[Thevoid59]

I have gotten it to crank but no matter what I try I can not get it to start. I have confirmed that there is fuel in the fuel rail, that there is spark, I have cleaned and tested the vanos solenoids, checked fuses and checked the wire from the battery on the back of the fuse box, made sure there is power going to the fuel rail coils vanos solenoids, I have unplugged the Maf and tried to start it, I have checked the codes there where 3 engine codes (2aa1, cdab, 2dec) but then when I charged the battery the next day it would crank without a jump start and I cleared the codes and these went away and have not shown back up, also it has a new exhaust cam sensor. I am really lost on this I ordered a compression test tool which will be here in 2 days, but any help would be very much appreciated, thank you.

[X_Drive]

Try unplugging the Eccentric shaft sensor connector (Round dome plug) at the front of the valve cover and restarting the car. If it starts, the eccentric shaft sensor is bad and will have to be replaced. Easy thing to do and its free diag. Let us know what you find.

[Thevoid59]

So it will start with the sensor unplugged?

[M-technik-3]

If it does the unit is bad and will need to be replaced. It's not that bad of a job if you are mechanically inclined. Replace the VCG while your in there as that thing is leaky! Before the Serpentine belt is eaten by the crank.

[NZE90]

Fuel pressure should be checked with a proper gauge. It has to be 70 psi for these engines.

[Thevoid59]

Ok thank you for all the replies I will try what I can tomorrow, does anyone have a link for a good fuel pressure gauge?

[Thevoid59]

And yes I was going to do a bunch of gaskets once it’s running

[Thevoid59]

Just tried starting the car with the sensor unplugged and it did not work unfortunately.

[NZE90]

Can you post a video of the engine cranking over while you are trying to start it?

[sl550buckleuplol]

So I have a 2008 328i I’m in the same boat,

Can you let me know if you may have to reprogram DME in order for you car to run. That means running program to each system to get green light on that system on DME.

[sl550buckleuplol]

I’ve been told keys , fuel pumps, from even the DME
Computers themselves have to be programmed to date?

[NZE90]

Originally Posted by sl550buckleuplol

I’ve been told keys , fuel pumps, from even the DME
Computers themselves have to be programmed to date?

Start your own thread with a detailed description of the issue, what battery voltages you have and all the fault codes in the car.

[ctuna]

Read this

[Thevoid59]

Is there a good way to test to see if the dme is bad?

[Thevoid59]

Also how do I add a video I have tried adding it to the original post but that isn’t working.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Thevoid59

Also how do I add a video I have tried adding it to the original post but that isn’t working.

Post your video to Youtube (not short) and then post the link.
It'll auto-format to an embedded video.

[X_Drive]

Originally Posted by sl550buckleuplol

I’ve been told keys , fuel pumps, from even the DME
Computers themselves have to be programmed to date?

The current keys allows you to crank the motor, however it is not firing. This would indicate to me that there is a engine issue, not a CAS system issue. Invalid keys for e-series vehicles will not allow the user to lock/unlock the vehicle or start it.

Fuel pumps do quit, however you can check this via a pressure gauge or through pump activation on some aftermarket OBD2 testers. Sometimes, you can activate and hear the pump, however internally the pump is no longer transferring fuel and only "spinning," when activavted.

The DME can fail depending on certain circumstances. For example, water ingress into the DME box or accidental voltage surge-incorrectly jumping the vehicle by reversing the polarity. Diagnosing the DME can be done via tester or through voltage checks at the engine components. However I do say use caution not to use destructive methods such as wire piercing. Usually these tests are performed with a break out box and inline y-cables. However to correctly diagnose a DME, a higher-end tester(ie SOLUS/MODUS/AUTEL etc) is very helpful in steering you to potential paths you can go down.

As for programming. There are times in which programming will alleviate the issues, however with older engine software, in my experience, should not prevent an engine from starting.

Air, fuel and spark are the 3 basic things needed for an engine to start and run. You have already started looking at these items so that is good.

One other thing I was meaning to ask is when you attempt to start the vehicle, does it "want to fire," or is it just cranking with no perception of trying to fire, just plain cranking?