car dies after driving long distances?( PROBLEM SOLVED!)

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 15, 2012 2:55 PM

I live in Orange county CA and I frequently make trips to San Diego which is about an hour and a half drive. I have a 1985 528e. It drives smoothly for most of the trip and then randomly on the freeway it just shuts off. The first time this happened, the car would start after i pulled over to the side of the freeway, but then shut right back off and then it wouldnt start after that. It cranks but no start. The car got towed to a shop and after it sitting over night the car fired right up first try to drove around just fine as if nothing was ever wrong. So I replaced the Fuel pump relay just because it is the origional part and very old. the fuel pump its self is less than a year old as well as the fuel filter. the ignition coil is also less than a year old. The engine has about 125k on it.
So I thought maybe the car was fixed after replacing the fuel pump relay because the car drove just fine for and I drove it home which is about an hour drive away from the shop I had it at. The car had no problems at all during the drive, so the very next day I made a trip to San Diego again. I made it down there which is about an hour and a half drive, but then about 20 mintues into the trip home the same thing happened. The car randomly shut off on me on the freeway. I pulled over and tried to start it again and it started the first time but then died right away and then it would just crank but no start. I am stuck with trying to find the fix to the problem. My next guess would be to replace the crank sensor. Any ideas from anybody would be well appreciated. It seems that when the car is cold it starts just fine and drives for a good long distance but after about maybe an hour and 45 minutes of driving the car seems to just shut off. I cant figure it out. Ive only had this problem on long freeway trips. I can drive the car around town for decent periods of time with no problems.

Please help with ideas on how to fix this! Thank you very much!

Post by **Jeremy** » Sep 15, 2012 3:19 PM

Cracked solder joints on the injector drivers of the ECU would be my top guess. Replacing the main relay couldn't hurt either, but the fact that it happens after being driven for a while and runs fine after it's cooled some leads me to lean towards the ECU.

The ECU issue is repairable if you're good with a soldering iron, but having a known good spare around is a good idea.

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 15, 2012 3:46 PM

I have two spare ECU's than I can try. Thanks for the help!

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 15, 2012 3:47 PM

Also when I replaced the fuel pump relay I also replaced the main relay with a known good used one.

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 15, 2012 4:26 PM

I use to have an old truck that would do this. Turned out to be a bad ignition coil. I don't know if that could be a problem nowadays.

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 15, 2012 4:39 PM

Guess what, after looking at my ignition coil I noticed a small hole in the top of the plastic as if a piece of the plastic broke off. Could that be the issue? Im sure thats not normal right? Thanks for the input!!

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 17, 2012 12:12 PM

Ok so I tried to start my car after it sitting over night because before it would start after sitting for a while but this time the car wouldnt start at all. So i replaced the ignition coil, still no start. I also swapped out two different good ECU's, still no start. What next? Crank Sensor?...This is really starting to bother me...any new ideas would be appreciated! Thank you!

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 17, 2012 12:16 PM

http://www.hiperformancestore.com/Motronic.htm

Start at step 4, this even covers the OBC.

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 17, 2012 3:01 PM

Have you checked your fuel pressure?

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 17, 2012 10:22 PM

Awesome info and I will check the fuel pressure also. That is one of the very few parts on the car that I have never had to change. (fuel pressure regulator)

Thanks! I will let you know what I find out tomorrow.

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 17, 2012 11:56 PM

It might be possible that you have crap in your tank that clogs up the fuel strainer and settles back out when the car sits. I don't want to send you on a goose chase, but it sounds like your car runs well when it runs and then just quits. If you have ruled out the possible overheating electronics and faulty relays then it couldn't hurt to check the fuel supply. You could even make sure you have spark at the plugs. Fuel pressure gauges are inexpensive and you will never regret having one.

Post by **Jeremy** » Sep 17, 2012 11:57 PM

The symptoms have changed. Restart diagnostics from the beginning for "no start" problem, something new might have failed, or (if you're lucky) an intermittent part that was causing the earlier problem has failed outright.

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 17, 2012 11:59 PM

Jeremy wrote:The symptoms have changed. Restart diagnostics from the beginning for "no start" problem, something new might have failed, or (if you're lucky) an intermittent part that was causing the earlier problem has failed outright.

^^This

These guys know what they are doing, I'm just a shade tree hack.

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 18, 2012 12:09 AM

Ive checked the fuel filter already and it is not clogged. The filter is less than a year old. Not really sure how often I should change it but regardless its not clogged but on the side before the fuel is filtered the color of the gas that came out was brown. Is that normal? Im assuming it is because thats all the crap that gets filtered before entering the engine.

But Anyway, yes the symptoms have changed. The car no longer starts at all, even after sitting for a day. The first time I tried to start it after it sitting over night it sputtered like as if it was about to start but then failed. Then the next time cranking it and every time after it just cranks and thats it. So tomorrow I will start over diagnostics for "no start", and go from there and I will also try the step 4 from the website that the other guy posted. Thanks for your help guys and I will keep you updated.

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 19, 2012 1:39 AM

Ok so ive figured out that im not getting any fuel to the engine. I have power to the fuel pump relay and power to the in-line fuel pump. The inline fuel pump seems to work but it seems like it is off and on. So im hoping that it is the in-tank pump that needs to be replaced, which it is the origional pump that came with the car. Im guessing its life has expired. So tomorrow I will replace it. Im thinking that the times where it feels like the in-line pump is not working is because it is just sucking air through it because the in-tank pump isnt working. Does this sound right? I really hope so...

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 19, 2012 1:48 AM

I'm still betting that the pickup screen is clogged, be ready to clean the tank.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Sep 19, 2012 2:57 AM

If the in-tank pump is dead, the car will still run just fine on just the in-line pump
if you got more than a 1/3 tank of gas, and assuming the in-tank pump screen isn't clogged.

If the in-line pump is intermittent, I'd probably go ahead and replace them both... http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?p=1017513#1017513

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 19, 2012 3:13 AM

I thought you were talking about the fuel filter next to the fuel pump. Where is the fuel strainer located? Plus why isnt the car starting if the chunks and stuff settle back down? Wouldnt the car start if that is what happens?

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 19, 2012 3:14 AM

Oe does that screen your talking about just get clogged and its done?

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Sep 19, 2012 9:22 AM

The "fuel strainer" is on the bottom of the in-tank pump.

I don't think a clogged filter or strainer is your problem, not based on your symptoms.
In-line pumps that overheat, for various reasons, will result in stumbling and dying.
When the pump finally goes, you get no start.

n8fehlings · Post by **n8fehlings** » Sep 19, 2012 10:07 PM

Alright so the problem has been fixed. Just my luck, both the in-tank and in-line fuel pump were completly dead. What are the chances right. That happened to me before with both headlights going out at the same time. I guess things tend to go out in pairs on this old beamer. Now the car runs great and has more power than ever before. It is possible that I could also get better gas mileage with both the new pumps? The fuel strainer was dirty but not that bad and not clogged, so I didnt bother with it. Anyway thank you everybody for all the input.

freetoride · Post by **freetoride** » Sep 19, 2012 10:13 PM

Thanks for coming back and finishing this thread. And good job on listening to the advice and working with determination to fix the old girl.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Sep 20, 2012 12:11 AM

tn535i · Post by **tn535i** » Sep 20, 2012 5:19 PM

n8fehlings wrote:Alright so the problem has been fixed. Just my luck, both the in-tank and in-line fuel pump were completly dead. What are the chances right. That happened to me before with both headlights going out at the same time. I guess things tend to go out in pairs on this old beamer. Now the car runs great and has more power than ever before. It is possible that I could also get better gas mileage with both the new pumps? The fuel strainer was dirty but not that bad and not clogged, so I didnt bother with it. Anyway thank you everybody for all the input.

What are the chances you in-tank pump has been dead for the last 10 years and the main pump just recently went kaput? Probably better than good or even better than certain.

I don't think an original in tank pump would ever make it more than 75-100k.

2dank4u · Post by **2dank4u** » Feb 21, 2017 5:19 PM

Hi I know this is an old post but I am having the same issue. Recently I died after getting the top of a cannon car would turn over but not start. First I changed the fuel filet thought this would fix my problem same issue car died I jump started and was able to get her running later in the day tried to restart again and the car wouldn't turn over at all any advice as to why the battery is also dying. I am quite sure the battery is fairly new.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Feb 21, 2017 9:13 PM

2dank4u wrote:Hi I know this is an old post but I am having the same issue. Recently I died after getting the top of a cannon car would turn over but not start. First I changed the fuel filet thought this would fix my problem same issue car died I jump started and was able to get her running later in the day tried to restart again and the car wouldn't turn over at all any advice as to why the battery is also dying. I am quite sure the battery is fairly new.

?????

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car dies after driving long distances?( PROBLEM SOLVED!)

car dies after driving long distances?( PROBLEM SOLVED!)

Re: car dies after driving long distances?( PROBLEM SOLVED!)

Re: car dies after driving long distances?( PROBLEM SOLVED!)