Complete power outage, S50'd 325i Sport

[da4x4turbo]

This is so random it's doing my head in.

I parked my E30 in the garage last time I was home. I went away and left it for about 3 weeks and now i've come back to it and the car won't start.

It's cranking fine, with loads of power in the battery. The fuel pump isn't coming on at all when I switch the ignition to run, nor are the dash lights, electric windows, headlights or anything really.

All that's happening is that the engine swings and swings and nothing happens.

I have window wipers and park lights, and interior lights. That's all that's working in the car electrically.

Normally I'd use the fob to open the car which would un-immobilise the car then it would start straight away with all electric functions fine.

Other times if I didn't start it soon enough after un-locking it I'd have to switch the ignition to run and press the button on the fob again to bring the electrics in the car to life.

This time the fob locks and unlocks the car, but the electrics don't spring to life like they should.

I've been at it now since 7.30 this morning and it's still the same. I've traced every wire and it all appears to be totally fine. I'm at a total loss as to what to do about it.

Is there some sort of relay or similar in the car that controls power to all these functions? Or is it the case the black box of magic that is my alarm/immobiliser has had it and is causing all these problems?

I needed the car for a wedding today and all....

[fowler]

imobiliser sounds at fault to me fella
what alarm do you have installed
does it have a valet mode if it has try this

[da4x4turbo]

imobiliser sounds at fault to me fella
what alarm do you have installed
does it have a valet mode if it has try this

Serpi Star GR480

[daimlerman]

imobiliser sounds at fault to me fella
what alarm do you have installed
does it have a valet mode if it has try this

Or is it something to do with EWS?
I hate modern electrics!

[fowler]

will google it for some info dude

[fowler]

imobiliser sounds at fault to me fella
what alarm do you have installed
does it have a valet mode if it has try this

Or is it something to do with EWS?
I hate modern electrics!

possibly both mate but dash lights would be controlled by alram me thinks ews would of been wired to disable starter circuit.
poss batt is a little low but i am going for the alarm TBH the alarm would diable the fuel as it has to be 2 point imbolisation to be a CAT1

[da4x4turbo]

Yeah it's CAT 1, and the EWS is definitely fine.

F*CK this alarm. I'm not looking forward to having to pull it out of the car.

Why has it stopped so randomly though... It's a real head scratcher.

[fowler]

the imbilier part sometimes just get stuck where they have try to disconnect battery and leave for a while then try again they are just pants

[Brianmoooore]

Highly unlikely that the headlamps, dash lights and a few other things that you've mentioned would be controlled by any immobiliser!
Where is your battery and EXACTLY what works and what doesn't?
FULL and COMPLETE list required.

[airborne_7]

not sure if this will help but my chick had a corsa 1.2 sxi, with a dodgy alarm/immobiliser, sometimes it would start but most the time it wouldnt, in the end she had it removed but at the end of it all we found out that it was just simply the reciever that works with the key was out of place slightly (was only attached by a cable tie) it was located next to the ignition and all that was required was for it to be moved slightly closer to the key insert of the ignition, reason i add this is becuase her dash lights and a few other things wouldnt work and sometime whilst driving the rev count and other bits would stop?? hope it gives some other idea to your problem solving

[DanThe]

not sure if this will help but my chick had a corsa 1.2 sxi, with a dodgy alarm/immobiliser, sometimes it would start but most the time it wouldnt, in the end she had it removed but at the end of it all we found out that it was just simply the reciever that works with the key was out of place slightly (was only attached by a cable tie) it was located next to the ignition and all that was required was for it to be moved slightly closer to the key insert of the ignition, reason i add this is becuase her dash lights and a few other things wouldnt work and sometime whilst driving the rev count and other bits would stop?? hope it gives some other idea to your problem solving

Dont take this the wrong way but this is irrelevant to the problems stated

[da4x4turbo]

Highly unlikely that the headlamps, dash lights and a few other things that you've mentioned would be controlled by any immobiliser!
Where is your battery and EXACTLY what works and what doesn't?
FULL and COMPLETE list required.

The immobiliser/alarm is spliced into the E30 loom in the area around the steering column/original ECU.

I have power to the wipers, interior lights, parking lights, indicators and that's it. Everything else is dead. However, when the engine itself is actually swinging over everything works. i.e. The blower motor comes on, and the electric windows work, and I get very faint dash lights. As soon as I stop cranking the engine though it all dies again. Oh and I've just checked there... I'm not getting a spark from the coil pack either.

Normally the car is in the same immobilised condition until I unlock it, but as soon as you use the button on the fob the whole lot springs to life and the car can start. But vow for some reason that's not happening.

I guess the best course of action now is to remove the whole thing from the car, although it's going to be a shame to lose the remote central locking, and I'll also have to fit a new alarm because it's something every car needs.

[HolySchmitt1]

Doesn't sound like an immobiliser/alarm issue to me, very odd symptoms if it is. To easy to blame the immobiliser if it don't start. I would guess there is a broken/corroded wire/contact somewhere. I would start at the battery and work through to check where you have good power to, it is worth making a few more methodical checks before ripping out the alarm.

When you turn the car on check if you have any power to the headlights with a circuit tester, it might just be that it is not enough to light the bulb and would confirm if it was maybe just a poor connection somewhere. Also worth checking the earths, the starter will earth through the engine and is different to the way everything else earths it also has its own power feed, which could explain why the starter works and other things don't (you just need enough power from the rest of cars harness to throw the starter solenoid). Get a wiring diagram and check all the power distribution and earth circuits first. As the problem is affecting nearly all functions in the car it is likely the problem is between the battery and the fuse box or with the earths. Someone who is more familiar than me with the harness architecture and layout may be able to point out some common trouble areas to check.

The things you say do work are all quite low power which is why they may still run even with a poor contact or a wire hanging on by a few strands. Do they all work normally or do the wipers and indicators run slow?

Good luck

[penton08]

might have something to do with the unloader relay, but also sounds like a earth problem. maybe the earth wire from the c101 to the starter? how did you wire you engine up?

[DanThe]

might have something to do with the unloader relay, but also sounds like a earth problem.

+1

You can remove the immobiliser part of the alarm without affecting the remote locking

Is it a clifford by any chance?

[da4x4turbo]

Pulled the alarm out of it. The car's working now.

Thanks guys.

[DanThe]

Is it a clifford by any chance?

[Brianmoooore]

I'm fairly sure from reading all of the above that the immobiliser was the problem, and that it was an incorrectly fitted immobiliser at that. It appears to have been fitted so that it cuts off all of the ignition controlled circuits, and not just the engine related ones as it should. There was no ignition switched feed getting to the unloader relays, which control the heater fan, electric windows, etc., so when the starter motor was engaged power is being back fed from it, energising the unloader relays when they should be de energised, with the 'earth' connection of the relays being through the dimly glowing warning lights, etc.
If you replace this immobiliser, don't connect it as it was. Back feeds and low voltages to electronics are not good!

[da4x4turbo]

Is it a clifford by any chance?

There was a clifford sticker on the window, but the unit was actually a Serpi Star

@ Brian, thanks for that info. I'm not sure what I'll do now With Regards To fitting a new unit, I'm not really fussed about an alarm at the moment though.

The car is locked in a garage in one of the safest areas you could imagine. Then it also has the EWS system, so I'll see what happens.

[xavi1980]

good job