Bmw "no Spark" Please Help

[jakebmw1995]

Hi everyone, this is my first post at this site

I have a 1995 318i, It has 179K miles on it but the engine is in very good shape. Well it was in good shape. I was drving to work the other day and suddenly i lost my radio, and the car felt very heavy. I pulled over and turned the car off and it never started again. The battery died out of no where. Making me beleive i have a short somewhere.
I am a pretty mechanical person so i got to working. I jump the car, it is cranking but nothing else.......it turns over but doesn't fire. I thought it was the fuel pump first but, i had my wife crank it while my head was under the seat and the pump works, i even jump the relay and heard the gas spray to the heads.
I also checked if i was getting spark to the plugs. NO SPARK??? ........
thats where i am right now????
I think some how the short burned something out and i am not getting any spark to the wires.

Question 1......do i need a new distributor or a new ECU (all the relays are fine)

Please help.....I am dying here

[jakebmw1995]

maybe it will help if i told you that i am from UK as well. But nooo i am from NYC and need some help. Thank you in advance. i need to get to work with this car and kids got to eat.

[jakebmw1995]

please helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

[Gator]

The first thing to do is replace the battery or temporarily swap it with one from another car. A shorted battery is the most likely cause and needs to be eliminated before starting further troubleshooting. If there is still no spark with a good battery, start troubleshooting the ignition circuit.

[jakebmw1995]

like i said, the car cranks just fine...everything electrical works in it but the no spark????? I can trouble shoot the ignition system but i just need to know exactly what causes the spark. Is it the distributor coil or the ecu?

[JAX]

Well , I'll try , my english is not the best but here it goes.

First , take out one of the sparkplugs and see if you got sparks.
No sparsk ...
Try to find the ignition module and put the sparkplug directly on that one and see if you got sparks there.
It is most likely that your electronic ignition module went dead. I am not sure you can check that if you don't have another one.

But first of ALL check the fuses. The fuse for the ignition block myght be DEAD.
You said your radio went out and then the car died .... so might be a fuse or the power generator , if that one eats all the power or short circuited you will never get sparks.
You can also check the following :

Bad Sparkplugs - I would replace them FIRST.
Air filter dirty
Ignition cmponents damaged or damped
Fuel injection damage
broken wires on the ignition


Let me know how it went.

[Speedy-325is]

turn ur car to position 2 (turn the key one click to the accessory position)
have ur wife sit in the drivers seat
turn the headlights on
get in front of car
tell her to turn it over
if the lights dim alot......have the alternator tested.

its a major bummer when it wont start....but its a common thing. testing is free. if u know how to turn wrenches a bit, u can save lotsa $$$$$$$. what happens it the alt. wont charge the batt, so the car runs off batt. power alone. there isnt enough juice to run it for long so it dies. many times without warning. the gauges and lts still work for a bit and it turns over......but its dead. make sure the battery is tested/charged fully/and in good shape, or it will kill the new alt.

a new alt is between $180-280, and ONLY use a BOSCHE alternator. i dont care what anybody says....ONLY BOSCHE. its a BMW, not a ford...love it.

oh, if the lights dont dimm when u turn the car over...it could be the starter....
let us know how the test goes....we can all heal you with problem solving, and even tell u how to fix it yourself if needed....
saves over $300 if u swap an alt urself.

Mark

[JAX]

Hey Speedy-325is , it's called BOSCH not BoschE and yes , you are right , the alternator (my generator) might be gone also.

[jakebmw1995]

thanks guys,,,,i really preciate the input, i am thinking it is the alternator and the ignition module than. It sounds like too much money, it is not worth it...i am gonna probably get rid of it for around 1000.00$. I have to change the interior carpet too so, it is not worth it anymore...time to buy a new one.

[Speedy-325is]

Originally posted by JAX@Nov 19 2004, 02:21 PM
Hey Speedy-325is , it's called BOSCH not BoschE and yes , you are right , the alternator (my generator) might be gone also.

[snapback]233940[/snapback]

ghead Doh! typing faster than my brain again........

[JAX]

Want more pics with the chicks on your avatar

[Speedy-325is]

have to ask my g/f.... she gave it to me.
prolly not though....sorry.

Mark