BMW 325i SE Touring - failure to prime fuel injection

[Stan0870]

HI, i own a 1988 325i touring, which!, for some unkwown reason, its fuel injection system wont prime the the engine via to start up, i have tried various angles to rectify this problem to no avail - eg.. testing relays, swapping relays, jumping the sockets the relays house, testing the fuel pump, swaping ECU's,. is there any one there who might be able to shed some light on my dismal situation?? thanks steve...

[suzie650]

mine has never primed.
The pump only ran when the crank sensor could see the engine turning over.
Cheers
Seb

[Brianmoooore]

mine has never primed.
The pump only ran when the crank sensor could see the engine turning over.
Cheers
Seb

Which is exactly as it should be!

[Stan0870]

HI SEB, does yours fire up straight away when the crank is swinging?, as mine takes a few stabs at the key, ocasionally it will fire straight away!, do you think i may be looking in the wrong direction? and that the crank sensor might be at fault?, but woud'nt that have a knock on affect to the ignition timing? thanks steve...

[suzie650]

I don't think that a sensor can look in the wrong direction
And if it was dead, the engine wouldn't run at all. They usually either work or don't at all.
The only thing i can think of is if your fuel filter is not the newest or you don't use the car for a while and you loose pressure in the rail, it might take a couple engine turns to fire up.
But as long as it fires, everything's fine, isn't it?

[Stan0870]

problem is m8, if it does,nt fire straight away, it seems as though 40 gallons of shells finest have found there way into my engine bay, chokeing my car half to death.

[suzie650]

Is it choking your car, or do you not have any fuel going to the back cylinders during the first seconds (loss of pressure in the rail)
An I6 running on 4 is not a pleasant sound...

[Stan0870]

ok m8,it seems to me as if its an excess of fuel judging by the plumes of smoke, the car then plays hunt the cylinder for a while as its trying to clear, its frightening on my cardi wallet watching over £5 a gallon disappear into the air without a turn of the wheel. ps as a new member im gratefull of the sound advice so quickly.. thanks steve...

[benjy]

fuel pressure regulator? IIRC shouldnt the pump run for a second or so when the ignition is first turned on? It did on mine, when it was still M20 powered, and still does so now. Or is it just me

[Stan0870]

hello mate, thats what i thought, im no mechanic, but im sure i was told some where in the past that on activating my ignition i should here the pump run briefly prior to start up.. thanks for the tip...

[suzie650]

mine has never primed.
The pump only ran when the crank sensor could see the engine turning over.
Cheers
Seb

Which is exactly as it should be!

If this man says something about e30's, and especially its electrics, you've got 99.9% chances for it to be true and right.

[TRANSPORTER]

I,d have to agree mine doesnt whine whir or make any noise when starting might take a second or two to catch and fire up but thats about it, my E36 makes a lurvly whirring noise when you turn on the ignition but not my beloved E30.

[Brianmoooore]

A 325 touring SHOULD make a whirring noise when you turn the ignition on, but it should be from the ICV, not the fuel pump

[Stan0870]

hello brian, i dont think im getting a whirring sound from my icv on start up,just alot of clicking from my main relay, but then ive been unacompanied whilst trying to rectify these problems and cant get near the unit and apply the ignition, but i am getting a buzzing sound from the icv once the engine has started?. as ive stated before on my previous posts i appreciate the quick and sound advice i have received so soon as i am a new member. thanks steve...

[Brianmoooore]

Main DME relay should switch on with the ignition switch, and then stay on. If this relay is chattering, then you need to look into the reasons for this.
The fuel pump relay, beside it, should pull in when the crankshaft turns, and drop out again if the crank stops.
Check that there is power on the + terminal of the ignition coil, both with the ignition on, and when the starter is engaged. (Connect a 12 volt lamp between the + terminal and a good body earth.)

[TRANSPORTER]

OOOOEEERRRRR best I go and have a listen to my ICV now, got so many little jobs to do on my touring its beginning to get overwhelming, many thanks Mr moooore for some more invaluable reasons to spend longer in my garage

[capri_rob]

My 325i ( pre facelift ) doesnt seem to prime the pump when I first switch it on at all. Strangely it will start instantly from cold without touching the accelerator pedal, but once its warmed up it then it cranks over for a few seconds before firing and also needs a bit of a prod on the accelerator to get it going. Im hoping that it just needs a service - new fuel filter dizzy cap/rotor arm and plugs will hopefully make it a bit easier.

[capri_rob]

mine has never primed.
The pump only ran when the crank sensor could see the engine turning over.
Cheers
Seb

Which is exactly as it should be!

PM Sent - Help !

[murran]

at most you should hear 6 compressions on cranking before start up, then when the crank sensor sees no1 it knows the firing order starts here and the car should start up, the fuel pump should run soon as the engine starts cranking tho. doesnt do an initial prime on e30s.