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1995 E36 318is no power/ignition

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aarrgghhh
8K views 54 replies 10 participants last post by  dazun3 
#1 ·
:madthe last couple times i've used a drive through car wash my starter motor has given me bit of trouble for that day, so today i decided to get a Hand wash, they used the jet wash things to clean off most the dirt but honestly they spayed it loads on front of car, that was around 4hours ago, i was driving home accelerating off from the lights when it seems like the car has just stalled, power is going to everything but it doesnt seem to be catchin a spark?? PLEASE if anyone can give me some kind of idea whats gone wrong it would be a great help.:mad
 
#2 ·
if you title correctly your post should get the help it deserves mate ie: '1995 E36 318is no power/ignition' or similar
 
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#4 ·
I can understand mate. Are you sure there isnt water in the air intake?
 
#20 ·
I had this exact problem with my old iS mate...... twice.

Have you stuck your hand in the duct under the windscreen where the wiper motor is kept. Get your arm in there (you will need to pull the seal off the plastic cover to get your arm in) and have a feel towards the battery. You will feel a plastic shield that should be completely sealed as this is blocking off the ECU compartment. When you wash the car the duct fills with foam and water, this then gets past the plastic shield where the proper seal has perished.

Did you turn sharp right just before it died.

If it's the first time its happened then you could try removing the battery and removing the front seal for the ECU chamber. This will show you the loom and ECU. Undo the clip securing the loom and remove from the ECU. Then just slide the ECU out.

Take it in doors, wrap it in kitchen towel and leave it in a warm dry place in the house. (Not a radiator or airing cupboard - only needs to be room temp). This will dry it out.

Get some silicone and seal up the inner seal that is perished so the plastic shield is tight. Remove the drainage hose out of the duct, cut the end off (about an inch as it will have heat shrunk) and clean it out. Re-fit the pipe. Then the next day refit the ECU, put the front seal back, re-fit battery and hope for the best.

Hopefully if it's only done it once there wont be serious damage and will be fine once dry. If not, send the ECU off for a re-build.

The first time it happened to me i just had the ECU rebuilt but didn't re-do the seal.... broke again so i gave drying it over night a go, it worked for me and was problem free after re-sealed and dried out.

It's a 5 minute check and common on the older iS's mate
 
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#8 ·
well i was up at 730 this morning got everythin at home sorted made my way to the car,gotbattery out the way opened up the ECU compartment which already had 1 bolt almost completely undone,put some tissue in there to swab around and soak up any moisture and guess what? WATER lol, so now i'm a happy guy the car is running again and im in a much better mood
 
#10 ·
hi again guys problem has came back, just wondering as the inner wheel arch is missing on passenger side, when i parked up and turned car off the was a buzzing noise from fuse box, i found it was the white relay switch which is located with 2other relays anyway i took the relay out for about an hour put it back in the buzzing stopped, but then when i drove to work last night the car conled out just outside of work, so my car is still there now :(
 
#11 ·
Is the white relay one of the 3 under a separate plastic cover. If so it's either the DME relay or the fuel pump relay. The relay may either be knackered itself or, if it's the fuel pump one, the fuel pump fuse may be blown (No.18).
Has it been raining recently as the problem could be that you have water in your DME as the DME operates both the fuel pump relay and the DME relay.

If it is DME related, it's not just a case of drying out the compartment it lives in. The problems lie inside the DME unit.
 
#12 ·
Is the white relay one of the 3 under a separate plastic cover. If so it's either the DME relay or the fuel pump relay. The relay may either be knackered itself or, if it's the fuel pump one, the fuel pump fuse may be blown (No.18).
Has it been raining recently as the problem could be that you have water in your DME as the DME operates both the fuel pump relay and the DME relay.
yes thats the one:thumbsup, its when i get the car washed but im thinkin its when water splashes up through the missing wheel arch, this car really is pushing my patience ihave it booked in next week for new bushes, ball joints and steering rack to be fitted, now it just feels like its one thing after another:mad

but gildersol you have just given me some hope, :thumbsup
will best place to get the new relay be the dealers??
 
#13 ·
That would be the best place to get one, but you may just be chucking bits at it without getting it diagnosed.
If you unplug the relay (DME one or fuel pump one) and take a couple of wires from the battery to pins 85 and 86 on the relay you should hear it click if the coil is working ok.
The buzzing noise you heard would be caused by either a weak coil on the relay, a bad connection or water in the DME unit causing a less than healthy signal to the relay.
If the problem happens when the car gets wet, I'd have a look at the DME because if it's not toast now then it will be sooner or later if it's wet.
 
#14 ·
just drove to work tried it again when i unplugged the relay the plugged back in yiu can hear the clickin noise, as i was driving it last night and it started to cut out the speedo and rev counter started spinning round then she just seemed to die
 
#15 ·
Will it still not start? The rpm signal comes from the DME as well.A wet DME will give some symptoms you wouldn't believe. If the DME relay is clicking when the ignition is switched on and if it's contacts inside are not burnt out or anything then it will be switching power to the fuel pump relay/injectors etc. Can you hear the fuel pump prime under the rear seat when you turn on the ignition. If not it may be fuse 18 or the fuel pump relay. I think one of the other relays (maybe fog lights) is the same type as the fuel pump relay so could be swapped to try it.

Still think DME though:)

Hope you get sorted:thumbsup
 
#16 ·
thanks gildersol, im back at work in an hour so will have another look at the relay, still wouldnt start felt/sounded like it wanted to but wasnt getting any fuel if thos make sence, im no mechanic in anyway but just had that feeling? as soon as i get the car home ill get it up the road to the garage for diagnostics, all this the week before my insurance renewal needs paying :( lol

thanks for your info and help in trying to sort my shed out, lol
hopefully she'll be fixed to how she should be because i do want to start going to meets
 
#17 ·
got the relay this morning as i've been busy with getting my puppy back to health, still no joy so i think thats me off the road ntil next month lol as my insurance is due this week followed by my MOT next month and ive still got a good few parts that need fitting, in the mean time i could just get the parts that are needed including a dme unitand get it ready for MOT
 
#24 ·
Don't give up mate. It's a pain yes but it can be fixed. And it's not a massive job. 30 mins of removing stuff, over night dry out, 45 mins to seal up and put things back. PM me if you want over the weekend and ill talk you through it if it helps.

I know how you feel, i was very close to lighting a rag in the fuel tank with mine but i got it fixed and it did a further 50k :D. It's still going to, i just don't use it any more.
 
#25 ·
dazun3, not being funny but every other post from helpful members on here has been saying to check your DME, not just its housing/compartment. Your reply to them everytime has totally ignored this suggestion.

The DME gets wet on the INSIDE. CHECK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#28 ·
i've emailed http://www.autotekelectronics.com/newautotek/index.php and also put my bumper on ebay so the funds should be there to send the dme off for a rebuild i think i got to that point yesterday where i just gave up, just seems like problrm after problem with the car, but having sat back and thought its not that much work really it just seems like it, so hopefully i'll have her up n running again soon
 
#34 ·
well i got the ecu/dme back this morning, 2weeks now shes been sat doing nothing, anyway plugged it in, put everything back together. tried to start it, but nothing tried bumping it, different battery everything still nothing, so think i'll have to wait till payday now get it on the diagnostics
 
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