......help

[Jason89i]

#1, stop using that ether. it kills engines.
#2, get everything hooked up before you try to run it. much easier to diagnose.
#3, change your oil before you go drive it. a no start will dump fuel into the cylinder, not burn, leak past the rings into the oil. then break down your oil and you can kill main bearings.

simple check. with the car off, just pull the supply side of the fuel line. cover your eyes, check for built up pressure. or, better yet, install a fp inline gauge. $30 max.

cheers, jason

[JPStrniste]

checked those today after i found the other recent thread on the "no start" problem. will check in more detail tomorrow.

[E30godz]

Sort of sounds like your fuel pump isn't working...or its not getting power....check relay or fuse.

[JPStrniste]

background:
1990 e30 325i
auto converted to 5spd
m52 aluminum from 97 z3
converted to obd1 with red label 413 and 93 325is wiring
car hasn't seen the road in 1.5 yrs before swap
motor hadnt run in 2 yrs, but showed good maintenance report at bmw
Project Time: 1yr 2months and counting...


Okay,

back two months ago, I had help finishing the wiring on the motor and got the car running. It would run, not well, but would idle. I had a vacuum line i still needed to find a home for, and running open headers. there were still some finishing touches i had to do in order to "finish" the swap, BUT IT WOULD RUN....

i converted the m52 back to obd1 (the correct way) and still needed to get an alternator and a MAF sensor. I got a MAF sensor from a 95 m3 on bimmerforums and installed it. With the MAF, i also got a k&n filter to go with it. so i put these in together, started the car, it ran for about 45 seconds, then sounded like it choked itself out, and stalled. I have no exhaust, so there is no o2 sensor installed yet, but the car was running with no maf sensor and filter. I tried for about an hour to get it started again and got nowhere. I pulled the MAF sensor and filter back off. It would only turn over, never start, unless i shot some starter fluid into the throttle body, then it would run for about 3 sec, then die.

i've let the project sit until about 10 days ago. I had ordered new clutch master and slave cylinders for it, ordered a driveshaft and csb, ordered a new alternator and battery. I put all these in and then tried to start it again. Nothing. I drained about 75% of the fuel out of the tank, changed the fuel filter, filled the tank with an 8oz can of dry gas and 6 gallons of new 93 octane gas, tried to start it again for about an hour, and still got nothing. It would still fire if i shot some starter fuild into the throttle body (removed maf sensor first), but it wouldn't start and idle.

I'm trying to figure out a couple things to diagnose this issue. anyone have any ideas what it might be, or what i should check first? my last thought was the fuel pump, but that's $400 i don't want to spend if that's not def the problem. Then i was thinking it couldn't be the fuel pump, because while trying to start it, a couple times i would hit the gas pedal while turning it over, and i could smell fuel, like it was flooded.

any ideas or suggestions would be great.

thanks.

- Jason