Brianmoooore's E30 related holiday problems.

[Brianmoooore]

Back from the Loire valley again now after a three week trip, not without E30 related incidents.
Set off on Monday 8th with a LPG/petrol fuelled 325 touring, (already with an issue with the LPG system in that it would sometimes take a couple of attempts to change over to gas), three kids, a wife, a caravan and a tent, heading for my sister's place, half way to Dover, and near my favourite scrappy.
A foray to the yard the next day produced a complete electric sunroof kit, including a mint sunroof panel, a complete headlamp and screen wipe/wash system, including the dual washer bottle etc., a complete OBC system, kless the OBC unit itself, a VW Golf servo for M50 conversion use, and a few other bits, all for Ԛ£30.
First hint of trouble came at about midnight at Reading M4 services when I stopped for a tankfull of gas. There was a strange noise coming out from under the car in the area of the rear seats.
I had welded up the exhaust a couple of weeks before, where a crack had appeared between the twin pipes and the bracket for the hanger off the rear crossmember. When I put the exhaust back on there was still a small blow between the pipes where I couldn't get the welder, so I stuck a big wedge of silicon rubber sealant up there. I thought the noise must be the rubber come loose and vibrating like the reed in a musical instrument.
Got to Dover, intending to fill again, but the useless BP garage there were out of gas (not for the first time), so I had to depart for France (at 2-30am) with only a third of a tank of gas, and no chance of getting any untill things opened in the morning.
Had a couple of hours kip, and set off south from Calais. Used up all the gas, so switched to petrol and carried on, looking for somewhere selling LPG.
Eventually found an "aire" with LPG, and filled up.
Tried to start the engine - fired a couple of times and died. Tried several times, all with the same result, so had to wind the car and van back away from the pumps on the starter motor, just about killing the battery in the process.
Not a great problem, since I run the caravan on an identical battery. Quick battery change later, and start fault finding.
Removed the petrol feed hose from the injector rail, jump the battery + to the fuel pump fuse, and get plenty of flow, so turn my attention to the sparks.
Take out a plug, lay it on the rocker cover and crank the engine. NO SPARK.
After changing the distributor cap, rotor arm and crank position sensor, daughter, sitting back on a grass bank, enquires as to why the indicators are flashing. Bloody idiot!! - changing the battery engages the immobilizer!! Press alarm remote on the key fob and - hey presto - have sparks - but still doesn't start.
Decide to forget petrol and concentrate on LPG. Removed the gas vapour feed pipe from the gas mixer, jump the battery + to the gas solenoids and tweak the reducer untill I got a good hiss off gas from the vapour pipe.
Reconnected the vapour pipe, and cranked the engine over. Starts and runs!!!
Continued on our way, tried to switch over to petrol several times, but found that it just cut out.
140 miles later, still hadn't found another LPG station, and was beginning to get worried, as with no petrol alternative, I would be completely stuffed if I ran out of gas.
I have a laptop/GPS/autoroute set up which has an overlay giving the location of LPG stations throughout thr UK and Europe, so I consulted this, and found that a service station on a pay motorway about 15 miles away was listed, so I unhooked the caravan, wife and kids in a laybye, and set off to find this station, praying that they would have gas when (if?) I got there. Made it to the service station, filled up with gas, and after another 16 miles in completely the wrong direction, found an exit, and made my way back.
After a total of 48 miles I arrived back at the laybye, and for once in my life, the wife and kids looked overjoyed to see me!
Hitched up again and drove on the remaining 20 miles to our intended campsite.
Next morning I carried on with the diagnosis. Petrol supply was OK, but the spark plugs were dry, so maybe I had an injector problem. Forced the front end of the injector wiring box cover off and confirmed 12V+ at the injectors.
Didn't have any way of checking the injector pulse, so I checked the wiring back to the ECU (plug under inlet manifold), and even opened up the ECU on a dry joint hunt. Found nothing, so put it all back together again.
While I was at my sister's place, my brother in law had given me a couple of gallons of petrol, which he said had contained about 5-10% of diesel, so more in desperation, than in expectation, I decided to drain the tank and refill with fresh petrol.
Pulled the petrol feed pipe to the injector rail off again, and stuck the end into a five gallon plastic water container from the caravan.
Jumped the 12V battery+ to the fuel pump fuse again, and started to pump out the tank.
Ran for several seconds, then stopped. Disconnected and reconnected the jumper wire again and it started again - then stopped. SHOULDN'T DO THAT.
At last I worked out what was happening. The pump would run for a while on 12V, but was stopping when supplied with about 10V when cranking the engine!!
Tipped up the rear seats (touring), removed the door cill trims and the carpet under the seats to reveal the pump access plate. Couldn't get at two of the screws, because they are under the seat base mountingt bar, so had to remove this as well, and then the access plate.
Diagnosis confirmed, as every time the pump stopped, I could restart it by tapping the top of the tank with an 8" long 1/2" socket set extension.
Pumped out the rest of the petrol, and went off to the hypermarket for food, wine and half a tank of petrol.
Back to the campsite, and found the car would start and run on petrol, as long as the pump was thumped while the engine was cranked. Took the pump out of the tank, and pushed down on the brush caps. This seemed to improve things, so I thought it might provide a temporary cure. Next thing was to cut away a small part of the rear seat mounting bar, so that I could remove the pump with the seats in place.
The car was becoming more and more reluctant to start on gas when totally cold in the morning, so the standard procedure was to refit fuse 11, tip up the rear seat and tap the fuel pump while someone cranked the engine. Rev the engine to 3500 - 4000 RPM, and try to switch over to gas, and switch back rapidly if it didn't catch, with someone still tapping the pump. Once it had caught on LPG, the seat could be tipped back, fuse 11 removed, and the car would run and start on gas for the whole day.
Two week holiday went past OK with this procedure every day, untill a couple of days before we were due to move back to Calais to come home.
Not E30 related this time, but the invertor board for the screen of my laptop decided to die, robbing me of my map of all the LPG stations on my return route. Stripped the screen down and found thatI could make the screen light for a few seconds at a time by twisting the pcb in one particular place. Managed to get the thing going long enough to get the location of all the relevant gas stations down on paper, then bought a small soldering iron, and resoldered allth most likely looking suspects on the PCB, but without success.
Couple of days later, set off from the Loire to Calais, stopping every time we had covered 50 miles or so for a top up of gas when we found a station, keeping the engine running all the time, just in case we couldn't find the next one or they were out of gas.
Reached our Calais campsite in the evening and decided to do a round trip to Lille and Adinkerke in the morning.
The car was very difficult to start in the morning, only running on petol for a few seconds without thumping the pump, and still getting more reluctant to switch to gas. Did the round trip with no great drama, filled up with gas, and went to bed early in preparation for our 2-30 am (4-00am boat), departure.
Up at 2-30 am, pouring with rain, kids tent picked up and ready to go by 3-00am. Plan was to drive out of the campsite on petrol, and change over to gas once outside, but the car had other ideas.
Could only get a few yards at a time before the pump would quit, so finally I gave it 4500 RPM (at 3-00am, in a campsite), and changed over to gas. Fortunately it changed right over, so we were off to the boat.
Parked up in the queue in the docks, and tried to start the car as soon as I sw the first line of cars move. Wouldn't have it, so kids out, seat up, fuse 11 back in, pump thumped, got it started on petrol, over to gas, and set off after the car in front which was now 150 yards up the road.
Next problem was getting off the boat. Fortunately it fired up on gas, reluctantly, but started, never the less.
Went up the A2-M2, 'cause I know theres a 24/7 petrol station just past Canterbury thet sells gas. Filled up there, and then onto M4 Reading services for another fill, and back to my sister's place keeping the engine running all the time.
Straight down to my favourite scrappy again. A 'G' reg 320 just in, relieved of its pump in five minutes flat, and installed in my car in another five.
Luxury, a car that starts again, and the bloody thing has switched over to gas cleanly ever since!!
Back to my sister's place and cut the pump open in the workshop. Plenty of brushes left - then I looked at the commutator. Looked OK at first glance, then I realised it was grey, not copper coloured. The whole of the copper had worn away, right down to the plastic backplate, with just a few shards of copper remaining. Quite incredible, but not bad for 250,000 miles of running I suppose

[E30BeemerLad]

What an adventure mate, and you're definately not living alone in a bedsit now?

[dazleeds]

you are a true legend my friend

excellent tale one to tell the grandkids

what sort of tool kit do u carry tho??
ive heard of being prepared but fookin hell your tourings a fookin tardis mate

[Jos]

quite a story Brian!!!

Good job you sorta know e30s isn't it

So other than all that excitement, did you have a good holiday? Or did you enjoy the fault finding challenges presented to you more fun?

[tomstickland]

Great read. It's the endless enthusiasm to make things work that impresses. I'm surprised you didn't find a French scrappy!

[gareth]

sounds like an eventful holiday!

i thought my lash holiday, 600 miles with a smashed sump held together with fuel talk repair patches was a achievement!

nice one!

[Brianmoooore]

Great read. It's the endless enthusiasm to make things work that impresses. I'm surprised you didn't find a French scrappy!

I've never seen ascrappy in France, although my brother in law has since told me he knows of a few, but the chances of finding anything other than a Citreon, Pug or Renault in a French yard is small.
Could have always bought a new one of course (passed the local main dealer on my way back after the laybye episode), but I'm far to tight, especially when I've got a few spare ones at home.

[Brianmoooore]

what sort of tool kit do u carry tho??
ive heard of being prepared but fookin hell your tourings a fookin tardis mate

It's the caravan thats the Tardis. Carry a full set of E30 tools, a full set of hoses and ignition parts, and in future a fuel pump and ECU as well.

[Brianmoooore]

quite a story Brian!!!

Good job you sorta know e30s isn't it

So other than all that excitement, did you have a good holiday? Or did you enjoy the fault finding challenges presented to you more fun?

Holiday was great, in between the worries. Made a right balls up of the diagnosis really, but provided quite a bit of entertainment to my fellow campers - except at the last campsite, who I suspect weren't quite so ammused.

[johnono]

brian, u are a bit of a genius arnt u mate fat smile on my face after readin that little "family moooore outing"

bet the kids cringe when dad says " one minute, just gonna look at something "

[dazleeds]

any pics of these antics brian

[Jimbob]

I liked it when the e30 skills soon moved on to laptop screen repair!

[johnl320]

Sounds like you need a holiday after all that Brian!!
regards
john

[Demlotcrew]

[Adam318i]

I think i would of given up long before you!!!

Sounds like a fun holiday for a mechanic

Adam

[hoshy]

phew what a mission dude!

testiment to bm engineering, the commutator fails before the bushes. lol

[Jon_Bmw]

Could only get a few yards at a time before the pump would quit, so finally I gave it 4500 RPM (at 3-00am, in a campsite

Great story thae above bit made me laugh i can just imagine you reving the bollaxs off it at 3 in the morning then idley whistling once it changed over to gas and you'd got out of the campsite.

Hope you had a good holiday in-between all your dramas, glad we've got our e30 electrical technition back.

Jon

[elliot]

well, that`ll teach ya for having a caravan

[Brianmoooore]

well, that`ll teach ya for having a caravan

If I didn't have the caravan, I wouldn't have had the mobile stores and workshop or the vital spare battery. Still outdrags a fair percentage of things on the road with the caravan in tow, especially up hills.

[320Touring]

Nice one brian-thats made me smile on a monday morning

glad it finally got all sorted-must say i'd have probably lost the rag with the pump long before you

glad the favourite scrappy came up trumps

maybe another solution would have been to short the screenwash motor so it ran continuously, and filled the water bottle with fuel, then jury rigged the line onto the fuel rail (given that you only need the petrol to start it)

[Brianmoooore]

If I'd known just what state the motor of the fuel pump was in, I'd probably have made so contigency plans, but it was only really on the last day that I couldn't get the thing to run at all.
I've had experience of a worn pump that would jam before, but that one would start up and run for a day or so if thumped.
In retrospect, I could probably have got the thing to start on gas easier if I had partly blocked the air inlet to the filter box with my hand while cranking it. This would have worked like an old fashioned choke.