BMW E46/E39 No Crank No Start: The Ultimate DIY Guide

How To Install INPA & NCSExpert

How To Cut, Program, and Repair BMW Keys!!

Are you in the Los Angeles? Do you want Ismail to make you a key? Do you need him to fix your EWS or DME sync issues? Get in touch with him on his Facebook Marketplace:

Or give him a call at [phone].

My mailing address for correspondence or swag of any kind is on my about page.

This video is for entertainment purposes only. 50sKid assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.

[EEnsign]

How could anyone actually down vote this video? Are you kidding me? Most informative tutorial out there. 50’s kid your the best and your friend in this video is awesome too!!

[brewcesroofless-e]

Jason & Ismail are Just on another Level when it comes to BMW. I own 2005 E46, and this channel is alway my 1st go to, for answers & tips. You guys need a TV Show!!!

[CapN-Savvy]

50sKid... I've owned an E46 for 10+ years now and you have always come through. I really can't thank you enough for your constant solid advice, thorough step by step guides, and the time you have spent making these videos to help the E46 community.

I had a no crank no start. Unfortunately my car was at my GFs & most things I would have on hand weren't with me besides a small tool kit. Everyone in my BMW fb group kept telling me it was the starter and I was wasting energy and money replacing fuses and the ignition switch (as your video suggested). To be honest, I felt they were 90% right but I had to try before getting my car towed to the shop and digging into my pockets. I don't think I'd have the patience to replace the starter. Long story short, before trying to replace the ignition switch I replaced fuse f14, f67, f105 and the car fired right up. I'm almost positive it was f105. You saved me a ton of money, time, stress and even gave me a sense of accomplishment with of course lots of credit to you. Thank you again for all your help!

[TheCowgirlNiamh]

Great advice from you guys! The most important thing I've learned from these cars is that they hate low batteries!

[nicka]

Hey 50sKid, I just wanted to thank you & your guest Ismail, you guys are awesome! I have a 325i that had a "No crank, No start" issue, so I called Ismail to see if he could help. Ismail was very friendly & helpful. He was generous with his time, answered all my question and best of he was able to solve my problem. Thanks again, you guy are GREAT!!! 👍

[arivera]

One of the most informative videos I have ever seen on e39 BMW Ignition System.

[BirdogEd]

Hey guys, you saved my day! I’ve done a bunch of work on my 2003 530 I and the battery has been dead for sometime. I put a new battery in and it would crank but not start. I used BMW scanner went in to the DME and hit the DME-EWS adaptation button in programming and immediately after that task was completed I removed the key and waited 20 to 30 seconds like you had mentioned at 24:40 in this presentation. Success! Thank you very much!😎🇩🇪🚙

[WilloW]

Long time subscriber here. Just want to say thank you for your E46 contents. I've fixed quite a few things and also did a manual conversion using your videos so please keep rolling with it. Great channel.

[chineses]

Shout out to Ismail: I had a stubborn no crank no start situation, and was at my wits end (bad starter replaced, everything else tested). Reaching out to Ismail was my last straw. He thought the ignition switch could be at fault. The odds of a starter and ignition switch go bad on the same day simply... never crossed my mind. Bit the bullet and bought a new switch. Viola, the sweet sound of turning over after almost two months.

You guys are awesome! Thank you for everything!

[mkalmoula]

Life saver. Just used this process to save thousands in repairs. My wife had installed a fashion crystal ring on the ignition switch which was blocking the signal from the key to the housing. Thank you so much

[xongooli]

You guys Rock!! possibly the best DIY video I've yet seen on the E46 or on any car for that matter!

[BeaNice-kndu]

Thank you guys, you just saved me a ton of money, I did your EWS trouble shooting on my E46 and it turned out to be the Ignition switch. Total cost $16 and some time. Much appreciated!!

[austinshroyer]

Just thought I’d say that they did a great job of researching all of the possible outcomes and helped me narrow my search down to a bad starter I replaced the starter and was still haven’t issues and I actually found out my ground cable had become so corroded it wasn’t allowing any electricity through so even when I attached live wires I wasn’t getting any cylinoid or motor movement you can simply fix this by removing the two bolts and sanding down the ends of the wire and the mounts and it cranked right up

[icuppu]

Great video! liked and subscribed. Very well described and explained. I love the analogies with the starter on the table and troubleshooting techniques.

[mikedeckert]

I just wanted to thank you for all your videos. You have helped me so much with my 02 325i. 215, 000 miles and going strong. My car developed a misfire yesterday and your I watched your misfire video and know she's purring like a kitten. Did a power steering pump the other week thanks to you as well as new radiator and expansion tank. Your the man!!!

[jmdfamily]

2 absolute legends, when he said 80% chance it’s the car battery he wasn’t lying, because I’m my case that’s exactly what it was, 1 year old Bosch battery was on give me 12.02 volts this was the issue.

Thank you guys now I can finally sleep at night.

[brockwilson]

Excellent video! Great information! I really appreciate learning from your videos!!

[josevansco]

Great Video can't thank you guys enough!! BMW family !

[UkraineJames]

Your channel has helped me so much, man. Thank you!

[ukaszjot]

That's a great video and it helped me (along with other's, for manifold and starter removal) very recently. One comment though: the video strongly suggest that you need to have both control wires energized to turn the starter motor. That's not true - the bigger bolt - yes, it's needed to run the starter and engage the motor. But the smaller (that you mentioned on the video comes from the DME) it's actually not an input to the starter, but a sensor wire if the solenoid has engaged. This and the lower power screw of the solenoid are connected together, it's easily spotted. If you put 12V directly on it (which you should not do) the motor will run, but the sprocket will not engage.
Also, please watch out for starter/solenoid failing intermittently. I took mine out only to see that it functions fine at the bench. But it was also getting all the right signals. Only after a couple of trials I've seen that the solenoid is getting stuck from time to time. I would probably be able to fix it, but the new one is cheap enough not to bother.