help on 325 E please

[GrandMaster B]

Ok I have an 86 325 e... I bought this car from a guy he said it ran fine, test drove it and it did... i paid him and left his house, got on the freeway and headed home, it started getting dark I flip the lights on ...as i got off the freeway the car died... I started it back up put it in first gear and tried to take off and it died again ...it did this all the way home. Next day I go outside to see if I can find anything ..I see a vacuum line to the intake is sucking shut when you rev the engine so i fix it... car seems to run ok i take it for a test drive.. hhmmm stays running I thought I had it fixed, I take it to get emmissions on it done it passes with flying colors... I tell the wife the car is fixed she decides to drive it to work on the way there it's fine runs great no problems ..that evening she goes to leave work flips the lights on a quarter of the way home it dies again ..same thing as before .. so I go rescue her and leave the car at a dennys come back for it the nex day. I go to get the car with a trailor and we try and load it up, I go to start it , it wont stay running it starts up and then dies ...we finnaly get in on the trailor after I mess with the idle air control valve and it runs like ass but good enough to put it on there. Get it home I call my buddy whos a import mechanic He tells me he had another BMW doing the same thing and says the fuel pump in the tank is bad... 150.00 later i install it crank it up it runs good for about 20 minutes, I go to test drive it ....it dies again so now 6 monthes later it sits in front of my house mystery unsolved... I don't know what to look for everthing looks as it should, no cracks in the air intake, new fuel pump, all vacume lines are in good shape... any idias I don't want to drop a bunch of $$ in this car guessing what the problem is!

[M-technik-3]

Did you check to see if the alternator was producing at a minimum of 13.5V DC? check with a multimeter.

Autozon and advance do free testing. It seems that every time you applied a large load to the electrical system it dies. It was not the fuel pump. It's most likly a voltage regulator on the back side of the alternator.

A $35 buck item.

[GrandMaster B]

hhmm ok ill check that but like I said the next day I went to get the car and no lights or anything were turned on and I got the same result ...

[omw41]

I'm not sure if it's an electrical or fuel related problem by your post, but my 86 Es has two fuel pumps. The other is located on the drivers' side up around the rear wheel well.
We know we have to check air, spark, and fuel. You don't want to throw money at it...I respect that...so..you're going to have to go through the sysytems. For example, ok...so new fuel pump...did you pull the regulator hose off and have someone crank the car to see if fuel is getting there? (Use a measuring cup). Ok...so fuel is good ...injectors are straight...

now spark..how's the battery? terminals clean...tight... coil...dist cap...rotor...what about the plugs...wires...etc...

air...filters..etc...Mass Air Flow Meter...

maybe bad CPS...

Get a Bentley. Get your hands dirty. I don't mean to sound disrespectful...but you're either going to spend money or time...these cars...seems like one thing goes bad and it can put another sysytem out of whack and in need of calibration...but as far as getting it running...the ride is pretty straight forward...air...spark...fuel.

hope this helps...

[lordofthewaters]

Did you check to see if the alternator was producing at a minimum of 13.5V DC? check with a multimeter.

Autozon and advance do free testing. It seems that every time you applied a large load to the electrical system it dies. It was not the fuel pump. It's most likly a voltage regulator on the back side of the alternator.

A $35 buck item.

I agree. Always try the cheap and easy fixes first.

[SWISS]

Grandmaster B :lmao:

[maxy30]

check the relay for the fuel pump; i had the exact same problem and thought it was a fuel pump. instead it was a 5$ relay that took a ****.

[hoovey]

OMW41 is Bentley correct... get a manual. Chapter 3 may be your best answer
to your understang some of the BMW's Problems... good luck.