I diagnose an E36 crank-no-start in a fixed order: fuel, then spark, then the immobiliser.
- Confirm the fuel pump primes: a brief buzz when the ignition goes on.
- Confirm spark.
- Confirm the crank-sensor signal.
Reading the result:
- Good fuel AND spark but no fire: I look at timing and the crank signal.
- Neither spark nor injector pulse while the starter cranks normally: I suspect the EWS immobiliser. On a failed key handshake the DME shuts down both ignition and injection while the starter still turns.
To tell the lookalikes apart: EWS kills spark and injector together; a crank-sensor fault does something similar but is heat-intermittent; a fuel-supply fault leaves spark present.
One date that matters: EWS II arrived on the E36 around 1995, so earlier cars predate it.