Bmw :: 1997 - Doesn't Start Normally When Left For Too Long
Apr 2, 2012
I have a manual transmission 97 BMW 540i. It only starts normally if I drive it frequently. The more frequent I drive it, the more chances it has at starting up. If I leave it too long, it will be basically silent - no telltale battery low sounds on startup. I do hear some kind of servo type noise. If I try maybe 50X plus, it may start up randomly if I am lucky - the less time that has elapsed since the last startup will increase my chances of the car starting. In this state, if I hook it up to a battery to jump it, it does not change the behavior - same no start. All the cabin lights and accessories are strong and do not seem to be a battery issue. I am able to get the car pushed and can pop the clutch and the car will start.
I had the starter replaced about 6 months ago with the same problem and it seemed to fix the problem until recently and it is showing the symptoms above.Could it be the starter again? or is it only a temporary fix for a different problem?
If I drive it very frequently - absolutely no issues - starts up immediately.
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I have a 1997 Ford Explorer. Starting about 4 months ago I have had intermittent problems with it not wanting to start.When you turn the key the radio and dome lights etc. come on but it is dead silence from the motor.First time it happened we ended up replacing the starter solenoid. Next time we discovered that if you "jump" the 2 posts on the solenoid (using well insulated rubber handled pliers) while turning the ignition it will start every time.Took it to a local, reputable mechanic - he is baffled. They looked at every connection and wire they could think of.It is not the battery or solenoid, as best we can tell. It does not do it all the time. It will ocur, then it will start fine for 2 weeks then happen 3 times in a row, then not happenf for say another week or two.
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In a cold weather also noticed the EV mode doesn't stay on for a long time even with a 90% full battery and fully warmed up. The engine starts to kick in randomly.
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2009 F-150 XLT Super Crew 5.4 engine. The compressor cycles, but too often to get the interior cold. It has always been like this. While still in warranty Ford said it is fine. A good mechanic hooked it up to his machines and it seemed there is a sensor that said discharge temperature was below zero. Not even close. If there is one, where is this sensor? Is there a way to bypass this proble?
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So my truck felt gutless somtimes, wouldn't start Every couple days , and Fuel gauge stops at half tank won't show full, so I went n bought a new fuel pump..... Well shoot nothing changed . I guess my next move is pull the dash off n fix gauge? It used to be a reliable truck . Now Im not comfortable to let wife drive it . I also pulled the chip to see if that had to do with not starting, also theft light blinks normal. I'm going to get some connector grease n redo all of my wires to c if there's just connection issues.
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About once a week our 2011 Prius will start, but the "Ready" indicator does not come on and the car cannot be shifted into drive. Once this happens it takes several attempts, turning the car on/off, until it finally comes on "Ready." I cannot create the problem, but it may stem from pushing the start button before the brake is fully depressed.
Last night it took more than 5 minutes to get it going. I "reset" the car by exiting, locking, and re entering the car. Then it worked, that procedure caused it to work.
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I noticed twice on the commute this morning that my vehicle made a long beep sound after completing a left turn. There were no other warning lights/messages on the dash. The first time, I thought it was something coming through over the radio, so I turned it off, and the sound continued, probably for a total of 6-7 seconds at least. It's similar to the beep that comes on if you start moving and the passenger is not wearing his/her seatbelt. The radio was totally off the rest of the way and it happened at the next left turn I made (when I got off the highway). Although it was icy this morning, it was not particularly slippery at the intersections when I made the turn and I did not notice the TCS coming on, etc.
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Driving my '05 V8 around yesterday, I noticed a driveline bind like I get when making a long, accelerating left turn. Only this time, it was when I was going straight. It mostly happens when accelerating, right at a gear change. I find myself having to steer to the right to correct, then the bind, and the truck snaps to the left. I read up on the stepper motor issue on the FAQ's and it sounds like this could be a transfer case issue as well. I don't have a VAG-COM, so I can't scan for a code. I have checked all air pressures, and they're good. I have not noticed any abnormal tire wear, either.
I'm still getting a vibration/noise in the driver's foot well when feathering the throttle between 2500-3000 RPM, right at highway speeds, and it's enough to make you crazy. Dealership had the truck for over 30 days investigating this and blamed it on a bad tire. Two tires were replaced and put on the front. The noise is still there.
I'm also still getting what can best be described as a chain dragging noise coming out of the left side of the truck, apparently from the front end. I can hear it when driving with the windows down, up to about 35 mph, when wind noise masks it. The noise does not change at all with speed - it doesn't get louder, faster, or change pitch.
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Leaving parking lights on. How long will it take to drain the battery enought that you cant start the car? Is there any type of auto-shut off in there?
Here is why I am asking:
It recently snowed up here in NY and I park on the street. I was thinking about leaving my parking lights on overnight so nobody (namely a plow) mistook my car for a snow drift. For those who dont know, the parking lights are left on by simply turning on the headlights and removing the key.
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I wrote about the problem I was having back in Jan 2014 (engine would crank too long if I left the car parked for 30 mins to 4 hrs) ..... well, I finally brought it o a good diagnosis tics place and some of the guys that replied to me we're correct ..... they told me that the crankshaft position sensor (1of 2 sensors) was faulty and replaced it.
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Had long start issues. Would turn over for 5 seconds - shut off- turn over for 5 seconds - shut off - third try on 4-5 seconds the low oil pressure would come up and HOP would fire injectors and start up.
Was not sure what was up, so look it to Ford. They did leak down test and found seal at the top of injector 4 was leaking. Replaced it and leak moved to other injector. Basically moving to the next weakest seal point. I told them to stop as i did not want to pay, parts, labour and shop time to replace all injectors, etc. They also said power across all injectors was good, but 3 & 7 were not contributing on cold start.
I drove it home and bought parts. New cups and seal for all 8 on fuel rail. New gasket kits for injectors. Plus 2 new injectors to replace 3 and 7.
Replaced injectors in 3 & 7 with the 2 remanufactured i bought. Replaced all cups and seals on fuel rails. So it has new injectors in 3, 4 & 7.
As for the other injectors i took the 5 of them right apart and cleaned them and re-assembled. Took about an hour per injector, took my time to get it right, just FYI. Went pretty good i thought. Seemed pretty straight forward actually.
Now no start - no high oil pressure at all. LOP comes up right away. Scanner shows no HOP no matter how long i crank it.
FICM power good, 47.5 - 48
shows FICM sync - YES
IPR sits at 14% and jumps to 84% on crank - starting, see photos below.
Scanner prior to crank
Scan during crank
Note zero IPC - PSI
Right now.... Got the valve cover off on passenger side. Cannot see oil squirting out the sides of any injectors, but line of sight is limited. Maybe need a small mirror to see in there. LOP comes up better than it has in years, but no HOP now. Before rebuild it seemed i had good HOP but low LOP.
I drove it home from Ford and into my garage, so i do not believe the HPOP crapped out sitting in the garage, so i am ruling that out as a fail, at this time.
Dummy plugs were replaced 5 years ago and o-rings looked decent.
Pulled the small plug screw at the top of the fuel rail. Cranked it until oil came out, bleeding air. then replaced the screw plug. Have not done that on drivers sideyet. Will try that tomorrow. However, think this is more than an air issue, as i have cranked it over plenty, unless i just have that much air.
Going to pull the valve cover on the Driver's side tomorrow. Then will have both covers off at same time to view all.
Noted that if i put compressed air into the screw hole on top of the fuel rail, i can hear air coming out from below the fuel rail. Nothing at the base or around injectors. Does not seem to be at the cups either.
Just wondering.... Buy applying air to those screw plug holes, is that the same as doing the air test at the sensor that pokes up through the valve cover.
With air pressure at these scew plugs on the fuel rail, should this be sealed and be air tight and hear no air leakage. Because it was not air tight on the drivers side before i closed that side up. I am curious about this.
I am assuming i still have a HOP leak. I do not think i have a failed HPOP. How to better chase a HOP leak?
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You ever see the Bugs Bunny cartoon from WWII where the gremlin is sabotaging the aircraft? Well, the little bugger is working on my car, now!
The left front headlight -sometimes- does not come on when I turn on the headlights. I can easily make it come on by giving the lens cover a gentle "bop" with my fist; it's not even a hard rap, just a bump, really. Alternatively, if I drive with the light out and hit enough bumps in the road, it will eventually come on by itself.
On the contrary, if the light is functioning, it will NOT go out just from hitting bumps in the road. I've replaced the bulb, it's not that. I've checked the wires, they're free of corrosion. I've used dielectric grease on the connections, to no avail. I'm assuming there is a short or loose connection somewhere but I cannot find it.
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I have read other people having problems with their power seats. Mine is kind of weird, the right side moves, the left doesn't. So when I try to move forward, it moves forward and pivots to toward the left, since only the right side is moving forward on the rail. There is only one motor moving the seat forward and backward right? I am hoping it's just an obstruction on the left railing or something....unless there are two motors moving the seat forward. The lumbar motors are fine, I can move up and down, it's just the seat itself that can't slide forward and backward.
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During this week, most ppl at NA are experienced extremely cold weather, what I found is, the Prius can't do a great job to keep the front windshield clean under that kind of condition.
What I tried, front deforest bottom, or fan to front windshield and leg, both works fine for the middle area but not the top left side which is about 1/4 area of the windshield. It doesn't happen on my sienna. Usually I drive 5-10mins and the windshield are clean. What I guess is maybe the fan tunnel goes too straight to the windshield instead of blow to the rear area or maybe the outlet isn't wide enough to cover the side.
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I have a 1998 F150 with 14300 plus miles. 4.6 engine. I have been smelling antifreeze after a drive long or short. I have looked for leaks but not finding anything.
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Mercedes 1997 e420, and has fixed up the minor problems. It runs good, but to sell it he needs to take it to the Smog check. How long it'll take to reset the computer for it?
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My 2002 Mercedes E320 has on 2 occasions not started. When you turn the key it acts like it wants to start but it does not. I then wait about 15min and the thing will then start. what is going on?
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I have a '97 F-350 with a 7.3L Powerstroke Turbo Diesel, I frequently haul a 27ft bumper tow trailer weighing upwards of 6,000 lbs, which by the way it tows beautifully, but if i am pulling up a long hill or have been on the pedal for a while and let off, then there is a grinding sound that sounds like it is coming from the turbo. My dad and i think it may be some sort of exhaust overflow valve from the quick decrease in rpm or maybe an overspeed on the turbo. No noticeable decrease in power.
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My AC went out the other day. My wife said it took about 10 to 20 mins to finally start working and blowing cold and the next day it would never ever kick in anymore. Vents are blowing but just a outside temp air, also the a/c light comes on and i hear slightly different idle when ac engaged, however i dont really hear anything happening with the compressor.
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I recently got my Mk7 1.8T manual brand new and have been wondering about the long cold start idle. It usually takes around a minute or two before the revs drop below 1000. Coming from a '04 Mercedes and '11 TDI Jetta, I can say those cars the idles dropped much faster. Is this normal with the golf?
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I have about 3400 miles on my Sonata 2.0T, and I have experienced a long crank with (puttering in between), and does not start, twice occurrence thus far. I have no warning lights, no lamps (SES) that stay on afterward, nothing at all. I have had to press the "start/stop" button again to make it stop, then let it sit for a few seconds press the button again, re-cranks, and starts this time. I know that if take to the dealer they will not find anything wrong since most concerns they have to duplicate in order to diagnose. The SES light is not on, so I know we have no fault codes to go by. Sounds as if the fuel pump is crapping out, or no spark is being generated.
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