fuses keeps blowing....starter not starting!! why?!

shogun328 · 07-13-2007, 12:06 AM

hey there guys. well i have a 1999 328is 5spd. and ever since i got it back from the mechanics my CHECK ENGINE light has been constantly on. and lately i notice that one of my 30 amp fuses keep blowing and when this happens my car wont start sometimes. i turn the key...and nothing, not even a cranking sound or anything. so i have to push my car and jump start it, and after this the car will turn on and off normally for a couple of days then again....the starter wont turn. any ideas on what the hell is going on?

carjoe · 07-13-2007, 11:15 AM

What did your mechanic do?At the very least bring it back to get the code read.

That 30amp fuse is most likely tied to your starter. It's a pretty big one for anything else, so I'd say you have a short somewhere. Have you checked for any loose wires? Maybe a chafed wire that goes straight to the starter?

Electrical probs are the worst, especially when it's tied to the POS starter...

shogun328 · 07-13-2007, 11:53 AM

hmm. i was told by someone else i had a short too. ever since that mechanic changed my clutch i have had the check engine light on and my cruise control hasnt been working. does it have anything to do with my cruise control???

carjoe · 07-13-2007, 01:54 PM

If you can, check all the wires to the starter.
I'm having my own starter issues and apparently you have to take the starter out before you can take the tranny apart. I dont' know how much I believe that but it's all in the general vicinity of the bellhousing/tranny. Go back to your mechanic and tell him what's up. It could be something small.

Cruise? No idea where to start.

Good luck and make sure to come back and tell us what the fix was...

Mickey Knox · 07-13-2007, 02:06 PM

sounds like a short for sure, if you have an ohm meter, unhook the battery (its prolly ok to do it with the ignition turned off but just to be sure) and check all wires going to your starter and see if you get a through signal /low ohm for any of the positive wires going to the starter, maybe when the mechanic put the clutch back together he pinched a wire between the tranny and the engine block

deffo take it back and make him repair it for free, it is obvious he screwed something up

ta

zimzimmma · 07-13-2007, 03:23 PM

yep, take it back to him.. its a short for sure and its obvious is something he did!

shogun328 · 07-13-2007, 08:02 PM

hmm. so when i check all the wires to my starter what exactly am i looking for guys? i have no clue what to look for. thanks for the help so far

Mickey Knox · 07-15-2007, 05:23 PM

First thing you should look at is the bentely wiring diagram for the starter, I have never replaced one but i would imagine there is three cables involved, a ground, a 12v++ (always hot) through a relay that is switched by the ignition switch. My best guess would be to look at the 12++ cable going to the relay or from the relay to the starter, with the wiring diagram in hand you should be able to find the right wire, NOTE: If you are not 100% sure pull the plus of the battery just for safety, do not underestimate the power of your battery its only 12 volt but packs a lot of amperage), you CAN NOT meassure resistance when voltage is on the wire you will fry your multimeter and possibly your hands. gain access to the wire somewhere and check the resitance towards ground (any metal part of the car body), you could even possibly do this from the fuse box actually. when you got your ohm meter hooked up try and wiggle the wires and see if you get a low/0 ohm through signal, once you KNOW its a short and i happened during the clutch work grab your mechanic by the balls and have him fix it post haste.

last step, find a new mechanic (if it was in fact his fault)

if all this measuring is unkwon territory for you have it checked out somewhere professional, again the electrical system is no place to be messing with when you dont know what you are doing.

good luck

mickey