No fire under the hood

[bakedalaskan77]

hey all, I have a '95 318ti, it wont start. I have talked to some people and been told it was the fuel pump relay, so even after i checked it, and it was good, i replaced it anyways. Still nothing. The engine turns, with an occasional sputter, but just will not fire. I had also heard that the relay for the fuel pump will go before the fuel pump will, not sure how much i believe that though. I am at a loss, and dont really want to replace the fuel pump if it could be something easier. Also, the guy i bought it from was a shady kinda guy, and put a ground wire from the radiator switch ( the brass plug in the passenger side of the radiator with 3 wires to it) to one of the strut mounts, why the heck would he do that, everytime i turn the key to run, the fan comes on, and i am pretty sure it stays on the entire time the car was running, (When it actually ran). Does anyone have any ideas for me, besides using it for target practic? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[familytruckster]

I'd bet the motor has a blown head gasket...just from the fan being wired to run constantly. Do a compression check. Other than that, it could be cam/crank sensor.

These cars pop headgaskets very easily, plastic cooling system parts break, and the car overheats, and viola blown hg/warped head.

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by bakedalaskan77

I have talked to some people and been told it was the fuel pump relay, so even after i checked it, and it was good, i replaced it anyways. Still nothing.

Don't guess, Systematically diagnose your problem first, then replace.

Originally Posted by familytruckster

Do a compression check.

+1, good place to start.

How did it run just before it failed to start?
Do you have spark?
Are you getting fuel?
and on and on and on . . .

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

Originally Posted by familytruckster

I'd bet the motor has a blown head gasket...just from the fan being wired to run constantly. Do a compression check. Other than that, it could be cam/crank sensor.

These cars pop headgaskets very easily, plastic cooling system parts break, and the car overheats, and viola blown hg/warped head.

Damn man nothing like going right for the "big money".

As the truckster said if you can do a compression test that would help us see if the motor is in good condition.

You can also check fuel pressure at the pressure check on the fuel rail. Take the cap off and push in the schrader valve (looks like a tire air stem valve). Be careful since if the fuel pump is working fuel will squirt out at 30-40psi.

What do you spark plugs look like? All the same color? Different colors?

Thanks, John Smith

[familytruckster]

Originally Posted by xxxJohnBoyxxx

Damn man nothing like going right for the "big money".

As the truckster said if you can do a compression test that would help us see if the motor is in good condition.

You can also check fuel pressure at the pressure check on the fuel rail. Take the cap off and push in the schrader valve (looks like a tire air stem valve). Be careful since if the fuel pump is working fuel will squirt out at 30-40psi.

What do you spark plugs look like? All the same color? Different colors?

Thanks, John Smith

I might be pessimistic, but I'm also usually right. And if I'm not, it's generally a good thing.

[bakedalaskan77]

Thanks, I will check out everything and post what I find out. It did have an overheating problem in the past, the water pipe was cracked on two of the ports, so I replaced that. but I was very leery about the additional ground wire on the radiator switch. I will kepp you posted, thanks again...