ok i just picked up a 86 325es

the guy said it was running fine and the starter died...

he put a used starter in and fucked up the wiring...

i got it cranking over and all and it has no fire to the plugs...

any ideas...im going to check a bunch of shit tomorrow...

but just asking what yall might think??

 

Wow, that's taking it waaaay back. Is that carb'd or fuel injected?

 

its injected

 

Ugh. Fucked up the wiring how, just the starter wiring or does it go farther than that? It could be a lot of things, too early to tell. Check all the usual suspects tomorrow, make sure you have power at the ECU, etc. It's probably a problem with the switched ignition power, unless he did something really stupid like reverse the battery terminals or hook the starter up backwards and put power to ground. Usually ECUs are reverse polarity protected, but I've seen bad things happen anyway. Sensors are sometimes a mixed bad for how well they're protected, so that could be it also. Usually bad engine position sensors will just keep the engine from running well though, not keep it from running at all.

It's probably something simple though. He's likely just somehow disconnected power in the engine bay somehow. Hopefully the starter was a drop in replacement and not a retrofit? If he had to retrofit something, who knows what's wrong with the wiring. I wish people would just leave electrical systems alone if the don't know what they're doing.

Do you hear the fuel pump prime when the key switch is on, and are you just guessing about the spark plugs (because it won't run) or have you checked it?

 

yes the pump runs...i have no fire ..i checked that...its hard to say what or how he fucked it up...ill prolly figure it out tomorrow...ill check and see if i have power to coil and shit...its prolly simple...

 

Sorry I can't help more, I just don't really have much info yet..

 

its allright man...im sure ill get it tomorrow...

if not my mechanic will...

but ill let you know what it was..

 

WTF man, I thought i was supposed to find that car and trade it for a paint job

 

you still can...

i got this car in trade for putting an alternator on a eclipse

yes you read it right...100 dollar part and about an hour of work...

 

damn thats a steal if you can get it running.

good luck, sounds like your not getting power to your coil...

is it sputtering at all? could be crank sensor.