Hit by a tree

So back in July, both my cars were hit by the same tree in the driveway. The Rav4 survived with a lot of dents and a cracked windshield. The Bimmer on the other hand barely survived with shattered front and rear windshields, bent the frame of the rear windshield, and the suspension was bottomed out. Covered it with tarps and plastic, but water still was getting in. Did not have the money for new windshields until last week. Had charged the battery once and thought that was going to be enough. Had to push it into the garage to get the front windshield installed.

So now the problem. Charge the battery, stick the key in the ignition nothing. No gauges, nothing. Figured something was corroded. A little WD in the ignition and WALA instrument panel is back on line. Key in the ignition and click, nothing. So I bared the engine over. Got it turning, no problem. Back to the ignition and it is now turning over, but not starting.

Question, what could have gotten effected by water getting in the dash. (whole in front windshield by wipers.) Radio works, all instruments work and computer works.

Do you think it is just something that is corroded?

I have checked all fuses (I think) and found no bad ones.

Hope everybody had a great Xmas and hope all have a Happy New Year.

did you check to see if it's getting fuel?

My brother is coming over tonight to help out. I have turned the key to the run position and gone back to the fuel door to listen, but I am not sure if the pump is running or not. Since I have never done that while it was running, I am not sure what to listen for.

The fuel pump will only run for ~3-4 seconds with the initial key turn. Then the DME waits for a signal from the crank and cam position sensors to make sure the engine is turning. If it doesn't spin, the DME will not send power to the fuel pump. You need someone to turn the key while you listen AT THE PUMP. It's under the back seat, on the passenger's side. Round cover.

pro tip... be very careful if you do try this. pull off the injector rail cover. find the purge valve. it looks like a shrader valve. put a rag over a pen and then with safety glasses on and your face not pointing at said valve, push it with the pen, if you have fuel pressure fuel should squirt out if the system is pressurizing. This isnt the "pro" way to do it, but it's pretty effective to see if you're building fuel pressure.

Thanks. I think I will get a second person first. Then said second person can try your idea!

Is there a safety switch on the fuel pump that shuts it off in case of an accident? Could the shock of the tree have shut that switch off? And if so, how can I reset it?

What year is the car? Does the check engine light turn on when the ignition is ON? Wonder if the DME was flooded?

Sorry, it is a '97 328i sedan. Where does the DME sit? Like I said, the leak would have been right under the windshield wipers. Of course, water can run pretty far when it wants to, but the nose of the car was pointing down hill.

That's right where the DME is. It's in the cowl on the passenger side of the car (accessed via the engine bay).

By the way, no insurance coverage for this?

doesn't your homeowners insurance cover this?? or do you rent??

just liability on the car??

regardless, moisture and connections do not mix well at all. depending upon how bad the damage is, you may need to get a body shop to assess it. (i suspect it would be totaled, though)

i would consider this as well as the potential for future electrical gremlins if you are pursuing getting this vehicle repaired.

just my opinion, though. pcs would be helpful.


as for not starting, seems that the basics were pretty well covered.

edit: just saw matt edit...


df

Home owners insurance does not cover it. Just liability coverage on the car, so it is all out of pocket.

Where is the access door in the engine compartment for the DME?

Originally Posted by SAltonS

Home owners insurance does not cover it. Just liability coverage on the car, so it is all out of pocket.

Where is the access door in the engine compartment for the DME?

i don't get that, though. i mean, if someone hurts themselves in your driveway, say they slip on ice, or they tripped over a hose, bike, shovel, or tennis ball, wouldn't they sue your homeowners insurance for medical bills??

what is the difference between the two??

i do not sell insurance, so i do not know, but it sounds goofy to me.




df

Perhaps he does not have homeowners insurance? Regardless, tree damage is typically covered by comprehensive auto insurance, however. I don't know if homeowners insurance would step in if that tree happened to fall on your car on your property, however. Maybe it would.

yeah, i could see a difference in say street parking and driveway parking. the op stated it was in his driveway.

not sure if renting, or no insurance, though. sux regardless...



df

Was sure it was covered under homeowners insurance, but after about a nano second, they said sorry, Auto Insurance!

But that is not the problem. The car not starting is the problem.

So the fuel pump is running. That is not the problem. There is no spark! Is there a cut off switch to stop fuel flow in case of an accident? If so, where is it?
Where is the fuse for the ignition?

I imagined a car that was totally crushed by the tree.... Is it even salvageable?

Originally Posted by SAltonS

Was sure it was covered under homeowners insurance, but after about a nano second, they said sorry, Auto Insurance!

But that is not the problem. The car not starting is the problem.

So the fuel pump is running. That is not the problem. There is no spark! Is there a cut off switch to stop fuel flow in case of an accident? If so, where is it?
Where is the fuse for the ignition?

fuel cut out switches cut the power to the pump, a'la inertia swicth by ford products. i also believe that there are cars that shut the power off if the airbags deploy, again, inertia related. unless the car was running, i doubt this is the case.

plus you stated it was working.

i would suspect a faulty crank sensor, as this would not indicate engine rpm to the dme, so no fuel pulse or spark.


moreso than the tree, though, is the moisture issue. this may be related to that, or it may not be. no way to tell without going through the basics to ensure everything is getting what it needs.

if the fpump is powering up, then check to make sure it will kick off after the initial prime cycle. that indicates the dme is able to perform (some) control functions.

next would be spark, and, if you are able to, check the crank signal to the dme.

if you have spark, then you have a crank reading to the dme. whether or not that is correctly being controlled or not is another issue that will need to be determined once the vehicle gets started and is running. then it's anybody's guess as to what may happen next.



df

Pics of tree

I know its off the BMW topic but speaking of trees, they are the reason I bought a Beamer. Ill let the pictures speak for themselves but can someone tell me how to attach them? How do i know the url?

Originally Posted by crisscross

Pics of tree

Been waiting for this comment so I didn't have to say it

Originally Posted by jmansour

I know its off the BMW topic but speaking of trees, they are the reason I bought a Beamer. Ill let the pictures speak for themselves but can someone tell me how to attach them? How do i know the url?

Originally Posted by TRaV MaNN

Been waiting for this comment so I didn't have to say it

Ok you guys can go to my page and youll see it in the album... I got two big big trees and and bunch of planted smaller ones

Originally Posted by jmansour

Ok you guys can go to my page and youll see it in the album... I got two big big trees and and bunch of planted smaller ones

Wait are you also SaltonS?

You are a sick bunch of people. I did not know this was the Bimmer/Botanical Forum. I will find the pictures of the tree/crushed bimmer. But again, the tree is not the problem, it is not cut and split waiting to be burned in my wood stove next year. The problem is the car not starting.

I will be checking for spark today at some point, I hope. I will also dig out the DME and see what it looks like in it's compartment. And also checking for fuel pressure in the rail.

I was also going to pull all the plugs and put a little oil down each cylinder. To lubricate them. I would not imagine it is getting any oil to the top of the motor.

You will have a much harder time getting it to start with oil in the cylinder, I wouldn't do that

There will be oil pressure if the motor is cranking. The oil pump is mechanical and is driven off of the crank with a chain.