95 325i Crank No Start: NOW WITH MORE QUESTIONS!

[DeltaDConstruct]

Got it running. Ended up either being the EWS/DME or the relay. No big deal, since I got everything else replaced at the same time. Now that it's running I get to start the real fun which will likely include a redo of the headliner, pillar covers, and rear deck with a grey suede as well as some new seats. I'm also working on prepping some lights for tint.

I'll be starting my build thread tomorrow with an album of before pictures.

[MParallel]

YT-ish title had me CLICK!

[DeltaDConstruct]

YT-ish title had me CLICK!

I'm working on my presentation. Really trying to make building a thing I do for more than just fun.

[DukeOfUnderster]

Daaaaang it. Well it's good to hear you got it up and running. I have the same damn issue. 92, have fuel, no spark. Changed CPS, fuel pump, swapped ECU and Fuel Pump relays with my E30. Car had been sitting for a couple years. Pulled all the garbage fuel out, dumped in a few gallons of fresh fuel. Verified fuel to the rail. Pulled the plugs, they are super groady and nasty. Have a set of coils coming from a buddy and a set of fresh plugs going in.

I'm gonna pull the ECU tonight to check it.

[DeltaDConstruct]

Daaaaang it. Well it's good to hear you got it up and running. I have the same damn issue. 92, have fuel, no spark. Changed CPS, fuel pump, swapped ECU and Fuel Pump relays with my E30. Car had been sitting for a couple years. Pulled all the garbage fuel out, dumped in a few gallons of fresh fuel. Verified fuel to the rail. Pulled the plugs, they are super groady and nasty. Have a set of coils coming from a buddy and a set of fresh plugs going in.

I'm gonna pull the ECU tonight to check it.

The next thing I'd do is check which version of your DME you have and if you can just do a EWS bypass. If you have something that runs on EWS II I'd probably source a 413 or an EWS Delete chip. If you're running an EWS I try doing the wire snip bypass (That said, if you have crank with a EWS I the EWS isn't the culprit). If you're okay with spending around $20, go get the main relay from a BMW dealership. The replacement is a 4 pin that removes pin 85 and internally splits the constant 12v inside the relay from the 30 to 86 and 87s.

It's hard to say what fixed my issue but I think it ended up being the relay; I just minimized other failure points at the same time.

If you need anything else, feel free to hit me up whenever.

[Eric93se]

Duke, did you verify the injectors are squirting? Fuel at the rail may not be enough, pull the rail with the injectors attached and either manually trigger them or have a really long rag and crank to see them squirt (with a helper)

[DukeOfUnderster]

Duke, did you verify the injectors are squirting? Fuel at the rail may not be enough, pull the rail with the injectors attached and either manually trigger them or have a really long rag and crank to see them squirt (with a helper)

Yep, verified with the aid of my girlfriend turning it over. Pulled the rail off and had them squirting all over the top of the valve cover. Pulled the ECU last night, found corrosion on 4 or 5 pins on the top row of pins. I took some Isopropyl alcohol and some cotton tips to clean it. The deeper I went, the more corrosion I found. Swallowed the big pill and bought a used one today, so hopefully this is the issue and will be resolved.

[Eric93se]

Duke, get a can of Deoxit 5% (guitar store, electronics, Amazon) call around. Spray down the board liberally, use an old toothbrush to scrub, do it a second time. The deoxit leaves a protective layer. It has to dry 1000% before installing.

[DeltaDConstruct]

Duke, did you verify the injectors are squirting? Fuel at the rail may not be enough, pull the rail with the injectors attached and either manually trigger them or have a really long rag and crank to see them squirt (with a helper)

Honestly it's a good bullet to bite at this point. If you plan on having this car for a long time or if you're going to be doing any modification to it I'd consider saving up for a while and eventually just swapping in a MS3 Pro PNP and get some new seals for the DME compartment cover. Only reason I say that you should get an MS3 is because it will allow you to actually check to see what errors you're having instead of doing the oldschool 'chase symptoms until you find the root problem' method. They're not cheap but they'll save you considerable money and time in the long run.

[DeltaDConstruct]

Update. I can confirm that it wasn't the DME at this point and likely wasn't the EWS though it's a good thing to bypass while you're at it. I swapped in the original DME with the Turner Motorsport chip, car started up and revved to 7500rpm without issue. Drove just fine, and sounds mean as hell.

For anyone that runs into this issue the first part I'd buy is the updated OE Main Relay and immediately do a new engine ground strap because you will probably need to anyway. You can do the ground strap for less than $10 or you can go all out and do what I did and get a 0g power wire from an audio store and put some ends on it and you'll have something that will never fail. It cost me a little over $20 but I have no fear that the strap will die again. I do intend on going even further to ensure a long life for the strap including shrinking the ends to the wire coating, then doing a chemical resistant shrink film over the whole thing but that's going way above and beyond what anyone should have to or want to do.