Car Cranking for longer than usual before starting

[midlandtech]

Hey guys this is something that has been occurring over the last 3-4 weeks. It seems that the car is cranking longer and longer in the morning or after siting for awhile. My initial assumption is starter because the battery is only 1 year old. fuel pump has been replaced and so has the filter. what do you guys think?


Steve

[alexandre]

Does the crank seem "healthy" or it looses vigor as it tries to start the engine?

[Dave1027]

Is the cranking slower than normal? If so I'd say starter/battery. If not then maybe fuel/ignition. How up are you on maintenance?

[midlandtech]

Cranks don't seem to fall off or slow any. The car is fairly up on maintenance having replaced fuel pump, filter, disa, battery and sparkplugs within the last 2 years. MAS was cleaned about a month ago. fuel economy is good and the car exhibits no other symptoms

[JupiterBMW]

My car started to crank slowly for a bit right before the starter died. It seemed like it was having a hard time starting, almost more like it'd be a dead battery. But, it was the starter...

[Daddyoh]

My son's 330xi's starter failed without any notice that I know of. He parked at home in the evening, and the next morning: nothing. No turnover. We could, though, hear some clicking and ticking, like from relays or something, from under the hood. Since it's a 6MT we drifted down the driveway and popped the clutch and it started.
So we drove it to a local shop I've used for our former Explorers and some A/C work. They determined it was the starter. They didn't want the job because of lack of experience with Bimmers on their part. When we went to pick it up, again it would not start. The mechanic brought out a 3 ft. ratchet extension. While I turned on the ignition, he tapped the starter and presto: start-o........ Anyway, moral of the story, it's prolly gonna fail and at least you have a heads-up.
Also: If you don't DIY, you'll get a wide range of quotes. Apparently it's about a 3 hr. job by the book. Total around $550 including a new Bosch starter and a reasonable hourly rate.
GetBMWParts had the starter for about $220, a good price, but plus shipping.
I didn't fool with it cause he needed the car and it would take me MUCH longer. It is pretty involved and my tool resources are very limited.
I delivered the car to our indy around noon, and he had it ready the following evening.
One shop told me they would change from underneath the car, others from above. You may need a flexible device to get to the nuts from above. Our indy changed from above.
Might want to look at any hoses (or anything else) in that area while you're in there to PM.
Hope it works out for you well. Good luck!

[midlandtech]

Thanks. I am thinking I will look into replacing it next weekend. Looks pretty involved but there is a day shop locally that let's you use lifts and any tool needed for 20 bux an hour... May go that route to make life easier

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[Cabrio330]

I was experiencing similar problems as OP. Mine would start sometimes, but not always, no particular pattern. Since this is a second car for me, I would just drive my other car that day. Then a couple days later - voila, it starts! Took it to a local shop and it took them several days to replicate the problem - turned out to be a bad crank sensor. $300 to replace. Got the car back yesterday so I haven't had much opportunity to start and restart it, to confirm this fix worked. If it doesn't work, I will post back here. If it does work, I will likely not remember to post an update!

[danewilson77]

Damn. That's not a common one. Hopefully that's it.

Sent from my S4 > Mason, OH now Free ('http://tapatalk.com/m?id=10')

[Cabrio330]

My starting problem reappeared this past weekend, so looks like the crank sensor was not the culprit. Was able to get it to start just by trying multiple times. Perhaps this means the starter is on its last leg. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

[danewilson77]

Starter most likely. Battery is solid?

Sent from my S4 > Mason, OH

[midlandtech]

I second the starter hypothesis

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[Cabrio330]

Yes, battery is solid...unfortunately! It will be a while before I can address the starter but will report back with results once done. Thanks.

[LivesNearCostco]

Over the last 4 or 6 months my car has occasionally refused to start. It would make clicking or spinning noises without turning the engine over. It always starts on the 2nd try, but it started to happen more often. First maybe every 50 starts, then every 30, now maybe every 20. My indie noticed a few weeks ago and said battery is dying, and lo and behold the next week the battery did die and I replaced it. But it happened again 2 days ago with new battery. Just bought a remanufactured Bosch starter from AutoHausAZ. Should arrive Monday. Was going to hang onto it as a spare but only have 60 days to reclaim $85 core charge. Maybe change it after Thanksgiving, assuming starter doesn't totally kick the bucket sooner.

Maybe I will carry an extra breaker bar or something to use for tapping the starter.


My starting problem reappeared this past weekend, so looks like the crank sensor was not the culprit. Was able to get it to start just by trying multiple times. Perhaps this means the starter is on its last leg. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

[Smolck]

Yes, battery is solid...unfortunately! It will be a while before I can address the starter but will report back with results once done. Thanks.

Verify the shop used an OEM crank sensor. If they used anything other than OEM they can and do fail. I replaced my crank sensor as preventative maintenance not 3 weeks ago. I got a good deal on a BWD brand from Advance Auto Parts so I bought it and installed it. Not 5 days later I was leaving my parts supplier and the car wouldn't crank. Just turned over and over. Because I was at the parts place and my friend owns it I got an OE sensor, installed it (in the rain and dark mind you!) and all is well again. I have read not to use aftermarket parts for electrics, even had a bad experience with a no name MAF, but I tried anyway. FAIL!

That is my guess.

[LivesNearCostco]

In my case the starter was taking longer to crank the motor also. But I didn't realize it because it was always like that since I bought the car, or at least always like that for the last few months. Only once I got the new starter in last night did I realize the motor was taking longer to start than it should.

Smolck, where is the crankshaft position sensor? It it towards the back of the engine toward the left (driver's) side? When replacing the starter I saw a sensor plugged into the motor near the flywheel, but wasn't sure if it was the CPS, anti-knock sensor, engine coolant sensor, or something else.

[Imola.ZHP]

Are you waiting for the beeping to stop when you first turn on the key? When its crazy cold out (lately here in Memphis) if I don't wait for the beeping to stop, she won't fire right up sometimes (after sitting for 12+ hours).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is "standard" procedure, right? The beeping is to keep you from cranking the car until the fuel pump has properly pressurized the line. If you live in a warmer climate, you can usually get away with firing it right up, but in colder climates (or temps) one should allow the pressure on the fuel line to properly pressure up before cranking.

My starter has never sounded "weak" so perhaps we are experiencing unrelated issues.

[LivesNearCostco]

I thought the beeping was only if a) seat belt isn't fastened; b) door is open; or c) temperature is below 37F for the black ice warning. Is there generic beeping whenever you start the car in cold weather, or in general?

[Smolck]

Smolck, where is the crankshaft position sensor? It it towards the back of the engine toward the left (driver's) side? When replacing the starter I saw a sensor plugged into the motor near the flywheel, but wasn't sure if it was the CPS, anti-knock sensor, engine coolant sensor, or something else.

Yes, that is it. All you need is an old school "L" shaped allen wrench (5mm I think, if not it is 6mm). Don't bother and try to use a socket, there just ain't enough room. Oh, you think there is, but by the time you realize it won't work, you could have had it out already. It is very much a "feel" job. You can't really see what you are doing. I sort of stuck my right arm down there and just laid my head on the intake like a pillow. Takes 20 minutes.

By the way, as an added bonus, if your crank sensor is iffy (even if it didn't throw a code) you will pick up some fuel mileage and power. I did.

[LivesNearCostco]

Thanks, I will look into replacing it as PM, maybe when I do the CCV as I should have the intake boots and TB out at that time. My gas mileage seems to be fine. My RWHP is a little lower than I expected but I assumed that was due to worn rings or valves.