E30 Zone

Evening All - first time posting in a long while.

My 1991 325i Cab wont start. It's been locked in the garage for a couple of years, then I fired her up a few weeks ago - took a while to get going, but it ran - just, and very roughly, like it was only firing on 5 cylinders so I put it back in the garage. I've tried again this weekend and it wont start at all - not even trying to fire, even with a fully charged up battery.

I checked there is a spark at the plugs, so it's not that. Disconnected the fuel line at the regulator and fed it into a bottle - no fuel.
Tried linking pins 30 & 87 on the fuel pump relay socket - no fuel. Not even a dribble. I've checked at the fuel pump and it's receiving 12V, so not an electrical/control issue - though I'm not clear on what the other 3-pin connector is for.

So, I'm now assuming it's either the fuel filter or the fuel pump itself. Gave up at this point for today. Thing is - the filter is cheaper, but I believe I need to jack up the car to replace it (I'm getting on a bit and this is now a big effort for me) - and the pump is easier to change, but far more expensive.

Any ideas to help me narrow it down and save my time and money?

Thanks

What fuel was in it before you parked it up? Modern 95 doesn't last long and at 2 years, first thing I would try is fresh fuel. Also check fuel lines as the ethanol in the fuel can wreak havoc with old pipes and seals.

Can you hear the pump running or priming? Sometimes a tap with a hammer can get it running

It would’ve been regular 95 octane I’m sure, but it was nearly empty so I put 5 litres of new fuel in from a Jerry can.

I tried today to listen to the pump with a screwdriver to the ear technique whilst the wife cranked the engine but I couldn’t hear anything. Whacked it with a hammer a good few times too and nothing happened.

Seems like I may need a new pump! Any recommendations on make/source??

The Wiki guide may provide some tips:
https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.php?title=Fuel

Thank you. I started off with that wiki article, which led me to where I am now. It doesn’t give me any recommendations on make or source of fuel pumps, hence my question.

You could try spraying Easy-start or similar down the throttle body while someone else operates the starter - this may help draw the fuel through after a few goes...

Failing that, I would be inclined to remove the fuel pump and clean it then try hooking it to a car battery outside of the car to try and 'wake it up' before buying a new one.

That's a great suggestion - I'll give that a go at the weekend.

It worked on my dad's Vauxhall Zafira when it ran out of diesel recently - even the AA couldn't get it to start ! The next day, I sprayed an Easy-start product down the throttle body and it finally started on the third attempt.

Well, I managed to get the fuel pump out ok - looks in a poor state - seems a couple of the seals have dissolved into a black goo like substance, unless they’re meant to be like that? The rubber cap at the bottom is disintegrating too and there’s rust on the frame, so I think it’s time to buy a new one. (I would post a photo I took but I gather you still need to host them online to get a hyperlink to them.)

By the way, before taking it out, I measured the voltage across the two supply pins to the pump and it was only 11V whilst turning the engine over. Does that sound right??

Just a side note about posting pic`s,
viewtopic.php?f=114&t=277018

Mart.

11V at the pump sounds OK - don't forget that cranking the engine over puts a lot of load on the battery, so there will be a considerable voltage drop.