HELP.... car not starting after timing rebuild (please chime in).

[e30/e46 FTW]

hello,

kindly help me on troubleshooting/verifying the culprit here pls.

i just finished a timing rebuild on a previously loud "diesel" sounding M42 e30 (replaced worn rails, guides,chain, etc.) due to a new tensioner not alleviating the noise, and besides the car being near 200K miles.

anyhow, buttoned it all up (made sure i'm on TDC..front lobes in /\ direction, back of cam levels flat and locked with 2 crescent wrench with a vise, cam sprockets arrow pointing up and flywheel pinned), and the car would not start.

double checked timing again by removing valve cover and it's still squared away.


so far i've tested/troubleshooted:

-car has 1/2 tank (good)
-battery has 12.47 volts (good)
-car will turn and crank with fue detected  and spark (did a spark test on all cylinder and -it's positive but still not starting).
-i found the crank position sensor and cam position sensor reading 0 ohms while connected (i believe it's suppose to be reading 500 and 1100 respectively).  can someone please verify the resistance while they are connected to the black box under the manifold?!
-stomp test reveals 1444 code (which is good IIRC)
-haven't done a compression test

concern:

-does the vibration damper have to be in a certain way for timing purposes? i noticed an arrow sketch on the oil filter housing that points towards the vibration damper (main pulley).
-will the car produce spark even if the crankshaft position sensor or camshaft position sensor reads 0 ohms?
-i had thought that i accidentally tugged both the sensors out of connection so i double checked also, but they are secured to the black box under that intake mani.

i wished there was an m42'er near me so i can swap the sensors real quick and check if that will fix it.


thanks in advance!

[RED IS 91]

You should have 550 +- for the crank sensor and 1250 +- for the cam sensor.
You are testing the plug at the end of the sensor?

[e30/e46 FTW]

You should have 550 +- for the crank sensor and 1250 +- for the cam sensor.
You are testing the plug at the end of the sensor?

yea thanks, i knew the value would be around there, either way it shouldn't be 0

yes, i am testing the resistance of both at the bare metal part of the sensors while they're connected to that black box under the intake mani.

can someone kindly verify that i'm suppose to be getting 550 +- for the crank sensor and 1250 +- for the cam sensor while connected to that black box?

thanks!!!

[RED IS 91]

You should be getting that while not connected .



the Manual says 1250 but it's incorrect. the value should be 550+-

[e30/e46 FTW]

thanks RED IS 91! i guess i must've read the cps and cmp wrong. i just did it again and CPS reads 1335 & CMP read @ 528. so i guess they're good!

basically one concern is, does the vibration damper pulley (hub) have to be in a certain way? i know there's a dimple near the holes for the bolt in there that slides into the other pulley in which i did line up.

now the teeth of the damper i'm not to sure if it's suppose to go in a certain way.

(here's a picture i found, it's not mine)


basically my question is, that big (gap) dimple on the damper where is that suppose to line up? is it a big deal..coz i did notice that arrow on the oil filter housing pointing to the damper but didn't see a mark on the damper.

thanks again!!

[nicknikolovski]

No, vibration damper doesn't line up with anything. You need to have locked your crankshaft at TDC through the flywheel lock access hole under the starter motor.

Then with the crank locked, the cams up top should after also lined up at TDC like you said.

[DesktopDave]

I'm not sure about that crank trigger wheel.  On a lot of engines it has to be timed just like the cams.  I googled this (http://www.motortraders.net/groups/group.asp?group=1&menu=89):
The crankshaft torsional vibration damper and the pulse wheel are combined. As with previous DME systems, the increment teeth signal engine RPM while the tooth gap represents the TDC reference point.

I've never pulled the nose of the crank apart, so I'm just a noob, but that's my 2 cents.

[RED IS 91]

You probably should do a compression check to make sure that your tdc on both your cams and your crank.
Did you put a bolt in to lock the crank when you did the timing chain?

[e30/e46 FTW]

resolved..car now runs.

it was the vibe damp pulley (hub). the woodruff key slot was difficult to see without a mirror, so i used one.

it seems just a little of noise dissapeared, maybe it's also coz i'm having a low oil pressure problem (i detected a leak in the upper oil pan, PO installed a homemade gasket and cut it short compared to the rest and that's where the leak is coming from). so i will install a new gasket once i get a chance... that is if i haven't already done a swap. lol

who knows i might even have worn lifters?! i basically had enough of the M42, i wished i kept my Excellent condition M20 (89 325i).

i'm also throwing a code of 1222, i'm gonna try to disconnect the battery/ecu first and check if that resolves it.

thanks a lot fellas!!!