No start after track day.

[dude8383]

I have a strange problem.

Synopsis of events:

• Friday, July 16th - HPDE @ NJMP Lighting Circuit - VERY hot day like 95-100 degrees

• Crack the bung for aux fan t-stat, solve with some jb weld

• Long sweeping right hand corner experience fuel starvation coming out of corner, car started back up as I was trying to pit out

• Come around one more time and experience massive fuel starvation, manage to pit out and the car won't start. Waited several minutes, starts back up, at this point I call it a quits because I need to make sure I can get home, NOTE I had 1/2 a tank left

• Drive home with no issues, stop to fuel up before exiting out of NJ, car starts up no problem

• Saturday, July 17th - Morning - Go outside to inspect the car and make sure nothing else was damaged. Everything checks out...until I try to start it up.

• Change out the fuel filter and the car manages to start up but will NOT run for more than 15 seconds

• Stomp test gives me code 1281, which is: This indicates a fault with the internal memory of the DME computer. This is sometimes caused by low battery voltage. Delete the codes, and disconnect the DME for 15 minutes. Then reconnect, let the car idle for five minutes, and then drive over 30 mph for more than five minutes. Recheck the codes - if it occurs again, the DME is faulty and should be replaced.

I have replaced the DME already and that didn't change anything :(

Any advice on how to proceed?

[Danny]

How's your fuel pump? Lines?

[e30s50dan]

What's your battery voltage? And do you have a fuel pressure tester. My 318 was giving me hard to start problems on hot days, ended up being bad fuel pump

[FredK]

I had a no start AT Lightning. Turns out the fuel pump connector (318is) was flaky, and had intermittent contact. I am uncertain this is your issue, since it seems your car starts and runs (but poorly).

I second the battery voltage check. Sometimes, because of a lot of sloshing, batteries jettison some acid. Sometimes it's enough to affect the battery itself.

I had starvation after the lightbulb. Solution was to just keep >1/2 tank at all times.

[dude8383]

How's your fuel pump? Lines?

Everything seems to check out, I disconnected the feed and had it shoot into a bottle. Plenty of fuel coming in.

What's your battery voltage? And do you have a fuel pressure tester. My 318 was giving me hard to start problems on hot days, ended up being bad fuel pump

Not sure, on ignition its 12V, but I also hook up my booster because the battery is nearly drained. The booster should have enough cranking power especially since the car start up several times but stalled.

I had a no start AT Lightning. Turns out the fuel pump connector (318is) was flaky, and had intermittent contact. I am uncertain this is your issue, since it seems your car starts and runs (but poorly).

I second the battery voltage check. Sometimes, because of a lot of sloshing, batteries jettison some acid. Sometimes it's enough to affect the battery itself.

I had starvation after the lightbulb. Solution was to just keep >1/2 tank at all times.

Well once the car starts up (it doesn't anymore...) it runs fine, just stalls out even if I give it some gas.

Voltage before things went haywire was a solid 13.8, I checked just before shutting the car off when I got home that night.


I have a feeling the pump might be dead...I just don't know how I managed to drive about 200miles back home without a single issue

[Fusion]

Fuel pumps have weird behavior. Mine died after I turned the car off, wouldn't start. I took it out and ran the pump for a while, put it back in and it let me drive another 30 or so miles and then died again after I turned the car off.
Get a Walbro 255lph, I just installed mine and fuel response is much better. There's no lag when going on/off the gas quickly and I had high rev hesitation with the old pump, gone now.

[Danny]

You ever swap relays? I found hella.

[dude8383]

Fuel pumps have weird behavior. Mine died after I turned the car off, wouldn't start. I took it out and ran the pump for a while, put it back in and it let me drive another 30 or so miles and then died again after I turned the car off.
Get a Walbro 255lph, I just installed mine and fuel response is much better. There's no lag when going on/off the gas quickly and I had high rev hesitation with the old pump, gone now.

Damn, I just replaced the pump before the track day :(

You ever swap relays? I found hella.

I haven't swapped em out yet but I did purchase relay's, should be getting them this week.

[genocide98]

Damn, I just replaced the pump before the track day :(



I haven't swapped em out yet but I did purchase relay's, should be getting them this week.

Make sure the pump is good and the connections are good/clean/debris free. Make sure there is no kink or bend in the wire. Test all connections, relay.

If everything else checks out it's the pump. Faulty "new" parts happen.. and quite often unfortunately.

Most hesitation/fuel starvation/blah blah can be attributed to old fuel pumps. You don't have to UPGRADE the pump to get the performance back, you can just buy another. The walbro mentioned above is great if you're looking to go into the forced induction world but isn't really necessary unless you're building a race car or you plan on pumping a lot of fuel for turbo/supercharged applications.

[dude8383]

Make sure the pump is good and the connections are good/clean/debris free. Make sure there is no kink or bend in the wire. Test all connections, relay.

If everything else checks out it's the pump. Faulty "new" parts happen.. and quite often unfortunately.

Most hesitation/fuel starvation/blah blah can be attributed to old fuel pumps. You don't have to UPGRADE the pump to get the performance back, you can just buy another. The walbro mentioned above is great if you're looking to go into the forced induction world but isn't really necessary unless you're building a race car or you plan on pumping a lot of fuel for turbo/supercharged applications.

I had installed the pump about a week before the track day and the car drove fine. The factory pump was already on its way out so I figured that I would change it before the track day to be on the safe side.

There was however one strange symptom before and after installing the TRE performance pump. At start-up sometimes I would be driving and power would cut in and out abruptly and kick back in just as fast, this was with the old pump and the new pump. After the car would warm up, the hesitation would go away completely. It didn't happen frequently though, maybe like 5 times maximum.

I may just get another TRE performance pump or the walbro unit simply because the factory piece is too much coin.

Just trying to rule things out. I'll take a look tomorrow night, it's simply too hot outside to do anything.

[dude8383]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread...I discovered a crapload of rust in the tank and this is pretty much the reason why the pump failed. Filter is probably shot too :(

[matt]

POR15 time.

[M-technik-3]

POR15 time.

Rather due a new tank then por 15 the sucker.

[dude8383]

POR15 time.

Friend of mine recommended this:

http://www.eastwood.com/gas-tank-sealer-kits.html

But I'm thinking about maybe upgrading to a 325i tank so that I can get a little bit more range.

What do you think about kit/tank "upgrade"?

[dude8383]

Rather due a new tank then por 15 the sucker.

Thats exactly the feeling that I have...I'm not 100% on these cleaning/sealer kits.

Factory OEM tank is friggin $630 while Rockauto has em for like $220-330.