2000 4.4 Problems Starting

[supersteve]

Well. . . I've said it before; but, this time I think it IS FIXED.

I'm knocking on wood but I think the Plugs fixed it. I even tried doing the things that I know would make it not start.

She started every time.

[supersteve]

I Still have this problem!

Today I drove 3.5 hours to NJ. Drove fine, even restarted after stopping for lunch. After getting to the hotel I cranked . . . and cranked. . . and cranked. . . then it finally started. Exhaust smells very rich (lots-O-gas) this has to be ignition related.

[xRide]

I am not sure if this has been said but those spark plugs might be wet with fuel. I had this issue and I had to remove the plugs and dry them then the car starts(528I) Another issue is had was that the plug(connection between the computer and the engine was somewhat loose. Because if was loose, the car gave an hard time starting plus it would loose power in the middle of nowhere and shut off. After I 1. dry the plugs and secure the connection properly, the car runs and start fine. Its been almost 2 months now.

Again this is on a 98 528i auto.

[HellzMindPlaya]

Thank you for posting that the problem is not fixed. I will call my indy shop monday and tell then to cancel my appointment. I really didn't think the plugs would fix the problem but the shop said they would pull them and check them. He said that oem is both bosh and ngk. He said that he would check and replace them if they where bosh because I told him what the techs at your dealer said.
Now that i know that it will do no good I will call and cancel.

Thank you,
Trever

[supersteve]

I searched the web lastnight and found another forum. Seams to be mostly based in the UK. There are over 150 posts on this problem. BMW UK and BMW NA had reps replying to the treads. BMW knows about this problem!

I guess the next step will be to call BMW NA and try to talk to someone who knows what is going on.

I'm starting to think vacuum problem or throttle position problem. The only way I could get her to fire lastnight was the blip the throttle while she was cranking away.

[supersteve]

P.S. Still no codes.

[supersteve]

Found a vacuum leak. Replace the four vacuum lines on top of the engine. Started right up several times. Could it be that easy?

[HellzMindPlaya]

Not likely, but try it for a few days and let us know what you find. Do you have a link to the other forum?

[supersteve]

bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e53/

[supersteve]

I have done a few things and a lot of reading over the past week.

The DME gets input from many places. It then in turn sends power to many places.

On start up the Ambient Temp Sensor sends a signal via the instrument cluster to the DME to give it outside temp for starting. After the start cycle has completed the Mass Air sensor takes over. I found my Ambient Temp sensor stuffed up by the headlights. It is now properly mounted under the left front skirt. 15-20 degree temp difference with the headlights on.

Also found the Oil Separator drain line leaking. Oil and Vacuum leak. Fixed with 5" peice of 1/2" hose.

The Starter also sends a signal back to the DME. Pulled the cap of the connections on the starter. I found a lot of corrosion. Pulled off the connections cleaned them all up and reinstalled everything. By the way this is how I found the oil leak from the oil separator. The lines run down the passenger side of the engine and the oil followed them down to the skid plate.

I then started thinking about the relays again. I think Mike's mechanic had the right idea about the relay. It was just the wrong relay. The DME powers the fuse carrier for engine electronics which then sends power to the Unloader Relay (green) which powers the Ignition Coils. If I read the mechanics summary correctly. He found no power the the ingition fuses. This means the DME is not sending power to the fuses. The DME also has it's own relay (blue). In the past I switched around all of the green relays to see if the problem moved to a different system. It didn't. I have now switched the two Blue relays in my engine compartment electrical box. Numbers 2 and 7 on the realOEM.com page.
P/N 61366915327. They are the DME Relay and the Headlight Washer Relay.

If the problem persists I would have to say it is either the Ignition Switch or the the Internal Switch for the DME in the Starter.

Stay tuned