BMW No Start and No Crank Problem
BMW No Start No Crank Condition
Your BMW won’t start and has no crank but when you parked it few hours earlier all seemed fine. There is a common issue which can be easily tested and worth a try before towing your car to mechanic.
Starter does not engage at all, car is completely dead. Lights and everything else electrical works fine.
Before you hook up jump cables, read both paragraphs in red below. If your problem does not fall on categories below, continue with grounding engine to test if you have a ground interruption. If you have a dead/weak battery or starter engages, don’t lose your time as grounding engine wont help.
1) Do not mistake engine ground problems with a dead battery. If your car does not have any lights in dashboard/no power or you hear starter click when trying to start, then your battery is likely dead and need to be replaced or boosted. You can read here on How To Test a Car Battery and How to Boost a Car.
2) If starter engages when you press start button but your car does not start, you have a different failure and should look for other problems. If starter engages then your main engine ground cable is fine.
BMW Won’t Start No Crank Symptoms
Vehicle (5 series BMW 535Xi E60) worked fine prior to being parked overnight but refused to start in the morning. All lights, accessories and heater fan worked normally, pressing start button trying to start the engine does nothing.
Car is completely not responsive and there is no starter noise. Battery is in good condition and fully charged. Trying to jump start the car made did not make any difference.
Diagnosing No Crank Problem on BMW
Main engine ground problem happens commonly on BMW. Especially in places where salt is used in winter, Canada and Ontario for example. Completely normal for a used car to suffer from corrosion and oxidation.
No crank condition caused by broken engine ground cable can easily be mistaken for other things like starter, battery or electronics issues. Before you start changing stuff try this first, it only takes 5 minutes and requires no tools. You only need a set of jump or boost cables.
Vehicle does not crank and starter does not engage, battery is fine with all instruments light on.
Engine Ground Cable Failure
Engine ground connection is located underneath engine on driver’s side. Ground cable is not visible from the top, you need to go underneath the car to reach it. As vehicle ages, ground wire corrodes by salt and breaks completely after a while. Subsequently, a broken engine ground will prevent starter to engage.
How to Test BMW Engine Ground Using Jump Cables
BMW Ground Connection: Use jump cables to ground engine to chassis and try to start your car. If your car starts or starter engages, main engine ground cable is broken. You need a new engine ground cable.
Only for testing: Do not drive your car with engine grounded in this manner. Jump cable wires will get hot during driving or might move and go into serpentine belt causing all kinds of trouble. Remove wires before driving. Car will drive fine but bear in mind, once you turn it off wont start. You will have to ground it again.
Image below shows engine grounded on this 2010 535xi BMW E60. However, doesn’t matter what BMW you have, this procedure is the same for all models and engines. Also, there is no risk of blowing up anything or causing any problems as engine should be grounded to car chassis. You are just double checking main engine ground.
- Connect jump cable clamps to oil cooler housing. Attach jump cable clamps safely and firmly. Make sure clamps are tight and won’t move when car starts. Oil cooler housing was easiest place here for connection on engine, but any exposed metal on engine block will do fine too. You can use jump cables to test engine ground on any other car or engine this way, procedure is the same.
2. Attach other end of jump cable clamps to vehicle negative terminal post. Terminal post is located on drivers side fender and is used for charging battery or jump starting (image below). You can also use any other exposed metal on car chassis or body to ground it. Doesn’t matter as long as jump cable clamps are making full contact with bare metal. Strut mounts bolts for example will do fine.
How to Start Engine Using Jump Cables as Engine Ground
Confirm cables are secured in position and try to start your car. Listen for starter noise. If your starter engages or car starts, you have a broken main engine ground cable which has to be replaced. As we said previously, do not drive in this configuration. Cables might overheat while driving. Remove cables and then drive your car.
If car does not start then you might have a failed starter or other electrical problems which need to be checked professionally.
(If you are also looking for a fast and easy solution to sell your car, more here on “How To Sell Your Car Fast In Ontario” )
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