Recurring crank no start issue

Need technical Q/A then you're in the right place

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
bebus
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2016 11:00 pm
Location: London/Hamburg

Post Thu Jul 30, 2026 7:19 pm

Hi Zone,

I'm looking for some advice on where best to re-visit the below issue which I thought had been solved.

For some time I have had pretty random, intermittent crank no start issues.

Car: 1987 325i, M20 engine

Description:
  • The crank no start issues seemed to come up at any time - even if I had just started and driven the car without issue, the next start could be crank no start (or not)
  • Most recently the car refusedcranked but refused to start at all
  • After doing some investigation, I ended up replacing the DME relay (brand new OEM). The fuel pump relay had also already been replaced previously)
  • The car then started fine - problem solved I thought
  • Now after approximately 6 weeks - the issue is suddently back after successfully starting it earlier on the same day..
  • When I bridge the DME relay, the car starts fine..
  • When I try to start with the DME relay plugged in, I can hear that the relays don't seem to be engaging.

Any tips on what to check?