ground strap(s) locations

[Josh-PA]

Hi All,

I have a slow start / delayed/no crank issue intermittently on my 2011 135i (n55) that I've been dealing with for a while now. So far it has always started, but often I sit for an agonizing few seconds before the starter turns the engine for the first time. I've swapped out my battery and it had no effect. I've been researching the root cause and many people have noted issues with the positive cable from the jump point in the engine bay to the starter and the ground cables being corroded and high resistance. The other main cause seems to be bad starter motors.

Before swapping out the ground cable on the drivers side of the engine bay near the steering shaft, I decided to spray both cable ends with a bunch of DEOXIT to see if there was any improvement. Ever since I did this the car has started perfectly. I plan on replacing that ground strap with a new one as preventative maintenance.

During my research though, I've noted a number of references to the rear ground strap on BMWs that is usually connected from the exhaust to the lower chassis. I can't find one on the 1er either via GOOGLE search or by crawling around under my car and looking myself. Does anyone know if the 1 series has a rear ground strap and if so, where it is?

Thanks
Josh

[NorthernDancer]

Wow, good troubleshooting esp using Deoxit.

[Josh-PA]

Thanks. Just bumping this up one more time to be sure I didn't miss anything. Real OEM only shows one ground strap in the battery circuit, so maybe there isn't a rear one.