Stuck on the side of the road

So my brother calls me up and says dude my car wont start , I asked when trying to start It does It crank , I can hear It wanting to turn but no luck , I know Its not the plugs or coils ,i asked him If It over heated he claims no, I asked him to check If his maf and Its ok...what would be youre thoughts on this.

Im guessing Its his fuel pump .

2005 320I

You can hear It turning but It wont start , So my only assumption Is Its his fuel pump.

Yup, sounds like it.

Sounds exactly like the fuel pump. BUT I thought the same thing when I had similar symptoms, and it turned out my alternator croaked, with no prior warning.

AC Its what Im thinking , I told him to wait 30 mins and give It another shot , If It doesnt start will have It towed bye caa and Ill work on It from there.

Weak battery, out of gas.

Have him add gas, prime by holding in pos 2 (click before turning key to start) for 10 secs. Then off for a few secs, and back to pos 2 for 10 secs. Then off. Then try to start.

Fuel gauge is often wrong. Brothers often don't bother to add gas!

Also, if he said it sounds like it's 'wanting to turn' find out what he means by that. If it's slowly cranking, get a jump or push start the car (if manual).

Originally Posted by Bartacus

Sounds exactly like the fuel pump. BUT I thought the same thing when I had similar symptoms, and it turned out my alternator croaked, with no prior warning.

If It was the alternator youd have no power.

Originally Posted by dmax

Weak battery, out of gas.

Have him add gas, prime by holding in pos 2 (click before turning key to start) for 10 secs. Then off for a few secs, and back to pos 2 for 10 secs. Then off. Then try to start.

Fuel gauge is often wrong. Brothers often don't bother to add gas!

I asked him If hes running low , He said no he has a 3/4 tank...Told him to pos 2 It like you mentioned and still nothing , Dougy my guess Its the fuel pump , Its like the gas wont transmit Its self.

yep. fuely pumpy.

this is the very reason preventative maintenance is key, folks. replace your fuel pumps every 80,000 miles.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

yep. fuely pumpy.

this is the very reason preventative maintenance is key, folks. replace your fuel pumps every 80,000 miles.

It was a question time b4 youd be here , I think you have Telepathy Love It..

When I see DMAX in a thread, I reply 10x faster!

he should be able to hear a humming from the pump. They certainly fail.

Fuel level senders do often too, though. Not often at 3/4...usually 1/4 it seems.

There is a FP fuse and relay you can check easily. Hope you can work on it at home a bit.

And on the priming, I meant after adding fuel. And, check on what he might be describing as a slow crank from a weak battery. he could try a jump if he's stranded...usually able to get some help with that. Remind him how to do that, just in case he doesn't know.

remove 10mm wrench from tool kit

lift up rear seat, remove 4 nuts from fuel pump access panel on passenger side, tap center of fuel pump while cranking!

if he has a multimeter remove connecter from fuel pump, check for voltage across blue/white and fat brown wires. the momentary prime voltage should be 12.5+ and while cranking somewhere in the 10.5 range. if no voltage check fuse and relay (behind fuses)

Im waiting for him to come home any min from that point Ill be able to dig It , Thaks for the reply fellows.

Originally Posted by 323I00

If It was the alternator youd have no power.

Shut up with your "logic" and "facts". I was confusing 2 different failures I've had, as you do with E46s since so many things break. Fuel pump for sure, no idea why I said alternator. Is it bad to be this drunk, this early in the evening, on Thursday?

Originally Posted by Bartacus

Shut up with your "logic" and "facts". I was confusing 2 different failures I've had, as you do with E46s since so many things break. Fuel pump for sure, no idea why I said alternator. Is it bad to be this drunk, this early in the evening, on Thursday?

Whats the occasion Canada day Isnt till july 1st..Ohhh I forgot Its payday today...Cheers bud

Some one corrct me If Im wrong ,Ive read that I can test his relays first , Which Ill do , I can swap the horn relay for the fuel pump relay and from there Ill know If Its just the relay! Is that correct ?

If so where would I find the horn relay , Im guessing In the back of the fuse box In the glove dept ..

check the voltage at the fuel pump first (if you have voltage and no pump sounds, its the pump), then if no voltage work towards the front. checking voltage at the pump is really quick.

A gent and scholar