car wont start!

[MR 325]

Jon, it's on the driver side sits alongside the engine block and goes in to the tranny. You'll figure it out

[Brew]

Good idea, let's not help anybody here!

Jon, it's on the driver side sits alongside the engine block and goes in to the tranny. You'll figure it out

I'm sorry, you're right. We all started somewhere I suppose...

[Schniddy]

hell yes

[Digitalwave]

You don't need to jack the car up to get to the starter.

[NC325iC]

seriously... just try to jump the car, if it starts that way it was the battery if not its something else... why get a multimeter when you dont have to?

[Schniddy]

Well its not the battery, the car was jumped today and nothing.
I'll have to wait till next weekend to do anything...grrr

[Digitalwave]

Well if you can jump the car and it starts its obviously not the starter. And if it doesn't start without a jump how do you figure its not the battery?

[Schniddy]

Well if you can jump the car and it starts its obviously not the starter. And if it doesn't start without a jump how do you figure its not the battery?

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

The car did not start up when it was being jumped. Same thing happend with the one "click" sound.

So it must be the starter, hopfully

[RobertK]

This happened to me when we finished up my 5 speeds swap same click and everything. I disconnected both battery terminals and then waited 5 mins and reconnected them again making sure the 2nd time they were on tight and sure enough the car started to crank.

[Digitalwave]

I had the same problem too. I had a loose wire on my starter, but I already posted that on the first page of this thread. He probably hasn't checked that since he doesn't know where the starter is.

[Schniddy]

I had the same problem too. I had a loose wire on my starter, but I already posted that on the first page of this thread. He probably hasn't checked that since he doesn't know where the starter is.

haha this is true.
It will be taken care of next weekend.

so the problem is with the starter, now I just have to find out what exacly it is:

1. loose wire
2. something with the solinoid
3. its just broke

How much would a starter cost me new/used?

[turnofftheradio]

seriously... just try to jump the car, if it starts that way it was the battery if not its something else... why get a multimeter when you dont have to?

Every owner of an e30 should have a good multimeter. Possibly the best tool I own.

[NC325iC]

well yeah but im still suprised that they would do the more complicated thing first when all you need to test if its the battery is jump it...

[Schniddy]

alright its time to try this again! I was talking to uflnuceng on the phone earlier to try and figure out what was wrong.

He told me to try jumping the car again and then connect pin 11 to pin 14 on the 15-pin check connector. There was a slight spark and then the car IMEDETLY started to crank!!

I called jarade up after this and he said that its deffinelty the battary thats at fault.

So autozone gave me the wrong battary twice!?!

here are the numbers

Part Number- 48-DL
Cold Crank amp- 700
Reserve Capacity- 115
Crank amps at 32F- 875

Do these numbers look right? If they are indeed wrong what Should I be getting. I can't find the numbers in my Haynes manual.

thanks!
Jon

[Schniddy]

ok well just got back from autozone and got a new battary. I dont think it was the problem...

I went to start the car and same click happend. This time I turned the key to acsessories and then went to the engine bay and connected the 11 to 14 pins with a wire. The car started!

I bet the first time i did this, it didn't start cause of the key not being turned not the battary. Oh well new battary for me.

So now its deffinetly the starter. I'll probably have it driven up to a machanic. So now we dont have to have it towed at least!