Car doesn't start. DME Problem. (SOLVED!)

[kaede]

Originally Posted by Beemdog

Attached to the engine itself there is a metal pan that is easy to remove.

Once, while riding in a friend's hotrod show car, we started smelling an odor like burning paper. It turned out that a nest of shredded paper was down in the header collector pipes! We saw part of it drop onto the road in the rearview mirror looking like a rolling fireball.

Glad the burning paper dropped out and didnt stayed in. xD

Ok, i'll hoist the car up and fiddle around and try to clean the engine bay from the bottom. Up top i keep things really clean but the pics the mechanic took for me looking at the bottom looks pretty yucky. Thanks!!

[kaede]

Update! Car died while driving!

So something super worrying happened tonight. The car drove fine and was great after the new actuators went in. No signs of any other problems at all.

Tonight while I was driving home, the battery dash warning came on (yellow) and then he car immediately powered down. Engine shuts off completely and power steering is gone. I had to muscle it to the side of the road. Tried firing her up again but only cranks weakly. What can be wrong this time =( battery should be fine as tech checked it and it's healthy.

Read other posts with similar situation. Another member claims fuse issue, another one says key battery died and car will shut off (my key battery has been low for a while, I neglected changing it out, so totally my fault if this is the cause), some say alternator died, and some say it's the battery connection system.

Help >___<|||

[Denk]

Ouch, you paid for both actuators and still no go. Get your mechanic to do some more troubleshooting.

[kaede]

Originally Posted by Denk

Ouch, you paid for both actuators and still no go. Get your mechanic to do some more troubleshooting.

well, the actuators did solve the issue with the car not starting. And i seriously do not think this is related to the actuators again since actuators don't usually DIE completely especially its new parts. If it did fail, then there is 1 year part warranty on it.

Car is now at the shop waiting for further diagnosis. Glad they were able to send me a complimentary tow truck in the middle of the night. Will update later.

[kaede]

Update

So i switched the battery on the fob and the car started no problem at all. I drove the car for a day and no more issues, no codes etc.

Parked the car for 3 days (i usually take her out on the weekend only) and when i went to start it again, engine doesn't start like before...

Here is a video of what's happening:

Just so that there is not confusion, the service light is for the front brakes and have nothing to do with car not starting (or at least Indy said so).

Any ideas why? No way the new actuators died immediately no? Such bad luck

[dlaw]

Makes me worried, as my car will be in storage for one more month.

Good luck and hope you get things resolved. Thanks for keeping the thread updated.

[mazing M3]

if your battery light came on while driving. 9 times out of 10 its your alternator.

[mazing M3]

My car sits in the garage from november to april. One I do is start the car every two weeks let it run up to temp and shut it off. I do get the low battery warning but after driving first time out the car charges completely. I will be changing the battery this spring seeing the battery is 8 years old.

[kaede]

Well the battery warning came on when the car died while driving. After I swapped the battery on the key fob the car drove fine for a couple days.

The car died again after I parked it for three days (the YouTube video above is after the three days parked and the little incident when the car died during driving).

[kaede]

Originally Posted by dlaw

Makes me worried, as my car will be in storage for one more month.

Good luck and hope you get things resolved. Thanks for keeping the thread updated.

If you put the car in storage with a battery tender it should be fine. My actuators were on its way out anyways. According to mechanic, can didn't start because the actuators died on me during storage. After he swapped in new ones car started immediately. Seems like no problem with the battery too... or so I hope. After the little incident when my car died on me during driving, it is highly likely something to do with electricals. But again, battery seems done and charged while I drove it.

[kaede]

Originally Posted by mazing M3

if your battery light came on while driving. 9 times out of 10 its your alternator.

Thing is car charged up alright after swapping in new actuators. Drove fine for a day and a half until all of a sudden car shuts down middle of driving.

Replaced battery on key fob and that "solved" the issue. Car started again, drove two more days fine. Parked for 3 days and won't start again. Might be fuel related? Fuel pump going? Read somewhere it can be the fuel pressure sensor as well? I really don't know. Gotta tow to Indy again for a more thorough trouble shooting.

[kaede]

Update.

Finally have the time to get the car into the mechanic to do a more thorough diagnosis. First thing the Mechanic did was pulled the codes and MY GOD, it was a long list. Here is what he send me:

5DE2 - [ANTILOCK BRAKES (ABS/ASC?DSC)] Brake Pad Wear FA Critical Thickness Reached (I was aware of my brake pads and rotors needing replaced, so i don't think this is part of the problem why car won't start for sure.)
A126 - [ELECTRONIC IMMOBILIZER (CAS/EWS)] Implausible Signal From Engine Management
A559 - [INSTRUMENT PANEL (KOMBI)] Instrument Cluster Power Supply Switched Off
A669 - [ROOF FUNCTION CENTRE (FZD)] Interior Lights At Front
2B55 - Control Module Internal Fault
2B01 - Control Module Internal Fault Supply To Pins 111, 219, 514
2B07 - Pedal Position Sensor Plausibility
2AFE - Voltage AT Terminal 87
2B20 - Throttle Valve Sensor Bank 2
2AF9 - Coolant Temperature Sensor
2714 - Intake Manifold Pressure Sensor
2796H/10134 - Undocumented Code
2B0D - Idle Actuator Monitoring Bank 1
2B55 - Control Module Internal Fault

To be honest, this is all gibberish to me. But anyone have experienced something where the DME just goes off like that? Could it be that the DME needs to be replaced or could something else cause and trigger the issue?

Read some other threads and some say it could be the IBS, Fuel Pressure Sensor, or Idler valve of some sort, etc etc. I really hope this isn't going to be costly... Will update as this progress along.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by kaede

Update.

Finally have the time to get the car into the mechanic to do a more thorough diagnosis. First thing the Mechanic did was pulled the codes and MY GOD, it was a long list. Here is what he send me:

5DE2 - [ANTILOCK BRAKES (ABS/ASC?DSC)] Brake Pad Wear FA Critical Thickness Reached (I was aware of my brake pads and rotors needing replaced, so i don't think this is part of the problem why car won't start for sure.)
A126 - [ELECTRONIC IMMOBILIZER (CAS/EWS)] Implausible Signal From Engine Management
A559 - [INSTRUMENT PANEL (KOMBI)] Instrument Cluster Power Supply Switched Off
A669 - [ROOF FUNCTION CENTRE (FZD)] Interior Lights At Front
2B55 - Control Module Internal Fault
2B01 - Control Module Internal Fault Supply To Pins 111, 219, 514
2B07 - Pedal Position Sensor Plausibility
2AFE - Voltage AT Terminal 87
2B20 - Throttle Valve Sensor Bank 2
2AF9 - Coolant Temperature Sensor
2714 - Intake Manifold Pressure Sensor
2796H/10134 - Undocumented Code
2B0D - Idle Actuator Monitoring Bank 1
2B55 - Control Module Internal Fault

To be honest, this is all gibberish to me. But anyone have experienced something where the DME just goes off like that? Could it be that the DME needs to be replaced or could something else cause and trigger the issue?

Read some other threads and some say it could be the IBS, Fuel Pressure Sensor, or Idler valve of some sort, etc etc. I really hope this isn't going to be costly... Will update as this progress along.

Try gently moving the battery cable a bit behind the glove box, and reseat the fuses by applying pressure.

I had a similar electric gremlin where my car wouldn't start, or have any electronics turn on at all - battery was completely fine. Had my IBS cable replaced, but saw the problem happen one more time. In frustration, I did these things, and have not had the problem happen to me since - yet.

I wonder if we have a cold solder joint problem in these cars after a period of time.

I know these steps sound crazy but it will cost you literally nothing to try.

[Tupug]

Probably your alternator

[kaede]

Originally Posted by Tupug

Probably your alternator

Thanks! If its just the alternator i think the car will be able to pinpoint the issue quite easily. However, with all those codes thrown, definitely seems like some sort of electrical issue (or hopefully, not the DME that's going...).

Also, the car charged fine when i last drove it. Car wouldn't start up in 2 days after i parked it and the battery was still fully charged.

Thanks!

[kaede]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Try gently moving the battery cable a bit behind the glove box, and reseat the fuses by applying pressure.

I had a similar electric gremlin where my car wouldn't start, or have any electronics turn on at all - battery was completely fine. Had my IBS cable replaced, but saw the problem happen one more time. In frustration, I did these things, and have not had the problem happen to me since - yet.

I wonder if we have a cold solder joint problem in these cars after a period of time.

I know these steps sound crazy but it will cost you literally nothing to try.

Thanks!!! Will definitely tell the mechanic to try that He is going to check the Battery and cables and the IBS today, see if that resolves anything. Then he will definitely check the fuse box too!

[kaede]

Update.

My Indy couldn't fully figure out/pinpoint the problem.

He says my ECU (DME) will need to be replaced due to water damage. He said he's found a lot of corrosion on the fuse block and he had to clean up a lot of it. Also had to replace some fuses. He also mentioned that there is no spark, no signal going to the ignition coils... He also mentioned that there is a ton of moisture/condensation in the fuse box (behind the passenger glove box), so much that it he had to blow dry it... why would this even happen?

Other question is, how the hell did water get into the Fuse Block (where the ECU is) to begin with? Where can water be leaking in from...

Any where else i should check before i bring it back to stealership? Stealership will probably charge me a couple hours worth of diagnostic at their stealership premium, so want to check out all other possible faults before i bring it to them to help them pinpoint the problem.

Any one replaced their DME before? and how much did it cost? T^T

Also, do DME tend to fail overtime? i have never heard this happening ever... (besides some one off cases where warranty covers. Mine is off warranty).

Fingers crossed that when i DO bring it in the stealership they can get it running as cheap as possible... (understand cheap is a relative term for the M3... gotta play to pay, but still... wasn't expecting that).

[Bavarian Beast]

Wow, that is quite the problem set. Are you the original owner? If not, maybe this is a pre-existing issue you are working on now WRT the water issue. It is a shame that you don't have an aftermarket warranty to fall back on. If the DME failed because of water damage maybe you can find one from a wreck salvage to replace it and save a bit. I agree though that you really need to locate the moisture issue as it will just return if you don't fix that. Mercedes has drain tubes from the roof on some vehicles with sunroofs that run through the A-pillar. When they get blocked with crud they back up and drain into the dash. Maybe this is a possibility here as well, but I just don't know. Hopefully someone with more advanced skills will speak up. Good luck with this.

[kaede]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Beast

Wow, that is quite the problem set. Are you the original owner? If not, maybe this is a pre-existing issue you are working on now WRT the water issue. It is a shame that you don't have an aftermarket warranty to fall back on. If the DME failed because of water damage maybe you can find one from a wreck salvage to replace it and save a bit. I agree though that you really need to locate the moisture issue as it will just return if you don't fix that. Mercedes has drain tubes from the roof on some vehicles with sunroofs that run through the A-pillar. When they get blocked with crud they back up and drain into the dash. Maybe this is a possibility here as well, but I just don't know. Hopefully someone with more advanced skills will speak up. Good luck with this.

Ya sadly i am not the first owner. When i bought the vehicle i got a PPI at a stealership and a reputable BMW indy, both places passed with flying colours.

To be honest, no idea where the leak can come from at all… anyone can shed some light?

Does used DME work? (assuming that it gets programmed in by dealership). Or should i just chip out the dough and buy a brand new one assuming that there is warranty on the part (found on ebay bmw dealership store selling for around $1400ish, which isn't TOO TOO bad…). I live in Canada, with conversion and the STOOPID CRAZY STEALERSHIP MARKUP here(something like 100% on top), they'll probably charge me $3-4k for the part alone…

Also, THAT might still not solve the issue since my indy can't technically pinpoint the actual issue. Hopefully the coil ignition is still in good working order, don't wanta shell out another $1k to get it all replaced… fingers crossed.

[Bavarian Beast]

Maybe an HVAC problem?

[kaede]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Beast

Maybe an HVAC problem?

Indy did mention could be leaking from windshield (those things can leak?) and or Cabin Filter Housing. I'll have those checked for sure and maybe replace the Cabin Filter Trim + filter itself.

Thanks!

[kaede]

Update:

My M3 is finally out of the shop and running after spending a considerable whop of dough Im glad that at least it is running now though

So here is what happened. Indy pulled DME out and found lots of corrosion from water. No idea where the water leaked in from. All we can see is that the water mark and corrosion trail lead in from where the harness connects to the DME via connector pins socket. There is not way for us to verify whether or not this is the culprit, but due to the corrosion, the best course of action is to replace it and reprogram a brand new DME.

$2240 CAD afterwards (just the DME part alone), the car STILL doesnt start. Indy further investigates. Turns out that the Junction Box above the passenger glove box fuse box is also damaged (due to water corrosion), many fuses + the junction box itself needed replacing. Finally VOILA!!! the car starts, no more error as well!!

Now that car was fixed, comes time to diagnose HOW did the freaking water/moisture (enough to condensate and form considerable about of water droplets) got in in the first place. Did multiple hours of water leak testing, but found nothing.

No signs of corrosion or water underneath passenger side carpet as well.

Another member suggested that it might be sunroof drainage clogged that MIGHT have caused water to seep through another channel, but the drainage works perfectly. Lastly, the seal on the windshield and the cowling for the HVAC (cabin filter area) are all put back together and no water could've gone in via that...

Unfortunately till now, my Indy and I have NO CLUE how the water/moisture got in... let alone enough to basically Fry my DME and screw up the whole junction box, harnesses, fuses etc you name it. All my Indy suggest is to keep a close eye on it, check periodically for water/condensation... besides that, nothing we can do

As mentioned though, glad shes finally back on the road. Its been an expensive year for me (replace both actuators, brakes all around including rotors, this DME issues, etc...) fingers crossed that this will be the last of it!