Engine issue after engine swap

[IainB]

Following on from this thread http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ic&t=46087
Everything is in and hooked up (finally), starting to question why I did this now, would have been easier to get another car!!
Anyway, the donor engine ran lovely when I picked the car up from near Cambridge so a good 45 minute (I think?!?) drive back, removed the engine/box/loom and it sat in the garage for a week.
Finally put the engine into the 318 and now it runs like a dog, had issues with it wetting the plugs and not starting, it now runs.....but its rich, VERY rich.
Ive gone through the connections giving them a clean, changed the plugs, blue sensor, dizzy cap and rotor, air filter, used 3 cans of carb cleaner on anything induction wise (AFM/ICV/TB/piping) and am now flat out of ideas
I wouldnt mind so much, but I know the engine was good, and this is now driving me up the well.

[Brianmoooore]

starting to question why I did this now, would have been easier to get another car!!

But think of the satisfaction when you finally sort it, and how much you'll learn about cars on the way!
There's not really many reasons I can think of that would make a M20 run very rich. Obvious ones are restricted air intake (AFM door swinging OK?) and the coolant temp sender (check its resistance when the car is hot, both at the sensor itself and at the ECU. Look for 300 ohms or less.)
Another possible thing to check is that the return fuel line isn't restricted in any way, resulting in increased fuel pressure.
Check out the round plug and socket fixed to the metalwork under the inlet manifold.

[IainB]

But think of the satisfaction when you finally sort it, and how much you'll learn about cars on the way!

True, by the end of this I am going to know this car inside out, still prefer a big V8 and a carb though

There's not really many reasons I can think of that would make a M20 run very rich. Obvious ones are restricted air intake (AFM door swinging OK?) and the coolant temp sender (check its resistance when the car is hot, both at the sensor itself and at the ECU. Look for 300 ohms or less.)

Door swings OK (have another AFM on the way to swap out also), temp sensor is new, but will check its resistance...I dont suppose you know which ECU pins I need to check?

Another possible thing to check is that the return fuel line isn't restricted in any way, resulting in increased fuel pressure.

Didnt think of that, is the 318i fuel inlet/return the same as a 320i - cant swap the pipes over from the donor as they are in pretty poor condition

Check out the round plug and socket fixed to the metalwork under the inlet manifold.

Cleaned, looks OK

Thanks for your help, appreciated

[IainB]

Quick update on this, spent today going through the car again, the blue temp sensor lead is OK to the join, didnt get the chance to check from join to ECU (though a search has thrown up pin 40).
The car decided it no longer wanted to start anymore, thankfully I had a spare battery after killing the other one, eventually started but unhappy, still smells rich and now doesnt want to take any throttle!!
Would this point to a) blue sensor wiring b) AFM or c) issue over the injectors (as it still smells very rich)
Cheers
Iain

[jonbuoy]

Did you change the afm with the engine conversion?
Did you change the coil pack?

Did you take anything apart from the engine and replaced before doing the conversion or was it just one out, one in?

[IainB]

Did you change the afm with the engine conversion?
Did you change the coil pack?

Did you take anything apart from the engine and replaced before doing the conversion or was it just one out, one in?

Everything that was needed from the donor came across, engine, box, exhaust, loom, ECU, AFM, coil etc.
The engine is 'as is' a good runner....which is now playing up!! thats what im finding very frustrating, I havent touched anything (well I have now!) and it doesnt want to run 100%

[jmc330i]

My 318i converted to 325i is still using the 318i fuel pump, fuel lines and coil pack - they are all the same.

When you fitted the M20 engine, which side of the engine did you fit the earth strap? It is fitted on different sides between the M40 and M20 engined cars. It doesnt matter which side its fitted, as long as there is a good earth contact.

Thinking about it, Im not sure if the driverside M20 mount has the mounting point for the earth strap, so assuming you bolted the strap to the passenger side chassis rail, did you clean up the paint work to get a good earth contact?

[IainB]

Further update I'm getting close to selling this now, haven't driven my own car in 6 weeks now and I feel bad borrowing cars to get to work.
Something that I have recently remembered is that when I first attempted to start the car I made 2 major mistakes, 1 I forgot to re-attatch the earth lead after playing with the PS pipework and 2 forgot to bolt the ECU up so this wouldn't have been grounded.
Could this be a major stumbling block for my plans of world domination? aka starting the car?
Also managed to check the blue lead and this is reading correctly from sensor to ECU plug.
Earth lead is onto clean metal. New AFM hasn't helped with the diagnosis either.
Confused of Dunstable

[Brianmoooore]

If your engine has an oil level sensor, and you attempted to start the car with the body to engine block earth strap off, you will probably have cooked a brown/orange wire in the engine loom that runs from the oil level sensor to the earth point for the engine loom on the RH suspension strut.
It can well have melted into and shorted with other wires along its run.