Story by Jack Heideman
At some point, everyone encounters a car that doesn’t run. Figuring out the source of the problem can be frustrating.
While it’s fairly common for people to just throw new parts at their inoperable cars, we’ve learned that taking a methodical approach is not only less aggravating, but more successful than guessing. When we bought an E30-chassis BMW 3 Series that wasn’t running, we put our methods to the test.
An engine needs fuel and spark to run, so we tested those first. To check for fuel, we disconnected a fuel line, routed it to a catch can, and briefly turned on the car.
Since fuel flowed into our catch can, we moved on to test for a spark. We disconnected the coil wire from the distributor and held it about a quarter of an inch away from a ground. When we cranked the engine over, there was no spark. Our method of diagnosis was starting to pay off.
At this point we brought out the Bentley manual to see what tests…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Grassroots Motorsports Online Articles…