e30 will not start, any thoughts?

[nvbass]

I'm trying bring back to life an 87' 325i vert that's been sitting for the better part of decade, so any thoughts would be appreciated. When jumped by another car, the car cranks pretty strong but won't fire...not even a cough. I started going through the no-start checklist and arrived to the conclusion that both fuel pumps were shot. I drained and added new gas, added seafoam, and replaced with OEM pumps and I now have fuel flowing freely to the fuel rail. Still won't start. I then changed the spark plugs, tested them, and they are producing spark. Still nothing. Not sure if its relevant but the spark plugs are dry when I pull them out. Shouldn't theinjectors be spraying the plugs? I have also replaced a cracked air intake boot, changed the engine oil, added coolant, etc but now I'm at a loss for what else to check. Could ALL of the injectors be clogged, or not receiving power at all. How do I check that? Thanks for any help!!!

[pmat]

Crank posistion sensor? its what triggers the injectors to fire and ive seen e30's parked because of them before. test with a multimeter, look for around 540 ohms. you can also use a test light on the injector plug and look for the light to flash.

[e30Troop]

check your DME and make sure it wasn't sitting in a block of ice.

[DoneRightBimmer]

Crank posistion sensor? its what triggers the injectors to fire and ive seen e30's parked because of them before. test with a multimeter, look for around 540 ohms. you can also use a test light on the injector plug and look for the light to flash.

I second Crank Position Sensor, it was the cause of my no start awhile back all of a sudden one day the car wouldn't start, replaced the crank position sensor and it fired right up.

[jlevie]

If the engine has spark, the CPS is probably okay. The next check would be to make sure that the rail fuel pressure is correct when cranking. Then use a noid light to see if the injectors are firing.

[squidmaster]

Could be clogged injectors! If you can remove them, do it, apply a voltage (a 9v will work fine) to them and spray through with cleaner. Or get them cleaned by a fellow on these boards by the name of MEPEH. Also check fuel pressure.

[nvbass]

Thanks for your replies, I'll give an update after I run through the checks.

[jalopi]

Could be clogged injectors!.

+1. When I was still working at a shop, we used to have problems every now and then with junkyard engines not starting/running like shit due to clogged injectors. Do what jlevie said and get some noid lights from harbor freight, they're pretty cheap from there, under $40 or so.

[nvbass]

I was able to borrow a noid light set from autozone and received a strong blinking light when I cranked the car. So injector pulse appears to be good. A couple people have mentioned testing the fuel pressure. What pressure should I expect while cranking the car and where is the easiest place to hook the fuel pressure gauge? It's looking like it may be clogged injectors.

[jalopi]

Minimum 35psi on most fuel injected cars, but I think the e30's are 40ish?

In any case, if you've got power and pressure going to the fuel injectors and spark but no boom, yeah, it's probably clogged injectors. I think there's a dude on here that'll clean them for $40 or something.