Hi All,

Sorry to ask this here....

My dad owns a 1985 BMW 528i 5-spd sedan. It's a four cylinder (I think) motor.

The car has not been a daily driver for the past 12 months. He only takes it out once a wk or so for a very short (too short) drive... It has typically always run very well.

Yesterday upon trying to start it the engine does not turn over. Apparently he tried boosting and no help so not the battery. He says that the solenoid clicks but there is no sign or cranking.

Any thoughts on this? My thought was corroded starter contacts. Do the starters fail on these cars? The motor/oil is good and definately no seized up or anything like that. Any common problems? Is there anything electrical that can cause such a problem?


Thanks!
Greg

I added a wire (power on with key on if I remember right) to a car like that and solved a similar problem. I assume it was an antitheft or safty interlock relay of some kind, but when the car started, neither the owner nor I wanted to pursue the matter further.

The BMW 528 has a 2.8L six cylinder engine..... I had a similar problem and it turned out to be an internally shorted battery. Not even the AAA was able to boost it. Try temporarily replacing the battery with known good one and if it starts you have found your problem.

the bmw is either a 528e or a 535i. if you need a starter, they are different. and, they are both 6s.

i'd make sure with a meter if you have at least 10.5 volts at the solenoid and the starter connections. if either is too low, then the starter won't spin. you have to turn the key to start to check the solenoid wire-needs 2 people.

go to bentley's site, they have boards for bmws, along with other cars not volvo. if you need more info or opinions, the book they sell for the car is good. good luck, chuck.

ther is no mention of how many miles are on this vehicle. could be worn brushes. might be poor cable contacts, im not a big believer of trying to jump power to directly to the starter, not while its installed anyway.dont know how much room you have to play with you might try tapping on the starter motor end cap, donr bang it on the sides as i dont remember when bosch introduced ceramic magnet fields that are glued to the casing. if you tap the end cap and it cranks over you may have short brushes, and would need to have the starter rebuilt. check under hood relays , fuses, or fusable links.
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mike, 1988 Volvo 240DL 114k , , previous 79 & 81 Volvo 244s