1989 535i No Crank, w/ Check Control

[borderchris]

Hi all-

Hopefully I can get some ideas. This is an intermittant problem, and usually only after the car has been driven quite a bit, on a warm start attempt. She will go into a no crank condition- no click, nothing; I just sit there listening to the various relays popping and clicking in the car on position 3. After a while, the lovely CHECK CONTROL OWNERS MANUAL will start popping up. I fiddled with the LKM and CCM, to no avail. Once again, no crank at all- the starter is just not getting juice. After 2 hours, I went to Walmart to buy a tow cord, and upon my return, she started just fine. Any ideas? Help!

Chris

1989 535iA

[cschollum]

Hi all-

Hopefully I can get some ideas. This is an intermittant problem, and usually only after the car has been driven quite a bit, on a warm start attempt. She will go into a no crank condition- no click, nothing; I just sit there listening to the various relays popping and clicking in the car on position 3. After a while, the lovely CHECK CONTROL OWNERS MANUAL will start popping up. I fiddled with the LKM and CCM, to no avail. Once again, no crank at all- the starter is just not getting juice. After 2 hours, I went to Walmart to buy a tow cord, and upon my return, she started just fine. Any ideas? Help!

Chris

1989 535iA

yours is an automatic yes?
id check the neutral switch, and that power is getting to the solenoid on the starter, the solenoids are known to stiick when warm, so it could be either of those issues

[borderchris]

OK- sounds like a good idea. Anybody know where the neutral safety switch is, and how much do they cost?

Thanks


Chris

[Javier]

shift lever. First debug operation by testing voltage to ground at pin 11 of diagnostic connector.

If you have 12 volts there when turning ignition key to start position, then your Park/Neutral switch, and your starter relay are OK, so check starter connections, and starter it self.

If no 12 Vdc at pin 11, then check starter relay K1 (Right next to fuse F1). It should click in/out when operating transmission shift lever in/out of N or P wile ignition key is in Run position.

If no clicking and exchanging relay does not solve it, then you may start considering to dig in the Range switch and clean it. I'm sure I've seen in the internet a writing about that job, just can not remember where it was.

Javier

[Rustam]

OK- sounds like a good idea. Anybody know where the neutral safety switch is, and how much do they cost?

Thanks


Chris

Netral safety switch is not worth buying unless its cracked into two pieces for some strange reason. You can look for information on how to check and adjust the switch on my website - address is in my profile...

[borderchris]

Thanks for taking the time- I'll check it out.

Chris

[Javier]

debug the solenoid, as it seems to be sticky.

Javier

[joshua43214]

Fast and dirty method of checking a bad neutral switch. next time it does not crank, keep holding the key over in start position, with your foot on the brake reach over with your left and and push the shifter farther up into park, if it does not start pull it back into neutral and see if it starts there. the neutral switch can get a dead spot at its normal "rest position" and moving it out of that spot will often allow the car to start.

[borderchris]

Thanks for all of the help, fellas. BTW, it always starts when cold, so I'm starting to think it may be the starter solinoid. Any thoughts? Also, the start relay clicks on and off when I move from N to D in position three- I guess that means that the switch and relay are working... Hmmmmm. How hard is it to replace the starter?

Chris

[borderchris]

Yep- dead again, and after 3 hours in an Albertson's parking lot, she cranked right up, and again and again. She only seems to do it after there has been heat soak. Any ideas beyond neutral switch and relays?

Chris