35D wont start - Glow Plug pre-heat issue?
 

This morning i tried to start as always and it wont fire up.
Its 45 outside and i get the coil symbol for few seconds, message saying pre heating please wait then it goes away but nothing happens.
When i hit the start button again it turns off from ACC mode.

I could not get it started , no matter what combination i tried. Is there a trick to this? First time seeing this message.

Also my TPM light is on, tire is fine, maybe little low so added air but cant reset until the car is driving, not sure if that would cause it to not start?

No codes present, battery seems fine. Nothing was left on over night.

HAAAALP??

Does the engine turn over vigorously? Is the battery fat?

Some modern automotive diesels do not even energize the glow plugs to start until temperatures are less than 40°F. Further, some modern diesels require a minimum starting rpm before fuel will be injected to start.

No it doesn't turn over, it acts like you are just toggling between ACC mode and off by pressing the start button, even though i have my foot on the brake trying to start it.

If the GP's are indeed lit, that's a significant drain on a battery, maybe too much. What reason is there to believe that the battery is fine?

Buy a new smart-charger (that can recognize an AGM battery) and charge for twenty-four hours.

Check your ground cable between engine and chassis.
To diagnose ground fault,try this simple test.
Use a jumper cable and hook one end to any metal point on the engine (non painted surface ) and other end to any metal point(non painted surface like front bar on the top of radiator fan) on the chassis and try to start if that makes any difference.

Question:

I remember reading about some starter relay not working when cold outside, but I'm not sure it applies to diesel as well... Anyone?

I tried jumping it, battery showed 11.6v prior to hooking it to the other car, during the jump it showed 13.6v bit after waiting for few minutes it still doesn't crank over and i still get the pre heating message. I have all 6 GP codes and 6 GP circuit codes. Erased and tried again but no change.
Could it be the GP control unit? It was working fine prior to yesterday. No start or rough idle issue.

I suggested you to do jumper cable test .Did you try that???

All 6 glow plug error points to ground cable issue.Try that test.

I will try that now. where is the ground cable located so i can check it?

Ground cable is kind of hard to access as it's hidden somewhere in the wheel well.but to make sure it's ground issue( which looks like), take a jumper cable and use just one wire of the cable(either red or black).Let's say you use black.So connect one end of black to any metal surface on engine which is non painted.and connect other end to metal point on chassis like shiny bar just on the top of radiator fan.Leave both ends of red wire alone.and try to start the engine.
Let me know if you want more description.

O, that seems to work. Cranks over but battery seems low, it doesn't start. Im going to try to jump it.

I jumped it but still only cranks slow and doesn't start. It showed 13.5v before i tried then after couple tries the voltage goes down to low 11

That's a Good sign and definitely its a ground issue.I attached the pictures showing good points to connect the cable on engine and chassis.On chassis,there is a lead nut that's specifically for the ground hookup.You can use both red and black cables together to make sure you are feeding good ground to the engine.

Use both wires as shown in the pic to supply good ground to the engine.Using both might help it to turn faster.In the last picture,i removed the red wire just to have a proper view of the point.But you can setup the wires as shown in first 2 pictures.

Sweet, that worked. I used those locations with one wire but connecting both sides made it start.
Appreciate the help. Now, i need to find this chassis ground wire to make sure it's not falling apart.

Glad it worked for you.I think this ground problem was first found by one user here or at bimmerfest.

Glad it is sorted.

I tried to start again and it wouldn't, i think my battery is in need of replacing as well but tomorrow i will look at the ground wire and see if it needs replacing. Thanks for the advice.

Did you mean that after removing jumper wire,engine would not start?

Yeah i took it around the block and let it idle for 5 mins, turned it off and tried to start again and it wouldn't start. Then i tried to jump the ground again and it wouldn't turn over. I jumped it from another battery, with the group bypass on and it still wouldn't crank over. I will try to replace the wire tomorrow, no time left today to keep working on it.

Put your battery on charge overnight while you are sorting the engine ground strap before giving up on it

Can i charge it from the engine bay or have to charge the actual battery from the trunk?

Best to charge the battery directly from the battery terminals in case there is a bad/loose connection somewhere between the engine bay and battery.

Bad engine to body ground wires are not uncommon on BMW models, the E46 and E38, E39 have this issue with the frame side often. More often in wet and snowy climates.

BMW technical literature directs to NOT EVER disconnect the battery and that the Intelligent Battery Sensor - IBS - must see all charge and discharge current.

E70 Training https://drive.google.com/folderview?...&usp=drive_web
BMW General Training https://drive.google.com/folderview?...&usp=drive_web

Luca Paindelli has amassed an incredible resource. To not take maximum benefit from it is foolish!

Well I got it started and left it idling while I looked for the ground cable, which i wasn't able to locate. I took off the plastic cover from passenger side and just saw the air pump. Do i have to take the wheel of to get to this cable?

While i was doing that, the car stopped. I checked the voltage and it was at 5v. Is my battery bad, not holding charge or you guys think it's the alternator?

Where did you check the voltage?

Stop starting the car before you damage some electronics. Charge the battery for 12 hours or more and sort out the ground strap before you start it again.

If you cant find the old ground strap just fit an extra one from a decent size bolt on the engine block to a decent size bolt on the chassis.

Nominal battery capacity is 100 AH, that's about 4 A for twenty-four hours. Even an AGM battery will be damaged by sulfation if left undercharged/discharged. An AGM will be damaged by charging voltage >14.7 VDC

Alright guys, i let the battery charge overnight and plugged it in this morning.
I put a ground jump from the engine to the chassis ground and it fired up right away. I will be getting a load test done on the battery today to make sure its still ok and i will be finding this ground wire so i can replace it. Passenger airbag light is on, lets see if that goes away after a bit. Clearing codes didnt help.

I read that the ground wire was on the passenger side but it wasn't there, now i read on Xoutpost that its on the driver side so i will check there.

If anyone has a pic of the location that be appreciated.
Thanks for all the help.

At least on the E46 and I think the E39 with the 6 cylinders the engine to body ground happens to be on the passenger side near the motor mount. Often you have to remove the lower engine cover to see them.

Not sure if the E53 is set up like the E46/E39, but usually you will find a frame rail connection near or just behind the strut tower. Look around the motor mount area to see if you can find the ground.

Here is a picture of the strap on an E39 which is a 2nd cousin of the E53 IMHO - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums - View Single Post - 2003 Ground Wire on shock tower?

Here is the post that had the same issue as mine and he states it was on drivers side.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-no-crank.html
Either case.. i should be ok with leaving this 4 gauge ground wire and it should be ok yes?

Update for anyone who has this issue in the future:

As stated before, the ground was the issue so adding a chassis ground solved the no crank issue. Turns out the battery was pretty drained out so i charged it overnight and got it load tested, it tested good so nothing is wrong with the battery.
The AutoZone employee also tested the alternator and said one part passed but other part didn't. I'm not sure what those parts mean but basically i was told the alternator wasn't charging the battery like it should be. No issues since all that and it starts right up. Maybe i will need to get the alternator rebuilt at some point if this happens again.
Next step is to replace the original ground wire when i have some time.

I agree. I wanted an E53 originally because I own an E39 but the E70 grew on me. It's not a bad vehicle but I think I like the E53 better because of my experience with the E39. What's the first cousin?


The alternator is probably operating at the correct voltage but is not able to produce the correct output (current) while under load.

My experience has been that short of a catastrophic or an acute failure of the alternator, a depleted or battery operating at reduced capacity will slowly cause the alternator to fail. Unless you personally know the history of the battery, I'd replace it.

If the alternator is not operating at the correct output level then the battery will be depleted once again somewhere down the road. Eventually this cycle will kill the battery and/or the alternator. It sounds like the alternator may already have been affected and the battery was affected at least in the short term.

Maybe the E53 is actually the E39's first cousin in theory, there are a lot of similarities, but also a number of differences so with the differences, other than the obvious, I kind of look at the E53 as 2nd cousin to the E39.

I have not spend much time in the E53, but I am starting to like my E70 although there is a lot to get used to on the E70, it is like a VERY distant cousin twice removed from the E46/E39/E53, however, I think I like the E70. A bit much on the technology, but as long as it all works and does not break, life is good!