Help - E34 wont start

[kwbimmer]

95 E34

I turn the key and nothing (like I'm trying to start it outside of park)

Central door locks no longer working, interior auto lights not coming on.

I've checked fuses and cannot see any blown. Battery is still good - dash lights, radio, headlights all come on. Tried boosting with another vehicle - nothing. Checked fusible link - everything looks good - no cracks

Any ideas?

Just incase anyone was interested....

$1200 later - the door lock capacitators were shorted - driver and passenger. Other wiring and shorting had occurred. Computer thought the doors were locked and would not engage the starter !!

8 hrs of diagnostic and repair to electrical wiring system under the rear seat.

Ouch

[yaofeng]

Is the battery charged? How old is the battery?

[gmannino]

Sounds like a dead battery. If none of your interior lights come on, its probably a dead battery. Test for voltage at rest and during crank. Rest voltage should not be below 11 volts. Voltage during crank should not be below 9 volts.

[kwbimmer]

Sounds like a dead battery. If none of your interior lights come on, its probably a dead battery. Test for voltage at rest and during crank. Rest voltage should not be below 11 volts. Voltage during crank should not be below 9 volts.

Battery is still good - dash lights, radio, headlights all come on

[kwbimmer]

Battery is still good - dash lights, radio, headlights all come on

[pingu]

Sounds like classic sysmtoms of a cracked fusible link.

Have a rummage around bmwe34.et until you find the section about replacing the fusible link.

[Dave M]

Simple check would be to try jumping it with another vehicle/known good battery. I,ve had mine fail to start due to a weak battery, the car would run, but not send enough to the solenoid to start.

Plus, jumping is free :)

Is your battery under the seat? If so, I believe your fusible link would also be there somewhere. If the batt. is in the engine bay, the fusible link sits aft of the passenger side strut tower, under a little black plastic cover.

Welcome Ontarian.

[mzarifkar]

Also if your battery is bad it may draw away the boosting current to itself as opposed to the starter

[kwbimmer]

Simple check would be to try jumping it with another vehicle/known good battery. I,ve had mine fail to start due to a weak battery, the car would run, but not send enough to the solenoid to start.

Plus, jumping is free :)

Is your battery under the seat? If so, I believe your fusible link would also be there somewhere. If the batt. is in the engine bay, the fusible link sits aft of the passenger side strut tower, under a little black plastic cover.

Welcome Ontarian.

Yeah - tried jumping but to no avail...

Battery is under the seat - where abouts under there is the fusable link - what does it look like?

[kwbimmer]

Sounds like classic sysmtoms of a cracked fusible link.

Have a rummage around bmwe34.et until you find the section about replacing the fusible link.

Fusible link is fine - took it apart and inspected it - no cracks

[David Chen]

Open the big black box under the hood and check the connections to the DME computer. If the wiring harness is loose, the starter wont engage.

[Denton]

When mine wouldn't start, it was the starter. But all of my accesories worked.