1995 BMW 325 Intermittent start

CHRISM011

MEMBER
1995 BMW 325
6 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
200,000 MILES

I have a 95 BMW 325is with approx 200,000 miles on the chassis but only about 70,000mi on the engine. The problem I am having is that after I drive the car for a while (could be a longish drive or it could be a quick stop at a grocery store) and leave the car sitting for a few minutes it will not start when I go back to turn it on. The engine will not crank but all lights will be on. If I wait for 15-20 minutes and attempt to start it again then it generally fires up just fine. It will not always give this starting problem - it seems to give the problem very randomly. Also, I have never had a problem starting the car after it sat overnight or for extended periods of time (1 hour or more).

4 Replies

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

Sounds like a case of "hot" starter. Next time it wont crank, use a test light to check for power at the small wire on the starter

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Thursday, January 10th, 2008 AT 7:39 AM

CHRISM011

MEMBER
6 POSTS

I will check that out. Should I expect full voltage at that wire when the car starts normally? Oh, and would a "hot starter" still be the case if this symptom has occurred after a <1 mi trip to a grocery store in roughly 65 degree temperatures at night?

Thanks!

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Thursday, January 10th, 2008 AT 9:55 AM

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

Could depending on location of starter. That is more of a term for ones that dont work after the engine is warm or has been running, and yes, you should have a full 12volts at the small wire

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Thursday, January 10th, 2008 AT 11:14 AM

CHRISM011

MEMBER
6 POSTS

Possible Solution

So, the car has been doing fine for some time now, I even took it on a 750 mile round trip journey without any difficulty. However, last weekend I went out to start the car on Saturday morning after it had sat outside all night and the same thing happened. No starter engaging, no engine turning over, all lights on. This time, though, I had my spare (valet) key with me. Thinking that perhaps the problem was with the EWS system (which includes the key) I tried this spare key. Guess what? The car fired up just fine! At this point, I am guessing that the transmitter in the regular key I am using is starting to wear out and die. I will likely order a new key and see if that permanently takes care of this perplexing little problem.

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Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 AT 10:30 AM