New 350i owner

[ralph350i]

Wedg1e said:

Don't worry about the cold start injector, most V8s will fire up quie happily without it (and if you have another fuelling issue it can make things worse).

You certainly do need a fat spark, not least because the ECU uses the ignition amp output to the coil to tell it when to fire the injectors. If the amp is dying (or the coil is shot) it can lower the pulse amplitude to the point where the ECU can't see it.

I'd pull the plugs out and see if they're wet. If they are, the injectors are probably firing OK but maybe the sparks aren't strong enough.
If the plugs are dry and the CSI isn't doing much then the injectors aren't firing and it'll never start. You could tip a capful of petrol into the plenum chamber and see if that kicks it off even for a few seconds - that'll prove the sparks are doing something, and maybe you have an ECU fault.
Have you checked to see if there's a bullet connector somewhere around the airfilter, in the (White/Black) wire from the ignition amp to the injection loom? That can corrode or get pulled off accidentally, stopping the ECU from seeing the trigger pulses. You could chop it out anyway and solder the wire ends together, that removes one point of unreliability.

Cheers Wedg1e
I,ll check again mate, was gonna get a can of easy start this morning, but got side tracked with another car lol as i needed a daily runner, the air flow metre did back fire, so am asuming the timing is well out, but as i say i cant complete 2 tasks at once, so i,ll have to get a mate around to help

Many Thanks

Ralph

[ralph350i]

Small update Guys
I have booked a guy to come and help me on the 18th as he reacons he can sort the EFI problem if thats it, well we will see, fingers crossed, i may get to drive my wedge for the first time hopefully

[ralph350i]

Right at last we have some progress, but still not starting
So after 4 bloody cold hours i managed with my clarkes drimel to grind of the bolt for the starter and fit the new one which has made a massive difference to the cranking, this was also help by the £100.00 72AH Bosch battery i brought this morning, ITS A MONSTER LOL

So after testing for spark which was good, out came the easy start which produced massive back firing, so am think the timing is way out, so i may re-time the engine in the morning if i dont have to go to work, as i cant be far off starting the bloody thing



Thanks

Edited by ralph350i on Saturday 11th February 21:58

Edited by ralph350i on Saturday 11th February 21:58

[ralph350i]

The Hatter said:

It's been said before but it sounds like your timing might be 180 Deg out, I've known professional engine builders do this...

You could lift the RH rocker cover and turn the engine over by hand to confirm which cylinder the valves are closed, then check the rotor arm position to confirm the rotor arm is delivering the spark to the correct cylinder.

Good luck!

Morning Hatter
i think your right, am going to try and re-set the timing this morning, bare with me i am not a mechinic, so i could be wrong, but if i remove the distributor and set cylinder 1 to TDC and then re install the distributor back the rotor arm facing lead 1, i think that should do the trick????

[ralph350i]

Many Thanks Guys
Well i sorted out the timing, hooked up all wring and it fires, so after cranking just a couple of times it was defo gonna start, then Bang, the starter jumps clean out breaking the housing and toothed gear which is my though as should have sorted that top nut, but after yesterdays number of cranks, i thought it would have been ok, so am left with a stud i have to remove and an £80 started mashed to bits, bloody great, Dont you just love cars

[ralph350i]

Mike Brewer said:

Feel for you.....I Have just been out side trying to clean a few earth leads on the mrs car.some undo some dont ...And i am useless with spanners.i have a lucas starter used on lotus esprits Lm 300 not sure if it would fit yours Mike

Hi Mike
thanks for the offer mate, but i,ll send the new one back and see if i can get a re-fund, not likely but worth a try and these cars do like to challange you mate, am finding out the hard way lol

Cheers and thanks

Ralph

[ralph350i]

superwedge said:

hi there, superwedge here, don;t give up on that car it looks the dogs bo??cks, try and get that stud out with small pear of grips locking ones,good luck. waiting for next update,

Hi Superwedge
Dont worry mate, i dont give up that easy and have seen a stud extractor that should do the job, so bring on next weekend, that v8 is gonna start if it kills me mate

cheers

Ralph

[ralph350i]

Evening Guys
Well i got on the phone this morning and a new starter free of charge is on its way, so bring on the weekend, i cant wait

[ralph350i]

Mike Brewer said:

Nice one.Watching with interest.Hope it goes well for you Ralph.Mike 350i s2

Thanks Mike
Right received the new starter today and hopefully get it fitted tomorrow afternoon if poss and see if the old girl can start, here's hoping guys

[ralph350i]

Afternoon Guys
Well managed to get the starter motor fitted as last,But would that stud come out, like hell, so had to cut back the housing on the starter and fix a nut to the tread which has worked.
So set the timing, check petrol etc and it would not run for love or money, so check the spark plugs and found they where the wrong type ( to short), so pick up some new plugs and bingo it fired, but would not tick over, missing very badly and at one piont would not start again at all, so check with a volt metre and it had lossed its 12v to coil??, messed about a bit, check fuses etc, nothing, check feed again to coil and voltage back???
So cleaned and checked spark on all plugs, which was ok but not great, reset timing again and fired up, but again running Really badly, so at this piont i am confused, could this be the dizzy causing the miss firing as the timing must be near or there abouts to start the engine or is there something i am overlooking??
Well here's a video off it running for a short period and hope it may help answer the few question i have.

Edited by ralph350i on Saturday 18th February 17:28

[ralph350i]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Mate..Not 100% but it sounds like its not running on all cylinders..When my V6 was only running on 5 it had that flappy rev sound although it didnt have smoke coming out the back..It could be over-fuelling still?..Are the plug leads in the right order?..Not sure if its a timming thing though..Sorry i cant help much..Ziga

Hi Zig
Yeah it dont sound like its running on all cylinders and is defo over fueling, we did check the leads and all are correct, thus why i think it mybe the dizzy is playing up not putting spark to all plugs, but i,ll have to see what i can find tomorrow mate, sorry i missed today, but i dont think it would have made it lol

cheers

Ralph

[ralph350i]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Mate..No worries about today..The main thing is to sort your wedge out and get it running right..We might meet up again soon and then theres always the Ace cafe..Albeit in the evening..Do you have a timming light?..Can't you check each plug lead by taking off each one in turn and cranking the engine once or twice to see if they spark?..Have you got a healthy spark from the coil..I did read that if the AFM is not set up correctly then it can give you all sorts of problems some i think are what you are describing..Not sure how you set them up though..Ziga

Hi Mate
i did check all the leads etc and the spark is ok but not great mate, i think i made a mistake by thinking the termo time switch was a air temp, so i,ll try again tomorrow and that air flow metre, god knows, if i can get it idling then at lease i can drive it to garage to get the emissons checked and adjusted Zig.

So you guys go down the ace cafe, interesting i used to show my M5 down there on the german nights and i would be well up for some meets mate, as i am still meets co-ordinator for bimmerforums.co.uk so use to doing meets etc, thanks for your help Zig, much appreciated mate

Cheers

[ralph350i]

Hi Guys
Well finally got to the bottom of the problem and Mason ( Ian your gonna kick yourself big time mate) well firstly it was the timing, but the mass fueling and rough running turned out to the Air temp switch, simple link in plug and job done and shes running pretty well.

So a good service is needed as the engine oil is full of petrol and i need to find out why another start motor has smashed it self to bits again ( this time i did have both bolts in) also looks like the clutch has issues, no fluid in the rest and clutch pedal to the floor, i did put some fluid and pumped it which did produce a pedal, but its as heavy as hell, so maybe the flywheel is shot ( starter motor) or the clutch has been put in wrong who knows, still at lease it runs so am getting somewhere at last

Cheers

[ralph350i]

mrzigazaga said:

Wow..That sounds a lot better....I can hear a faint whistle or rattle when you rev it, Unless thats the norm?...Shame about the starter and the clutch..I bet you were itching to drive it..Good news though..Nice one...Ziga

Cheers Ziga
Yeah i was until i found out it had more petrol than oil in the engine but that comes with trying to start an engine too many times with faults so not an issue mate, the whistle or rattle god knows as yet mate, but when it was running it was smoking really badly from the exhaust i think, which must have been removed and not put back correctly or it could have been the clutch fluid that had leaked on the exhaust, am sure i,ll find out soon, cheers Ziga for all yours and everyones kind help, i owe you guys a
sorry
Quick question to the 350i lads, is the clutch surpose to be heavy on these cars please

Many Thanks

Ralph

[ralph350i]

Mr Tank said:

Hi Ralph

Good news just wrk throug the rest one job at a time and you will get there! O! nice looking header tank you have got!

Andy

Cheers Andy, sorry guys can see the multi quote button
Yeah it a nice bit of kit and well made, it was brought from Tvrcarparts.com for the sum of £258.00 so not cheap and yes Andy its gonna take a bit of time mate and cheers for your help.

[ralph350i]

mrzigazaga said:

And its wedge shaped..Just like the ones im hoping to get made!!...Just had a thought..You say the exhaust was smoking,Was this at or near the engine?..Maybe it was that that was causing the whistling?..Im not sure about yours but some clutches are heavy or feel that way in comparison to another car..Mine used to feel heavy until i got used to it..Mines a cable and when it starts creaking its time to replace as i found out on my way to last years BBWF.."PING"..Ziga

Thanks Barrington

Ziga
just post details on the tank mate and the smoking was mainly come from the exhaust joins under the car ( installed on the piss) and also on the manifolds ( exhaust paste ), the clutch i,ll have to pressure bleed mate and see what happens, hopefully it will be a little lighter

[ralph350i]

Mr Tank said:

Ralph

It may be heavy but doe's it work?

Andy

Thanks dave and mike

Andy
I went to try it and the starter desided to smash it self to peices again, so no idea, i work for a drainage company so i,ll get one our cctv camera and have a look, but unless that flywheel has teeth missing which i really can't see, i reacon it these cheap chinese starters that are at fault.

[ralph350i]

Hi Guys
well the road looks like a very long one after speaking to the last owner today.
please note i take full responsibility for the the buying of the car, so in no way do i blame the owner, so just wanted to make this clear before i comment
Well i have been informed that when the clutch was replaced only the clutch plate was changed, no pressure plate or flywheel, so the gearbox has to come out to correct and check both items as the starter issue pionts to the ring gear.
Thank god he drove the car for 3 months after the heads where repaired but this is now a worry and will have to check the mechinic work, so engine and box out i think and start again, pretty sh*t, but what can i do as i cant live with this hanging over my head, still on a brighter note, i can get the engine bay pianted and the engine cleaned up and looking smart, i was really looking forward to driving this car, but it looks like its gonna be a long time before that happens.

Could someone advise on the best way to remove the lump, does the front panel come off etc??? hope you guys can help

Cheers

Ralph

[ralph350i]

cheers Mike and ziga
No worries guys, it should not take to long to complete, so hopefully by summer i,ll be driving the wedge, roll on spring them longer hours will be needed and i best start taking them cod liver oil tablets, the old fella's gonna need them lol

cheers

Ralph

[ralph350i]

HOTTY said:

Hi Ralph

Sorry to hear of your woes, been reading with interest.

Sometimes things may seem worse they are as even removal of the engine and box and back in, is a long weekend with the right hoist.

But before you get cracking i dont understand, how is the starter motor breaking up, as it propels the fly wheel then retracts.

Now when i first started to turn my motor over after a long stationary period, it wouldn't start and the continuous turning smashed my starter, so not so unusal, maybe the new starters are not up to the job ?

I dont understand the conection with clutch and starter as the clutch cannot be engaged as your vid shows the engine running without the car moving.

Regarding the very heavy clutch (the 350 are a little heavy than norm but not by much), check the piston as these can get clogged when not used offen, change the fluid, buy a new slave before taking the car appart, worth a go for not much spend and quicker.

If all looks ok with the piston and fluid check in the housing to see if the folk operates with ease.

Best of luck

Hotty

Hi Hotty
in regards to the starter the only thing i can pin piont is eva the ring gear is broken or the starter is not disengauging, this could be down to the igintion switch over running or starter being at fault, but this is the second one i have fitted and this one is a genuine part???, i,ll take off and test, the strange thing is i have the orginal starter and the teeth look great, but as the last owner did not start the car after the clutch was fitted, he would not have come across the issue.

In regards to the clutch my concern is the pressure plate not being changed, it may well be ok, but until i run the car i wont know, cheers for the heads up on the lump removal and i,ll check the slave etc as the system had no fluid in what so ever, i did fill the chamber and pumped the pedal and did get a clutch, but my M5 was heavy, this is in another league mate, still another week learning how the wedge works, which has been interesting to say the lease, still i am enjoying the challange and for some reason the car is growing on me, i think i need to see a doctor quick mate

Kind Regards

Ralph