No Crank Problem --- solved

[kellf190]

I have a 2008 Z4 with only 25K miles on it. Actually it’s my wife’s car.

It would randomly not crank with the starter not making any noise at all. Usually it seemed to not crank after sitting cold for a while and then after trying 5 to 10 times it might crank. So I measured battery voltage and it seemed low at 12.3. For a while I thought since it goes on lots of short trips it may never get a good charge however after charging the battery it still did the same thing.

So I figured ignition or starter…. I wanted to check the signal (voltage) getting to the starter solenoid and the only easy way was to go ahead and remove the starter… and after getting a good ground on the meter it seemed to get good voltage… so I went ahead and changed the starter and I already had it off. It’s a bitch to get to on this engine as it’s under the intake manifold. I did manage to get it off and on without removing the intake but I may have been better off doing so. That did not solve the issue. Ouch!

So I then changed the ignition switch (see this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J45rM-kSEHg ) and that has seemed to solve the issue. I took the old switch apart and found a burnt contact! Changing the ignition switch is very easy, 15 minutes and lots cheaper than a starter! $65 at Autozone in the US and lots cheaper on Ebay if you can wait for delivery.

So my advice is if you are having a no crank issue (nothing from the starter) and the battery seems good, change the ignition switch before the starter!!! I sure wish I had.

[ph001]

Thanks for the post. Yes, the ignition switch is a VERY common failure point and well discussed on here, glad you are all back up and running