Hey guys, I’m having some trouble with my e30, it’s a 1984 model I bought it a while back as a barn find, it started for a few seconds and stopped a few times I changed fuel filter and pump and regulator and still done the same thing, I ended up getting it changed from auto to manual and now it won’t start at all and I have no injector pulse at all, I have fuel coming all the to the rail but the injectors have no pulse.
I’m stumped !
Any help would be amazing !
Last edited by mochanic; 03-09-2022 at 03:58 AM. Reason: More details
Do you have spark?
Do you have bellhousing mounted crankshaft sensors or just the one on the harmonic balancer?
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Hey, I do have spark I have everything besides pulse to the injectors, I’ve pulled the fuel rail off and cranked the car and nothing comes out but if I pop the injectors off and crank it fuel rushes out of the rail.
And I don’t see any crank angle sensor on the harmonic, besides one that just slides into a slot and it has 2 wires that go up to the diagnostic plug it doesn’t look like a crank angle sensor and I don’t have a toothed wheel at on the crank pulley, and there’s nothing on the gearbox besides probably a reverse sensor ?
Any idea ?
Any idea? Any help would be great :/
Unfortunately, we didn't have the 325i in the US until years later, and the 325eta used different circuitry in crucial areas . I have no wiring diagrams for your car, but I'll try to help.
Check the injector plugs with the ignition in "on" position: do you have power at the red, or red/white wires?
It's highly unusual to have spark, but no injector pulse, as the DME controls both.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Thanks heaps any help would be great, This is a 323i and I’ve replaced the dme, that big relay with all the resisters in it, I’ve put a noid light on it and I have no injector pulse even when cranking ? Do they all have a CPS either on the crank or the gearbox ? Or do any come in other locations or without a CPS?
Thanks heaps
The car has to have a CPS or the DME doesn't know when to fire the injectors. Bellhousing mounted sensors (2) came on big-six cars and eta motor small sixes. Being an "i" motor small six, I'd expect your car came with a sensor that reads the front crank pulley/harmonic balancer. Note that if you have this sensor, it's going to need to be within 1 or 2 mm of the balancer. The whole balancer doesn't need to be toothed.
I'm hoping Darin or another tech in Europe will chime in here, because they would have had an '84 "i" motor.
Meanwhile, we need to know whether either of the two wires to your injectors have power; it should be full time 12 volts whenever ignition is on. If there's no power there at all, we are chasing power; if there is power there, we are chasing the ground/signal to fire from the DME.
Why did you replace the DME? AND, Is it correctly mounted or otherwise externally grounded?
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Indeed it does need to have a CPS hence the reason I’m confused as to why I can’t see one ? i know some cars have it inside the distributor but I’m Unsure about this car and everything I’ve read says exactly what you said either bellhousing or on a bracket near the crank pulley. Now I’m lead to believe the person who change the gearbox put one from a car that must’ve have the CPS on the front pulley as there’s no sensor on the gearbox and this car doesn’t have any at the front which means they must’ve been on the old automatic gearbox ?? Or do you think otherwise ?
Can someone invite Darin into this thread ? And
so I just need to turn ignition on and I should have power on one of the pins for the injectors ?
And DME? As in that big relay thing in the engine bay? It has its own spot to mount I just replaced it because alot of people said that could be the issue
I don't know what "that big relay thing" refers to. The DME is the engine computer; lives under the dashboard.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Oh lol, yes I saw that under the dash, I’ll see if I can find one that matches the numbers and try and fit it,
Also do you know where the CPS will sit on this car ? As the gearbox has been changed from auto to manual and I’m unsure if the mechanic that done it didn’t know there’s sensors on it and now the car doesn’t have a CPS because there isn’t one on the crank pulley? Can they be anywhere else?
Is your distributor built on to the end of the cylinder head?
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
So Chris, you have to think like it's a 79 528i, for they both use L-Bosch jetronic injection. The signal pulse should be coming from the distributor. I would take a look at the output from there.
No, it is on the side behind the alternator
- - - Updated - - -
So you’re saying the output to the injectors would be coming from the distributor ?
Yes, that's what Darin is saying. Your car's crank position input is coming from the distributor. That's why I asked whether your distributor was at the end of the cylinder head.
Unfortunately, I've got nothing to offer here. I have zero wiring diagrams for this era, and zero experience to draw from. None of the three professional references I have to draw from can help me. I was a banker when your car was made...sorry.
Try going to the E21 subforum; your engine is, electronically, close to those, and perhaps there's someone there that can be of better help.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
That’s all goods thanks so much for your help! I’ll see what I can find on the e21 subforum
I’ll pull the distributor out and get it tested at a place for all the signals and go from there ? Unless there’s a way I can test for CPS on the distributor that you know about ?
Yeah I haven't touched that injection system type for about 20 years now. Just for FYI, that sensor on the front cover is for diagnostic purposes and to adjust the timing.
Ahah yeah it’s abit of a tough one I can’t find much info on this car and it’s driving me crazy, and also thanks for that I was wondering why that’s there lol any tips when removing the distributor ? Anything to mark or do prior to or when removing it ?
I wouldn't remove it...you should be able to test for a signal better with it in place. If you remove it, you've added another problem. How many wires coming and going to the distributor? In theory, you should be able to turn the engine with a wrench, while testing each of those wires. Do you have a PowerProbe? This makes it very easy to test for power - OR ground - at the same time.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Ahhh okay, we’ll it looks like there’s 1 plug 2 pin plug on the side of the distributor that has 2 wires going to it And a diaphragm with 2 hoses connected and the cap with 7 leads to it 1 to each cylinder and 1 to the ignition coil
So here’s what I’ve gathered:
With ignition on I have earth on both pins of the injector and then once you crank it, it drops both earths and picks up a very weak positive probably 12v
And Nothing at the distributor plug no power or earth when ignition on or off or cranking
And I have positive on both sides of the ignition coil? And when I crank it, it drops to a weak positive??
You have spark ? In order to have spark, you need 12v at the coil, and then a fire signal (ground). The injector is pretty much the same. The distributor has to be sending some sort of pulse/signal to the DME or coil if you have spark. Does any wire go from the distributor to the negative side of the coil? If not, where does the wire at the negative side of the coil come from?
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
We’ll I checked today and I don’t have spark… and the wires go into the big harness under the manifold
If all other systems check out (see fueling and timing troubleshooting in eg the 77-87 Haynes) then check your fuel pump relay works by using a 3way fused jumper on the FP relay socket, across 87, 87a & 30.
Iirc the fuel pump should start running and the engine should start on the key, if there’s a fault with your FP relay.
I have an ADM 8/84 e30 323i…
This has the 7th injector deleted after 85.
This site is useful if you don’t have the Haynes: www.exx.se , see e30 technical info page for L-Jetronic info, and elsewhere on that site.
Last edited by bigbadddbenny; 09-22-2022 at 08:40 PM.
Hi, how it finished ? I got the same L-Jetronic problems, if anyone alive please let me know.
try starting a new thread with the symptoms you are experiencing. we never got the same set up here, so north american sites won't have much info. you can find some info on l-jet here :
Jetronic - E30 Zone Wiki
edit : stumbled across this article as well on l-jet : HyperDocument (xwebforums.com)
hope it helps explain things.
Last edited by 82eye; 11-10-2023 at 10:46 AM.
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