Hi again everyone,
I am slowly but surely making progress on my E30 M30 swap, but have hit another road block and need some help. I had a bad starter motor beforehand and when I threw in a new one I was able to get the motor to crank, but had no fuel or spark (Gauges, headlights, windshield wipers, etc. are all working)
The first thing I did was pull out a plug wire and attach a spark plug to it-- no spark. Next I checked the cap and rotor (which are brand new) to see if I had installed them incorrectly-- everything seemed to be ok.
Next, I checked the plug-wire wiring: everything seemed to be in the right position.
I moved back to the coil and used a voltmeter to test it (It was working perfectly fine when I had the M20B25 in the car about 6 months ago, so I highly doubt it broke in this time-period). The readings on the voltmeter generally lined up with what I read they were supposed to be.
At this point, I decided to do some more research. I read on one forum that if the CPS wire and the distributor wire were mismatched to the sensors, the ECU wouldn't send fuel or spark. I excitedly switched the wiring and had the same result as before. I switched them back and forth a couple times to account for human error , but still no change. I then went ahead and cleaned the CPS-- still no luck. I looked around with wiring to see if there was anything that looked "shady". Everything looked good to me, but I can't be sure.
So, for the past couple days I've played around with different possibilities of solving the issue. I switched back to the M20 ecu, and then reconnected the M30 ecu (#179). I'm starting to run out of ideas. I looked at the DME Relay, but to be honest electronics is a weak-point in my knowledge and nothing looked blatantly out of place.
There's also the possibility that I have a bad ECU. I bought it on ebay, so it could be a junker. I have no idea how to check if my ECU is good or not, so I may just buy another. I believe the ECU is grounded as it is bolted into its brackets. Most of the wires in the glovebox are hooked up, but there were one or two connectors that I couldn't find a spot for. But everything I could plug in, I plugged in.
I can post pictures of anything that would be helpful in solving this issue. I feel that I'm really close, so any help is appreciated. Could be something very simple.
NOTE: My E30 is a 1987 325is. I am using the harness that came with the M20B25 in it. I have read that the best models for using an M20 harness is 1988-1992, and obviously my harness is from a model outside of this range. Does this mean I'm missing something with wiring at the C101? All I have done so far is hook up the harness to all the sensors and then plugged in the ECU. I am also considering buying a new harness from a post-1988 E30 325i, so maybe that could solve my issue. Also, my gas is a couple months old, and my tank may be empty. I'm going to run down to a local gas station and fill my tank back up to see if that changes anything.
I have looked over the Jaredsquires instructions, and also purchased the Macalent Swap guide, but they haven't been to helpful on the wiring aspect of the swap.
I'm sorry for the long, rambling list, but there are so many possibilities! I've tried everything I can think of, so hopefully some of the veterans can help me out!
Thanks everyone!!
I am slowly but surely making progress on my E30 M30 swap, but have hit another road block and need some help. I had a bad starter motor beforehand and when I threw in a new one I was able to get the motor to crank, but had no fuel or spark (Gauges, headlights, windshield wipers, etc. are all working)
The first thing I did was pull out a plug wire and attach a spark plug to it-- no spark. Next I checked the cap and rotor (which are brand new) to see if I had installed them incorrectly-- everything seemed to be ok.
Next, I checked the plug-wire wiring: everything seemed to be in the right position.
I moved back to the coil and used a voltmeter to test it (It was working perfectly fine when I had the M20B25 in the car about 6 months ago, so I highly doubt it broke in this time-period). The readings on the voltmeter generally lined up with what I read they were supposed to be.
At this point, I decided to do some more research. I read on one forum that if the CPS wire and the distributor wire were mismatched to the sensors, the ECU wouldn't send fuel or spark. I excitedly switched the wiring and had the same result as before. I switched them back and forth a couple times to account for human error , but still no change. I then went ahead and cleaned the CPS-- still no luck. I looked around with wiring to see if there was anything that looked "shady". Everything looked good to me, but I can't be sure.
So, for the past couple days I've played around with different possibilities of solving the issue. I switched back to the M20 ecu, and then reconnected the M30 ecu (#179). I'm starting to run out of ideas. I looked at the DME Relay, but to be honest electronics is a weak-point in my knowledge and nothing looked blatantly out of place.
There's also the possibility that I have a bad ECU. I bought it on ebay, so it could be a junker. I have no idea how to check if my ECU is good or not, so I may just buy another. I believe the ECU is grounded as it is bolted into its brackets. Most of the wires in the glovebox are hooked up, but there were one or two connectors that I couldn't find a spot for. But everything I could plug in, I plugged in.
I can post pictures of anything that would be helpful in solving this issue. I feel that I'm really close, so any help is appreciated. Could be something very simple.
NOTE: My E30 is a 1987 325is. I am using the harness that came with the M20B25 in it. I have read that the best models for using an M20 harness is 1988-1992, and obviously my harness is from a model outside of this range. Does this mean I'm missing something with wiring at the C101? All I have done so far is hook up the harness to all the sensors and then plugged in the ECU. I am also considering buying a new harness from a post-1988 E30 325i, so maybe that could solve my issue. Also, my gas is a couple months old, and my tank may be empty. I'm going to run down to a local gas station and fill my tank back up to see if that changes anything.
I have looked over the Jaredsquires instructions, and also purchased the Macalent Swap guide, but they haven't been to helpful on the wiring aspect of the swap.
I'm sorry for the long, rambling list, but there are so many possibilities! I've tried everything I can think of, so hopefully some of the veterans can help me out!
Thanks everyone!!
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