E36 M3 S50 OBD1 Crank Position Sensor read "open loop" - is this reason for no start?

[bimmerboy318]

So, my 95 E36 M3 with S50 OBD1 decided not to start today. It will crank but does not start,and you cannot hear the fuel pump prime. There is no back seat so it's easy to hear.

It's been sitting the last couple of months because it's a track car. Build thread in my signature.

I think I've narrowed it down to the crank position sensor on the front of the motor. But before I spend $180 bucks on a new one, I wanted to ask here. Here are the things I did to narrow down to the CPS.

1) Fuse 18 is good
2) Main relay has power at pin 30. It also has power at both pin 87's when ignition on. Replaced with one of the yellow 115 relays in fuse box and no change. So I think main relay is good.
3) Fuel pump relay has power at pin 30. It does not have power at pin 87 when ignition on which goes to the fuel pump. So I think fuel pump relay is good.
4) Fuel pump will run if I jumper the fuel pump relay at pin 30 and pin 87. So I think fuel pump is good. However, the car will not run even with the fuel pump relay jumpered probably because no spark as DME is not happy because of below issue.
5) Now this is the most telling issue.... CPS sensor reads "OL" open loop on my Fluke electrical tester. I tested pins 1-3 per Bentley but also did 1-2 and 2-3 to cover all combinations. Basically, as far as the car knows, there is no CPS even plugged in. I also see that the CPS wire black jacketing is split and the silver ground jacket is severed.

So I think an open loop CPS is my issue. If the DME doesn't get anything from the CPS, then it won't pump fuel or send spark... Correct? Is there a way to bypass a crank position sensor on a 95 S50 to make absolutely sure? The only other thing is it could be the DME but I hear relays clicking so it must be alive. Could only the fuel pump output ground from the DME go bad?

Car is stored indoors and started 2 months ago at my 2nd track event of the season. Now going for my 3rd event, no start. However, I've suspected the CPS as I've had one instance at each event where the car took a second try to start. Also an instance when it died when I pulled into my pit. But started immediately when I tried.

[shogun]

Moved from E36 DIY to E36 M3 forum, questionsfor the M3 pls post in the E36 M3 forum,

[spyderg0d]

Obd1 crank sensor must read between 490 and 590ohms cold and at OT otherwise the car will not run.

[E30s50dude]

Replace you crank sensor "open loop" tells you all you need to know. You have an open somewhere in the sensor not allowing a complete current path to show on your DMM. Sensor should read around 525 ohms if its open.