BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Hi'yall, My baby's car 89 320i e30. My daughter rang me in tears, her precious aint going... She drove away from here the other day & it sounded like it had a slight miss under accelleration, otherwise fine... She reckons it sounded rough one day when she was filling it up too... But today, she'd been getting munchies & the car wouldn't start, turned over, wouldn't fire. Then she sat for 5 minutes, tried it again & it fired up, she got round to her girlfriends place okay, just round the corner. That's when I got the call. Now I don't know much, but I pulled a plug & it was sparking okay. Then I followed the fuel lines up to the very front of the maniflod, where the 2 hoses are, one goes to a diagphram, I'm guessing a fuel pressure regulator or something, with a vacuum hose on the other side of it... Pulled them both off, looking for some fuel pressure when cranking it; Nothing! So I'm guessing it's the fuel pump. I lifted the back seat & asked adele to turn it on, see if it was pumping at all. She turned the key all the way & it started & ran. She turned it off & restarted it & it ran fine. Then the next time we started it, so dad could take it for a hoon, it wouldn't start, it'd start then die, like it wasn'nt getting enough petrol, it winds over, almost catches, but not quite. I've ben tryinfg to get a mobile mechanic with a diagnostic tool around tomorrow to look at it. I know there's a kiwi guy round here somewhere that does it??? Meanwhile, cos I'm a good dad, I'm getting a petroll pump anyway. Wish I hadn't sold the one off her last car. Please can anyone point me in the right direction? It's worth mentioning, we bought this car after PO got sick of fixing it, new head, cam belt trans. ICV & all the hoses are brand spanking.. I'll post sum pics of said daughter. FYI she's seeing the bouncer at the local pub, a maori guy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silver Fox 43 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Have had a similar thing, was a dry joint on one of the feeds to the pump where you lifted the back seat. I pulled the plug off the tank pump and squeezed the plug a little bit to make it a tight fit when I put it back on, works fine now. Worth a go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
320guy 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I had exactly the same problem. Was the fuel pump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bimmer boy 21 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Sounds like jungle fever Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forrest 35 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 ^ LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobimmer 694 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Lol wtf did you post a picture of your daughter for anyway? 7/10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e30plz 1 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 He did it for the lols. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gmccormack 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 Check the fuel pump relay. The contacts are often scorched, sometimes even the outer contacts where the relay plugs into the loom have a burnt look to them. Can cause hard or no starting and random stopping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 K' where's the fuel pump relay? Went into 'town' to get anopther pump & they closed early, went to the other shop & mother hubbards. A 2nd hand BMW pump $95 a new one $320. Super cheep where daughter works, with 25% discount $ 120, but made in Korea or something... Photo was to attract attention, bit of a skite too, It wasn't my car, it's hers! You's don't like girls? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DRTDVL 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 You's don't like girls? I like a cheeky little red... which incidently isn't a bad cab sav... for the price Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forrest 35 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 ^ Post/sig of the year Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 ^ Post/sig of the year +1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 cars an e30 11/89 m20. 2.0l Fuel pump on the right hand side, drivers side. Brrrrr dunedin, do people still live there? Been there, horizontal rain... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 cars an e30 11/89 m20. 2.0l Fuel pump on the right hand side, drivers side. Brrrrr dunedin, do people still live there? Been there, horizontal rain... Lol, Yep. currently it's -4, and icy everywhere... Almost ended up facing the wrong way.... When i bought my E30, the last owner said he had the fuel pump done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 Lol, Yep. currently it's -4, and icy everywhere... Almost ended up facing the wrong way.... When i bought my E30, the last owner said he had the fuel pump done. Yep, don't miss it a bit! Every time I've been to dunedin it's raining.God i miss Speights but! Freezing here 17*C!!! RAC, roadside rescue/ insurance are coming around tomorrow to look at it, diagnostic... I've got an e28 in Invercargill, left it behind, new head etc. unlic. no radiator.... what a waste, sitting in a sea container costing me money.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tire 10 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 Blowie, I'm wrecking an e30 up in Glendalough, let me know if you need any bits, its off to the wreckers in a week. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 I bet theres a few dudes on here that would take that E28 off your hands Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Update... I took the petroll pump out, tested it on the bench & it works. Put it all back in & it fired up & ran. We turned it off, started it again a few times. all okay. Went to go for a drive & it wouldn't start... I'd still like to know where the fuel pump relay is? I rang up my mate from Beemer Motor Workshop, he sez theres 3 different fuel pumps for e30's. Also there's a 2nd fuel pump inline sumwhere?? Trouble is, by the time I get home from my way so cushy job on the council, I've only got about an hour before it's dark. Our diagnosis fell thru so square 1 again... Got sum build numbers if thats any help? WBAAD62050A625707 bUILD DATE 6/89 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
323e30 0 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) its on the passenger side of engine bay, Near the air intake box. You will either see relays on a bracket , or you will see a black cover here covering the relays circled in image Edited July 14, 2009 by 323e30 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1044 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 The relays dont usually just stop working. Youll atleast get a bit of warning with a relay. like chattering or incomplete contact. The power cable that powers the ECU (the second power running from the battery terminal) has a flat 80 amp fuse in it. Its about 10cm or so up the power cable. Hidden underneath heat shrink. It seems like your not getting and spark to the car when in fact its the ECU not getting power to even tell the coil to fire. Replace said fuse .. or do what I did and replace it with a 80 amp circuit breaker. The fuse will be under OEM style heat shrink. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 The relays dont usually just stop working. Youll atleast get a bit of warning with a relay. like chattering or incomplete contact. The power cable that powers the ECU (the second power running from the battery terminal) has a flat 80 amp fuse in it. Its about 10cm or so up the power cable. Hidden underneath heat shrink. It seems like your not getting and spark to the car when in fact its the ECU not getting power to even tell the coil to fire. Replace said fuse .. or do what I did and replace it with a 80 amp circuit breaker. The fuse will be under OEM style heat shrink. The latest: Nothing! Took the relays out, 1 is permanently open, tested okay, the other 2? dunno, ran out of time, again, gonna make some room in the garage so I can look at it after dark.The first thing I checked was spark, ok spark. No more time to be messing with it, gunner call in mobile mechanic diagnostic onnit. TYhaks, will update when it's hopefully going again.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
320guy 0 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 When it isnt starting, try giving the top of the fuel pump a whack while you are cranking it. Part of the commuter (?) (part the brushes run on) was burnt out on mine, and everynow and then when you turned it off it must of stopped on the burnt out part and wouldnt run, if you gave the tank a whack it was enough to jarr it and it would start going again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1044 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 The latest: Nothing! Took the relays out, 1 is permanently open, tested okay, the other 2? dunno, ran out of time, again, gonna make some room in the garage so I can look at it after dark. The first thing I checked was spark, ok spark. No more time to be messing with it, gunner call in mobile mechanic diagnostic onnit. TYhaks, will update when it's hopefully going again.. Did you open up the heat shrinked fuse on the secondary battery cable and check the 80 amp fuse that supplies power to the ECU ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2009 As I suspected. it was the fuel ,pump all along. When I took it out & bench tested it, it worked... And again when I reinstalled it, but only for 5 minutes... It had spark all along, so I never went for the suggested wiring option. Ended up costing ME $500! All to a good cause. Thanks anyways for your advice, it never goes unheard, next time something else goes wrong i'll be better able to fix it myself, in true kiwi fashion. My daughter has joined up here, Bite My Wire!! All she wants is to put big mags on her car... Vaguely remember being that age! Thanks again. Over & out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matty104 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2009 which pump did you replace mate? the in tank primary one , or the external one? Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
