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I have tried almost everything HELP! CAR WILL NOT START

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no start
4K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  austine46 
#1 ·
Ok I will try to be as clear and concise with my situation so that everyone who reads this can have a crystal clear understanding. I have a 2002 325Ci that I bought clean as a whistle but without an engine. I then ordered an M54 motor and had it swapped out. Everything was running fine until about 4 weeks in when I got a no crank no start situation. Upon inspection it turns out the party whom I purchased the car from installed the wrong battery before selling me the car. So I replaced the battery, still nothing. I then replaced the ignition switch due to symptoms common with a bad switch (radio cutting out, headlights not working, tail lamps not working, sunroof...etc) still no dice. I then conclude that my starter is the culprit. Have the starter replaced and WA LA!!!! it runs. 3 days after my starter is replaced I get a long crank situation. Let the car sit, try again and up it fires. The following day I encounter the same situation in town, let it sit try and crank but that is all it does it crank. After repeated tries I cave and call the tow truck. At my indy shop I have the fuel rail checked for fuel pressure, and there was none. So we order in a new fuel pump. I personally replace the pump and crankshaft sensor, and it still just cranks. This is becoming extremely annoying especially since I have had the car for only 2 months. Could my fuel filter be clogged? After the pump change we get fuel rail pressure on the prime, but after it slowly loses pressure to the rail. Im out of ideas. Has anyone ever been in this situation? What else could this be besides the fuel system?
 
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#2 ·
Try a few things.

First pick up a can of starting fluid and see what happens when you give a good 2 second burst of starting fluid into the MAF opening. If the problem is fuel related, the engine will crank, start, then die.

If you get crank only, not even a kicking or any hint of running, then the problem is not likely fuel related.

The next likely problem is the engine being flooded. Trust me, it happens all the time even in warm weather. If you get no life out of the Starting Fluid test, hold the throttle to the floor and try to crank the engine for no longer than 30 seconds at a time. Wait a few minutes between cranking to allow the starter to cool. Try this 3 times, if the engine is flooded, you should be able to get it started after 3 attempts.

Watch the tach while you are cranking, it should register a steady 100-150 RPM.

Also check all fuses, both in the glove box and DME box.

Report back results.
 
#3 ·
jfoj strikes again. thereelfish, please heed his advice. In this scenario you are likely feeling like your car is a pandoras box of problems that could be related to your symptoms. Given proper use of diagnostics (as jfoj has detailed); it is only a matter of time before you uncover the exact cause of your no-start. You WILL fix this issue, provided you have the patience to correctly diagnose.
 
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