'86 325 Reluctant Start help required

[beemerbird]

Over the last couple of months, my car has developed a reluctant start.

It always fires up on first twist of the key, but takes (feels like an eternity) probably a second or two before it rumbles into life.

Recently changed which may help you identify the problem are:

Alternator including brushes
Dizzy cap and rotor arm
Assuming that the brown plug next to the blue one is something to do with the Brown Temp sensor, the brown plug has been replaced as the wires were ripped out by a heavy handed partner. Not with an OEM part, however.

Once the engine has warmed up, only the slightest cough is heard prior to it doing what it's supposed to do.

Any advice or suggestion would be, as always, gratefully appreciated.

Fi

[bodieanddoyle]

brown sensor is temp gauge, so unlikely to cause any woes, blue one is temp sender for the EFI so a possibility. fuel filter getting old and blocked?

[beemerbird]

Quite possibly - I've got a fair amount of scum in the tank, so always keep it at least one third full. I guess that pulling the pump out and checking the gauze bit might help.

Its on its second filter in less than a year, but can't afford a new tank at the moment

[bodieanddoyle]

use a smaller jubilee clip and fit vauxhall filters; they're about half the price of the bmw kl9 size ;)
just get pattern ones as putting vauxhall genuine parts on an e30 just seem right

does it smell really fuelly when cold started? if so it might not be blocked filter. there is a way of trying those temp senders out, I usually use a spare one and heat it with a lighter to try and see if it leans off.

[beemerbird]

No - never smells of fuel. It's almost like its bored and doesn't want to start, but as soon as it does its sweet as

[gooner1]

Sparkplugs Fi?

[beemerbird]

Worth trying, Rob.

Sounds a bit blindingly obvious, so may well be the problem

[fowler]

has all the hall marks of a failing fuel pressure reg to me as it takes a few seconds it has to pressurise the fuel rail before fuel gets in to the injectors. Just a suggestion
HTH

[beemerbird]

has all the hall marks of a failing fuel pressure reg to me as it takes a few seconds it has to pressurise the fuel rail before fuel gets in to the injectors. Just a suggestion
HTH

Hmmmm. How would I go about checking this, please? Words of few syllables appreciated

[Brianmoooore]

fowler could well be on the right track!
Ideally, connect a pressure gauge to the fuel rail, but as a quick test: Pull out the fuel pump relay and link together pins 30 and 87 of its base with a piece of wire before attempting to start the car.
This will make the fuel pump run continuously, so the fuel pressure will be fully up when you start it.
Fuel pump relay is the four pin, probably orange one, under the cover by the air meter.

[beemerbird]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, chaps

Will investigate and report back.....