I have recently been given a 320i (1980) the car has been sitting for 5 years. it ran when it was parked. we have changed oil replaced a leaking fuel line and a new battery. i have never owned a BMW so any ideas as to where to start to track down the problem would be great.
A guy once explained in very elegant, yet broken english...no gas, no spark, no go. First check to see if you are getting spark (Do not hold on to the wire while you check!). If you are getting spark, check to see if you are getting gas to the injectors. I am assuming it is turning over you are just having problems getting it to start?
no turnover thank you for responding no the engine will not turn over or has not turned over. I am assuming that it is not getting power to the starter, I will be checking the relays between the battery and the starter. I also think it may be a ground prob. with the battery ground (the tray is rusted and loose) if I can get the engine to turn over I will take your advise for the spark and fuel. if you have any other ideas, I am open to all advise. thanks again C
Try going to http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=143 That forum is probably much more active than this one, and you'll get much more e21 specfic help. After sitting for 5 years you can almost be certain that you will need to drop the tanks and clean them out. Bad gas will really ruin your party. Have you checked the starter for continuity?
I realize that, but that will take time. This forum is a little less user friendly than bimmerforums, and there's already a well established group of e21-ers over there that regularly check it, so for a quick response, he should go there. I put a thread up a while back mentioning the bmwcca forum over on bf.c, so maybe they'll eventually post here too?
thank you to both of you thank you for the advice I will try bimmerforum and I have changed the gas but not checked the continuity of the starter yet I will try that, to add to the discussion I have found both of the forums to be informative and will continue to check them both! ( oh, and just to clairfy I am a her not a him
I turned the crank by hand so I don't think the engine is siezed, I think I am going to have my mechanic take look at it (it is beyond my do it yourself capibilities!!) but I am not giving up on learning how to take care of the basic stuff and continuing the restoration I think the old girl will be a sweet ride one of these days! I will post some photos of the progress.
my E30 wouldnt turn over one time. wouldnt make a sound. i put it in neutral, and rolled it back a ways then put it in park. started right up. some how it wasn't reading that it was engaged in park. that may be your problem as well, maybe not. its something simple to try though.
As the proud owner of a 320i I can say, they can be a true pain. Instead of giving up so quickly, go ahead and get a good shop manual, Bently if possible. Check all of your wires as they may have rusted or bad connections, especially the grounds. I had to replace my battery cables due to corrosion in the cable itself. Also pull your relays and fuses and clean all the contact points. Mine shut down going down the hwy one day for no apparent reason. After jiggling the relays, it fired back up and ran fine. Wish you the best of luck, it is a fun car to own and drive even with the quirks.
