First problem :(

[Michael999]

I picked up my 89 535i tonight.
Drove back to friends house, about 50km drive.
Pulled u in the drive way, stopped the car.
Went inside, got his parents, they came out, i started the car.
It ran for about 1 minute, i was curious about how quiet the exhaust was, i gave it a rev in neutral to 5,000rpm, left it 5seconds, then turned off the car.
We went back outside 5minutes later.
WOULDNT START!
the starter motor wouldnt even turn over, all electrics came alight.
we tried about 20 times, made sure it was in park or neutral, we tried both, and gave it a wiggle incase some crud had got onto the neutral switch.

Had a look under the hood, nothing seemed amiss, tho i know nothing about layout and parts so far so it was a bit of a blind look.
I wiggled all plugs i could find and made sure they were all making contact and nothing was loose.

Called the dealer, he said it was probably neutral switch.

We rang RAA, tried a few more times, and then i went inside and stressed out and paniced.
RAA arrived about 45minutes later, went to show him the problem, the damn thing started, no issues.
He left saying he could do nothing.

Took it for a 15minute drive, all seemed fine, so i made sure we left it running, and i went home, turned off the car, waited 1 minuted and it started again no worries.

Any ideas?

Everything else appears to be in fine order though.
(just noticed that the horn doesnt work either, tried to beep my dog)

[Ausmpower]

Don't EVER rev a BMW auto in neutral or park unless you want it to go BOOM!!

You've been warned!!! (The no start was your cars cry for help!!)

[Michael999]

Eeek! whys that?
I had no idea, what does it do?

[winfred]

yea the zf 4hp22 doesn't like that, they usually don't go boom they usually just don't move any more

[Michael999]

ok noted, ill make sure not to do it.
Whats it actually doing, and what have/could i have damaged? should i get something inparticular serviced?

[Ausmpower]

The auto's are known to die a terminal death if reved in park or neutral..... It's the way it's designed, the valve body in the trans doesn't dump the excess line pressure and it goes clunk! or you just get a box full of neutrals.....

P.s Fill out you profile so we know what you drive and what country you're in.

[Michael999]

okay thanks mate, im lucky then i suppose!
ill go do profile now :)


What do you think the reason for it not starting were?
I need to be sure that it was the rev that did it, because if there is any chance that its something else i wanna get it fixed.

[R1daveg]

As a quick guess it sounds like starter motor solenoid. Sometimes a bit of a "tap" on the terminals or housing will free it up..

[Michael999]

Where is the starter motor solenoid?

[gmannino]

next to the starter

[Zeuk in Oz]

Michael,

May I suggest you buy a Bentley manual. I bought mine from www.amazon.com but they are also available from www.bmaparts.com.

This second website is also a great source for parts - ring and speak with Patrick. I order on a Friday morning and get the delivery by courier in the Southern Highlands south of Sydney on Tuesday morning. Keep each order under $800. ;)

Is this the car you were looking at ? What was the mechanical report like ? Presumably OK given that you bought it.

Cheers

Bo

[rob101]

Michael,

May I suggest you buy a Bentley manual. I bought mine from www.amazon.com but they are also available from www.bmaparts.com.

This second website is also a great source for parts - ring and speak with Patrick. I order on a Friday morning and get the delivery by courier in the Southern Highlands south of Sydney on Tuesday morning. Keep each order under $800. ;)

Is this the car you were looking at ? What was the mechanical report like ? Presumably OK given that you bought it.

Cheers

Bo
BMABMA BMA BMA:)
patrick is also helpful on the email, and is prompt in his replies. if you are short on time and plan work ahead of time ordering from BMA is my recommendation.

welcome to the fold
PS don't rev in neutral
hehe i enjoy doing this everyday, but then again i have a manual:D

[Michael999]

Ive noticed that the LCD readout sometimes dims by itself and is hard to read, seems to come and go.
Is this the aging readout, or could i have a battery/electrical problem?

And today when i was sitting still in the car playing with buttons (in park, no rev this time) the car stalled, and seemed to be idling at about 600-700rpm.
Is there a bleed valve on the intake manifold to increase idle rate?
I was sitting in park for about 5mintutes, and it stalled twice again afterwards whilst i was reversing into my carport REALLY slowly. (back window tint has had it, and i cant see out the back at night time).

Going for a tune up next week, what should and shouldnt i say yes to when the mechanic gives me a list of things he wants to do? (bm city, bmw only mechanic, the one who did all the previous work to this car)