Hi everyone!

New here but had a problem with my 2004 R53 today -- it won't start and it's blowing the FL7 ignition fuse when I try. Any ideas what the problem might be?

The battery voltage is fine (~12.7 V) and from the wiring diagrams I've looked at it doesn't seem that the FL7 fuse supplies the starter motor or solenoid, so maybe the ignition switch itself? Or the immobilizer?

Has anyone else had this problem (I did a search but couldn't find the same a thread with the same issue)

 

TL;DR - It was the starter after all (or, more accurately, the solenoid). This seems uncommon but the solenoid shorted causing the fuse to blow whenever I tried to start.

For anyone who finds this in the future because they have the same problem here's the process I went through:

I first ruled out the ignition switch and EWS and determined that it was the starter by testing for continuity between the wire going to the starter from the EWS and the chasis. There's a good reference for where to find the EWS and which wire to test here: http://support.rpmmotorsport.net/art...e-replacing-it

I confirmed by disconnecting the starter and re-testing for continuity and the short was gone.

Old starter is now out but I had to stop before the new one was bolted in -- those bolts are a pain to get back in.

Oh, and for anyone reading this who hasn't already watched it, here's a video showing how to replace the starter: