oh man! theres still hope! god yes. its not your HEAD. (UNLESS YOU NOTICED IT OVERHEATING WHILE YOU DROVE IT????)

first off from your description the batteries dead from you trying to turn the engine over. im sure you know that the starter uses serious juice to get running.
get some jumper cables and jump the car from your rental. that'l sort the no starting problem.

i reckon its a fuel filter problem. or theres something jammed in the lines. il tell you the story of what happened mine real quick.
was running low on petrol (had about 25 miles left) and i went round a corner pretty quick and she spluttered and i pulled in and she died. then she wouldnt start. i kept turning it over and over and somethimes she'd start for a second or two (running really poor) and she'd die again. so i went back to get my other Key to see if it was the immobiliser on the key. when i got back the car wouldnt turn at ALL.

Sound familiar??
so i jumped it and she started and died...... so i said **** this worrying and i got a local guy to tow it and i said what the heck its worth trying filling it up with some petrol on the way home.....
put some in the tank,......and she fired up straight away. not a problem ever since.

but seeing as you have a full tank of gas you need another solution.

what happens when you do alot of driving no matter where you get your petrol there will be some inpurities. these impurities gather at the botttom and and collect. now sometimes they stay stuck in a certain place in the tank but can get moved or lodged in different areas by say going fast around a corner or filling a tank from empty.

now what i think has happened is you got a significant piece lodged somewhere it shouldnt be. fuel filter is easy to change. i hope thats it.

-SO GO GET JUMPER CABLES. this should start the car.
-OPEN THE LINES change the fuel filter. HERES A LINK ON HOW TO CHANGE THE FILTER
http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Fuel-Filter/E36-Fuel-Filter.htm dont do it indoors, you'l get petrol everywhere.

- WHILE YOURE WAITING YOU COULD GET THE NUMBER OF THE GAS STATION AND ENQUIRE TO SEE IF THEY GOT ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT BAD GAS FROM ANY OTHER CUSTOMERS. IT WOULD ELIMINATE CAUSES FOR YOU!

LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GO
Steve

 

Thank you for the response.

I think I jumped the gun on the seized engine part, it obviously ISN'T seized, I'm just stressed and not thinking clearly. I would like to be able to rule out a head gasket problem though.

I put a brand new battery in the car and tried to start it. The engine spins OK, but there isn't even a hint of it wanting to start.

Below is a pic of the engine oil. It has been about 3,500 miles since it got changed last, so I'm not sure if the color is normal or not. I was going to change it sometime this week before the problem came up.

http://i28.tinypic.com/288qb6r.jpg

Here is a video I just shot of me trying to start the car......

View My Video

I hate being pressed for time, I can't think clearly. I really can't afford any major engine work at this time, so if it is something major I'm going to have to have this car hauled off to the scrap yard and figure something else out. If this is something that can be fixed without too much hassle (like a fuel filter), then I will keep the car rental for another day or so, but I can't afford to keep it any longer than that. I have limited tools and resources, but I know I can do a filter no problem.

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: I pulled a few plugs a tooks pics just in case they lend any clues. I pulled the first three starting from the front of the engine. The first one was completely dry, no oil on it at all. The second plug was drenched with oil around the threads, and the third had some oil on the threads but not as bad as the second.

http://i25.tinypic.com/33vdwkg.jpg

Do these NGK plugs look like they need to be replaced?

http://i25.tinypic.com/10cte9u.jpg

 

well dude sorry to hear it.
i can safely say its a fuel problem cos if youre head is cracked you can still start the engine.

im gonna pm u a few steps to see if your head is cracked ok.

but aside from that test,
i seen the oil. youre oil looks perfect!
i watched the video. its not getting fuel. maybe you should bring the battery back if it was expensive. you know, save every expense at this point.
you're car aint a lost cause it just needs to get fuel to the injectors. you might be pissed with it at the minute but its just a small problem just needs to be found.

so maybe the pump isnt working now ( or maybe the pump can get clogged im not sure). but the fuel pump is expensive i would assume.
im not sure how to test a pump. i know in older bmws you can hear the pump but i doubt that would work. im gonna have alook around to see if you can diagnose afaulty pump.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Fuel-Pump/E36-Fuel-Pump.htm

steve

update.
YEAH YOU NEED NEW PLUGS! they are almost worn out. im not sure about oil on a plug what it means but its not a good sign i guess. it prob meant your car was running on 1 less cylinder.

 

this is what your plug should loook like.
good job noticing the plugs.

you can either clean the plugs with sandpaper or a wire brush or just go get new ones.

heres a page that diagnoses your plugs
yours is likely caused by valve stems seals.
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html

 

heres a guy with same problem as you
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=850301&referrerid=56200
he disconnected the fuel line from just after the fuel filter and he saw that fuel was pissing out so thats how you can test your pump!

 

Thanks for your help Stephen. I am slowly regaining my sanity and trying to think things out a bit better.

You are absolutely right, it is a fuel problem. There were just some strange coincidences coupled with my paranoid state of mind that lead me to believe it was something else.

I sprayed some starting fluid in each cylinder before I put the plugs back and then sprayed a bit more in the intake. I cranked her over and there was definitely some combustion going on. That narrows it down to a pump/filter problem.

I agree the plugs need replaced, but I don't they are contributing to the situation. If I can get the car running again I will just go buy some NGK iridiums.

I am going to head out to the auto parts store and pick up a filter, hopefully that solves the problem. If not, I'll have to do some quick research on how to test a fuel pump.

 

fuel filter should be pretty cheap and use that guide website i sent ya. i did it and it helped with my change.
while yer at it you should do that test the guy did. while the old filter is still on..... go back to the car and turn on the ignition. if you see fuel pissing out you know your pump is fine.

remember you need something to pinch the fuel lines tight while you change the filter. jack the car up good and high too. good luck with it dude.

 

I think there is something more serious than a clogged filter going on here. After doing some reading it looks like this is a common problem as well; although I haven't come across anyone who actually fixed it.

I checked the fuel pump relay, fuel pump fuse, and DME relay and they all seem fine. The connector at the fuel pump has no voltage present. I even jumpered the relay socket like it shows in the manual and there still isn't any power. I also tried connecting a 12v battery to the fuel pump and it does not work. The resistance of the fuel pump terminals measures around 250 ohms. Maybe the dead fuel pump fried something upstream?

I don't think the electrical layout for the fuel pump is anything like it says in the manual. When I manually activate the fuel pump relay I here stuff in the engine compartment come on and I also hear what sounds like a relay come on in the dash area. According to the manual the only thing that should happen is the fuel pump powers on.

Something ain't right.:dunno:

 

check your grounds. And change the pump. If it dont run on the battery then your pump is prob fried.
I have seen in some vehicles that there is a fuse wire. It is inline with the regular wire and when too much power goes through it burns that section of wiring out. Hard to trace them and not sure if it yould be on a BMW or not.

 

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CB43&mospid=47498&btnr=16_0317&hg=16&fg=15

im not suggesting to go out and buy un-neccessary parts but this seems like your problem.
you did a pretty good job on sourcing the cause i think. so to get you unparanoid about the problem just remember what happened in the first place.
you couldnt start and you kept turning it over and over with no fuel getting thru the pump.
in this website about fuel pumps...
http://www.carterfueldelivery.com/fuelpumps/consumers.php

he talks about number 1 factor "Don***8217;t make a habit of driving with a nearly empty gas tank. Running out of gas is not only inconvenient, it can burn up your fuel pump since the pump relies on the gas flowing through it to cool it."

and

"A plugged fuel filter will also cause the fuel pump to work too hard to push the fuel past the blockage, leading to early pump failure. Most cars use two filters. One sits inside the gas tank and is typically called the strainer."
theres a strainer shown on the the real oem diagram above....

im not saying thats it definite but seems a bit co-incidental. most mechanic will use logic to figure out a problem. elimate most obvious. i dont think its a case of something fried in the electric system because the car drove fine before that.
Steve

 

Feel bad for you 92Bimmer,....I know how :bawling: it can be when there's no end in sight or no clue to work with.

My former '94 325is did something very similar before too :yikes:. I stopped to pick up a pizza, started the car up and it started, sputtered and died...trying to start it again yielded no immediate success. Just like you, my ride started the next day without any intervention. Just like yours a few starts later and she's dead in the water not firing up. Other than all the other little details such as low coolant and what nots you are experiencing, I had near identical symptoms as yours....

The only difference really was I had a nearby indy shop diagnose/troubleshoot for me whilst you are doing yourself :thumbup:. My no start condition included, no fuel pump power to relay, no or little spark but perfect strong battery. I saw your video clip and boy does it bring back frustrating memories. Worst part was the OBD1 threw no codes. Shop owner told me it was a combination of coil pack, fuel pump, relays, etc......holy cow the list went on and on. :tsk:

Fed up, I towed the hunk of junk back to BMW since I had nothing to lose. They hooked it up to what looked like life support :dunno: and told me in a couple of hours later it was my DME. They swapped it out and the beast fired up again. That was back in the days when I knew very little of cars.

Since then, with my vert, I've removed the DME and water proofed it according to a DIY I found on the net as a precautionary measure....as flooding due to poor drainage is common with pre '95 E36ers. The procedure itself is quite easy and takes about 45 minutes to feel around and remove. Before you start whipping things out and test jumping things, I would recommend looking at the DME for corrosion and damage.

The faulty DME out of the 325 was determined to have sustained prolonged water damage despite the week that it malfunctioned was a perfect picturesque sunny week.

Good Luck

 

UPDATE:

Well, after more fiddling around I discovered the fuel pump is the problem. I was having trouble diagnosing it at first because of the fact I couldn't get any power at the pump terminal. I've since discovered there is no voltage at the terminal with the car in the on position but NOT running. There is only voltage when cranking the engine or when the engine is running. I also hooked a battery to the pump again but this time smacked it with a rubber hammer. It would run for a few seconds and then I could hear it slow down and finally stop.

I ordered a new pump off ebay for about $100 less than the local parts store had it for. UPS says it will be here tomorrow and I will be putting it in as soon as it arrives.

Thanks again for all the help. I will give a final update after the new pump is in.

 

:jawdrop::banana::clap::supdude:uch::sabrina: :fruit: :drive::freakdanc:roundel::str8pimpi:bigpimp: :rofl: Congrats on hopefully finding the problem... let us know how it goes.

 

DONE!!!!!!!!:smokin:

It's running perfectly now. I was surprised how painless the replacement went considering how much of a pain in the arse every other repair has been. I got it all done in under 30 minutes.

My car seems to be falling apart bit by bit though. Now my driver side door lock just spins. It worked the last time I used it so I don't know what happened. Maybe someone tried to break in.

This car is lucky it drives and handles better than anything else I've ever driven or it would be in the scrap yard already. The thing has been a money pit since day one.

 

congrats man. knew ya could do it! imagine how much that would have cost ya if you went to a dealership. mines a 92 also, its been sitting on driveway cos i got sick of putting money in to it. but i still take it out and drive it sometimes!
mines got 244,000 miles on the odometer. still going strong!

 

well done on sorting it out

to be honest the car is 16 yrs old so i can understand why its a money pit