[sowbmw]

I'm having an issue which has been discussed multiple times and I figure I post my situation to help others. My car (e92 335xi n55) was working well, then I left it to sit for 1 day and the no start, no crank issue started. The steering wheel is hard to turn and the brake pedal is stiff, but brake lights work.

I have the following codes stored but no check engine lights:

38A4 - I think this is because I unplugged the IBS cable to try to bypass and start, no luck.
A06B -
6EC4 - Steering angle sensor only relative. Center position unknown.
A0B4 -
A559 = KL30g - shutdown. The relay clicks when I unlock and lock the car.


The door locks, windows, dash lights, seats, instrument cluster all function. I checked the voltage at the battery yesterday and the front terminal and they both read about 12.3V. I bypassed the ground cable by connecting a jumper cable to the hex bolt on the right fender and the oil filter housing screw (and to the original ground above the driver engine mount) but no luck in starting the car.

I checked the KL30g relay and removed it, lights switched off and when I plugged it back in and the lights came on. I haven't tested it further.

When I engage the start/stop button, I hear a click, but it's faint. Strange thing is, the car was cranking flawlessly the day before the issue. I even took it on a 5000 km road trip and everything worked well, no issues.

I tried unplugging the battery then reconnecting, but it didn't do much. I tried to jump start the car but nothing as well.

Anyone have any ideas? I suspect it is the starter at this point. I'll check the power lines from the battery to the front for corrosion.

Other notes:

-replaced the battery a few months with a genuine BMW battery and registered it. Battery holds charge but today I checked and it is now down to 12.05V.

[sowbmw]

I cleared the codes and the A0B4 code came back immediately along with the steering angle sensor code (which I suspect is because I haven't turned the steering wheel fully, maybe a glitch). I suspect it's the starter motor at this point. Will post back when I identify what starter I have.

[TomE90320D]

Have you tried jumping it either with a jump pack or from another car the steering will be stiff if the engine isn't running because the power steering pump will be engine driven also the brake pedal will be stiff as the servo won't work when the engine isn't running 12.3 volts is nowhere near high enough needs to be around 13 volts battery is probably weak or possibly there is something draining the battery

[TomE90320D]

The click you can hear is probably gonna be the starter solenoid try charging the battery disconnected from the car and see if it holds charge

[lookalikehuuh]

Yeah its most likely a failed starter since they are a common failure item on the cars.

The fact that the brake pedal and the steering are hard has nothing to do with the failure and everything to do with no hydraulic pumps being available for either item to help.

[sowbmw]

I'll try charging the battery. I tried boosting the car using a noco booster, but no luck.

The car now has 280000 km (173000 miles) and I don't think the starter has ever been changed.

Is it normal for the car to be running one day then all of a sudden stop? There were no signs that the starter would give up.

[sowbmw]

Just wanted to update everyone. The issue ended up being the starter, which I replaced with a SEG Branded unit (Made in Hungary). The car starts amazingly now. Two codes that kept popping up were A06B and A04B, which seemed to point to the starter going bad. When I took the starter out, I could here rattling inside when shaking.

Just a note that the new BMW starter bolts are longer than the original. The original bolts have a smaller Torx head. A 10mm ratcheting flex head box wrench is what I used to remove it. It may be easier to 'crack' the bolt using a flex head ratchet and Torx socket first.

To reinstall the new bolt, make sure to hand tighten as much as possible then use an 11mm flex head box ratcheting wrench. Honestly, these ratcheting wrenches made all the difference and I highly recommend it.

Other tips. remove computer wires from module and make sure to label to avoid confusing them. Also, the wires do not need to be removed fully, I placed them off to the side and did not disconnect from anywhere else in the engine bay. When reinstalling intake manifold make sure to account for all wiring. One of my computer harnesses got stuck under the DME and I head to loosen the intake manifold again to retrieve it.

I removed the throttle body so I could easily disconnect the breather hose and wire connector (make sure to label).

Be sure to keep track of all your nuts, bolts and plastics. Inspect the intake manifold also inspect the intake valves before reassembling.

It's a good idea to remove the intake manifold gaskets and throttle body gasket and replace with new.

Overall the job wasn't too bad. After remove air box and all plastic trimming, the job took about 2 hr to complete.