hi screwloose thanks for your interest, yes it does turn over fine, battery is in good condition but when the problem occurs it just wont start, it sounds like its just about to start but then doesnt had the rac out the other day they checked fuel pump at the filter just to the right of engine as you look under ther bonnet that was fine they spent about an hour looking at it then we gave it another turn over and for no apparent reason it started and i got home, it probbably will be ok now for about a month like last time, then it will happen again and not start, the rac guy said he thought it might be a crank or cam sensor with an intermittent fault. the sensors apparently not letting fuel go to the injectors, its maddening for me because when i took it to bmw it was fine and they could not find anything wrong, at least the rac guy saw the vehicle when it would not start. desperate to find out whats wrong as i cant trust the car on any important journeys.
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I found that block of text extremly hard to read; but one bit did stand out:-
"The sensors apparently not letting fuel go to the injectors."
That would indicate that he didn't understand even the first principles of common-rail injection - so maybe take everything else with a pinch of salt...?
What fault-codes did they find? What was the primary fuel pressure in live-data?
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hi again screwloose sorry for the late reply.
bmw garage have now looked at the car they found fuel faults registered after diagnostic test. ( but that may be a result of tampering by rac guy)
not sure what other fault codes came up.
they agreed it might be crank sensor as that would prevent starting, but if it was that they say a fault code would show up.
they also disconnected cam sensor but car still started so it cannot be that.
at this point i asked them to replace the crankshaft sensor even though they were not convinced it was the problem.
bmw garage also said it could be an injector problem but there is nothing wrong at present.
bmw reset the fault codes and used the car for 2 days it now shows no faults.
bmw say all they can suggest is use the car till problem occurs again then get it to them without touching it at all.
this is very frustrating trying to find an intermittent fault.
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yup sure is but now you can understand what us techs have to deal with day in day out and every customer thinks that we are pulling a fast one/don't care /haven't a clue
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hi tempest i too have a 2000 3.0d bmw e39 i have had the same problem for past 9 months or so had the aa look at it but it started pretty much as he arrived my car happens once every 2-3 weeks and the same as you it dont record any faults i think it gets fuel ok because when i turn the key and it dont start black smoke comes out the exhaust but what i have noticed the last twice it not started my temperature gauge needle was sitting just above the blue cold marker maybe just coincidence but my car starts every morning and evening after work but only seem to have bother if left for only couple of hours. Dont know if this will help you out or not but it seems to be a problem no one can find thanks good luck
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Bit of a long shot but if it happens at cool engine temp (rather than stone cold or hot) could it be something to do with unburnt fuel in the catalytic converters?
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hi all, well the plot thickens as they say.
after having the crankshaft sensor changed the problem reoccurred today, the car started from cold fine i drove 2miles then parked and left the car for about 3/4 of an hour, it then started fine again and i drove for another 2-3 miles, parked again and left it for 1/2 an hour, i got back in the car and it would not start, i phoned the local bmw garage who fitted the crankshaft sensor last week, they said get the car to them and they would look at the fault codes, it took me about 20 mins on the phone organising a tow to the garage, at this point i decided to try and start it one more time and blow me it started. i drove another 2 miles switched off and left it for 15 mins then it started fine again then i drove home 5 miles and swithed off for about an hour. again it started so took it to local bmw garage 9 miles. they put a diagnostic test on it and found a camshaft sensor fault logged and no fuel faults logged. they are now changing the camshaft sensor, i am pulling my hair out the garage originally said a faulty cam shaft sensor would not prevent starting now they say it might any help would be greatfully recieved thanks tempest
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I would suggest that a faulty cam sensor can definitely prevent starting.I have just replaced a cam sensor on a Rover 75 for exactly the same symptons.Very possibly the same sensor as it had Bmw stamped on it.hth
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Hi,
Just been searching on google, because 45 minutes ago i drove my BMW 530d 2002 sport touring to the shop 2 miles away and now it wont start. Its happened once before but after getting a tow to a garage it started immediately.
It seems this model has this problem regularly, if you search google lots of other people have the same issue.
I will check later today:
Fuel pump
Camshaft sensor
I will let you know what happens.
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I know this will not help you, but I have the same problem with my 530D touring from 2000, you can see more about it here: www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/5-series-e12-e28-e34-e39...l
Have you found the problem?? I would be glad to hear some happy words from a BMW diesel owner :-)
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I forgot to tell that I have changed the camshaft sensor and the fuel pumpe. The fuel pump that is placed under the car under the driver seat. and I have changed a lot of relays and the heat glowers, but still the same. It's driving me nuts.....
There are NO failure on the computer....
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hi all just an update for you, hopefully so far so good the cam shaft sensor has been replaced (free of charge by the way, and rightly so) and so far i have not had a recurrence of the problem however its early days yet, thanks to everyone for the replies to my initial post regards terry.
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I have a 2000 530D which had a similar problem: - occasional failure to start, then would start 5 minutes later. No fault found until it completely failed to start. The fault was then identified as the camshaft sensor. This was 3 years ago - and no recurrence.
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I have changed the camshaft sensor too, and now it will start all the time. Thanks a lot for the help.
Here you can see the camshaft sensor www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DL82&mospid...5 number 18
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Hi Linhawk,
Dont want to be the bearer of bad news but my BMW 530D 2002 model that i changed the camshaft sensor on 2 weeks ago has just stopped again. Its currently sat at the side of a road and hasn't started since yesterday morning. Going back to try it again this morning.
I have read some more info on this and have added it below:
"It could be your inline diesel pre supply pump (booster pump) which is faulty, a common failure on the 530d. Do a check on your pre-supply fuel pressure with the ignition switched on. If its lower than 3.9, typically 3.75, then this is the cause of your problem. Best to rule this out first"
What do you think?
Upto now i have the following possibilities:
Camshaft sensor - NOW CHANGED.
Crankshaft sensor
Fuel pump in tank
Pre-supply fuel pump reading less than 3.9
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Gentlemen you have my complete sympathy.
My e39 2002 530d touring occasionally won't start, but has never left me stranded. Recently, I lost power (to put it mildly) going uphill on a motorway, with the tank about 1/4 full. On the flat it would recover and downhill was also fine. Reading here and elsewhere led me to conclude that the fuel lift pump was the culprit; I brimmed the tank and that got me home.
I replaced the fuel lift pump and was on the motorway today for the first time since. On an uphill stretch the car flew and I thought all was cured. Alas later in the journey the problem returned; no power going uphill (it will rarely rev past 2,500 and if it does make it to 3,000 the turbo doesn't cut in) and this time also pretty 'jumpy' on the flat with intermittent delivery of full power. Around town it is fine.
Charlie73, although our symptoms are not completely identical they are close enough, and we are reading the same forum posts. That reading leads me to conclude that if the lift pump is your problem, it will either be kaput or working at well below its intended pressure. If it's the former, that could cause your problem; if it's the latter then the car should at least start, but you may experience the power loss I describe (even though replacing the lift pump in my case hasn't cured it, this has worked for other forum members).
One way to tell is to switch the ignition to position 2 and put your ear to the front edge of the passenger seat behind the driver's seat - you can hear the pump whirring. If it is whirring that would lead me to conclude that your starting problem lies elsewhere.
For my car, as you have replaced your camshaft sensor without success (which I hadn't considered) my number one suspect is the 'inline diesel pre supply pump (booster pump)' you refer to, which is presumably the one that resides under the passenger seat, item 9 here www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DP82&mospid...5
Have you or anyone else replaced one of these, and if you have would you rate it as a DIY activity?
Have you or anyone else experience the loss of power I describe, in addition to the intermittent starting problem?
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Hi
I've just joined this site and have a similar problem to the one in this thread with a 2002 E39 2.5 TD. After a few months of having the car, it would refuse to start and I eventually took it to a BMW dealership who found a faulty heater motor sensor which was causing the battery to drain.
So, got the car back and all was well for a few days, and then tried to start the car and it just kept turning over. Switched the engine off, waited a minute and tried it again and it eventually caught. Since then I have had 3 instances of where it wont start. First thing in the morning it starts fine but after running it for a while, switching it off even for a few minutes, and then attempting to start it again just causes the engine to turn over without firing which eventually drains the battery.
The only way that I can get it started again is to attach a battery booster or get a jump start. BMW have had it in for diagnostics for a week and can find no fault. I have bought a new BMW 90A battery also, and I still have this problem.
I have been told that I need to get the car tuned in case excess fuel remains in the engine and it is a case of flooding it with fuel, but I am at a loss, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
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Had exactly the same problem with my wife's 2003 525D Touring. The car is fine starting from cold, but about once a week it fails to start when warm after short journeys.
Sometimes it will start again within a few minutes and other times it will be a few hours before it will start.
I replaced the cam sensor a week ago as this was an easy DIY job, but the car has just let us down again this morning.
The car has been fantastic - the best car we have ever owned, but there is nothing worse than a car that may not start after you have driven a few miles.
It looks as though it will have to go to the BMW dealership, but I'm expecting them to say that they cannot find anything wrong.
Is the inline fuel pump under the car the most likely candidate?
Has anyone replaced the crankshaft sensor (not the cam sensor) and solved the problem?
My wife is refusing to drive the car so I am desperate to find a quick solution!
Cheers, Tim
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Friend had identical problems with a 320d - it was the heater relay (behind the glovebox in an E46) - It was pretty cheap job via the dealer. He had leaky injectors diagnosed at the same time - not so cheap but BMW coughed up 65% on the parts though (5 year old car).
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Just a line to let you know that it was the inline fuel pump under the passenger side of the car that was causing the intermittent starting problem.
My local mechanic took it to the dealers for a diagnostic which revealed low fuel pressure, possibly a leak at the injectors but probably the pump.
Having read this and other forums, it seems that either the cam sensor or inline fuel pump are the main culprits for this problem.
Mine's now fixed and my wife is happy to drive the car again!!
Tim
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Hi all,
I had astarting problem 2 years ago @ around 140000miles. Not starting, RAC said normally a leaky injector. Took to BMW Boston, they replaced the injectors that had failed a pressure test and it has been ok for 2yrs.
Now @ 172000 miles the starting has been sluggish (engine turns over for 4-5 secs before starting) until Sunday it failed to start at all. Fallback here is "easy start" in the air intake, but once you use to start you will always have to.
Today I have got car back from a local street garage were they hay ran pressure test on the injectors and replaced number 6 injector. Costing:
Diag test £ 25.00
Labour £122.50
Injector £251.07
If my problem returns I will post, but I think I'm done till the next one fails!!
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Hello everyone!
I have the same sympyhoms as Last Exit described his. Almost identical.
I went to a garage and they sugested its the high pressure electovalve from the main diesel pump, or the pre "refullation" sensor from the end of the injectors main line. They took off those parts , cleaned them with air + some carb cleaner. and putted them back, And now its worst :((. If at first i could reach 4000 rot with my angine only to tremble a little then, now i cant pass over 2700 rot and feels a complete lack of power.
Also sometimes the car doesnt start. But that happenes when the engine is warm and when i turn on the key and i dont hear that little noise in the back of the steering wheel i know it wont start. Then i just turn offf/ turn on key without starting engine, untill that noise appear ( pump ON :) . Then it starts.
I think the starting problem and the lose of power problem are 2 distinct problems.
SO... LAST EXIT ... If u see my post pease tell me if u solved your problem and HOW...
Sorry for my bad english, and greetings from Romania all!
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Hi all concerned I own a2002e39 530d it has 321543 miles to date, I have read these threads with interest, I have had the same symtems, with my car, as I havee said it's couverd 322thou miles, I have done lots of work my self on the car, I have couverd 200,000 miles with this car and enjoyed all of them, so to put you all at rest is the tank pump is the fault, I'll explain, my car when I purchase it had a fault, the car would run out of fuel just bellow 1/4 tank of Deisel, so I take out back seat ect, and down to the two tank openings,ie floats in the tank, my pump side float was knot seated correctly in tank, so disconnected pump give clean then reseat the electric lift pump never failed since, and another thread, if you own the manual shift 530d e39 model they don't have the swerl flaps only auto box.
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