Car Troubles - Help

[ipwnyou 0]

So the car stalls, and wont start up again - I put it down to the fact there's no fuel in the car (as it had been running low for a while). We get some gas in it, and it still wont start. We try and try but nothing starts it, jumping it, pushing it, nothing, it turns over nicely just wont fire. Check all the sparkplugs etc. etc. nothing. So we figure maybe the fuel pump died, since we cant hear it running when the engine is starting...so I get my spare pump and just plug the power / sensor in and try start the car to see if we can hear that pump run when starting - nothing. So we figure it probably isnt the pump and we plug the old one back in. While my mate is plugging back in the fuel pump i went over all the fuses just in case. By this time we've given up, but I give it another go and wtf it just starts like nothing happened.

So we're all 'finally' and drive off. half way home, as im drawing though 3rd gear, the car starts dropping randomly while accelorating...its just like vrrrrrrrrrrrrr...nothing....rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...nothing...rrrrrrrrrrr and the rev's are all over the place, the needle is going nuts. then the car just cuts out at about 60kph and makes chokeing noises out the exhaust as I coast to the side of the road, and low and behold, the car is back to its old wont-start antics, and is now currently parked in some dodgy side street in mt eden.

Any ideas?

[E30_318i 0]

Second part of your story sounds like the alternators gone and your battery drained while driving along. But if that was the case you would of had to jump start it before hand? Was the radio, lights working when it happend?

The exact thing happened to me last year, except it wouldn't start by itself.

[ipwnyou 0]

Nope battery is charging fine...I had the sterio going when the car started to cut out and it was fine. When the car stopped, i tried to start it and got a 4 or 5 good 15 seconds of turning over before giving up.

[ipwnyou 0]

Also if anyone has a facelift bumper attachment for towing I could borrow / buy that would be greatly appreciated. I'm fairly certain i'll return to a partically broken into car tomorrow, so will want to tow the remainders.

[Gus 5]

you got this sorted? i have one you could borrow.

[ipwnyou 0]

Nope not sorted. Where ya at? Flick me a PM with the info

[ipwnyou 0]

Well I went back to the poor thing and it's dead as a doornail. No idea what the hell is going on. Someone tried to jemmy the lock and slimjim the thing too...dumbasses never heard of the bmw factory deadlock (thanks Andy).

So no-one has any idea what might be causing these problems? It turns over fine just wont fire.

[Carl 3]

You should have a chat to Ian (hartage) as he had a problem recently with car starting and while yours may not be the same problem as his he knows all the tricks.

FYI His problem was an appartently common fault in that the engine floods from all the starting attempts and the fuel just piles up preventing the car starting.

[ipwnyou 0]

Hmm makes sence...I'm almost convinced the issue is fuel based, as all these problems occured when I ran to the very last drop in my tank...(yeah yeah its bad I know but I was lazy)

[E30stz 0]

if you run it empty you sometimes have to get your car serviced afterwards, as you can leave air in the fuel lines. I'm sure that would cause some hickups like the said problem.

[nz320i 0]

my car just stopped once, really wierd had lots of gas, then when my old man towed me home i was curiois and clutch started in 2nd but when i put my foot on the accelerator nothing happened it just kept idling!! then we got it home and it started fine and drove like normal, hasnt happend since! Whack y0

[ipwnyou 0]

well...I replaced the fuel pump, and after alot of dead batteries the car now starts. When it idles, its horrible - as if its only firing on 3 cylinders (bear in mind i only have 4) - the engine rocks like mad and it makes a horrible noise. When I try and rev it, it almost dies, and sloooowly clunks up to about 2k revs, and starts making like a compressed air in a tube being released noise...kinda like a potatoe gun...and the exhaust does the same...and we hear the most horrible noises comming out of the air intake...

Anyone know what that is? do I even want to know?

[Gus 5]

i dont imagine it will be something terminal

done something as basic as checking the plugs? engine sensors all plugged in? afm plugged in?

[ipwnyou 0]

Went over the plugs, air sensor, not sure about the engine sensors - thanks for the tow hook btw

I'll just have to pay to get someone to look at it =|

[DCEIVN 0]

Had a very similar problem recently - was electrical. Also only 4 cylinders were firing at idle due to a vacuum leak as I was told.

[Guest Andrew]

if you run it empty you sometimes have to get your car serviced afterwards, as you can leave air in the fuel lines. I'm sure that would cause some hickups like the said problem.

air in the fuel lines on a fuel injected petrol car? so?

[gmccormack 0]

Have you checked the fuel pump relay?

[ipwnyou 0]

Hmm - nope - I might go do that now. I can just swap it with another to test with?

[ipwnyou 0]

FIXED IT WHAT THE *#YH_FH HELL

I have a large hexagonal gold plated device under my bonnet that has about 5 inputs from the engine and one really big cable that runs to the battery - installed it when i upgraded the audio cable to Welding wire.

Yeah well the cap for that came off, and it was banging on the battery holder...which explained the freaky loss of everythign while driving...and explains why it worked after checking everything and moving the battery...then while driving it fell back onto the chasis again.

As for the freaky noises and lack of power - not sure, something to do with half the spark plugs not firing or something - at any rate, i just drove it hard, and it went really well - or as well as a 1.6 goes...

Man. What a hassle.

Will the pwnage ever end?

Maybe I should change my username >

Thanks for those of you who offered help!

P.S. Gus ill get your hook back to you sometime in the weekend if you're around