325 e36 coupe. No compression??

[jodiemia]

started my car and it stalled straight away, turned the key again and i had zero compression. it is not even firing. It originally sounded like the timing chain had snapped , but i have checked this and all is intact. I have also got a lot of oil covering the number 3 spark plug and oil in the bottom of the spark plug chamber, could this be a coincidence that the rocker cover gasket has gone at the same time or is this part of the problem?? have spoken to a garage who have advised me to change plugs and rocker gasket, but i cant see how this would enable to to recover compression. I would really appreciate any advice on this problem as I am at a loss as to what to check next. thanks
jodie (female) :-)

[BMWJNKY]

So a compression test was done on the car and there is zero psi when cranking? Or does the car just crank and not want to start?

If it just cranks but doesn't start but the engine has compression there is a good chance the spark plugs are just fouled out and need to be replaced along with your leaking valve cover gasket.

If a compression test has been done and you have zero psi in the cylinder then more diag time is needed to see exactly why there is no compression.

[jodiemia]

hi, thanks for the reply, not had a compression test done yet, but you can tell by the sound of the engine that there is no compression, when turning the key the sound of the engine is like all of the spark plugs have been removed? and you can put your hand above the spark plug holes and can feel nothing??used:

[BMWJNKY]

Originally Posted by jodiemia

hi, thanks for the reply, not had a compression test done yet, but you can tell by the sound of the engine that there is no compression, when turning the key the sound of the engine is like all of the spark plugs have been removed? and you can put your hand above the spark plug holes and can feel nothing??used:

Wild guess here but is your car an early E36? If so they had an issue of washing down the cylinders by running to rich at idle when cold, then if you shut the car after a short time the excess fuel for some odd reason would wash the oil off the cylinders and rings causing you to loose compression. I would suggest taking all the spark plugs out and pouring a little bit of oil in the cylinders and crank the engine over a few times with the spark plugs still out. Then if possible do a compression test. If a test can't be done at that time install new spark plugs and see if it will fire up.

[jodiemia]

the car is a 1994 on a L reg? someone else had suggested to try that. thatnks very much i will try that tomorrow if no joy will let you know, thanks again

[BMWJNKY]

Originally Posted by jodiemia

the car is a 1994 on a L reg? someone else had suggested to try that. thatnks very much i will try that tomorrow if no joy will let you know, thanks again

That is considered an early car, pre 1996 production. I'd give it a try with putting some oil in the cylinders and see what happens. With the early cars when they are cold it is a good idea to let them idle for at least a few min before it is turned off. There was an update when the cars were still under warranty and they changed the software to lean it out a little when cold but it wasn't a 100% fix for the issue so its always best to let the engine get some temp in it before you shut it off.

[woody2007]

hi if you have not sorted it out yet heres an idea you might want to look into go onto ebay and type in your engine needs amertec and it will bring a product up read it and try it, belive it really works
or try this link Ametech Engine Restore Oil