330d wouldnt start! fixed now! - epic tale
Discussion
after spending half of last sunday going on about how brilliant and reliable my e46 330d was and how it had never missed a beat i went out, got in it and it wouldnt start!!! i couldnt believe it! got the AA out who were amazing - with me in less than 5 minutes!
i had a feeling it was the immobiliser as it was turning over but not firing up. he thought possibly the same. i got my other key incase the coding had been wiped - no joy. he pulled the air intake pipe off and while i turned it over and pumped the throttle he sprayed a type of aerosol fuel in - which sounded awfull as the car juddered and squealled as it burnt the fuel. this established that no fuel was getting to the motor. he disconnected the fuel filter and as i turned the ignition on diesel came out so we new it was ok up to there (on low pressure). so back to the back seats, removed them, and underneath there are 2 fuel pumps, tested both of those and they both ok. Starting to look bad. checks the ecu with a multimeter, sending 5v and 12v so its ok. he thinks its either an immobiliser problem - which he says will be expensive (i thought maybe we have different ideas of expensive as surely theyd just stick it on a computer and reprogramme it), or the camshaft sensor had gone, OR the high pressure fuel pump has gone - which would mean half the engine coming out and v expensive (on this diagnosis id imaging it would be very pricey.) so...again amazing service from the AA, they agreed to return the following day to tow it to the independant bmw garage i go to as it would have been closed then. they returned with a tow truck but couldnt get it on, so came back with something that worked. left it at the garage. meanwhile a lad at work puts me at ease by informing exactly the same thing happened to his car, same diagnosis, he spent ages and well over a grand trying to fix it, never could and had to flog it as a non runner! warns me to get the plastic ready!
A few hours later they ring me back - auxillery fuel pump and a relay had gone - £240 quid! result. i was getting myself ready for some big bucks! Just out of interest - which is the auxilery pump?!!? is this the high pressure one the AA man refered to, or, as id imagine, one of the pumps above the tanks, under the rear seats that he tested?!?!?
i had a feeling it was the immobiliser as it was turning over but not firing up. he thought possibly the same. i got my other key incase the coding had been wiped - no joy. he pulled the air intake pipe off and while i turned it over and pumped the throttle he sprayed a type of aerosol fuel in - which sounded awfull as the car juddered and squealled as it burnt the fuel. this established that no fuel was getting to the motor. he disconnected the fuel filter and as i turned the ignition on diesel came out so we new it was ok up to there (on low pressure). so back to the back seats, removed them, and underneath there are 2 fuel pumps, tested both of those and they both ok. Starting to look bad. checks the ecu with a multimeter, sending 5v and 12v so its ok. he thinks its either an immobiliser problem - which he says will be expensive (i thought maybe we have different ideas of expensive as surely theyd just stick it on a computer and reprogramme it), or the camshaft sensor had gone, OR the high pressure fuel pump has gone - which would mean half the engine coming out and v expensive (on this diagnosis id imaging it would be very pricey.) so...again amazing service from the AA, they agreed to return the following day to tow it to the independant bmw garage i go to as it would have been closed then. they returned with a tow truck but couldnt get it on, so came back with something that worked. left it at the garage. meanwhile a lad at work puts me at ease by informing exactly the same thing happened to his car, same diagnosis, he spent ages and well over a grand trying to fix it, never could and had to flog it as a non runner! warns me to get the plastic ready!
A few hours later they ring me back - auxillery fuel pump and a relay had gone - £240 quid! result. i was getting myself ready for some big bucks! Just out of interest - which is the auxilery pump?!!? is this the high pressure one the AA man refered to, or, as id imagine, one of the pumps above the tanks, under the rear seats that he tested?!?!?
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