read error codes, statuses, and find out why you have the crank/no-crank/no-start problems. There are many threads detailing how to debug such issues, and how to resynch or realign the dme-ews if that is warranted.

[xaos]

Well, good idea to get INPA installed on a Windows laptop.
You can get a used laptop on ebay for less than $100, and that will do for INPA purposes.
And a K+DCAN inpa cable for about $30.
Software is freely download it from "Mike's easy BMW tools" link.

Then, I'd suggest you install back the original EWS and DME modules. They are probably fine. Use INPA to read error codes, statuses, and find out why you have the crank/no-crank/no-start problems. There are many threads detailing how to debug such issues, and how to resynch or realign the dme-ews if that is warranted.

Yessir. already ordered the cable yesterday. i am currently trying to figure out what laptop to use.
i am confused though...i see people saying XP only and i see some people using windows 10 on newer fast laptops. also not sure how much HD space i'll need.

[xaos]

i ended up getting a dell D830 with XP in mint condition locally for $50. got the cable for $35 and the software is all free. i should be good now.

[xaos]

got the laptop and cable. got inpa booted up and working but that's it. that's all the cable came with was inpa and im having the hardest time trying to get the files installed for coding ( pa soft ) on windows xp for the coding. i need to be able to re align the dme and ews.

[xaos]

i didnt realize you can align them with inpa. i just tried to do that and got an error message saying the ECU was rejected. i will try with PA soft tomorrow, but im thinking now the dme is bad? anyone?

[328 Power 04]

Why are you looking to align ews to dme??

No starter actuation would be between key and ews.
Diagnose the ews module with INPA. You read only DME codes.
Post the code and description. INPA also has a good status menu in EWS module that will tell you when and why starter is ready for release.

How was the starter tested?
Time to dig into the wiring diagrams to see what is blowing your fuse.

Don't worry about PA Soft. This isn't a programming/coding/syncing issue.

[xaos]

Why are you looking to align ews to dme??

No starter actuation would be between key and ews.
Diagnose the ews module with INPA. Post the code and description. INPA also has a good status menu in EWS module that will tell you when and why starter is ready for release.

How was the starter tested?
Time to dig into the wiring diagrams to see what is blowing your fuse.

Don't worry about PA Soft. This isn't a programming/coding/syncing issue.

thank you for replying.

i wanted to align them because everything seemed to be pointing me into that direction. the ews/dme lost sync. i had nothing to lose.

I did check the ews with inpa and there was one code as i mentioned. code 148 ews 3.3 timeout. that was it.

the starter was tested 2 different ways, but they did manually jump the starter and verified it cranked the engine over.

[328 Power 04]

Code 94 in DME is for interface between DME and EWS . This would mean that the wire from DME and EWS which will communicate the ready to start signals is disconnected or not communicating.
(*unless this code is out of a different module? We need to get this statement straight)

Syncing will not do anything if that code is there. EWS and DME must communicate.

If the sync is lost, it's a different error code.

[xaos]

Code 94 in DME is for interface between DME and EWS. This would mean that the wire from DME and EWS which will communicate the ready to start signals is disconnected or not communicating.

Syncing will not do anything if that code is there. EWS and DME must communicate.

If the sync is lost, it's a different code.

huh...thanks for pointing me in the right direction. sooo....a wire going from the ews to the dme is...damaged? or? visually everything looks fine.

so youre pretty much confirming it's not an issue physically with the dme or ews? by that i mean both are probably good?

[328 Power 04]

huh...thanks for pointing me in the right direction. sooo....a wire going from the ews to the dme is...damaged? or? visually everything looks fine.

so youre pretty much confirming it's not an issue physically with the dme or ews? by that i mean both are probably good?

What codes do you currently have in DME?

[328 Power 04]

Also if you swapped an entire working set of DME/EWS/Key.. then you kind of confirmed it's not those.


DME bank 60004 pin 33 (black with purple wire) goes to pin 4 of EWS module. This is the EWS to DME interface. This is how they communicate security data.

[xaos]

What codes do you currently have in DME?

2 codes. one for lower coolant temp sensor on radiator and the ews 3.3 148 code. that's it. the only thing the code says is ews timeout.

- - - Updated - - -

Also if you swapped an entire working set of DME/EWS/Key.. then you kind of confirmed it's not those.


DME bank 60004 pin 33 (black with purple wire) goes to pin 4 of EWS module. This is the EWS to DME interface. This is how they communicate security data.

true. i guess i didnt really think about that lmao.

- - - Updated - - -

Also if you swapped an entire working set of DME/EWS/Key.. then you kind of confirmed it's not those.


DME bank 60004 pin 33 (black with purple wire) goes to pin 4 of EWS module. This is the EWS to DME interface. This is how they communicate security data.

is that the only wire to check?