So what was it ???

[mightymouse]

Have had a non starting problem for about a week now.

Started (or didn't) after the bonnet had slammed down when the left hand telescopic stay dropped off the bonnet pivot. Had been running ok prior 'cause was checking where the exhaust was leaking - yup normal place, joints from manifolds into the centre box.
Luckily had a padded block on the bulkhead so was able to gain access plus it happened when my head wasn't under it
Anyway since that event the beauty has refused to start.

Thanks for all the tips on this site guys all very helpful
Followed various thoughts on what it could be but to no avail

Even borrowed flapper box and ballast resistor bits off Dean's very nice 350i (thanks mate much appreciated), but no joy

Anyway had another go this morning but just re checked fuel by pulling fuel line off and checked that the pump was, well, pumping which it was.
Sat in car and cranked and cranked it over and low and behold after a bit of coaxing with loving words she fired up , let it run at circa 1500 all seemed well, let it warm up and she ticked over lovely and the sound Yipee

Left her switched for a couple of hours and tried again and she fired up again , although with a little hesitation (but that might have been me being a bit paranoid).

Now the 64,000 $ question is what the was it 'cause I really have no idea ?????
Is it possible the fuel pump is giving an intermittant / low pressure flow or could the pressure regulator be playing up ? Any way of testing ?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated as I would really like to fix this (don't really want to come home on a braekdown truck).

Thanks

[leorest]

The way I read it, the last thing you did before she sprang back into life was run the pump without any back pressure. I imagine that test must have been pretty spectacular as EFI pumps are quite butch (Do tell)! Could the original problem have been fuel starvation which was caused by crap blocking the pump, and running it without back pressure created a condition where there was enough flow to shift the blockage? If so, whatever caused the blockage is now safely in whatever receptacle you used to catch the petrol. Much better than it moving on to blocking the injectors.

daffodils (just for the hell of it)