New to e30's- Help needed please!

[Fungus]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and to e30's.

About a week ago I bought a 1987 318i that had been pretty severely neglected- it barely ran, the locks didn't work, there was a HUGE fuel leak from the engine, and many other issues.

So far the fuel leak is fixed- The short rubber hose sections that join the fuel rail and regulator to the steel hard-lines were completely perished. So I replaced these with high quality ethanol-proof injection hose and new stainless hose clamps. Sorted.

I got the engine running like new with new HT leads, Distributor cap, rotor arm and spark plugs (the old plugs were so worn that the gaps were around 3mm and the Leads/Cap were sparking all over the place).

Once I realized it was actually a sound engine, I installed a new timing belt and gave it a full service. Oh, and the locks are also sorted now (got rid of the drivers-door loop, and door cards off to lubricate all the mechanisms).

Anyway, I've got a few issues remaining that I need some help with;

The AFM has a round plug which is plugged in properly, but there's another connector coming from the loom which is cable tied next to the round connector. It's square with 3/4 (?) pins. Any ideas what it is?

Also, there is an un-used fuel line coming from under the car, with a length of hose joined to it which is just cable tied out of the way. Maybe there used to be a charcoal canister?

Lastly, the Boot it stuck shut (I think). The Lock is in the vertical position, it turns anti clockwise 90 degrees easily, and if I turn it a further 90 degrees it triggers the central locking. Still won't open though. There's no ski-bag panel so I'm struggling!

Any help would be great.

Thanks

[fb]

Ref the unused fuel line,i have the same on my sport.This i believe as you have mentioned, use to be connected to a charcoal canister,so not an issue!

[Captain_Birdseye]

Yes, I concur. Brian and the gang helped my identify the same cable a short while ago.

[Brianmoooore]

The plug and fuel line/hose were almost certainly installed at the factory in case a carbon canister, etc. were due to be fitted. It's unlikely they have ever been fitted and then removed.
Your inoperative boot lock is unusual, if, as you say, the key and button appear to work as normal. I expect it will turn out to be that the central locking linkage from the motor to the mechanism has somehow become disconnected.
You say you don't have a ski panel? I've never seen a saloon without one, although the blanking panel is likely to be still in place. You need access to the inside of the boot, so your choices are to make one with a nibbler or angle grinder, then borrow a small child equipped with a 10mm socket to shove through the hole, to completely destroy one of the rear light clusters, and to reach in this way, or there is a particular spot you can drill a very small hole through the rear panel, after removing the number plate and its surround, and then push a very small screwdriver through to operate the lock. The best way to determine exactly where to drill the hole is to beg or borrow a boot lock mechanism, so that you can see how and where.

[Fungus]

Thanks for help everyone.

I got the boot open today- removed the ski hole blanking panel by carefully cutting the spot welds. Then used every 1/4" drive extension I had to reach the latch bolts.

Undid them and opened the boot. I've decided to remove the solonoid and just lock the boot manually.

[Brianmoooore]

If you've got that many drive extensions, then that's a good alternative to the small child....
The boot mechanism, including the central locking, is normally 100% reliable, so it would be a pity to devalue your car by removing the solenoid without investigating further. It will probably turn out to be a very simple and likely free fix to get it all working as it should.

[Fungus]

I've looked into it and apparently it's common to double-lock the boot, I'm not entirely sure how but many others seem to have had this problem.

I'm very much of the opinion that it's worth spending the time to make original systems work properly instead of deeming them unreliable and removing them, but at the moment I don't have the time to investigate.

I've kept all the parts and bagged them all up, so in the near future I'll rebuild it properly so it's all working 100% how it was meant to. For now though, it opens, closes and can be locked. Good enough for me!

Thanks

[Fungus]

Any ideas regarding the un-used plug near the AFM?

Thanks

[Brianmoooore]

The plug and fuel line/hose were installed at the factory in case a carbon canister, etc. were due to be fitted.

Plug is for the solenoid valve.

[Fungus]

Didn't see that, cheers.

I did think it looked OE, brown cable ties are usually a giveaway!

Thanks again

[Brianmoooore]

That's how most pre 08/92 E30s were supplied - plug cable tied to the loom.