Car won't start, battery?

[330i Lover]

I washed the car 2 days ago in my driveway and it started without any issues. Just a few minutes ago I tried to start it and all it does is make the clicking sound whenever I turn the key to start the engine. The head lights/cd player/lock & unlock seems to work as expected but it seems that either the battery or possibly the starter are a gonner.

My father has an e90 that needed to have the battery replaced. When it was replaced there was some needed "programming" to be done to ensure the battery was being used in the recommended/efficient way. So with that in mind, do our e46's need to have some sort of programming done whenever replacing the existing battery? He also recommended the Interstate brand battery, maybe you guys suggest others? Thanks in advance.

Btw I don't have a way to jump start the car until later tonight so I'm stranded at the house for now.

[san]

I don't think any programming is required. Not sure about interstate brand but this should work -
Duralast 94R DLG
Should be able to pick it up from autozone I think...


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[slater]

no programming required for the E46.

do you have a multimeter? check the voltage at the battery.

[330i Lover]

I do have a multimeter. The current battery is producing 5.80 volts so it's definitely the battery. Question. The car is parked nose-first into my garage and the trunk is MUCH easier to access so would it be better to use the + and - posts on the battery or should I go through the headache of only using the front + jump lead and a metal piece for the - ?

[slater]

I do have a multimeter. The current battery is producing 5.80 volts so it's definitely the battery. Question. The car is parked nose-first into my garage and the trunk is MUCH easier to access so would it be better to use the + and - posts on the battery or should I go through the headache of only using the front + jump lead and a metal piece for the - ?

cool, that's easy then. i assume the battery is old?

you can definitely use the battery posts for jumping, but i would just go out tonight and get a new battery if you've got access to another car...

[BMWCurves]

If you can manage to turn the car around and are on flat ground, you could bump start the car.

[330i Lover]

If you can manage to turn the car around and are on flat ground, you could bump start the car.

Can't turn car around and not familiar with bump starting. Is that a type of foreplay?

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[Cadeez]

I do have a multimeter. The current battery is producing 5.80 volts so it's definitely the battery. Question. The car is parked nose-first into my garage and the trunk is MUCH easier to access so would it be better to use the + and - posts on the battery or should I go through the headache of only using the front + jump lead and a metal piece for the - ?

I would not use the battery to jump it, it may be a hassle but use the under hood terminals or you could risk electrical damage. I was told by BMW to never jump using the battery itself.

I just replaced mine with an Interstate battery from my local import parts shop for ~$150, fits perfect and works great. I think Autozone and/or O'Reilly had them as well, but they wanted more $$

[BMWCurves]

Can't turn car around and not familiar with bump starting. Is that a type of foreplay?

Haha, it's not any foreplay I'm aware of, but who knows what kids are into these days...

If you have a manual car, you can "bump start" your car by getting the car moving by pushing it/rolling it/whatever. Have the key in the ignition and turned to position 2 then hop in, put the car in second gear, and drop the clutch. Don't engage the clutch gently, drop it. The motor should sputter to life. I've used it several times over the years when my car or friends' cars have issues starting due to a failed battery or an odd alternator issue.

You could technically get your car started in reverse, but it's a tall gear I'm not sure it would work.

EDIT:
Just FYI, I recently replaced my original battery (10 years!) with a Duralast 94R-DLG battery from AutoZone. Cost about $180. They won't install it for you because they don't install any batteries that aren't in the engine bay.

Also, the wiki page on bump starting/clutch starting/popping the clutch method of starting a car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_start

[330i Lover]

Haha, it's not any foreplay I'm aware of, but who knows what kids are into these days...

If you have a manual car, you can "bump start" your car by getting the car moving by pushing it/rolling it/whatever. Have the key in the ignition and turned to position 2 then hop in, put the car in second gear, and drop the clutch. Don't engage the clutch gently, drop it. The motor should sputter to life. I've used it several times over the years when my car or friends' cars have issues starting due to a failed battery or an odd alternator issue.

You could technically get your car started in reverse, but it's a tall gear I'm not sure it would work.

EDIT:
Just FYI, I recently replaced my original battery (10 years!) with a Duralast 94R-DLG battery from AutoZone. Cost about $180. They won't install it for you because they don't install any batteries that aren't in the engine bay.

Also, the wiki page on bump starting/clutch starting/popping the clutch method of starting a car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_start

Interesting about bumping. I was able to jump off my wife's car to the front leads last night. I drove to auto zone and it was $180 for that same duralast battery. Surprisingly they were able to install it for me, which was nice. There's also a $20 mail in rebate so that helps. She starts up much better now.

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