While restoring my rescue '89 325i convertible project I thought I finally arrived at the point of turning over the engine this past weekend. The engine cranks but is not getting fuel, this was checked with the fuel line that connects to the fuel rail disconnected and safely exiting into a clear plastic bottle while cranking the engine. The attempt failed, not a drop of fuel exited the hose and I began to diagnose with the Bentley manual, side notes...
the car ran before I began disassembly for phase one of the restoration process just over 2 years ago
new fuel filter
new pressure regulator
rebuilt injectors
injector harness was working when last ran
ignition coil was working when last ran
ignition wires appear to be in great shape
new distributor cap and rotor replaced with all new timing components
new spark plugs gapped to .028
almost every gasket, seal, and o-ring on the engine has been replaced with the exception of head gasket and rear main seal, these will be replaced later with a stroker rebuild or not with an engine swap
thinking maybe there was a clogged fuel line from the fuel filter to the fuel rail with both ends disconnected compressed air was blown through the line and the air spit out some old residual fuel, the line is clear
fuse 11 (15 amps) is good
fuel pump relay was tested across 85 and 86 and it has 96 ohms
fuel pump socket pins were tested across 30 and 85 with a multimeter and passed test
fuel pump socket pins were tested across 85 and 86 with a multimeter and passed test
thinking I received a bad fuel filter I quickly removed it and no fuel spilled out of it or the lines, then it was reinstalled
fuel pump socket pins were tested with a fused jumper with toggle switch and a multimeter and jumper between fuel pump harness and fuel pump connections... a single click, but no continuous buzzing from the pump with a reading of 1.0 amp
then the fuel sending unit and fuel pump were then pulled and the fuel pump was covered with corrosion and rust all over from top to bottom from sitting in a pretty much empty tank for 2 years. 2 gallons of 93 octane fuel were added over the weekend during the attempt to start the engine
Last night I purchased a new Delphi fuel pump and o-ring, which are on the way.
In the mean time I have been reading about cleaning the fuel tank on multiple forums and watch videos and have come to the conclusion that it's best to replace it, because of the rust inside the tank. Most believe that even cleaning with muriatic acid and then coating the inside of the tank will only lead to rust in the end.
This leads to my question(s):
1) seeing that a genuine tank (part # 16 11 1 180 175) is roughly $1,500 from most vendors, has anyone purchased an aftermarket tank from Rock Auto? I have never utilized Rock Auto. They currently have 3 brand options available, which are Liland Global IBM1B, Spectra Premium BM1B, and Dorman 576551, are these all equal or is one better than the others?
2) how many linear feet/meters of fuel line hose does the late model require to replace all the hoses above the tank, around the fuel filter, and from the connections underneath the firewall to the engine, then back to the charcoal canister, and finally back to the connection underneath the firewall?
3) other than the rubber grommets for the bolts to mount the tank to the chassis is there anything else to consider?
Thanks for reading my long winded explanation
the car ran before I began disassembly for phase one of the restoration process just over 2 years ago
new fuel filter
new pressure regulator
rebuilt injectors
injector harness was working when last ran
ignition coil was working when last ran
ignition wires appear to be in great shape
new distributor cap and rotor replaced with all new timing components
new spark plugs gapped to .028
almost every gasket, seal, and o-ring on the engine has been replaced with the exception of head gasket and rear main seal, these will be replaced later with a stroker rebuild or not with an engine swap
thinking maybe there was a clogged fuel line from the fuel filter to the fuel rail with both ends disconnected compressed air was blown through the line and the air spit out some old residual fuel, the line is clear
fuse 11 (15 amps) is good
fuel pump relay was tested across 85 and 86 and it has 96 ohms
fuel pump socket pins were tested across 30 and 85 with a multimeter and passed test
fuel pump socket pins were tested across 85 and 86 with a multimeter and passed test
thinking I received a bad fuel filter I quickly removed it and no fuel spilled out of it or the lines, then it was reinstalled
fuel pump socket pins were tested with a fused jumper with toggle switch and a multimeter and jumper between fuel pump harness and fuel pump connections... a single click, but no continuous buzzing from the pump with a reading of 1.0 amp
then the fuel sending unit and fuel pump were then pulled and the fuel pump was covered with corrosion and rust all over from top to bottom from sitting in a pretty much empty tank for 2 years. 2 gallons of 93 octane fuel were added over the weekend during the attempt to start the engine
Last night I purchased a new Delphi fuel pump and o-ring, which are on the way.
In the mean time I have been reading about cleaning the fuel tank on multiple forums and watch videos and have come to the conclusion that it's best to replace it, because of the rust inside the tank. Most believe that even cleaning with muriatic acid and then coating the inside of the tank will only lead to rust in the end.
This leads to my question(s):
1) seeing that a genuine tank (part # 16 11 1 180 175) is roughly $1,500 from most vendors, has anyone purchased an aftermarket tank from Rock Auto? I have never utilized Rock Auto. They currently have 3 brand options available, which are Liland Global IBM1B, Spectra Premium BM1B, and Dorman 576551, are these all equal or is one better than the others?
2) how many linear feet/meters of fuel line hose does the late model require to replace all the hoses above the tank, around the fuel filter, and from the connections underneath the firewall to the engine, then back to the charcoal canister, and finally back to the connection underneath the firewall?
3) other than the rubber grommets for the bolts to mount the tank to the chassis is there anything else to consider?
Thanks for reading my long winded explanation
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