M42 random crank but no start woes

[kwill22]

UPDATED WITH NEW PROBLEM AT THE BOTTOM



so my problems started yesterday when i was replacing the radiator. finished that up with no problems, then came time to bleed. proceeded with that and all was going well, got most of the air out but for some reason i decided to turn the car off to check somthing. went to start it up less than 5 minutes later and its a no go. cranks strong and sounds like it wants to catch but wont. it just keeps cranking. i didnt chang anything in between that time i had it off.

so after testing and checking everything i could think of and found through searching the web i decided to leave it alone for the night. get up this morning and get ready to continue and she starts up just fine. i let her run for a few minutes and turn it off. a couple seconds later i go to turn it on and the same crank but no start. im so lost right now the only thing i can think of that i havnt checked is fuel and the crankshaft position censor. it also makes a noise after i stop trying to crank as if something is stuck.. idk how to descibe it but it think its an electrical noise.

i took a sound clip of it this morning and as soon as i figure out how to post it ill add it in here. anyone know of or had anything similar?

i do need to replace the hoses for the nest under the intake, valve cover gasket also needs to be replaced but they arent to the point of extremes or no start.

[KenC]

Did you plug the mystery wires together on the firewall?

[kwill22]

i havnt. is this somthing that would help or hurt? and by mystery wires we do mea the single white one with the clamp on the harness.

forgot to mentioin car is 91 318i

[KenC]

Yeah that's it. Usually causes most hot start woes.

[KenC]

Don't plug it in. It's for non cat euro cars only.

[kwill22]

yea i didnt. any clue as to what it could be. when i check the spark plugs yesterday they were dry. i also thought to check my fuel filter which could be clogged(possibly). i seafoamed my tank about 4-5 days ago.

while i had a spark plug out i did spray some brake clean in the hole and put the plug back in. it started but fell on its face before it could get running so i was thinking fuel related. but im lost as to how it started fine this morning.

[///digitalme]

Fuel pump might be malfunctioning? My car did that a while a go the pump was starting to go out. And it was after I used this "fuel system" cleaner. It fucked my pump.

[kwill22]

Yea I'm about to take out the filter now to check it out then the pump after. Thanks sofar

[kwill22]

Ok took the filter off and had my girl crank the car and no fuel came out. No bueno for the pump eh.

[kwill22]

Checking and cleaning the injectors tomorrow

[kwill22]

I don't like to leave stuff open so I thought I'd let everyone know for searching purposes that it was the fuel pump. Even after I replaced it I got the same issues but it turns out after much head scratching that the directions for the connections on the pump were wrong and it had the polarities reversed so it was sucking fuel from the engine instead of feeding it. Reversed the connection and everything is fine now....

Now for the medusa head of vacuum leaks.

[///digitalme]

Glad to knowit was resolved. Intake mess is a pain. I just rerouted the hoses for the mean time until I gather all gaskets.

[kwill22]

Funny thing is literally the next day engine started acting up so I do a compression test and got 110-90-90-150. All this after I couldn't get it to bleed properly. So needless to say my head gasket change just got upgraded to right now. Parts will be here Wednesday. Got all the goodies for anything thats easily accessible while everything is out. Need to go pick up the hoses to reroute all of that mess and get rid of all the vacuum leaks.

When I got the upper and lower manifold off it was rediculous how much build up of just nasty blackness and moisture. I got everything off last night except for the head so hopefully it isn't looking too bad as far as the piston rings and what not. Most likely will get the head resurfaced while I'm at it and cleaned up real nice. I guess I'll make a members rides thread since I didn't get to make one for my last e30

[kwill22]

Another problem now. Finished he's gasket job. Got everything connected fine but when I go to start the car the starter runs but I get no crank. I got spark and I got fuel though. I'm lost. Starter bad?


Scratch that. No spark

[kwill22]

Update: I put some oil in each cylinder and put the plugs back in and she starts but cut off due to all the fuel i was dumping in there from trying to crank it. And backfires aren't nice in a garage so Im gonna leave it til morning until it can dry out. Guess I'll look into what that could be. Any suggestions?