e92 335i no crank, no start, single starter click

Drobin388 · 01-05-2023, 01:02 AM

Hello everyone. I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place. Im a regular viewer of these forums but have never posted.

So...my issue. I have a 2008 e92 335i with 111k miles. The car has been very reliable with no starting issues since I purchased it at 54k miles. This may be important or may not, but for the last year I have done delivery resulting in 20+ start/stops on some days. On the first day of 2023(go figure), in the evening, the car decided to not start anymore. I drove the car earlier in the day with no issues.

At first I assumed a dead battery and tried to jump it off a brand new car the next day with no luck, only a single click from the starter even though all lights and accessories come on inside the car. You can hear the fuel pump humming upon attempting to start up by the way, but only one click from the starter(very audible in the engine bay). I exchanged the 2 year old battery since it was under warranty and installed it, still nothing new. I swapped out the relay in the fuse panel(the top right black one) as I read that it was ignition related and nothing changed. I have checked fuse 4 and 51(both ignition system fuses) and both are good. I removed plastics until I could access the starter through the intake manifold and tapped on it(lightly and with a bit of force) while trying to start the car and still only get a single click from the starter when trying to start the car.

At this point I'm leaning towards it being the starter, but have read mixed things leaving my mind in circles. Does anybody have any advice? Below is a link to a video clip showing the sound the starter makes when trying to start the car. Sorry if the video quality is bad, Im not sure how it will upload, but hopefully the audio is clear.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iaakSsxRxgw

Thanks a lot in advance! Hopefully I can get advice on something else to test before spending big money on a professional repair.

Also, here is a screenshot of codes taken from MHD. The top 2 codes were expected as seen before, but all of the "CDxx" codes are new to this situation.

https://i.gyazo.com/e7bd4065bcb8edee...45b5136f80.png

Serf27 · 01-08-2023, 03:11 AM

A click from the starter may mean the starter gear is popping out but not spinning.

111k miles with 20 uses a day may have worn it out.

You can try hitting the starter a bit harder to see if it “frees up” and spins. If it does, the starter is bad.

What’s odd is I usually see
“A0B4 engine starter operation” code when a starter is failing or had failed, a code which you don’t have.

No starter operation code+ a no start:
I have dealt with this once. A seized bearing in one of the pulleys on the engine may be an issue. My alternator bearing was not 100% seized but it would bind up. Buns up to the point where it held the belt stationary while the starter tried to turn the engine over.
I needed to replace the alternator and ultimately the starter because of too many failed start attempts. It must have taken the starter out too.
I would remove the belt from the engine and try to start the car.

I have not experienced the following, but have seen people post about bad chassis ground connections causing a no start issue.
“E90 ground cable replacement” on google should yield results and areas you can check.
Cables in the battery tray may have come loose as well, preventing full power to reach the starter.

01-05-2023, 01:02 AM	#1
Drobin388 New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Alpine White M Sport Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: NC iTrader: (0)	e92 335i no crank, no start, single starter click Hello everyone. I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place. Im a regular viewer of these forums but have never posted. So...my issue. I have a 2008 e92 335i with 111k miles. The car has been very reliable with no starting issues since I purchased it at 54k miles. This may be important or may not, but for the last year I have done delivery resulting in 20+ start/stops on some days. On the first day of 2023(go figure), in the evening, the car decided to not start anymore. I drove the car earlier in the day with no issues. At first I assumed a dead battery and tried to jump it off a brand new car the next day with no luck, only a single click from the starter even though all lights and accessories come on inside the car. You can hear the fuel pump humming upon attempting to start up by the way, but only one click from the starter(very audible in the engine bay). I exchanged the 2 year old battery since it was under warranty and installed it, still nothing new. I swapped out the relay in the fuse panel(the top right black one) as I read that it was ignition related and nothing changed. I have checked fuse 4 and 51(both ignition system fuses) and both are good. I removed plastics until I could access the starter through the intake manifold and tapped on it(lightly and with a bit of force) while trying to start the car and still only get a single click from the starter when trying to start the car. At this point I'm leaning towards it being the starter, but have read mixed things leaving my mind in circles. Does anybody have any advice? Below is a link to a video clip showing the sound the starter makes when trying to start the car. Sorry if the video quality is bad, Im not sure how it will upload, but hopefully the audio is clear. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iaakSsxRxgw Thanks a lot in advance! Hopefully I can get advice on something else to test before spending big money on a professional repair. Also, here is a screenshot of codes taken from MHD. The top 2 codes were expected as seen before, but all of the "CDxx" codes are new to this situation. https://i.gyazo.com/e7bd4065bcb8edee...45b5136f80.png
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01-08-2023, 03:11 AM	#2
Serf27 Brigadier General 2888 Rep 4,333 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Sitting in a BMW. iTrader: (-1)	A click from the starter may mean the starter gear is popping out but not spinning. 111k miles with 20 uses a day may have worn it out. You can try hitting the starter a bit harder to see if it “frees up” and spins. If it does, the starter is bad. What’s odd is I usually see “A0B4 engine starter operation” code when a starter is failing or had failed, a code which you don’t have. No starter operation code+ a no start: I have dealt with this once. A seized bearing in one of the pulleys on the engine may be an issue. My alternator bearing was not 100% seized but it would bind up. Buns up to the point where it held the belt stationary while the starter tried to turn the engine over. I needed to replace the alternator and ultimately the starter because of too many failed start attempts. It must have taken the starter out too. I would remove the belt from the engine and try to start the car. I have not experienced the following, but have seen people post about bad chassis ground connections causing a no start issue. “E90 ground cable replacement” on google should yield results and areas you can check. Cables in the battery tray may have come loose as well, preventing full power to reach the starter.
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