Dad's 1987 325 won't start - BMW Forum

Dmtalon · 01-14-2008, 01:47 PM

Hey everyone...

My father called me the other day and asked if I could come help him fix his car, or at least look at it. He has a 1987 325 5spd 4dr (no other letters/numbers which I believe means e?) with ~275k miles on it.

The other day he started it, and walked down to get the mail, while walking back towards the car it stalled and hasn't started since. He has a 325 manual and asked if I could come over and help him figure it out.

First off, I checked for Spark at the Plug, NO SPARK Next I checked for battery voltage at the Coil Pin 15 (+ side) Good voltage. Checked Primary/Secondary resistance across the coil and everything was pretty close to spec.

Pulled the distributor cap/rotor. It looked pretty old and at first we couldn't get any connection on the Rotor, and there was a hairline crack running down the center of the plastic that held the rotor contact in place. Figured "Bingo", so we ran up to Autozone and picked up a new cap/rotor.

Put everything back together, and NOTHING!

Rechecked everything and all was hooked back up correctly. We checked the fuses again, even testing them with a multimeter just to make 100% sure.

Tried running the coil wire right close to a piece of grounded metal to see if it would spark, but we get nothing there either.

It seems the next piece in the puzzle is the "Motronic Control Module" according to the book, but after doing some searches here, It looks like it could also be the Crank sensor too.

Are either of these easy to test? Where is the Motronic CM located? Are there any "obvious" 1987 BMW things to check before pointing at the Motronic unit?

TIA for any information and/or links you can point me towards in order to get this thing running again.

One more thing:

I The plugs when you pull them out seem DRY of any fuel. So I'm guessing we're not getting Spark or Fuel. I was going to pull the fuel line off the FPR but the stupid band clamp was on so I couldn't get to it. I tried removing the two 10mm bolts holding it to the fuel rail but it didn't want to come off. I figured it was just an o-ring of some sort holding it on, but with nearly 300k miles I didn't want to yank too hard so I don't know 100% that we're not getting fuel, but I'm guessing we aren't by how dry the plug is.

AlpineSixAndSeven · 01-14-2008, 01:55 PM

also check you main relay mine e30 did that to me... i wanted to kill my self after all the diagnosing replacing the referance sensors cap rotor coil..... turned out it was the relay... check that make sure it is in working order

Dmtalon · 01-14-2008, 01:57 PM

I saw someone talking about that too, where is that located? Is it part of the fuse box? Because looking at the manual it didn't really show any "main relay" just relays for blinkers / wiper etc..

AlpineSixAndSeven · 01-14-2008, 02:04 PM

it is mounted on the outside of the fuse box from what I remember also is your fuel pump running?

Dmtalon · 01-14-2008, 02:35 PM

I was going to try to pull he fuel pressure regulator line off, but the hose clamp was facing down, and I wasn't sure how to remove the FPR. I *thought* it would just pull right off, but there was enough resistance that I was scared I'd break something so I stopped.

I asked my Dad if he *ever* heard the fuel pump 'prime' the system before a start. He said no, so without pulling that line off I'm not sure how else to check.

AlpineSixAndSeven · 01-14-2008, 07:31 PM

if you turn the key on it should prime the system. also check the ICV..

Crispy1st · 01-14-2008, 07:55 PM

FYI no letters and no numbers on a '87 325 doesn't mean 'e'. It means he has to crank the windows by hand.

kenika65 · 01-15-2008, 06:24 PM

To check your to see if your fuel pump is getting power, pop up your back seat and open the inspection cover on your passenger side. When you turn the key off then to the on position the pump will get power and when you are cranking(in start position) also.

gotKRAUT · 01-15-2008, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crispy1st

FYI no letters and no numbers on a '87 325 doesn't mean 'e'. It means he has to crank the windows by hand.

the non letter 325's were the Eta motor still..its just the "Super Eta" but theres nothing really all that super about it

DIRTE30 · 01-15-2008, 09:01 PM

Ok... first, don't panic! No starts are the easiest drivability problems to diagnose! Do me a favor before you do anything drastic. Put all the ignition back to normal and take the Idle air control motor hose off of the intake and spray some WD40 in there while your pops cranks her over. Sometimes ignition systems can be very sneaky! This will make the engine fire if you are getting spark. Be very liberal with the spraying! If no dice... then you know for sure that you aren't gettin fire to the cyl's. At this point it matters not whether you have fuel or not because whatever is causing your lack of spark is probably causing your lack of fuel as well. Being as it was all of the sudden like... it sounds like it could be a ground problem. Be sure that the ground at the ECM has continuity with ground at the battery. If not... start cleanin!

DIRTE30 · 01-15-2008, 09:04 PM

By the way... I don't think I remember any E30's priming the fuel system before cranking. The fuel pump starts running when it gets a signal from the crank sensor.

Crispy1st · 01-21-2008, 07:05 PM

Thanks Kraut, I have the '87 325 and my nieghbour got an '87 325e so I thought the difference was 'e'lectric windows and sunroof, my bad.

btw what do you think of the new wheels?

Argermacher · 11-12-2010, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotKRAUT

the non letter 325's were the Eta motor still..its just the "Super Eta" but theres nothing really all that super about it

I just bought a 1987 325 with no letters after the 325...what differentiates that from all the others?

Markdas · 11-18-2010, 07:42 AM

Have you got this sorted yet?

As mentioned, by systematic and don't assume you know the fault and start halfway along the process?

Check the battery voltage is good and connections are good under the hood on the bulkhead passenger side. With the key in position 2 but engine off, check if you have 12v at the coil, main relay and fuel pump relay.

If not you have a break somewhere, or the immobiliser has decided to kick in?

If you have voltage at the coil, check for spark again by removing a spark plug or putting a new spark plug into the HT lead you remove. Ground it and stand clear, then crank the engine. If no spark, check the crank position sensor....wipe it clean and check the gap is about 1mm at the crank pulley end. then follow the cable back to the connector and disconnect, check the resistance, its should be about 500 ohms I think. Also check the wire carefully, if this has failed you won't get a spark and it wont start?

How are all the spark plugs, HT leads and rotor arm?

Be systematic and we can get you started again soon!

Mark

CoryMStew · 11-18-2010, 10:36 PM

ok so i just got my e30 and al is well but it is getting itself to the red and idling crazy, the thign is we think it is the fan clutch that isnt spinning in high temp mode. is it possible forme to swap the e28 fan in there to the water pump and have it spin at the same speed as my engine?