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HELP!!!! E30 will Crank but Not Turn Over. URGENT!!

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    #1

    HELP!!!! E30 will Crank but Not Turn Over. URGENT!!

    Here is the story of what happened. I was driving from Memphis to Little Rock to pick up my wife from the airport and about 3/4 of the way there I encountered an intense rain storm. All of the sudden my engine stalled while driving. I didn't think much of it and so I tried to crank it up but it would not turn over. So I drifted off the shoulder and tried starting it again but to no avail.

    I waited for almost an hour and tried starting it almost every 10 minutes. During one those attempts it acted like it had received a little gas and almost started but then died again. So I called a tow truck to get it off of the left shoulder of the interstate and into a truck stop.

    Now I just can't get it going. It is cranking and sounds like it is going to start but then it is acting like it isn't getting any gas. The worst part of it all is that it is stuck in the middle of nowhere Arkansas with not a single shop that will look at a BMW and I am back in Memphis. I'm heading up there in a couple hours to go work on it.

    Just trying to get some ideas from people with more experience with E30's than I have as this is my first. Mine is a 1987 325IS with M20 engine and manual transmission. My first thought is fuel pump or filter, fuel pump relay, water in the gas or cylinders? It is just strange to me that it died while driving through a heavy rain storm.

    Please let me know what I should check/replace as I would prefer to drive it home vs renting a flatbed to tow it home with.
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    #2
    You obviously are not getting spark..

    Id test coil while up there

    Comment

      #3
      Originally posted by 5Toes View Post
      You obviously are not getting spark..

      Id test coil while up there
      Water under distributor cap, pull it, wipe it down and a small squirt of wd40.

      Comment

        #4
        I would say that it doing that through a huge rainstorm definitely means something. Could be moisture getting into the distributor cap. I's also try unplugging the O2 sensor, the connection could be full of water and giving all kinds of bad signals. Take a good look at your main/fuel pump/ O2 heater relays as well as the Crank Position Sensor.

        Just a few thoughts.
        Originally posted by BillBrasky
        E36's are the Stephen Baldwin of the 3 series family. They barely hold everything together and they only sold a lot because of the popularity of their older sibling.
        1991 318i Alpine II - S50/5-lug swapped - track car
        1989 325i Cirrusblau - Daily
        1970 2500 - Malaga over Grey Cloth
        2012 F350 6.7PSD

        Comment

          #5
          Originally posted by 5Toes View Post
          You obviously are not getting spark..

          Id test coil while up there
          How do I test the coil?

          Thanks for all of the ideas I'll give them a try.

          Comment

            #6
            Used to happen to me all the time. whenever I would drive through a big puddle my car would start acting up and most times die on me. Get a can of wire dry made by STP from a parts store and spray down your distributor cap. Wait a few minutes and start it up.
            Originally posted by NitroRustlerDriver
            I don silk gloves and place them into a sacred envelope made of magic and lined with Unicorn fur, seal the envelope with an adhesive made from strands of Gypsy hair and wrap the whole thing in a snazzy looking faux gold leaf paper, with elm leaf inlay from Costco. Unfortunately, by the time it gets to you, all of that fancy stuff will likely have been picked clean by the greedy postal service employees. Please don't be surprised to see just a plain envelope.

            Comment

              #7
              Originally posted by Pinepig View Post
              Water under distributor cap, pull it, wipe it down and a small squirt of wd40.
              Start here.

              When you get your car home replace the missing distributor cover.

              Comment

                #8
                Originally posted by jvatio View Post
                How do I test the coil?

                Thanks for all of the ideas I'll give them a try.
                Pull a spark plug wire off the plug, put finger in the hole in the end of the wire, ( optional ) grab car with other hand. Have a buddy turn the car over.

                Trust me, you'll know if you have spark.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Do you have a fork lift? I turned over two of the e30s I parted out. Worked WICKED fast. Good luck
                  ~ Puch Cafe. ~ Do business? feedback ~ Check out my leather company ~

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                  Comment

                    #10
                    update

                    Here is the update. I checked the distributor cover and it was there and perfectly dry. I sprayed some of that wire dry stuff just in case and let it dry out.

                    I checked the spark plug for spark and there was nothing. I then checked the ignitor coil by placing the wire against a metal bolt (not daring enough for the finger in the hole but thanks Pinepig :nice: ) and had someone crank the engine but again there was no spark.

                    My diagnostic skills lead me to believe that something is wrong with the ignition system. I checked all the fuses and they look good. Is there something that precedes the ignitor coil that may be failing? or is the problem the ignitor coil?

                    I trailered my car home and not it is back waiting for me to work on her tomorrow. Hopefully I can get her going!

                    Thanks again to everybody who offer suggestions.

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