2003 BMW X5 4.4 Crank but no start

[CapeX5]

Hopefully not hijacking-I thought the only time the fuel pump ran was when the car was cranking or running. The Crank sensor is what triggered the fuel pump relay. This is what I always understood. On my 07 Audi, when I lift the door handle, the pump runs for maybe one second. I can actually hear it. Have never heard one run on BMW without it running. Happy to be corrected if I am wrong.

Originally Posted by upallnight

She stated that she can hear the pump running when she first turn on the ignition switch.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by CapeX5

Hopefully not hijacking-I thought the only time the fuel pump ran was when the car was cranking or running. The Crank sensor is what triggered the fuel pump relay. This is what I always understood. On my 07 Audi, when I lift the door handle, the pump runs for maybe one second. I can actually hear it. Have never heard one run on BMW without it running. Happy to be corrected if I am wrong.

StephenVA said it best in his post

Originally Posted by StephenVA

Most people don't get it as they think "I never even touch the gas pedal, I just turned the key". They don't realise that the injectors pulse every time the key is turned to "ON". Dirty plugs, wet plugs they just ground out the plug secondary ignition and presto no start condition. Pull the plugs and out pours gas on cranking. Let is sit long enough and the oil pan shows 1 more Qt. Now you have the opportunity for a big bang!

Is this the problem? Who knows, as we all are far away from seeing, hearing and testing the car.

Hopefully she will get it sorted out and operational soon. Good luck out there!

[Mizzroxy69]

I changed the camshaft sensor because that was recommended by pouring over every stinking thread on here and bimmerfest.com. Whether or not I needed to do that or not I'm broken down on the side of the road. Everyone has turned this into a cluster fuck. First of all, no I didn't know you could flood a fuel injected engine. So I apologise for coming off as an asshole. I have limited funds and I'm working with what I can manage. I've had to walk 6 miles to an auto parts store. There's only so many suggestions I can follow in the location I'm at. I don't have access to the tools I need.

[CapeX5]

There are many owners on this site all over the country. If you posted your location, there is a chance someone here would come assist you with tools and prior knowledge to help you get up and running. Moving forward, with limited funds, etc., I would suggest you look at a car that isn't so demanding with maintenance and cost of parts.

[Mizzroxy69]

I'm in Livermore, California so if there is anyone who might possibly give a hand, private message me and I'll give you my number and location.

[Maruzo]

This may be a moot point if you don't have it, but AAA membership gives you trip interruption insurance so if your car broke down in the middle of a trip you can order a tow, get a rental, or a plane ticket to go home, collect the receipts and bill them for reimbursement.

I was stranded in a remote part of Oregon a few years ago and AAA came through for me. Got the tow to drive 200 miles to the closest dealership, picked up a rental in the new town and continued on with my trip.

The amount wasn't a lot, like $1600 and there were some qualifying terms you have to meet, but they will honor it if it's an overnight stay trip far from your home.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Mizzroxy69

I changed the camshaft sensor because that was recommended by pouring over every stinking thread on here and bimmerfest.com. Whether or not I needed to do that or not I'm broken down on the side of the road. Everyone has turned this into a cluster fuck. First of all, no I didn't know you could flood a fuel injected engine. So I apologise for coming off as an asshole. I have limited funds and I'm working with what I can manage. I've had to walk 6 miles to an auto parts store. There's only so many suggestions I can follow in the location I'm at. I don't have access to the tools I need.

In your first post, you stated that you fixed the door, drove the truck 3', and closed the garage door. Now you state that you are broken down by the side of the road. It will be helpful if we knew the entire story or at least the correct story. My initial reply that you flooded the engine was base on your first post. Are you broken down at the side of the road now?

Apology accepted.

If the first story is true you need to remove the spark plugs dry them, air out the cylinder reinstall the spark plugs and the engine should startup. The only tool required is a spark plug socket, extension, and ratchet. You can buy a can or two of compressed air at Best Buy.

If you are broken down at the side of the road did the engine just stopped? Do you know how much gasoline is still left in the tank? If it is below 1/4 tanks just buy a couple of gallons and see if that will start the truck. Like others had mentioned the siphon pump that is used to transfer gas from the left side of the tank to where the fuel pump is located may not be working.

Good luck fixing the BM Trouble U.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Maruzo

This may be a moot point if you don't have it, but AAA membership gives you trip interruption insurance so if your car broke down in the middle of a trip you can order a tow, get a rental, or a plane ticket to go home, collect the receipts and bill them for reimbursement.

I was stranded in a remote part of Oregon a few years ago and AAA came through for me. Got the tow to drive 200 miles to the closest dealership, picked up a rental in the new town and continued on with my trip.

The amount wasn't a lot, like $1600 and there were some qualifying terms you have to meet, but they will honor it if it's an overnight stay trip far from your home.

That's more than my stimulus check. Maybe this should have been posted in the Politics Forum. LMAO

[Mizzroxy69]

This is what happened. I stopped by an acquaintance house. When my door wouldn't open he decided we should fix it. We took the door panel off like I stated earlier put it back together all was working. We also took the negative battery cable off so as not fry the electronics in the door panel. I started the vehicle to move it out of the garage so we could close the garage door and turned it off. It was late so I just stayed on the couch. The next morning it wouldn't start like I said it just cranked over. when this person got home from work he pushed my car out into the street and I have been here ever since. The person is a piece of crap they haven't bothered to try to help me and no one in this neighborhood is trying to help me. My car still won't start it's still doing the same thing and I'm unable to get the things that I need to try to fix it.

[andrewwynn]

you need to go back to basics: fuel/air/spark… figure out which isn't happening.

1. as mentioned above; if gas tank lower than 1/4 likely you have no gas.
2. get a gas pressure gauge on and confirm if you have pressure; a spurt means nothing… pressure should stay overnight. (e.g. reads 10-20#after overnight)
3. get a scan from a bmw-level scanner; confirm if EWS is mis-matched which will give your exact symptoms.
4. charge up the battery; a jump start will likely not be terribly helpful; you need full voltage.

when my wife's car had a bad fuel pressure regualtor situation, i eventually got it to start with about 100 seconds of cranking (10 cranks of 10 seconds); your car might have the automatic start feature which will certainly not be enough.

you can put some laquer thinner in the intake boot; as it evaporates it will become explosive that will usually run a car for 20-30 seconds if you have spark and can help figure out if lack of fuel is the problem