It runs! CPS Sensor is the Culprit

Date: 05/10/11
Mileage: 147,000

So real quick, my no-start issue was in fact the crank position sensor. I ordered a new sensor from BMA Parts. I went with a Meyle over the original AB Electronic. Pelican had rated AB as poor and I've had good luck with Meyle. First thing I did was measure the ohm resistance on the Melye sensor and it was around 740. 200 more than the 540 rating in the Bentley....I have no idea what that means but it is functional unlike the old one.

Getting to this thing sucks. There is no real easy DIY on this thing. I was working with little to no day light left and I needed to drive my car in the morning so I used the, "Git 'er done," method.

Basically I moved the coolant expansion tank out of the way and pulled the radiator hose off of the thermostat housing. About a half liter of coolant will come out. Oh well. This gave me enough room to get a hex head socket in there and get that bitch out.

Only problem was that it had made a home in there. I would have used a pry bar to remove it if I had one. It took about 15 minutes of PB Blaster and yanking on it to get it out. There was just no good way to get a grip on it from that angle. Like I said, "Git er done," method.

Once I finally pulled it out I was able to put the new one in easily enough and torque it down. I rerouted the wire a little differently because I did not remove the t-stat housing which it goes under. I will tiddy everything up when I do the water pump, but good news, it fired right up!

New Knock Sensors, New Fuel Pump, Still no start, CPS?

So I've learned some things this week that I pretty much already knew but hadn't yet experienced on this car. This is really no way to diagnose a car, but hey, it's a good way to learn and the car needed some of these parts anyway.

The first thing I realized is that the knock sensors will not cause a no start situation. They will cause your car to run horribly but your car should still start. When I first broke down I read the codes and the 1226 code must have still been stored in the memory of the computer from months ago. I took it as being the reason for the no-start. Ok $130 later, I've learned that. Car still didn't start.

New vs Old

I then moved on to the fuel pump. I couldn't hear it turning on and I had ran the tank down pretty low a couple times the previous weeks. I figured that's it! So I stubbornly ignored the fact that just because your fuel pump isn't turning on doesn't mean it's bad. In the Bentley is describes how to do this. There is a way to jump the terminals at the relay box but I was not successful there in turning the pump on. I figured to replace it anyway since it has probably never been replaced in 147k miles. I figured it was probably a good time to replace it if the car is chipped and seeing the track.  Could've saved me a fuel pump if I were able to activate it at the relay box but I got a smoking deal on the pump and it couldn't hurt to replace.

So he we are, new pump, new knock sensors and still no power getting to the DME to activate the pump and ignition coils. What else could it be? The only CEL I'm getting at this point is 1281 - No power to DME. I did some research and forgot the the crank position sensor (CPS) is a main thoroughfare in the power flow for ignition. A sensor I was aware of but something I had forgot to look at first in my trial and error diagnostic ways.

I finally got what I hope to be a solid test on the CPS sensor. Bentley corrected value for the ohm reading is 540 ohm +- 10%. I got the contacts on there as solid as I could and the meter only read 1 ohm.  This has to be it! I know that ohm meter works because I used it to test some injectors.

I'll post a story on the KS replacement as well as the fuel pump replacement after this whole saga gets ironed out. Stay Tuned.

CEL 1226: Failed Knock Sensor and Stranded on the 110

So I had been getting the 1226 Check Engine Light intermittently here and there. It first showed up after a long period of rain. The light was on solid for about a month without any ill effects to the engine. The light then disappeared only to reappear briefly between 1st and 2nd gear shifts. As the light would come on the engine would cut out on throttle. The light would go away after lifting.

I had read that the 1226 code (Failed Knock Sensor #2) could mean both knock sensors as well as the o2 sensor and sometimes a fault in the alternator. Well either way my car completely died on the freeway Saturday on the way to my Improv show at the UCB. The ignition had completely cut out and sure enough the same code came up after a quick stomp test.

I was able to get a tow to my show just in the nick of time. AAA dropped it off at a gas station near by. My show went well and I then called them again to tow it to my house. 2 tows in one day. Good thing I have AAA plus rated for 4 tows a year up to 100 miles each.

I ordered two new sensors from RMeuropean and I'm going to tackling this tomorrow. Looks to be a little difficult if you don't remove the intake manifold. We will see.

Oil Change 146,708 miles

Changed the oil with Lubro-Moly Synthetic 5w30. It was a little cheaper than the Total Quartz and I wanted to try another brand. It is made in Germany and is an approved BMW oil so you can't really go wrong. Engine might sound a little quieter but I can't really tell. It always seems a little better after an oil change regardless.