Re: E30..it stops..it goes..it stops

[Louie Rendek <ljr7@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

You wrote:

>>It began on Friday when the car refused to start part way through the day
>>(fine first thing that morning). A quick examination showed no spark at the
>>plug but the engine turned over fine. Not having spare time I left it until
>>the evening when the spark was there and it ran well. Thinking that maybe
>>there was a bad connection on the coil which had been fixed by the
>>disturbance I undid and cleaned the terminals. First mistake - I should have
>>known that electrical problems don't just go away as simply as that. 
>>
>>Everything ran OK until today (Tuesday) when the car cut out after about 150
>>miles driving, same problem - no spark. After a couple of hours just as it
>>was about to be loaded on a flatbed it started, ran for 8 miles then stopped
>>again. So it finished its journey on the flatbed and left me scratching my
>>head.

>Sounds like a main relay going bad!  You might check this, since this has
>been the cause of all _intermittent_ no spark problems I've ever seen.

>Kenn Sebesta


This sounds correct, but I just thought that I would add one other comment
too.  When this happened on my car, I purchased a used main relay, fuel
pump relay and DME control unit, since I wasn't sure which it was.  Turned
out that the main DME control unit was bad and not either of the other
relays.  My point is that if you try replacing the main relay and it
doesn't fix the problem, then you may want to suspect the main DME control
unit.  Good luck.  If this doesn't solve your problem, then you should go
through the whole ignition section of troubleshooting in the Bentley.
There are reference and speed sensors that could be going bad on the
transmission bellhousing that also could cause a no spark situation.


Louie Rendek
Case Western Reserve Univ.
1987 325e 130k miles
BMWCCA #144328
email:  ljr7@domain.elided

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