BMW E46 Will Not Start? Step By Step Fuel Pump Replacement 316i 318i 320i 323i 325i 328i 330i M3 

Another good point tip for diagnosis is- if you suspect a bad pump goto the engine and remove the cover to access the fuel rail. There is a Schrader valve (like a bike/car tire) , press down on the center nipple gently while expecting some pressurized fuel to come out. Have a rag around your hand and valve area to catch the fuel that may come out. if no pressurized fuel comes out as the key is cycled to the "ON" position you can continue with the electrical diagnosis. If a steady stream of pressurized fuel does come out the fuel pump is probably not the culprit and it's time to move on with your diagnosis.

thank you very much for your video! Very clear instructions. I have no mechanical engineering skills but I managed to change the pump by myshelf

The tip about the grommet saved me a lot of cuss words, thank you for a great video!

Thank you Nathan so much for doing these videos. You have helped me keep my 2002 BMW 330ci convertible running great thnx again buddy.

Don't know how many times I tried to reach in there and hold the camera for ya...😄 Having the mouse remnants cleaned out of the top of the pump housing should make the interior smell better too!

Thank you for this video! Helped a lot. So you dont need to change that white plastic that is surrounding the pump itself?

Great video. Thanks. My car would not start and I checked the Fuel pumpe. I have one question for you. when you turn the key on, should the pump be running all the time or just a few seconds? When I turn it up it only runs a few second!

Great simple video description of the process! However, I just copied the process and the car doesn't start still. I noticed that my fuel gauge isn't reading anything either, though I know there is fuel in the tank. Any suggestions?

Thanks for sharing this video with us. I have a 323i 2000 my pump just went out yesterday. I want to know if this is a problem with the car ? If it is a on going problem? Thanks again

Thank you!

Hey Nathan,great job on all those videos!i got a friend with a BMW E46 320D 136CP NFL who cant find the relay for the diesel pump and i got to say it made me curios cause i could not find anything helpful neither cause he says he has not that black plastic housing for the 5 fuses under the hood in that black plastic cover under the hood!i drive E39 and dont know at all E46 so can you help me to help him and show me somehow where that relay is?thanks a lot and keep on making those great and helpful videos!greetings from Romania!

Hi nathan my e46 fuel pump doesnt prime but cars running i noticed fuel gauge level acts weird i just went to gas station before it lights up but after pumping 10ltrs gas indicator lights up. Can you confirm its the fuel pump causing this? Thank you.

i have a 04 bmw m3, as i parked i put it in Neutral pulled up the E break then it died, theres no engine lights or what so ever, then i put down the e brake and tried starting it and it actually started then when i drove it right by the stop light as i stoped the engine car just turned off. the car got power cos my lights r on and when i tried starting it again its just cranking but wont start? what do u think is the problem? i would greatly appreciate ur help. thankyou

Hey Nathan i have problem with my e46 325i i already replaced 3 fuel pumps in very short period thing is after i putting new fuel pump car runs ok leaving it for week in garage because i not using it daily after i coming to start it again i founding out that fuel pump not working any more how do you think what causing fuel pump to fail?

Nathan question did you have any engine codes I have a 03 bmw 325i and have engine light with codes p0171 and p0174 the car runs fine no issues starting would those codes be a bad fuel pump

what is the code to buy the fuel pump? mine is a 320i 2004 e46 and i got the same problem ...

Not sure how often your on this but i used 2 used fuel pumps and they both worked for a day i drove it fine all day then wen i go home from work it would crank but wouldnt start would it be because im using used fuel pumps or would it be something else i need help

When I connect the ammeter and turn the key on I don't any voltage. What should I check next

Good idea to clean the metal ring inside and out using emery cloth.Makes easier to put back on ???

Excellent!!!!

Fuel pump is common issue on e46 vehicles. Love all the vids but not understanding you on that one. They usually go bad after 100kish.

which pin for the fuel level is + and which one is - ? and is the color code on the wires the same for all the e46's, i unplaged my jack removed the wires and forgot which one goes where LOL

Would a bad fuel filter prevent it from starting?

You the best Broo

well a quick review on this video, yep I'm about to change my pump tomorrow!! great vid, looks to be such a simple task to do... the odd part I've noticed is, whilst purchasing my pump I found it cheaper to buy the whole unit "sender & pump altogether" rather then buying the pump alone, there was only £8 difference. also is there any common locations for fuel leaks? as when I start my car now theres a smell of fuel & fuel consumption seems to have increased over the last few wks

My bmw 316 cranks and does not start. It seems fuel does not get to the injector. How can i fix the problem?

How did you get the broken piece out of the hose though? Mine did that so I'm at a standstill. Your video has been really helpful. Thanks.

The hose clamp comment made me laugh. Story of my life around the shop. Be good.

You mentioned the ABS light on. Will you be making a video on the ABS/DSC?

2007 BMW 530i (E60 N52) I apologize in advance for the lengthy read, but I figure the more information I give the better it is to understand the problem and what has been done so far. Background: Car was running beautifully. Noticeable fuel smell coming from underneath the car. Preliminary under car inspection showed wet/fuel stain at the rear of fuel tank. Removed rear seat and fuel pump covers for further inspection. Found left side (driver side) fuel pump was leaking from a hair line crack at the fuel nipple port. This pump has one fuel nipple port only and does not have any external wiring connections. The right side (passenger side) fuel pump was not leaking and had no issues. This pump only has the electrical connection that feed both fuel pumps. Replaced the left side (driver side) fuel pump (NOT OEM), I started the car, and everything went well. So, I thought. Issue: After replacing the left side (driver side) fuel pump (again, NOT OEM), I started the car and it ran fine. I will add that the car had to be jump started because the battery died, I can’t recall why it died but it died. Nonetheless, I let it run to charge the battery and it ran beautifully. After about 15 minutes the car began to run rough (as if it was not getting fuel) and very quickly shut off. It only took seconds for it to go from running fine to running rough and finally shutting off. I tried starting the car and nothing. All I got was a crank but no start. My initial thought was that the NEW fuel pump had just failed. We all know that has happened. I further “validated” this by engaging the ignition and cranking the car and did not hear the fuel pump prime or run. So, I epoxied the hair line crack on the known good running old fuel pump overnight. The next afternoon with the epoxy more than cured, I installed the old fuel pump and I get the same crank but no start. No check engine light displayed. Diagnosis so far: (in no particular order) PART ONE: 1. Checked battery voltage. Good at 12.89 volts. 2. Checked ALL FUSES at engine compartment, glove box, and trunk. ALL fuses checked out good. 3. Unable to check fuel pump relay because I have not been able to identify it or its location. (I’ve search everywhere on the web and RU-vid) However, I suspect that the fuel pump relay is good as I will explain in the following diagnostic step. 4. Tested fuel pump harness connection for voltage and ground (BIG red and white wire and BIG brown wire), both connected and disconnected from the fuel pump connection. a. With key in and no ignition on (push start button) there is NO voltage. b. With key in and ignition button activated (pushed in but NOT attempting to crank or start the vehicle) there is NO voltage. c. While attempting to crank and start the vehicle there is now a voltage presence of 10+ volts. (I attribute the slight voltage drop to the starter using it, although I could be wrong) *** However, the fuel pump(s) is/are not priming/running/buzzing. *** This led me to believe that the passenger fuel pump just coincidentally also went bad and could be why the driver side fuel pump is also not getting power to run, and that the fuel pump relay and the fuel control module were good since I was getting voltage at the fuel pump connection harness (the BIG red and white wire and BIG brown wire which come from the fuel pump control module). 5. However, I still manually and visually checked fuel pressure at the fuel rail port schrader valve by depressing the valve and no fuel came out from it. Not using a fuel pressure gauge currently since fuel is not even present at the fuel rail port and I have zero pressure. 6. No check engine light and no related codes were present. 7. By the way somewhere along these tests, I also tested the crank sensor by 1. Looking at RPM’s in the instrument panel and 2. by removing it and bench testing it, and testing voltage and signal, and ground to the crank sensor harness. All three are good. PART TWO: Order and installed BOTH new aftermarket pumps (NOT OEM). I still get a crank but no start. Also, still no engine light or codes. Diagnosis so far: (in no particular order) 1. I retested everything again to make sure I did not miss something. All retests had the same results as in Part One above. 2. I applied direct voltage to fuel pump connection and the fuel pump runs. I ran it for 5-10 seconds twice to “prime/pressurize” the system. And again, I manually and visually checked fuel pressure at the fuel rail port schrader valve by depressing the valve and no fuel came out from it even after directly applying power to it and running it. This baffles me. 3. I disconnected and tested Valvetronic Actuator Motor. With the Ohmmeter set at 2000k ohms and one test lead at either pin and the other test lead at the valvetronic actuator motor’s case I get a reading of 009 ohms. I do not know if this is a good reading or a bad reading. The valvetronic actuator motor was still mounted on the car and the battery was disconnected for this test. (Although I don’t think this is the cause of my crank but no start issue, I tested it anyways. (Per a youtuber video with crank but no start issue) *** Notes: The starter turns strong. The battery is fully charged. And I continue to charge it throughout my diagnostic process. The tank has plenty of fuel. Both pumps are new. Crank sensor is good. (Now that I remember it was replaced less than one year ago). I did disconnect the MAF air flow sensor and tried to start but nothing. (Per a youtuber video with crank but no start issue) I did disconnect the IBS (intelligent Battery Sensor), but again nothing. (Per a youtuber video with crank but no start issue) I know there are a hundred things that will make a car crank but not start, however in this case I know that it is because there is no fuel being delivered to the fuel rail and thus the engine. So, let us put all other possibilities aside for now. I am also ruling out the fuel filter, in-line or in-tank, for now because the issue is that the fuel pump(s) are not working. So, my question is: (considering all that I have mentioned) 1. What would cause the fuel pump(s) to receive power at the BIG Red and White wire coming from the fuel control module but still not prime/run/buzz? 2. If the valvetronic actuator motor was bad, would it crank and no start by cutting or disabling power to the fuel pump? (Keeping in mind that there is no power at the pump when the key and ignition are engaged but there is power at the pump when cranking the vehicle) I will keep this going and provide the final fix, when fixed. Any, and all input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Is there any way you can repair the fuel pump I got a new one but stupid eBay twats sent me the wrong one

After changing out fuel pump... rear tail lights dash fault indicator triggered. See end of this video you have same issue??? Lights working fine....

Hi nathan please help me for my e34 m43 not starting...it is cranking but not starting..pump ok and coil ok but not start..

Life saver. Hope this works on my e46. It does same thing. Tries to start and then dies

hello Nathan, I have a 2009 323i bmw, following your video to take out the fuel pump, i wasnt able to take my fuel pump out because it has many pipe attached to it in the tank, i cannot move it out of the tank, any further ideas where are those pipe going ? how to take them out? thanks for a fast reply pascal janbin

Funny, My Fuel pump housing had mouse snacks in it too.

Hi Nathan, I have 2008 328i, I changed valve cover gasket, ignition coils and spark plugs. I put everything back together, the engine cranks but does not starts. Dunno what is the problem and what I should do.

got a bmw e46 done everythin in the video cranks but doesn't start please help

Hi, what size hose clamp do I need? Thanks

would this pump work for e46 m3 2001, where to get it? makem & model pl.

Over 200k miles on my e46 with OE fuel pump. Guess it's time for a change

why is cut at 7:29 my brother got mad cuz he wasnt able to figure it out

Fuel pump doesnt prime when turning ignition on. But it starts as soon the starter cranks. Any idea what is causing this? The problem is that cold starting takes a bit longer. Also i have verdict that check valve in fuel pump is not working properly.

Not bad nice D.I.Y just did this today

Hey Nathan, I hope you can help me. Lately my E46 has been starting up very weak, checked the battery voltage and is fine, alternator is also good. In the mornings or in cold weather it starts good but whenever I start the car after it's warmed up on a hot day I have to step on the gas a bit to make him run. What could it be?

Just c hanged my fuel pump and still having a stall startup! :(

Instead of taking off the tube with a plier try to use a screwdriver to pull the tube out it is faster and you do not run the risk of fucking up the tube ! Another thing is , why don´t you clean the top of the pump before you put it back ? It is quite the same as if you after taking a shower using the same dirty briefs, Please !

cletus?

first comment 👍

I really like Nathan videos but on this on the sloppiness of not cleaning the top of the pump, the round big seal screw put some grease on to screw it back on right is my thumbs down for this one :) all the rest is cool

e46 all models?

My pump is running new filter but won't start