220D Slow Cranking/Starting issue
Discussion
Mrs F has a 220D Sport coupe, 2014, 65k miles.
Not long after acquiring it, the battery failed. She had a new stop/start battery fitted and coded.
It's been great, but occasionally at traffic lights, it cranks slowing when restarting (like the battery is dying) but then fires up and we're able to pull away. This is very intermittent.
Then a couple of Sundays ago, after a 50mile journey on the motorway it did the same thing, only a couple of minutes after switching off. we tried to restart it time & time again but it was just cranking very slowly. The dash said something like 'Starting/ignition problem, contact BMW service'.
We called the breakdown company and gave them our location and readied ourselves for an hour's wait. We had the dog with us so prepared to take him for a walk. The missus went back to the car to get his water bottle and tried the car for one last time and it started like there was never an issue.
We took it to our mechanic who put the diagnostic on it and found no codes. The charging system also showed 14 volts so was ok.
I took the car to Car Spares who sold us the battery and it tested above normal parameters.
Our mech said all we can now do is just run it until it does it again and completely fails. Not ideal but at a loss what else to do. It may fail when we least need it to do it (airport run anyone?).
Any experience anyone?
Not long after acquiring it, the battery failed. She had a new stop/start battery fitted and coded.
It's been great, but occasionally at traffic lights, it cranks slowing when restarting (like the battery is dying) but then fires up and we're able to pull away. This is very intermittent.
Then a couple of Sundays ago, after a 50mile journey on the motorway it did the same thing, only a couple of minutes after switching off. we tried to restart it time & time again but it was just cranking very slowly. The dash said something like 'Starting/ignition problem, contact BMW service'.
We called the breakdown company and gave them our location and readied ourselves for an hour's wait. We had the dog with us so prepared to take him for a walk. The missus went back to the car to get his water bottle and tried the car for one last time and it started like there was never an issue.
We took it to our mechanic who put the diagnostic on it and found no codes. The charging system also showed 14 volts so was ok.
I took the car to Car Spares who sold us the battery and it tested above normal parameters.
Our mech said all we can now do is just run it until it does it again and completely fails. Not ideal but at a loss what else to do. It may fail when we least need it to do it (airport run anyone?).
Any experience anyone?
Are you saying there's a difference between when it's trying to automatic start/stop compared with starting on the key?
I can't speak for BMW but Merc use a separate starting system for start/stop. Some Mercs have an additional battery and others have a capacitor-like device. It's conceivable you might have a fault somewhere in a similar system.
I can't speak for BMW but Merc use a separate starting system for start/stop. Some Mercs have an additional battery and others have a capacitor-like device. It's conceivable you might have a fault somewhere in a similar system.
Panamax said:
Are you saying there's a difference between when it's trying to automatic start/stop compared with starting on the key?
I can't speak for BMW but Merc use a separate starting system for start/stop. Some Mercs have an additional battery and others have a capacitor-like device. It's conceivable you might have a fault somewhere in a similar system.
No, I don't think so. Slow cranking is just slow cranking, isn't it? Sounded the same to me anyway.I can't speak for BMW but Merc use a separate starting system for start/stop. Some Mercs have an additional battery and others have a capacitor-like device. It's conceivable you might have a fault somewhere in a similar system.
Check the battery terminals are properly tight, my mate had similar issues after his battery was changed - it took a while for symptoms to happen.
The other thing given the age is the IBS battery lead, especially if the car was jumped directly on the battery terminals rather than under the bonnet.
The other thing given the age is the IBS battery lead, especially if the car was jumped directly on the battery terminals rather than under the bonnet.
My 2009 E61 had a failed starter the other week at 135k ish.
It occasionally squawked after starting, but the starter gave up one day with no prior warning and never turned again.
After taking it off, it was caked in black soot (either brush carbon or manual clutch material)
Anyway, the replacement starter turns over at least 25% faster - identical battery, ibs, cables etc.
So your starter could just be getting tired or clogged, but not to the point where the cog is jammed yet?
There were no fault codes on mine until it failed to start, as it was a mechanical decline.
It was a good few hours to replace, but it would be better to do on your terns than to need recovery.
Checking for poor ground continuity would however be sensible to do before ripping into it
Hth
Ian
It occasionally squawked after starting, but the starter gave up one day with no prior warning and never turned again.
After taking it off, it was caked in black soot (either brush carbon or manual clutch material)
Anyway, the replacement starter turns over at least 25% faster - identical battery, ibs, cables etc.
So your starter could just be getting tired or clogged, but not to the point where the cog is jammed yet?
There were no fault codes on mine until it failed to start, as it was a mechanical decline.
It was a good few hours to replace, but it would be better to do on your terns than to need recovery.
Checking for poor ground continuity would however be sensible to do before ripping into it
Hth
Ian
Ian Geary said:
My 2009 E61 had a failed starter the other week at 135k ish.
It occasionally squawked after starting, but the starter gave up one day with no prior warning and never turned again.
After taking it off, it was caked in black soot (either brush carbon or manual clutch material)
Anyway, the replacement starter turns over at least 25% faster - identical battery, ibs, cables etc.
So your starter could just be getting tired or clogged, but not to the point where the cog is jammed yet?
There were no fault codes on mine until it failed to start, as it was a mechanical decline.
It was a good few hours to replace, but it would be better to do on your terns than to need recovery.
Checking for poor ground continuity would however be sensible to do before ripping into it
Hth
Ian
My E91 did this last year. Went to collect it from the mech for some brake work, went to start it on his parking space and ... nothing. Not even any cranking.It occasionally squawked after starting, but the starter gave up one day with no prior warning and never turned again.
After taking it off, it was caked in black soot (either brush carbon or manual clutch material)
Anyway, the replacement starter turns over at least 25% faster - identical battery, ibs, cables etc.
So your starter could just be getting tired or clogged, but not to the point where the cog is jammed yet?
There were no fault codes on mine until it failed to start, as it was a mechanical decline.
It was a good few hours to replace, but it would be better to do on your terns than to need recovery.
Checking for poor ground continuity would however be sensible to do before ripping into it
Hth
Ian
He had it back in (was leaving the next day for a holiday) and changed the starter in the afternoon. I thought it was going to be a big ££ hit, but he only charged £25 for the 20 min swapover and about £150 for the new starter.
We will check grounds everywhere then I'll ask Mrs F what she wants to do. Wait for it to properly fail or throw a couple of hundred pounds or so at it.
Bumping this back up - we had the same issue last weekend. Mrs F still hasn't sorted the issue, despite me warning her about it.
We drove to friends in the south, about 50 mins of motorway travel, we got off onto an A road. First set of traffic lights, the car's Stop/Start kicked in. Slow cranked, no start.
Got a couple of joggers to push us into a retail park service road.
Tried it time & time again, slow cranked, would not get enough 'energy' to turn over.
On the same road were two workmen. They offered the use of jump leads and their works van. Connected the car to their battery but the car still wouldn't turn over, just very slowly cranked once/twice then nothing.
Then I noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the engine, along with a smell of a coil or similar burning. I think it was the starter motor. Told Mrs F to turn it off.
Stopped what we were doing, thanked the guys and called breakdown, who said they'd be 40 mins. Walked to the retail park for a coffee an loo stop, Walked back to the car.
Tried the car one more time, it STARTED!
I have a crazy notion that when the engine is very hot (after 70mph for an hour), all the tolerances are tighter and the engine is almost too tight to turn over, like it's almost seized. The starter motor, which was replaced last year, just can't physically turn it over, which is why it was burning out.
When the car's cooled down, the tolerances have relaxed enough for the starter motor to crank it.
I've read a few stories about hot starting problems for cars but they suggest fuel and ignition probs, which I don't think is the reason for this problem.
Any ideas?
We drove to friends in the south, about 50 mins of motorway travel, we got off onto an A road. First set of traffic lights, the car's Stop/Start kicked in. Slow cranked, no start.
Got a couple of joggers to push us into a retail park service road.
Tried it time & time again, slow cranked, would not get enough 'energy' to turn over.
On the same road were two workmen. They offered the use of jump leads and their works van. Connected the car to their battery but the car still wouldn't turn over, just very slowly cranked once/twice then nothing.
Then I noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the engine, along with a smell of a coil or similar burning. I think it was the starter motor. Told Mrs F to turn it off.
Stopped what we were doing, thanked the guys and called breakdown, who said they'd be 40 mins. Walked to the retail park for a coffee an loo stop, Walked back to the car.
Tried the car one more time, it STARTED!
I have a crazy notion that when the engine is very hot (after 70mph for an hour), all the tolerances are tighter and the engine is almost too tight to turn over, like it's almost seized. The starter motor, which was replaced last year, just can't physically turn it over, which is why it was burning out.
When the car's cooled down, the tolerances have relaxed enough for the starter motor to crank it.
I've read a few stories about hot starting problems for cars but they suggest fuel and ignition probs, which I don't think is the reason for this problem.
Any ideas?
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