Weird issue, wont turn over, but cranks without clutch in??

[matthilaman]

been trying to get my replacement M20 running and its been a bit of a hassle. Been running into problems left and right. Ive gotten to the point where it will crank but not turn over. Pretty much all the lights are lit up on the dash like a christmas tree. Cel is on and its flashing in the dash.

its an 88 325i btw.

At first it was code 1223, but after cleaning the connections, it went to 1444, but the Cel is still flashing. Now my next problem is that the car tries to crank over even without the clutch depressed..i dont even know where to begin with this.

im great mechanically, but electrical has never really been my strong suite. anyone have any clues as to what this might be? sensor?

i used to have a bentley...until it fell into my oil pan..

[Todd Black 88]

Is this your first e30?

[jlevie]

An E30 doesn't have a clutch saftey switch. So the engine will crank with the clutch engaged.

Sine the engine cranks, but doesn't fire the first checks should be to see if there is spark and fuel pump operation while cranking. If spark is present, the DME is running and getting timing data from the engine. That leaves fuel pump operation and injector firing as the next likely faults. If you have spark, normal fuel pressure in the rail and injector firing, the likely candidate becomes intake leaks.

Common mistakes include swapping the CPS and cylinder ID connectors or swapping the fuel hose connections. On late model cars it is easy to fail to connect C191 (under the manifold), which routes signals to the injectors.

[matthilaman]

yep this is my first e30.

yep, checked c191, swapped around cps and id connectors and fuel lines, but still no luck. i have spark to all 6 plugs. ill have to check out a new fuel pump tomorrow. My next thought would be the DME or maybe a faulty CPS. the CPS ohm'd out but i read somewhere that it could still be faulty. i have brand new stock injectors. i havent even thought about intake leaks yet so ill look into that now.

all electrical inside works besides the windows.

im hoping its either the fuel pump or dme..

[jlevie]

If you have spark while cranking, the CPS is probaly okay. The next checks should be rail fuel pressure and injector firing.

[Todd Black 88]

Afaik, no e30 has a check engine light. The light you see flashing between the gauges on your cluster is only there to tell you to look up at the check panel on the roof liner by the sunroof switch.

When you attempt to start the car it always flashes and the light on the panel says rear lights( or something like that) and will go away if you tap the brake pedal(if all is working correctly). This is a self check designed into the system.

As jlevie said, there is no saftey switch on an e30 clutch so it will jump if you try to start it in gear w/o the clutch pedal pressed.

[davem]

Afaik, no e30 has a check engine light. The light you see flashing between the gauges on your cluster is only there to tell you to look up at the check panel on the roof liner by the sunroof switch.

When you attempt to start the car it always flashes and the light on the panel says rear lights( or something like that) and will go away if you tap the brake pedal(if all is working correctly). This is a self check designed into the system.

As jlevie said, there is no saftey switch on an e30 clutch so it will jump if you try to start it in gear w/o the clutch pedal pressed.

uhhh e30s have a flashing "check" light that tells you to look at your overhead check panel, but they also have a check engine light for when the dme throws codes...

[Todd Black 88]

My mistake then, as i thought it was after 88 they got it. The op says its an 88.
My fail.

[matthilaman]

ya i figured they were for 2 different purposes. the engine light is still on(not the flashing one on the dash), but no codes are showing up.

i did a noid test and i do have injector pulse, im gonna pick up a fuel pressure gauge tomorrow and see what my line pressure is at. im leaning towards the fuel pump or the injectors itself at this point, but i still havent checked for vacuum leaks yet. i checked and cleaned all my grounds which helped a little but still no go. i can get maybe one or 2 revolutions of the engine with maybe a couple cylinders firing, but it stops after that.

im wondering if the coolant temp sensor could still be messing with everything even though the engine code went to 1444 after i cleaned the connector.

any other things come to mind or other tests i could do?