E36 1994 Fuel pump issue

[bigzig]

Hi guys,

I have a 94 BMW 318is E36. I had an issue where the car would not start..it would repeatedly crank until you hit the fuel tank at the bottom which would get it going. Eventually it gave up, and stopped completely. I automatically thought this was a simple fuel pump issue. However, I had to go overseas for a while, so the car was left neglected for 8 months or so. When I came back I decided to replace the fuel pump myself, and get my battery recharged (it was left connected).

Unfortunately the car still won't start..it cranks again, but sounds a little different. In addition, there is also a horrible smell of coolant inside the car when I attempted to restart it.?!?! :confused Wondering what the plethora of plausible issues the car could still have with a brand new fuel pump...

Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys!

[bigzig]

Anyone?! Please..

[Butters Stoch]

Need more info.
Are you getting fuel pressure now?
Ignition spark good?

[bigzig]

Sorry - dumb question here... How do I check the fuel pressure? The fuel pump relay seem good and when the car is cranking I can hear the fuel pump.

Could the issue also have to do with a weak battery, since it was left idle was a while and then recharged. For example, when I turn the car on, the radio or the lights don't seem to turn on, but the engine is cranking.

[dworthy]

A fully charged battery helps, make sure to have it tested.

[BMWFatherFigure]

Most other curcuits go dead while cranking..

[bigzig]

Thanks for the replies.

Good News: So I put in a new battery and the car started straightaway :)

Bad News: The alternator is fried.. When i reconnected the old battery, there were a few sparks and a funny smell, but I didn't take any note of it at the time. But now that the alternator isn't working, I am thinking it has something to do with that...

What could possible cause an alternator to screw up? And what should I check before I reconnect the alternator so this problem is not repeated?

Thanks guys

[dworthy]

More then likely the brushes in the back have gone bad. If you always remember to hook up the positive side first, there shouldn't be a problem.