Another crank and no start

[Durtee30]

i havent posted much, mostly just browsing around. ive searched, and searched for weeks and cant find a solution yet. my buddy has a 86 325e that stopped running and sat for 2 years. he finally decided to throw money at it and when i started getting into it a bit i fount all kinds of problems. it would only start with jumper cables hooked up in addition to its brand new battery, and only if u used starting fluid. when it did start, it ran like absolute garbage, and smoke would come out of the side of the motor. oil leaking down the exhaust side from the valve cover and head, and the thermostat was destroyed.

so the parts list became:
head gasket kit with valve cover gasket
Kevlar Timing Belt
water pump
tensioner, and hardware
complete cooling hose kit
coolant reservoir
new spark plugs
plug wires
ignition coil
ignition rotor
distributor cap
bosch starter
thermostat housing sensors
crank position sensor
fuel injectors
fuel filter
new intake tube
throttle position switch
even got new bolts, nuts and washers.

the car still wont start. its getting fuel, the timing wasnt moved when the head was pulled, gas tank was drained and flushed (ran the pump a few times real quick to clear the lines and pumps of the old gas). i pulled a plug wire, put a brand new plug in and grounded it to the intake and it didnt spark but it got dirty when the engine cranked. i swapped the fuel pump and main relays, cps, ignition coil, plug wires, rotor, cap, and maf one by one with my own identical daily. i also tried 2 different DME's with no luck. my daily still starts every single time and his still wont.

im at a loss here and i cant figure it out for the life of me haha

[Durtee30]

bump to get it started by saturday haha

[MrBurgundy]

There are a million things that could cause that, so it's hard to just ask and expect to get an answer out of someone. There are a million posts about why e30s wont start and a number of solutions have been documented in a number of places. Just take the time to search and learn about the car. Trust me, that will be faster than waiting for an answer.

[peterman]

Did you change the cps in the bell housing?

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[Durtee30]

yes cps swapped with brand new and also swapped with the one in my own e30

[Durtee30]

There are a million things that could cause that, so it's hard to just ask and expect to get an answer out of someone. There are a million posts about why e30s wont start and a number of solutions have been documented in a number of places. Just take the time to search and learn about the car. Trust me, that will be faster than waiting for an answer.

ive been through all of them. took notes of everything when i had the same problem on my own ETA. ive been through all the basics for crank/no start already and im still stumped. a few people have pointed some things out for me to check and im basically gathering a list for when i go work on it tomorrow night

[e30davie]

"i pulled a plug wire, put a brand new plug in and grounded it to the intake and it didnt spark but it got dirty when the engine cranked"

so you have no spark. you are going to have to systematically check every component in the ignition system. First check is 12V at the ignition coil.

86 325e is that L-jetronic? With the vacuum distributor in the side of the block that is completely separate to the ECU?

[nando]

an 86 325e is going to be Motronic - no vac distributor.

[jeffnhiscars]

Main relay, ecu ?

[Durtee30]

Main relay, ecu ?

swapped both with mine. mine still starts

[EyExR]

No spark. Test your grounds and make sure you're getting 12V to the coil.

Also, test EVERY spark plug. Not just one.


Very useful:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Engines_Troubleshoot

[Durtee30]

No spark. Test your grounds and make sure you're getting 12V to the coil.

Also, test EVERY spark plug. Not just one.


Very useful:
http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/i...s_Troubleshoot

that does seem very useful. im gonna read into detail on that one right now. confirmed today there is no spark. coil is brand new, and swapped with mine which is also brand new. multimeter comes back 25v at the coil, when i put a spark plug in the coil wire and grounded it, no spark. but the same test with the same coil on mine works. i know the coil is good.

any specific grounds i should check? oil pan to frame is brand new w/clean contacts, battery ground is good, alternator is new/good

also side note, when i crank the motor in my ETA and let go of the key before it starts i can hear both pumps stay running until i turn the key off. the car in question does not do that, but fuel does come out of supply line at the motor. not very fast but it fills up a 20oz bottle fairly quick

thanks for all the input so far everyone

[cscracker]

Make sure your crank position sensor and TDC sensor aren't mixed up. They have the same kind of plug and are right next to each other, and it's easy to hook them up backwards. The motronic will cut spark if they're not connected correctly. Guess why I know this ;).