HELP Me R3V! ...Diagnose this thing --- What I know is this:

[TurboMeTroy]

1987 325is
180k
And I don't know if any of this related but:

Windows stopped working, hooked up directly to get them up - so motors are good, maybe switches...

Sunroof works...

Car has a new starter
And a new coil...says the coil is getting 12v and thinks its an electrical issue of why it won't currently start. Started and ran fine about 2 weeks ago..now wont start.
Said he did take it somewhere, fixed something and ran fine for about weeks, and then boom wont start again. Says he at that point changed the coil himself and it ran (that was teh 2 weeks ago) and now it wont start again...

Sorry if it's difficult to follow ---

Any ideas??

[TwoJ's]

I am almost 100% sure it's the connection at the starter, or a bad starter itself. I bought my car and it was in need of engine work. I started to disconnect everything to remove the engine, and I was replacing a window at the same time. I could not figure out why the windows would not work. Turns out the circuit for the windows, power mirrors and a couple other things runs through the starter. Try checking to see if the connections are right at the starter and make sure they're clean and tight.

[TurboMeTroy]

thank you very much! The starter is new...so perhaps there is a bad connection? He said it turns over fast and as it should, though?

[e30Matt]

Check the connections at the power distribution block on the passenger side firewall and make sure they're tight.

[TurboMeTroy]

alright, i'll check those too...thanks Matt!

te

[TurboMeTroy]

Anyone else, before I head outside...in the snow.... : (

[jlevie]

If the engine cranks over, but doesn't start, the first check is to see if there is spark. Lack of spark could be a bad main relay, no timing reference data to the DME, the DME, or rarely the coil. If there is spark the next check would be to see if normal fuel pressure is present at the inlet to the fuel rail. A bad pump or bad fuel pump relay are common causes.

Oh yeah, if maintenance has been iffy remove the oil filler cap and see if the cam is turning when you crank the engine. A broken timing belt is a certain no-start condition.

[TwoJ's]

Ah, it turns over properly... I'd start looking towards the ignition then. Things like everyone has said already: coil, ECU, broken distributor cap, etc..

[TwoJ's]

Oh yeah, if maintenance has been iffy remove the oil filler cap and see if the cam is turning when you crank the engine. A broken timing belt is a certain no-start condition.

I don't think that the engine would turn over if this were the case. I bought my car with a broken timing belt, and it certainly would not turn. If the cam is not moving, then some valves will be open and the pistons will contact them and not allow it to spin.

[TurboMeTroy]

Update:

Bought it - Got it running...It needs some major valve adjustment, and it sputtered and spat, and smelled extremely 'gassy' for the first 5 minutes of keeping running by milking the gas pedal...and slowly it began to idle on its own and gas pedal was responsive...

It almost sounds like it's underwater when you press the gas too fast, and there may be leak in the cat, or be broken. .. and it's really noticable in reverse...I'll post up some pictures later today..

Any ideas on that ^??

Thanks again guys...and 'they' say that R3V ppl are a bunch of jerks. . *shakes head* :)