E53 Crank sensor location
 

My wife owns an E53.
For month now i have been tracking down the reason for a none starting issue,
It will fire up in a morning ok, run around for a few hours and then we stop, turn it off for a short time like to go into a shop etc, then it wont fire up again.
leave it for a while then it fires up.
I have replaced the following.

Relay in the e-box
relay on top of the fuse box (bit of a bugger to get to tho, glove box out etc)
Relay in the boot fuse box.
Fuel filter
higher fuel pump
Fuel pressure sensor.

I have had it into a BMW specialist which is not a dealership, in Blackpool (Auto-technique) and they were stumped, they guaranteed it was the fuel pump, £372 later, it didn't solve a thing.

We took it back to the specialist after it did it again, AA attended the car, they got it going with a squirt of bradex easy start, The specialist retraced his steps, he was the one today who replaced the relay in the e box, as they are a specialist, i am assuming they replaced the correct one. They had is nearly 3 days.
They are really scratching their heads on this

Wifey collected the car today under the instruction of "see how it goes", She stopped to get some meat from the butcher shop, low and behold it did not start, sprayed some easy start in the air intake, and it fired up no problems.

Is that a clue as the the cure to the issue, i know what easy start does and how it starts a car but, why is it curing the issue, what is is curing to start the car.

We have it booked into the main dealership in Preston for 2 hour diagnostics, but has any one any ideas as to what the issue could be after reading all this info :( :( :(

so i am looking at crank sensor replacement, where is it located

Good day!!

I am not sure what you have, but it sounds like the fuel pump is not priming the system... It will work when it is cold, but once it heats up and stops, it has trouble getting going again, or the pressure drains out and is not replaced upon the first turn of the key... You could test this theory by turning the key on, off, on, off, on and then start IF you encounter a situation where it won't restart... You have to have the problem present to know the on, off sequence does the job...

It is not the crank sensor... It wouldn't start at all, even with spraying ether in the intake...

The ether replaces the fuel that isn't there... So, that is the problem... Either the pump or the injectors aren't firing for start-up condition...

Let us know what you discover... Good luck!!!

Cheers!!!

Since it starts with starting fluid it must be a fuel issue, not a timing issue, or a bad crank position sensor. Had your mechanic installed a fuel pressure gauge at the fuel rail to see what type of fuel pressure you have when the engine isn't starting? If the fuel pressure is good, you might have a problem with the computer telling the injectors to fire. No injector pulse means no gas in the cylinders.

the mechanic has not seen it when its none starting.
it seems to only do it after running about for a while,

so where is the cam sensor??

It was hinted in a prior post...but you have NOT mentioned which model e53 you have...which would indicate which ENGINE you have.

Help us help you better...remember to give us enough information to answer your question. :) We can't tell you the location of something on your engine when we don't know which engine you have. :)

You have no signature with your model/model year/build date...so what you have is a mystery to us other than you have an e53...which could be anything from a 2000-2006 model year and have one of seven engines:

• M54 b30(X5 3.0i) 2001-2006 model year
• M57 d30 (X5 3.0d) 2001-2003 model year (not sold in the USA)
• M57TU d30 (X5 3.0d) 2004-2006 (not sold in the USA)
  
• M62TU b44 (X5 4.4) 2000-2003 model year
• M62 b46 (X5 4.6is) 2001-2003 model year
• N62 b44 (X5 4.4) 2004-2006 model year
• N62 b48 (X5 4.8is) 2004-2006 model year

3.0d sport 03 x5, thought i did lol

See item #14 in the diagram below (and at the following link):

• https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...kshaft/XStoE60
• https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...sensor/XzFr3KK

Look for B2013: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...kshaft/UnoDrM0

It's an oil burner, sorry never had to deal or own an oil burner.

Perhaps the fuel shut off valve that is used to stop the engine is not opening once the engine has turned off. It is only when it has cooled down does the valve open to allow the flow of fuel.

Is this the cam position sensor

also, do fuel injectors need programing to the car on an E53 diesel

*edit* NOPE - it's the MAF.

The cam shaft sensor is near this but closer to the centre of the motor.

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/uploads/mont...1437220188.jpg

And to answer the question about injectors - no reprogramming needed if you are replacing an old one with a new one (of the same spec. etc.).

BTW, the crank position sensor is monitored by the DDE so any issues with it will be logged in the DDE error log.

DAMHIK.... ;)

...in the words of Rosanne Rosana Danna..."never mind".

(note to self...pay attention...the OP moved on from the Crankshaft (CKS) position sensor and asked about the CAMSHAFT (CMS) position sensor) :D

The OP origially asked about the crank sensor but is now asking about the cam sensor...

...thank you...I totally missed the move from CKS to CMS. :thumbup:

There's plenty of confusion in here - plenty for everyone! :D

The no-start when hot condition could be caused by dozen's of items but it seems the CMS is worth looking at - especially as INPA will report any errors. Not sure about the CKS. I have read of a few CMS failures and have even seen a single historical error on my own M57TU. It popped up a day or so after I changed the thermostat and had been working in the area around the CMS itself. I likely disturbed the connection.

A scan of the errors present when it is in the no-start condition should give the fault away.

Cam position sensor
 

I’ve got an 06 x5 3.0 Diesel.... same issues. Changed out the crank angle sensor and waiting in cam position sensor to arrive... will let u know if it fixes the unreliable starts... ps the times it fails to start which are random and either hot or cold engine, a squirt of CRC in the intake always gets it going..

If you can start the engine with aid of any burning spray your starting problem has nothing to do with cam or crank sensor. It's a low rail pressure problem which is most likely caused by leaky injector. So first measure injector leak off before wasting money on parts which are already working.