Topic: E21 320i HELP!!

We are one week out and our car is still not running. We have fuel up to the fuel distributor but a) don't know how to tell if the fuel distributor is working and b) what to do if its not as it isn't like AutoZone carries them.

We have the fuel system fixed-ish. We have the fuel pumps direct wired and will pumping fuel. When we try the engine, it turns over for a second or two then stops.

Other thoughts on what might be not working?

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

tshand wrote:

We are one week out and our car is still not running. We have fuel up to the fuel distributor but a) don't know how to tell if the fuel distributor is working and b) what to do if its not as it isn't like AutoZone carries them.

We have the fuel system fixed-ish. We have the fuel pumps direct wired and will pumping fuel. When we try the engine, it turns over for a second or two then stops.

Other thoughts on what might be not working?

Your calendar?  Unless you're running in a different series, or planning on a long tow, The Ridge was a couple of weeks ago.

Not sure what you mean by fuel distributor.  Injection pump?  One thing you can do is try cracking a fuel line where it goes into an injector, just a little bit, and see if fuel comes out.

Have you measured your fuel pressure?

Are you sure it's a fuel problem?  In my experience, 90% of fuel problems are electric.

Start with the basics, make sure you're getting fuel and spark.  Figure out which one you're not getting, then work your way backwards from there.

bs

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

These guys are running CIS fuel injection, which distributes the fuel thru a machined housing with a diaphragm/piston metering setup. "Fuel Distributor" is a major part of the setup, the injectors are merely nozzles, and not pulsed- CIS stands for continuous injection system. If you're getting 80 psi ish (they range from 65-95 psi) at the fuel distributor inlet, but nothing or next to nothing at the injector lines, yes, the fuel dist is likely at fault. they hate sitting stationary, and they hate ethanol in the gas.

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Re: E21 320i HELP!!

****Update****

It now seems we're getting too much fuel. We can get the engine to fire but we need to hold the RPMs are 1500-2000 and it billows a white smoke.

That being said, it runs, that's something.

Thoughts?

5 (edited by cheseroo 2014-08-02 11:56 AM)

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

What leads you to think its getting too much fuel?  While those wobble plate CIS injector pumps can be fussy, i doubt the issue is too much fuel

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Re: E21 320i HELP!!

We think there is too much fuel because before we got the car to catch, gas was coming out of the tailpipe.

That being said, I have no idea what I'm doing so I may be completely wrong.

One thing we did find is that it will fire up with the air filter in place but not without it. Can it be getting too much air?

Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

Tevor

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

tshand wrote:

****Update****

It now seems we're getting too much fuel. We can get the engine to fire but we need to hold the RPMs are 1500-2000 and it billows a white smoke.

That being said, it runs, that's something.

Thoughts?

Sounds at best head gasket leak, at worst cracked head.
Have you done a compression test?

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

White smoke = water.
Water will screw up the Air to gas ratio. That's probably why it only runs at higher RPM. At some point there is enough fuel to burn and evaporate the water out of the cylinder.

check your radiator and see if the water level has dropped.
As noted head gasket or cracked head or block.

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9 (edited by bronson 2014-08-04 11:25 AM)

Re: E21 320i HELP!!

In sufficient concentration, white smoke can also mean way way WAY too much gas.  Back in the MTBE days, I had a carburetor float sink so gas was just pouring into the intake manifold.  White smoke billowed out the exhaust (and the catalytic converter was glowing red hot, didn't notice that 'til the rear seat started smoking...).

Took me far too long to figure out the head gasket was fine and the carb was actually the culprit.

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