my 92 325i turns for like 5 minutes before starting then dies at idle - United Bimmer Community

**keith2shrum1** · 09-30-2010, 08:47 PM

ok my car has been good to me and ive been good to it its got new plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, i change the oil every 3200 miles i use royal purple oil and have for 2 years and the car has never acted up at all then the other day i get in it to go home from work and it took like 5 minutes or cranking before it would start i didnt think anything about it started driving and it died it starts right back up but i cant figure it out thats why i did the fuel pump and filter and it still does the same thing please help cause my other car is in the shop getting a new motor so i need this car bad. thanks

**3050rpm** · 10-01-2010, 05:28 AM

A quick guess is to check the crankshaft position sensor...

**keith2shrum1** · 10-01-2010, 10:27 PM

ok thanks but where is that located

**3050rpm** · 10-02-2010, 08:58 AM

I am quoting directly from the Bentley manual (if you don't have one you should pick one up, very helpful, including the diagnostic procedure for the position sensor): "On 1992-1995 (pre-OBD II) cars, the crankshaft position/rpm sensor is mounted on the front engine cover and reads the toothed vibration dampener wheel."

Of course, bear in mind this is just one guess as to what's going on with your car, from my very limited automotive knowledge another possibility could be your ignition coil. Good luck.

**anGuz** · 10-25-2010, 11:45 PM

hey i had the same sort of problem with my 1993 325i.. it turned out not enough power was being generated and i ended up replacing the alternator. Runs perfect now, might be worth checking out.

**keith2shrum1** · 10-26-2010, 12:00 AM

cool thank i might try that i need a new one anyway beings i have a biga$$ system in the trunk

**BostonGreen318** · 10-26-2010, 07:33 AM

I don't mean to insult anybody's intelligence here, but sometimes the simplest answer is right there in front of you.

Start with the basics:

Battery voltage (should be at least 12.0 volts), Relays, Fuses, and Fuel (I have read that fuel can go "bad"). Under the circumstances you've described, I would assume that you would want to scrutinize the Fuel pump relay, DME relay, and Oxygen sensor relay, especially.

Test for ignition spark.

Test for fuel injector pulse. Using a mechanic's stethoscope, touch listening end of scope to body of one of the injectors. Get someone to crank engine for you while you listen. There should be a 'tapping' noise that comes through and indicates the functioning of the injector.

Make sure the fuel pump is operational. Under the car, detach fuel line from fuel filter. You will of course need to make the appropriate precautions here! Place open fuel line into a container and turn ignition key to the first position (do not start engine, but turn key so that the electrical components are activated). For a few seconds, the pump should run and eject fuel into the container. This will determine if the pump is doing its job. You should also consider the fuel regulator as a possible culprit.

I highly doubt there would be an issue with the timing belt because, as I'm sure you've heard, that simply doesn't happen with BMW's. However, you never know.

The other aspects I'd investigate are the ECU (if there is no spark, or no fuel injector signal), DME (can apparently be damaged by going through the car wash?!?), and maybe the Crankshaft and Camshaft position sensors, or even the Mass air flow sensor.

Have you checked for fault codes?

Best of Luck.

Big Evil · 10-26-2010, 08:08 PM

in addition to the good advice BostonGreen gave you, the bis A@# system in the trunk. Is it running through a capacitor? If not it should be, otherwise you get power fluctuations that can wreak havoc with the body control and in turn affect the EWS which will cause a no start condition.

**keith2shrum1** · 10-31-2010, 12:26 PM

thanks for all the feed back guys and i know that the fuel pump is my problem because everything else is fine and the pump comes on but nothing comes out of the hose right at the pump so i know thats the problem and as for the system yes i do have it on a cap and it reads there when the car did start at idle with out the music on i get 13.6 volts so i dont know anymore but i did get a fuel pump last night so im gonna see what happens later thanks again for all the feedback

Big Evil · 11-01-2010, 10:12 AM

Sounds like you have a handle on it, Good luck

**keith2shrum1** · 11-01-2010, 01:19 PM

well once again thanks guys but i figured it out someone was screwing with me cause some how the wires the power the fuel pump were takin out of the harness switched around and put back in so of course its not gonna work backwords but i got them put back the way they were supposed to be and the pump works fine