BMW E46 (3 series) ignition switch not working on position 2. Repair procedure...

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Hi
This car came to me with a failing ignition switch.
The ignition would not move into position 2, and therefore the car would not start.
To get around this, the ignition would have to be turned into position 2 very quickly...
Now, in this video I explain what was failing and how to repair it.
Hope you enjoy the video.
Any questions please put them below.
Like always, thank you for watching!

[@Beshyth]

You ..my brother..are a life saver.I have an E46 2004 330 Xd 204Hp and already teared all the elecktic wireing apart to find the problem for my "haunted" BMW.I write down my simptoms.. maybe someone find it helpfull..Wheel buttons,tempomat,horn was not working,brake lights went crazy randomly flashing sometimes. Now i cleaned the ignition switch and all went back to normal.When you are in Germany you always welcome for a beer:)

[@LMAutoRepairs]

😊 Appreciated! And I know you guys have some nice beer over there! 👍👍👍

[@youtubeuser2191]

How did you remove the plastic cover and what do you use to lubricrate it?

[@rolandmahomed4951]

U are a money and life saver. I had the same problem for about 2 months. I was thinking of taking it to a machanic or a electrical guy that would have charged me Mega dollars. It took me about an hour, i took the switch out cleaned it, put it back and Wala it worked 100% Thank you Thank you

[@LMAutoRepairs]

☺️ That's great! Well done! 👍👍👍

[@leighannebaker2227]

Omg your a life savour spend hundreds in garage to try and fix my car and watch your video and she alive thank you so much

[@LMAutoRepairs]

That's fantastic! 😊 Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@nils-erikstromback5696]

Thank you so much for making this video. My BMW started to start sometimes and sometimes not and I sent it to two mechanics and no one of them could figure it out but they charged me for the time they spent not finding the error. I had one of them change the startmotor and vacuum hoses for 800 dollars and of course that did not fix it. Then I saw your video and everything fitted together. I did as you did and now my BMW works just fine. Thanks again

[@LMAutoRepairs]

That's fantastic! I mean, not that you went through all that... but that you managed to get it sorted! 👍👍👍 Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@marcoaurelio6941]

doesnt this guy diserves at least 100 bucks? he actually solved your problem

[@simontopspreadplastering5209]

Cheers bro, just fixed mine in under 5 minutes!! Shame I changed the starter motor first, it took slightly longer lol!!!

[@LMAutoRepairs]

I bet it did... lol At least you know got it sorted... Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@soptea]

I like the way you go down to the root of the problem and solve it as cheap as possible .Bem feito !

[@LMAutoRepairs]

radu soptea Thank you for watching and for your comment! Obrigado!

[@degama4248]

Thanks bro this video is very helpful.. best wishes from 🇲🇰

[@LMAutoRepairs]

😊 Thanks! 👍👍👍

[@SpitfireR3v]

Thanks, this helped me track down a no start problem.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

That's great! Thank you for watching and for your comment! 👍👍👍

[@MrAsadEp]

Great fix, its done a fair few miles!

[@OneAuto]

Nice work. Congrats on your 1K subs by the way.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

One Auto, Hi I have been also following your videos... very good, I enjoyed the one for the cat, you have showed the faulty trend and then the good one after the cat replaced... Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@julianrice5575]

I hear the Seagulls in the background thanks Mate for the great Video..

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Julian Rice Hi Yes... they fly over here sometimes... Thank you for watching!

[@milkiuei]

Many thanks for the video solve my problem

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Thank you for watching and for your comment! 👍👍👍

[@le5iu]

Thanks for that solution. I have this same problem. Perfect :D

[@LMAutoRepairs]

😊 Hope you get it sorted? 👍👍👍

[@patotsac.patotsapatotsa9477]

thanks guys you did good to help me

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Patotsa C.patotsa Patotsa Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@samuelmaximin7194]

Thanks for Sharing

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Thank you for watching!

[@jprior11]

what kind of lubricant do you recommend using. thanks!

[@LMAutoRepairs]

I use silicone based... 👍👍👍

[@WarriorQueen241]

Thanks for the vid. My E46 330i is currently doing the same. I will take it out and see if it fixes it. Will update😁

[@LMAutoRepairs]

😊 🤞 Hope you get it sorted! 👍👍👍👍

[@cconnormcgowan]

Did you figure out what it was, thanks

[@xoxxxooxx]

What my car does is that it idles but then I put it in gear like reverse or drive whatever psorion I’m in it dies like it’s going in neutral. And I have to off it in on it back then it idles I take it on the road. I drive it for like a few mins it’s drives normally Do you have any idea what would cause the car to do that in the beginning before driving that makes it go in like it’s neutral even though it’s in drive or reverse I have a feeling it might be one of the sensors because they’re already is a new mass airflow sensor in the car

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Hi When you say new air flow meter, do you mean brand new from BMW, used, or new aftermarket? Any codes on the ecu, have you checked live data? 👍👍👍

[@bobiivanov6058]

Great video!!!! I have a similar problem. My BMW is E46 3.0d 2000 and when i switch off engine and take of the key engine still work for 4/5. seconds. Can you help me with this problem?

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Does the cluster etc... goes off? It might be a different issue... But you can check this, just in case... If you can though, scan the car, and check live data first... Thank you for watching!

[@Jake-rq7vm]

Would the ignition switch have any impact on ews? I already bypassed the ews but now I’m having this same problem where crank but no start. Before I had no crank no start. Going to change out ignition coil and see if my problems are gone.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Hi How exactly have you bypassed the EWS? The switch can fails in slightly different ways, depends which contacts fail... So, the symptoms can be a variation of the ones on the video... 👍👍👍

[@Jake-rq7vm]

@@LMAutoRepairs Hello, I cant remember the two wires it is but I had to tie two of them together that connect to the EWS. I watched a KZbin video on it can remember the creator. I actually did fix my issue with the crank no start issue, a wire that connected to the ignition switch was crimped over and only worked half the time and the fuel pump wouldnt come on, i moved the wire around and fuel pump comes on and car starts everytime now

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Fair enough... I would use those approaches as a temporary fix... Start to bypass stuff, and bodge things, might bring you problems in the long run... 👍👍👍

[@VisionOfMind]

Have anyone experienced that on position 3 (crank)? Mine has this issue every now and then and its a pain in the ass.

[@cconnormcgowan]

Did you figure out what it was bro

[@VisionOfMind]

@@cconnormcgowan Yes, I figured it out when I scanned the car. It turned out to be the key. Dropping it on the ground causes that. When I experience the issue, I just switch back the ignition, tap a bit on the key and try again to start the car. Also I pay attention to keep the key safe and away from the floor.

[@alexandresousa2259]

My BMW E46 320ci possition 1 dont work, is the ignicion switch problem?

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Could be... you need to check it.. Thank you for watching!

[@hpat225]

Good morning. I have a start sequence problem on my BMW E46. On stage 1, all the lights on the dashboard light up as if we were in stage 2. And in stage 2 it remains the same. Then in step 3 it starts normally. So, I would like to fix the problem from step 1 and step 2. If you have any idea. Thanks in advance.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

Check the ignition switch... Looks like there is an issue with it... 👍👍👍

[@hpat225]

@@LMAutoRepairs Thank you. But I already test it, it's fine. But I want to know where goes the Green and the pink wire. There must normally act in the first stage. Is there any relay or any fuse concerned any where ?

[@LMAutoRepairs]

@@hpat225 So, when you turn to position 1, the signal only runs across the wire for position 1? Nothing on position 2?

[@hpat225]

@@LMAutoRepairs when I put in position 1, it goes directly to position 2. position 1 becomes position 2. when I put in position 2, it stays the same because in any case we are in position 2. when I put in position 3 the vehicule starts normally.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

@@hpat225 I understand that... but the switch should only be activating one position at the time... That's why I said to inspect the switch... I would have to check diagrams to see how the rest of the system works... Check also wiring... just in case something is short...

[@sydbell8508]

E-Bay £7 - £ 15.

[@LMAutoRepairs]

syd bell Those are the aftermarket cheap ones... they tend to not last that long... If you are going down the route of replacing rather than repair, buy a good quality one... These switches handle high current loads... Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@sydbell8508]

Agreed,but if they have OEM on them,would you consider them to be alright ? Always watch good videos !

[@LMAutoRepairs]

syd bell Definitely... thank you for watching and for your comment, much appreciated!