New member with a problem

[ric5s]

Hi to all members,
Ric's the name and today I bought a BMW 91 5 (e34) series sedan
today which I was very happy about. Drove it onto the car trailer got home drove it off no worries. Drove it up my drive way and it died. Thinking fuel added 15 litres to the tank, no go, fuel to engine but will not fire up. Read the info on the net, still stumped??? Never owning a BMW before and always wanting one, I seam to have a problem on the spark or timing side of the motor. As a newbie my questions are.,
How can I find out what engine size/type it is? Engine number., 30567129???
Vin, WBAHB62030BC37163 any clues here???

Crank sensor and cam sensor, should I buy replacements to avoid chasing my tail?
Price limit on these items (au) before I get robbed?
Any help on my problem would be great.
Regards Shattered, Ric

[bmwrp8]

sounds to me crank position sensor. also check your fuel pump.

[shogun]

VIN BC37163
Vehicle code HB62
Series E34
Model 520i (520i M50) so you have a M50 engine, add these data to your profile and 90/1990
Body Type saloon
Catalog Model ECE (European version)
Production Date 09/2990
Engine M50
Transmission Automatic
Steering Right
Catalyzer Yes

Pic, before you buy expensive parts, ask a BMW dealer or a shop with a proper diagnosis tool to run a diagnosis. Especially in Australia the prices are very high for parts. Many people therefore buy from the U.S. such as (I buy from there) www.autohausaz.com
or BMA
Is your drive way on a hill or something? Refill more fuel. Might be not enough as the bottom of the fuel tank is not even. Check the fuel coming from the fuel hose in the engine room. Might be a long time stored car and fuel could be mixed with condensated water in the tank. Water is heavier and sinks to the bottom of the tank.

[Bo525i]

Production Date 09/2990

Wow, maybe thats why it won´t start, it runs on some advanced alien brew from the future..

J/K

Good luck with getting it back up ´n running and welcome to the wonderful world of E34´s, a timeless machine!

[shogun]

Thanks, 'small' typo, 02/1990 is correct ;-)

[tim eh?]

hi - couple o' sites you might like to look at that i have found useful time and time again.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/
punch in your serial # and you can find all the parts for your car.

http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php

shogun's site is really good too as the e32 has a lot in common.

checked spark? if not, well - i'm replacing my cps just b/c i don't know when it was last replaced and it seems to die on people all the time.

edit- i had suggested if you have spark the fuel pump relay as a good place to start but then reread your post... oops! good luck!

[ric5s]

Thanks to all for the feedback and links for advice and info. Started at the BMW local parts guy with a quote of AU $585.00. Moving right along to advice here I came across one for US $53.00
Position/RPM Sensor Crankshaft. This part is manufactured by: FACET.
Applications: 325i E36. See below for more applications!
Applications: 525i M50 E34 525i Touring E34

I removed mine today and it looks old, rubber was brital and cumbled at the sensor, wires and casing are very stiff. After removal, it returned to the shape it held in the engine bay!!!!! Also found out there's some sharp bits down at the harness clip. LOL
Got a coded reader coming, seems a must have with BMW..Cheers.
Ric

[genphreak]

The carsoft one is very limited. The best is the ADS kit at www.bmwecu.org. Have you got fuel pressure? Could also be the return check valve in the petrol tank, they can cause a no start condition.

All that said, it could be EWS if the car isn't cranking. If it is, its fuel problem, or a mustard relay, fuel pump, check valve... I've never seen it spark related on a bimmer...

[ric5s]

Hi All, changed the crank pos sensor, checked the fuel pump, got spark to plugs but still will not fire up. Back to the start. Cheers Ric

[karl1171]

Considering what you've looked at so far this could be a long shot.

My First e34 had a tendency to flood of moved a short distance (eg up your drive!)

The first time it happened I thought it was a starter motor problem as it sounded like it was spinning and not turning the engine.

The car would eventually start if you turned the key to position III and held it leaving the starter to turn for about 2-3 minutes