# 95 740il engine stopped



## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

hey, search around but couldnt find anything, so hoping you guys can help. today was driving and all of a sudden my 740il just shut down. pushed over to side of road and checked everything, it seemed to be low on oil so we refilled it, tried to jump it, and everything. no smoke or anything came out, but when we tried to crank it, it would just crank for a bit, then wouldnt finish the job. please give some advice on what the issue may be please.


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## crewdog843 (Mar 15, 2006)

You probably need to have the codes read but I don't know how you are going to do that if it won't start. My guess would be either crankshaft position sensor, or cam position sensor(s).

Think back over the past couple of weeks for any contraindications....anything out of the ordinary, strange? These cars usually give some warning. Why would the car be low on oil, and how low was it?

jake


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## chris_lax (Feb 5, 2006)

could be fuel pump? mine had problems with that..wouldnt start..but would crank.


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## crewdog843 (Mar 15, 2006)

Any news on your car yet? 

jake


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

nope none as of yet, been busy with school, about to tow it back to my place today and try to diagnose it a little more. so far i'm also thinking maybe the battery is a little low? other night i came out there about 6am and hooked it up to a friends car, and it turned on but i had to keep hitting the gas for it to stay on, ran for about 2 min then it finally died. any takes?


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

a new update for anyone that can help, went out there today to meet up with towing company so they could jump the car, the guy insisted it may be a fuel issue, and went and checked the fuses, we replaced the fuel pump fuses, and engine control fuses, 17,57, and hte last two are 22 and 25 i believe? well the car seems to turn on after a few cranks but then hits 2RPM then slowly drops from there and then dies. any one?


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## chris_lax (Feb 5, 2006)

ur fuel pumps gonna die. wen u turn on ur ignition, can u hear a screeching sound from ur fuel pump as it suck in the fuel from the tank? usually thats an indication that it will die. is ur car low on gas?


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

thanks for all the help guys. tomorrow i plan to go ahead and begin the project with the fuel pump replacement, can anyone show me how to tell if its bad? or also how to check the camshafts, crankshafts, and fuel pump relay, and how to tell if it needs to be replaced? or how to check any other culprits in this case? sorry, rookie to the autoshop, and a college student with no money .


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## fm_illuminatus (Jun 13, 2005)

crewdog843 said:


> You probably need to have the codes read but I don't know how you are going to do that if it won't start. My guess would be either crankshaft position sensor, or cam position sensor(s).
> 
> Think back over the past couple of weeks for any contraindications....anything out of the ordinary, strange? These cars usually give some warning. Why would the car be low on oil, and how low was it?
> 
> jake


Hey, also, as a side note, you can have your codes read if you just turn the electrical to the ON position (position 3). No need for the engine to be actually running.


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## chris_lax (Feb 5, 2006)

usually u can tell wen a pump is goin bad by it's screeching sound it makes as u turn on the ignition. u can hear the pump sucking fuel from a screeching sound. and the indicators are that it will have bad fuel pressure so starting would be difficult. usually takes 3 times to try to start the car. it's all basic stuff and u can tell wen a fuel supply is being disrupted...i just had mine replaced last week...if u really want to test the fuel pump, take it off(located on the right side under the rear seat) and connect it to a battery in a direct way. if it turns and pumps well, than there is no problem. but if only does a 'click' sound, then it's dead. better than testing it from the relay...if ur not confident in doing urself, get a mechanic..hope this helps!


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

where to purchase a fuel pump? any auto store or bmw dealer? avail at auto stores?

i'm confident, think i'll be able to do it, when i get home from school i'll try to listen for a click, and if i dont hear anything i'll let you guys know, and can work from there


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## chris_lax (Feb 5, 2006)

i suggest get a original bmw fuel pump because they work very well..u should just get it at BMW.. this is the first fuel pump i replaced since the car was original.. so that was like 13years ago? u can get a pump for about $150-$250. i got mine for $160. and yeah replacing it is basically very simple. but be CAUTION! u will need a screwdriver to screw of the pump from the tank and some of the screws are located very difficult to reach and above it, lies the fuel hose. becareful not to scratch/poke it using the screwdriver. i scratched mine and it ended up leaking very bad so i replaced it.. it was just a 6-8cm small hose. hope this helps


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## TerryY (Jul 20, 2003)

Just a note.

The fuel pumps are turned off in the event of a sensor failure. 

Disconnect a fuel line and direct it into something to catch the fuel (or hook up a pressure gauge) and turn on the key. You should get a 3 second splash of fuel if the pump is ok but the sensor is bad. None if the pump is bad.

There is also a resistance check for trouble shooting the sensors.


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

UPDATE
Big problem, took the bait and took it to the dealer to get diagnosed. They hold it for the weekend and then I get a phone call, one of the most devastating ones ever. He tells me that my engine has low compression, and it seems as if the engine had overheated. I asked him how did they compe to that conclusion and he couldn't answer. I notice the gauges as I drive, and the needle never went anywhere near the hot side! What am I to do, he tells me an engione replacement quoting me at $7,200. Please advise!


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## Katharotiya (Sep 25, 2007)

as per my knowledge, if engine was over heated, the head gasket should be gone first. try to consult a non bmw mechanic. don't tell them what BMW has told you. just let them figure and come up with thier reasons for these problems.


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## m5james (Nov 1, 2005)

My guess would have been the MAF. If you can run to the dealership, unplug it and see if the car will start, or ask them if you can "temporarily" plug in a new one to see if it runs. I had a shop wanna spend over a grand in diagnostics becuase I had running issues and an idle that was the worst thing I've ever seen the car do. They wanted to do a compression test, leakdown, fuel injectors cleaning, blah blah blah. I went there one night, pulled out an 02 sensor becuase I knew that catalytic converter was bad.....fired right up. The stealerships or indy's are the last place to go if you can turn a wrench on your own, even a little. Go unplug the MAF and see if it runs. 

Low compression means they had to do a compression test, upwards of a few hundred dollars, so they'd better have some idea of how they came to that conclusion, that's just a BS answer. I HONESTLY think the tech is just guessing becuase early M60's are notorious for low compression because of the sulfur in the US fuel compared to Europeans, but there are plenty of them still running around. If you can keep it running by holding down the gas pedal, it doesn't overheat and never has on you, then they have no clue what their doing....typical.


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## mikedt4564 (Sep 26, 2003)

they refuse to test a MAF, and don't have a spare one to use. Tells me that I need to go ahead and order one if I want to test it. He now says he can't be for certain that the engine over heat, but when there is low compression more likely than not, it's an overheated engine issue. So he really just told me what he thinks, not a sure shot answer. Diagnostic ran $127. Any tips?


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