Greydog

Well as they say "Every day is a School Day" apparently you do have additional NiCad batteries I just spoke with an old friend in the US (he was a neighbour for years works for BMW now very senior in the US) The SI Board is part of the instrument cluster so you have to remove the cluster then remove the SI board which has 2 NiCad battery's soldered to it. He says that BMW never try and change them as they break down and leak causing a real mess his advice is get a new SI board it will be quicker and cleaner and is what BMW workshops do However there are a couple of Companies in the UK ECU Testing (Derby I think) and Cartronix (Chertsey) it may be worth giving them a contact to see if they can help Good Luck Dave

Hi Christopher I just tried to trace your Vin number with no luck I entered (or tried to) it into www.realoem.com which if you are not aware is a complete BMW Parts list the same as is used by BMW Dealers so would show all parts and part numbers I have carried out a quick manual search (if the Vin is accepted it automatically calls that model up) I searched E28 and E34 models and could find no refference Does the Haynes manual not give a clue ? BMW UK may be able to help they have a Classic Division Sorry Dave

Hi Graham Welcome to the Forum You need a diagnostic scan to help find the cause, otherwise we are all just guessing Dave

Aaron Stop guessing and looking for quick fixes start checking and testing Injectors can make a little noise (very small rattle) unless they are loose or the seals have gone. An injector needs fuel at the right pressure to work correctly and atomise the fuel. Your back to finding the cause of the noise Dave

Morning Paul Good find with the DPF sensor just the servo sensor to go With the Glow Plugs as your in there change them all and the controller. They don't effect starting while ambient temperatures are as they are, they are important though as they are used to boost combustion temperatures during a Regeneration Phase. If you use the car on Motorways or Main Dual Carriageways probably less so, but if your driving is mainly short local journeys they become important Dave

When it fired how did it sound Noisy? If fuel was there at a high enough pressure to atomise it should have kept running I would have thought

Morning Aaron The 3 pins on the sensor one will be Earth one will be power (5v) and one will be the signal wire. You need to test the Wiring plug as well as a damaged loom will give the same symptoms as a dead sensor. From memory Earth will be Brown Power Blue Signal white or Green. Earth check continuity, Power Ign On you should see 12v Signal you need a good multi meter or oscilloscope (Check on line for test information) We are back to noise, a failed sensor will inhibit/stop engine start it won't make it noisy. You say it was "loud like it had a bad misfire" "or like the Air filter was off" That would have me checking for any issues from the Turbo to the intercooler and Intercooler to Inlet manifold. A split hose or intercooler will give noise. Then there is the Turbo and its actuator that need checking. These are things that can cause rough running and Noise. Dave

Morning Christopher Welcome to the Forum As far as I am aware the E34 range did not have any separate back up batteries just the main car battery. Dave

Aaron Reading your post you ask if the tests you have done with ISTA will show the fuel pump is working? The pressure your seeing seem to indicate that it is or at least the HPFP is good So back to checking all the sensors and their wiring as some thing isn't sending the right signal You say things got loud and as said before that could have been Turbo related Exhaust related Intercooler related have you checked that Turbo to exhaust manifold clamp and connection is OK Turbo to DPF clamp and connection is OK Then the other side of the turbo the connections to the intercooler and then to the Inlet manifold Dave

Aaron Why are you starting the car or trying to with parts removed ??? As I said just Google test procedures and test the sensor rather than guessing The Fuel Pump relay is in the boot starter relay seems OK as you are cranking over Dave

Morning David Welcome to the Forum Not heard this before, but now you have started me thinking my E53 the leather steering wheel and the door pull did start to get dull and sticky. After talking to a car detailer I changed to Chemical Guys leather cleaners and treatment. It took 2 or 3 cleans to rejuvenate the steering wheel the feel was totally different door handle easier I don't know if your problem is the same but worth looking at what cleaners have been used Dave

Lets start again (1) Glow plugs and Glow Plug controller should not prevent the car starting unless it is flipping freezing (2) Fact, the engine management DDE needs information from several sensors and modules to allow the engine to start. It needs information from the gear selector inhibitor switch that the car is in P or N it needs information from the Cam sensor and Crank sensor it needs information from the Fuel pressure sensor Throttle position sensor and MAF these are the main ones The car getting suddenly loud could be a fault with the exhaust or DPF it could be a blown hose on the intercooler or even a blown intercooler It could be a turbo charger problem. When you have been changing parts (A) are they correct for your Model I would check www.realoem.com if you haven't get the correct part numbers for sensors and any other parts you need the google for the best source. Realoem will also have small exploded diagrams which should help locate where stuff is you should also have all the information in ISTA WIS The Crank Sensor is behind the starter so I hope it's not that as it is a really awkward job you have checked the Start Relay and Fuel pump Relays I guess

Hi Murray Welcome to the Forum I read some time ago about water collecting under the fuse box in the engine bay and leaching in through the loom Blocked drains were the culprit if I recall Hope this helps Dave

Morning Aaron Everyday is a school day So first clearing down faults does not fix them, that's what we are supposed to do. All clearing faults will do is get rid of spurious ones caused by low battery voltages or those that are no longer present (held in memory) You seem to have an issue with Glow plugs and the Glow plug controller as it is only 2 glow plugs not all 6 normally it wouldn't stop the car starting particularly while the ambient temp is as it is. I would test the glow plugs and their wiring to the controller. If it cant be fixed that way then change all 6 and the controller. Be aware the car uses the Glow plugs as part of the temp control for Regeneration of the DPF, if they are not working it could effect Regen. The other faults are with the IHKA (Climate Control) and the CIC (Radio, CD, Screen Display) Normally would not effect starting Fuel pressure is still low so back to the drawing board I am afraid, have you checked tested the Crank shaft and Cam shaft sensors? Have you checked the fuel pressure sensor? Has the Turbo been checked ? When was the car last serviced ? When was the fuel filter last changed ? Dave

Hi Asim Try Googling The Register of BMW Specialists there should be one not to far from you Dave

Hi Paul I thought they came with a sealing strip attached if not belt and braces put a bead of sealant around the back edge before fitting and clean off any excess 😆 Dave PS. You could check on www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model, then check the light section

Morning Can't see your Picture but any cracks or splits will make a difference Dave

Morning Aaron Good choice with ISTA it should really help, first step make sure the Battery is fully charged plus have a back up Battery charged or Booster pack handy (do not connect these direct to the battery only use the charge/jump points under the bonnet) Then carry out a full scan first ignition off then ignition on, First the engine reads many sensors (but two critical sensors) while cranking to confirm an engine start condition Camshaft and Crankshaft they need to synchronize. No signal from either one can result in long cranking or no start. Fuel rail pressure should be (from memory) about 8 bar, then when cranking to run about 1800 bar So from what your showing you have low/no rail pressure and a pressure sensor fault, test or replace it. Your low cranking pressure hopefully is low battery. If not it could be High Pressure Fuel Pump or injectors I hope you have a full copy of ISTA as that should also give you WIS (Workshop Information System) that will help with repairs Dave

Hi Aaron The cam may be turning but is it in time? Fingers crossed it is I have never been a user of Carly so don't know how good/bad it is, with some of the other BMW Diagnostics you can check "Real Time Data" (I use iCarsoft or BMW ISTA) can you do the same with Carly? ISTA will let me see all sensors and control units, ignition on engine off (fully Charged Battery of course) You should be able to check on Google for test procedure for the Sensors at least that way you are able to be sure they are working as they should that just needs a multi meter Has the Turbo been checked ? Check the inter cooler and its pipework for oil, ideally there shouldn't be any in the intercooler. If there is oil then it could be a Turbo seal failure. Check oil levels, take off the turbo inlet hose and feel for any movement in the turbine with a finger. Any movement side to side or in and out is a no no Has the fuel pressure been checked ? is the fuel rail pressure as it should be ? are all injectors seated and sealed correctly ? all glow plugs seated and sealed ? Just me thinking out loud a few of the things I would check

Morning Steven Have you checked all the Vacuum hoses ? Often over looked they can become cracked and brittle over time. See below it looks as though they fit onto the part you have just changed ? Yes a Garage can test for leaks but at a cost which can escalate depending how much probing stripping and digging has to be done. Dave

More information needed here Aaron What model is it E53, E70 , F15, F85, G05 is it Petrol or Diesel. How many miles has it covered ? Where did you get the code, what Diagnostic Reader was used ? A code is not always the cause sometimes it is a symptom of another fault. In your case the sensor could be the sensor can't match data with other sensors, Camshaft as an example cause of this could be timing chain related. The fact you say the car was making a noise like a tank is a worry if it is timing chain related driving the car could have caused more damage. Dave

Hi Dimitris There are BMW Vin decoder sites that should supply the full Build sheet date of Manufacture etc Or put the last 7 digits of the Vin into the search box of www.realoem.com It will call up your model and you will have the Year and Month of manufacture As for the 88c Thermostat I fitted remember I changed the engine driven fan for an Electric fan from a later model the thermostatic switch was from a Landrover defender, I cut the top hose and fitted the thermostatic switch There are Fan control thermostats that fit into the top of the radiator, just take the hose off slide it in replace the hose and tighten the clamp. Most are temp adjustable so you should be able to get where you want to be. See attached image Dave

Morning Robert Welcome to the Forum Not come across this before, if they could set up a Key Card I would have thought that with the Fob would allow your App to connect obviously not !! With actual Key Fobs I know BMW can order new from the factory and it then needs syncing with the car, not a cheap or quick solution. I am sure it won't take long before someone has a hack that will work ? The down side to that means your car will be hackable to the Car Thieves. A friend of ours had a 4.0i X3 "note" HAD it was stolen from their driveway ENJOY your Beemer Dave

Morning try wrapping a little PTFE tape around the joint to see if that stops the sucking noise I take it the two torque screws are the ones at the Plug connector Dave

Morning Sven Then you are back to the Fan/blower and its regulator, that would be my start point on earlier models it was called the FSR (Final Stage Resistor) The FSR was a fairly common cause of the symptoms you have. Dave