Hello

Well I am new here, and I all ready love it. So many Bimmers I am all ready in awwwwww. Thank you for having me.....

1982 BMW 320I
1.8L engine
Automatic

I am wondering if any body has had a problem with the car starting right up, I just got the car today. But when I picked it up, the guy was kind of having trouble starting it but he got it started. When he got to my house pulled it up in the drive way and shut it off, and then when I went to start it back up. It was just turning over and on some try's it would try to start but nothing. I loosened the lines that go to the fuel pump and it is getting gas. It was running so I don't think it is wires, coil, cap or rotor. Not sure what it could be, I know there is people that now way more about this on that could possibly help a newbie out please????????

Thank you

sounds like it not getting enough fuel. so first check would be the cps, then fuel pressure test.

Thank you downhiller I did it came shooting out lol, and not to sound stupid but what is cps? But

ok I got it down to this, when you leave the car until it is outside temp ( Which I am in Detroit area ) it starts up no problem, but if I go back out half hour hour later it will not start back up again. Until it is cold down. Then starts right up like it should and runs good, The people that had it before me said they changed the head. I can see new nuts on top of the valve cover and thats about it for visual on the head change. So what I am thinking is me and my kid are going to do some digging into the engine and see if everything is at least timed right.

Originally Posted by downhiller

sounds like it not getting enough fuel. so first check would be the cps, then fuel pressure test.

Originally Posted by Notmee

Thank you downhiller I did it came shooting out lol, and not to sound stupid but what is cps? But

ok I got it down to this, when you leave the car until it is outside temp ( Which I am in Detroit area ) it starts up no problem, but if I go back out half hour hour later it will not start back up again. Until it is cold down. Then starts right up like it should and runs good, The people that had it before me said they changed the head. I can see new nuts on top of the valve cover and thats about it for visual on the head change. So what I am thinking is me and my kid are going to do some digging into the engine and see if everything is at least timed right.

What you have there my friend is an E21 not an E30, the E21 is the generation before the E30.

Is your car carbed or electronic fuel injection? it is probably a carby in that age, which means that it is possibly not tuned in a long while and is running lean.
If its EFI, then cps which means crank position sensor could be faulty and not firing the injectors at the right time. they can be sensitive to heat with age. remember its over 30 years old now. It could also be the fuel pressure regulator.

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

What you have there my friend is an E21 not an E30, the E21 is the generation before the E30.
All right cool, so an e21 it is

Is your car carbed or electronic fuel injection? it is probably a carby in that age, which means that it is possibly not tuned in a long while and is running lean.
If its EFI, then cps which means crank position sensor could be faulty and not firing the injectors at the right time. they can be sensitive to heat with age. remember its over 30 years old now. It could also be the fuel pressure regulator.

I believe it is fuel injected, cause there are 4 kind of yellow tubes running from the filter case to the head. And where would the cps be located?

Anyways thank you guys for the help

take a pic of the motor to help us out.

Originally Posted by downhiller

take a pic of the motor to help us out.

ok, I will do that today, it wont be till later gotta get it plated before the cops come back

All right got some pics http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/alb...ictureid=29121 and other side http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/alb...ictureid=29120

Sorry couldn't get the pics to just come up on here..


Thank you

Yep you have a late E21 not an E30. That engine is an M10B18 and yep its EFI.

I dont have much M10 experience, but the CPS should be located on the front of the engine pointing at the harmonic balencer and crank pulley setup. however on some of the older BMW engines its on the back of the engine and uses the flywheel as the reference point. have a look at the front of your engine and if you see a disk with teeth in it, it will be on the front somewhere.

that looks like the same EFI that mercedes uses in their 80s diesels. thats a whole other mother there.

lol so I got the hard one to work with

All right cool e21 it is

ANd to add some thought into this, the guy I got it from just said he changed the head gasket. Would you think that maybe it is not timed right? I think I am going to take the timing chain cover off to make sure that it looks good, and check to see if the distributor is set right too. Not saying the guy didn't know what he was doing just want to make sure it was done right...

The weird thing is if I go out first thing in the morning the car will start right up, but if I shut it off and try to start it again it just keeps turning over..

whats your battery reading? i would also point towards the coil

Battery is good, it would be great if its the coil. I was looking at the spark plugs and wires today, I think they are the originals on it. So I think I am going to go and get coil, cap, rotor and wires and see where that gets me. I will let you now

The E21 used Bosch K Jettronic. K = Kontinuous (Gotta love German spelling). It does not have a cps as the fuel flows (k)continuously. The spark is produced by a conventional distributor but usually with electronic 'points'. The manual for the fuel system I found for free on the web and it was very helpful. I guess you will end up with a fuel problem of some type. Check out the manual first to get some idea of how the system hangs together. Give it a good conventional tune up first in any case.

Originally Posted by BMWFatherFigure

The E21 used Bosch K Jettronic. K = Kontinuous (Gotta love German spelling). It does not have a cps as the fuel flows (k)continuously. The spark is produced by a conventional distributor but usually with electronic 'points'. The manual for the fuel system I found for free on the web and it was very helpful. I guess you will end up with a fuel problem of some type. Check out the manual first to get some idea of how the system hangs together. Give it a good conventional tune up first in any case.

Thank you for the heads up, still waiting on some money for tune up. For sure I am going to change the fuel filter to, I have had a few people say thats what it is.

Well wanted to say thank you first off to all the people that gave me suggestions, it helped a lot.

I have changed the cap, rotor, spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filter and have adjusted the valve lash, now it starts up all the time. The only funkie thing now is the engine shacks a little bit, not sure it may need some new valve springs. But it so much better than when I first got it

Have you checked distributor timing? My trans am was having the same issues awhile ago. Turned out I had it way too far advanced... So I bought a more aggressive cam and backed the timing off a smidge, starts up beautifully now with no misses. But I wished I would of bought a less aggressive cam.. Idle is hard to pinpoint.

if it shakes, you can have a bad motor mount, could have a power balance issue (weak cylinder), dirty injectors. i would first start with a compression test, both dry and wet tests. they tell you alot on the internals of an engine

+1, Downhiller

Thank you guys so much, I am thinking it is the cold start valve now. Cause it only starts funny when its cold now But in any case it starts up all the time now... But I am going to look for another engine to slap in my car, and just rebuild the old one so I now it won't have any problems..

I got a weird question now, lets see who can tell me what this one is. In the morning some days my odometer works, I have checked the cable and everything is tight. The trip odometer goes really fast, for every mile I go it says I went 10 miles. But it only works in the morning and it is sporadic.. And my gas gauge jumps around, never stays the same...

you broke it. odometer, cant tell you, gas gauge could be wiring or the level sensor is starting to act up

Originally Posted by downhiller

you broke it. odometer, cant tell you, gas gauge could be wiring or the level sensor is starting to act up

LOL I probably did, it's funny how it only works sometimes and then never The gas gauge, I was thinking same thing..

BTW cold start mixture controled by a little block gizmo near the starter motor. They are prone to failure. No known rebuild.

Originally Posted by BMWFatherFigure

BTW cold start mixture controled by a little block gizmo near the starter motor. They are prone to failure. No known rebuild.

I know exactly the part you are talking about, had to remove it to replace the starter. What A drag that was....