gjm

Avoid it. It really messes you up. Having some BIG issues at the moment... Not sure if I'm being 'managed out' or if the senior bods really don't know/understand what they're doing, but I'm sort-of working from home (last week and next) in the run up to Christmas, having been certificated off work for the previous week. I'm not even in the office this coming week, it's Sunday afternoon, and I'm still experiencing anxiety! The biggest issue is the insidious nature of this. It creeps up on you. Suddenly you're aware you're not sleeping properly, there's a hollow feeling in your gut, you're not functioning effectively at work or at home, patience tends to be short... Take care everyone.

I'm *sure* I recognise the rego.

OK. Embarrassing, but the last non-running issue is down to me. Having extricated the old pump from the pump cradle, including removal of work-hardened plastic fuel line (a mission in itself), I got it all back together. It seems what I heard wasn't - couldn't have been - the pump. Fuses in dash and engine checked, relay checked, checked filter installed correctly, voltage present at fuel pump plug (new pump installed) but no fuel. Why not? In my exultation at having finally got the pump back together in the cradle, I'd neglected to properly attach the spade connectors to the new pump. No power to pump = no fuel to engine. Sorted that, crank the engine for a few seconds, and we have life again. It is running much smoother too, so replacing the pump and filter were worthwhile. Thanks to @dirty doogle, Mrs Doogle, and Oscar for their visit and support! Pixel says to come back any time. 🐶

Looks like a nice car but silly pricing. Imported, converted to manual, fitted with coilovers, but no mention of a cert. Still, start with a high price, and you never know your luck.

Good side cutters, as with many tools, are so well worth spending extra money on. The problem I had removing them was mainly one of leverage. The type of clip used is possibly less of an issue than the consistency of use. BMW have seemingly used everything - even the fuel filter is connected to the car using short flexible hose (sensible) - hose secured at one end by one-way fastening non-removable clips, and the other by jubilee clips (BMW p/n 07129952104). Then the same pipe is terminated at the pump end using a completely different, again non-reusable, Oetiker (ear clamp) clip (a better hose securing design). What price consistency?

Something with longer handles might suit. I have a 'nice' set of sidecutters with slightly angled ends that I like - slightly longer than stock handles, too - but they didn't do more than tickle the hose clamps I was paying with yesterday.

Who pays these prices? They're f**king dreaming!

I'll probably get one, if only to avoid the potential for grief in the future. And I tend to be a tool hoarder. In the meantime, stainless jubilee clips will suffice. Or should... I've checked fuses, relay, replaced the fuel filter, proved no fuel was getting to the fuel filter from the tank, and replaced the fuel pump. Got it all back together, can now hear a fuel pump running (couldn't before) but it still won't start. I'll charge the battery tomorrow, let the pump run for a bit and try again. Changing the core of the fuel pump assembly is a mission. If you ever do this, I recommend spending whatever extra is needed to acquire a complete, drop-in unit. Removing hardened fuel pump form the inside of the fuel pump assembly frame is a nightmare.

Swore at it. Well, swore at Miss M's car. A lot.

Yep - I think it is. Often used on CV joints and fuel lines. There's two tools for fixing them - one leaves a flat top to the crimp, the other (better) one will apply a dent to the flat top, distributing pressure more evenly. Being reusable would be nice, but it is the impossibility of removing them that can make life so difficult. In the absence of the correct tool and if you can get to the 'head' you can cut it off (with the right tool)... Or you need a ear clamp tool to deal with them. The more readily usable jubilee clip is obviously a use again and again device, but does rely on some skill to ensure they are applied correctly and not over or under tightened. I'll find some stainless jubilee clips in town - the 140km round trip to maybe find a clamp tool is a great dissuader.

I've performed the process described next to Figure 12. No problem. At last... Something going right. 'Slowly lift..." You're kidding, right? I've got the entire back of the car lifting on the suspension while I try to lift the fuel pump out of the tank. This is supposed to be a 30 minute job. Been 3 hours, so far. Update: Right. Finally persuaded the pump out of the tank. Have to be so careful doing that - there's a float which has to be persuaded out of the tank by rotating and maneuvering the pump. It would be so easy to damage that when 'lifting' the pump out of the tank. Next - new pump. Which is supplied with two more of those bloody clips that I don't have a tool for. And my jubilee clip collection is in a large tin, somewhere in a 20' container. This is why people don't work on cars at home any more!

Various online suggestions are to use a pair of sidecutters. Good luck with that - unless you are Mr Gorillahands you'll not have enough leverage. I used a pair of aviation snips. Even then it was a bit of a mission. Whatever anyone else does or recommends - do not use a Dremel or similar!

Trying to replace a fuel pump in an E46. Easy to get at - yes. Abso-effin'-lutely impossible to remove the clamp securing the fuel line to the old pump. Looks to have been crimped in place, then smacked with a hammer/screwdriver to ensure it cannot be uncrimped. At all. In fact, no obvious way to remove it short of cutting the fuel line, which then leaves the hose too short! What was wrong with a jubilee clip/screw drive clamp? Or even a BMW/Merc-preferred clic or clic-r clamp? Oh no... Let's throw a truly awful clamp into the mix. 😡 😡 😡 Wondered if the most expedient solution is to cut the plastic connection from the existing fuel pump, but that leaves me with a line with a piece of plastic buried in it.

WTAF? New fuel pump. Get to the 'remove the fuel line from the pump' stage and the clamp used is an 'impossible' one. Looks to have been crimped in place, then smacked with a hammer/screwdriver to ensure it cannot be uncrimped. At all. What was wrong with a jubilee clip/screw drive clamp? Or even a BMW/Merc-preferred clic or clic-r clamp? Oh no... Let's throw a truly awful clamp into the mix. OK - aviation snips took care of the clamp. A moment of consternation as I compared the 'old' pump with the replacement - the replacement is a part, and the pump needs to be rebuilt. Didn't expect that.

Been chatting with @dirty doogle. We've been through a number of scenarios, but the last one will be to 'jump' pins 87 and 30 on the pump and see if it runs.

Final checks before spending $$$ on a fuel pump. Remove relay. Looks good, but that means nothing. Swap with horn relay (itself a mission to remove). Crank engine, but still no start. Swap relays back. Swear about refitting horn relay. Remove the fuel tank side pipe from the fuel filter. There's a 'pfft' sound of air being sucked in - this suggests to me that the engine side is sucking, but the in-tank pump isn't pushing. And yes - I've tried the turn ignition key to position 3 (one before cranking) and listened for sounds of life at the in-tank pump. Seat base out, car pulled back, sound insulation out of the way... And it may be the quietest fuel pump in the world. Or it might not be working at all.

Spent a frustrating time - quantity unknown - attempting the supposedly simple job of removing and replacing the fuel filter. Not being able to move the car made it more difficult - a car parked on grass is tricky to jack to a sensible height, and support once there. Once that was out of the way, I found the jubilee clips securing the filter required a 6.5mm socket, or similar. (I prefer using a socket to using a screwdriver for these things.) Finally release those, release the clamping bracket (20mm nut - nice'n'easy), then spend another hour (at least) persuading the hoses off the filter, without damaging the hoses. All good. And there was a fair amount of silt came out. So - fit new filter. Genuine BMW one, at that. And the bracket will. not. fit. It seems that the rubber gasket around the new filter is a teensy tiny bit thicker than the one that came off, so the bracket won't fit. Maybe the rubber will compress, but not by hand. Check the gasket on the old filter. Not a chance. It's welded to the filter and attempts to remove it damage the gasket. A moment (or six) of introspection, a bottle of Peroni, and "let's have a look in the spares" ( @Young Thrash Driver ) and it seems I have another, identical-looking filter. And yes - the gasket looks to be very slightly slimmer than the new BMW one I've tried. Not that it makes any feckin' difference. Still won't start. So new fuel pump it is. 😡

Yeees... Mission. Has anyone used Windows XP lately? 😂 PA Soft BMW Scanner 1.4.0 (Haven't used INPA for so long that I've forgotten how.) Hope this is legible... Definitely room for improvement, but nothing about fueling. Oh - it started first turn this morning. 🙄🤦‍♂️. Still going to change the fuel filter when things have dried up a bit.

OK - after weeks of no issue, this happened three times yesterday. My first thought was (as above) fuel filter, but that's somewhere towards the front under the passenger side, so banging on the plastic cover in front of the rear offside wheel isn't going to be clearing that issue. (Filter probably needs changing anyway.) Equally, given the fuel pump is in-tank and accessed from under the rear seat, how has our banging on the cover ever helped anything? My suspicion is that a teensy bit of transmitted concussive shock has been sufficient to induce a little life to the fuel pump, enough to bring it to life. This problem, almost definitely relating to fuel supply, has only ever manifested when starting the car. It has never cut out while driving. Fuel pumps are expensive. 😢

Drat. Got 16s in an ET20...

Sounds similar to what was said about E30s... 😉 But investment value wouldn't be the reason for purchase.