Z3 3.0i — No Start After Spraying Silicone Grease (Click Only, –32.5 °C Reading, Water in Boot)

H

hawky443

Regular Member
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Dec 1, 2025
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Hi everyone,

Looking for a bit of help with a strange no-start issue on my 2001 BMW Z3 3.0i automatic.

Last night I accidentally left the boot slightly open during heavy rain. This morning I realised, closed it, and the car started and ran fine.

After moving the car, I sprayed silicone grease into the small gap around the steering wheel to stop a creak and immediately afterwards, the car wouldn’t start.
I now just get a single click when turning the key, and the outside-temperature display shows –32.5 °C.

When testing the battery, voltage drops from 12 V → 11 V → 10 V → 9 V when battery is in the car.

Later, I lifted the boot carpet and found water pooled at the back of the boot, sitting under the positive-wire junction block (not directly on the battery).

Still not sure how the water got to the back of the boot, the carpet on the wall of the boot is dry.

Any help would be appreciated 👍
 
Do you have water in the well on the left of the boot, behind the carpet? Sounds like your battery is knackered to be honest. BTW rain will take any opportunity to saturate your Zed at a moments notice ..it’s pay back for enjoying yourself in the sun 🙂
 
So it's a right hand drive so the battery is on the right, I dried it up and used contact cleaner on it, charged the battery up and it started on the button.

Panic over lol, I just got the car so just getting used to it 😂
 
No mate..the well in the left of the boot behind the carpet ..not the battery side. It contains the tilt sensor and load of other electric gubbins ..common place to fill up with water
 
Agree with Ant make sure no water in the left hand rear well because as Ant says various alarm and other stuff in there depending on cars spec.

You may have just flattened the battery by leaving the boot light on overnight.

Stephen.
 
Last edited:
Stevo7682 said:
Agree with Alan make sure no water in the left hand rear well because as Alan says various alarm and other stuff in there depending on cars spec.

You may have just flattened the battery by leaving the boot light on overnight.

Stephen.
Click to expand...
Alan 🤣…close enough
 
AntStark said:
No mate..the well in the left of the boot behind the carpet ..not the battery side. It contains the tilt sensor and load of other electric gubbins ..common place to fill up with water
Click to expand...
Thanks all, appreciate all the advice
 
So just went out to the car to give it all a once over, only problem now is the hazard lights are on speed ! Blinking very fast and speeding up, indicators are fine so my thoughts are that the hazard relay is gone, or could this be related to today's issues?
 
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