Am I Suposed to Hear the Fuel Pump?

[Blazen]

Even though this is my first post, I've been reading these forums for at least a couple of months. I'm Jon. I bought a 91 318is with cracked head about 2 months ago and I'm still trying to get it drivable.

I recently bought a "refurbished" head and swapped it in. I used a new head gasket and bolts. I made sure the flywheel was locked in TDC and the cam ends were parallel to each other. I carefully reconnected everything, got in to start the car and it doesn't. It turns over, then dies immediately (and back fires once).

I can't remember if it was like this before when i was driving it, but I can't hear the fuel pump "whine" when I turn the key. The car has 278k and some maintenance has been done. But if it wasn't getting fuel, would it not turn over at all? I would greatly appreciate any of your expert suggestions.

[Jimmy Lewis]

If the engine is put together correctly, a bad fuel pump will not prevent the starter from turning the motor over. When you turn the key to the accessory position, you should hear a click sound come from under the hood, that is the pump relay. I'm not an expert on cracked heads, but I do know that there is a possibility for coolant to get in the oil, which wouldn't do very good things to a bottom end. I think if everything is together as it should be, then just do a basic starting troubleshoot. Make sure you have spark and fuel.

[Blazen]

Thanks for the reply. I made sure to drain the oil and coolant once the cracked head was gone. It starts and then runs for about 1 second, and then dies. I did some research and found that there are two fuel pumps, is it possible that one of them is bad? Anyone have any advice on checking this?

[Blazen]

I figured it out. It wouldn't start because there was a problem with an ignition wire. But for others who are asking the same question, am i supposed to hear the fuel pump when i turn the key to ON, the answer is no. I hear two clicks, and nothing else until the car is started and running.