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all sounds good. there is a wave form coming out of the signal wire of the crank sensor so that works..... but could you find out the correct crank sensor gap. and check it with a feeler guage? you adjust the gap by loosening and moving the bracket.....
if the sensors too close or too far away the ecu cant make sence of it as the wave form is too big (too close) or too small (too far away).

I'm going to check the ECU is getting a start signal (pin 27 as I recall) as long as that is coming in it is getting the right inputs so I'll try the spare ECU first because it's physically easier than the crank sensor.

IT RUNS!!!


I had the engine/ECU loom but not the body end of the connector. Everyone else seems to have kept the e30 engine loom plug. The ECU has a green wire from pin 27 which connects with the 12V to the coil, two wires must go to the same pin on the connector, I just chopped it off and wired it up, missing the second smaller green wire.

Fixed that but it still wouldn't run.

So I swapped the crank sensor plug things around and it fired immediately. Hunting idle between 1-2000 rpm and dies if I try to open the throttle at all, but it works.

Moved on to getting the slug ready for Croft. So far the truck I was using is no longer available, need to rebuild the crank sensor setup and more significantly I've lost the bloody key.

Well done mate. You only need to do a little fettling now.

Good to hear Jim!

Quick google suggests my ICV is dodgy, on thinking about it I suspect it's not even connected up, vaguely recall seeing a connector next to it rather than plugged in to it! Was too busy being excited about the fact the thing started and ran first turn of the key once I had the wires the right way round.

Found the key for the slug and got most of the front end back together, not resolved the transporter situation yet, but there are a couple of options!

cool that it works! you have been studying that wiring diagram.... lol.

I had seen some interweb stuff saying start signal via pin 27, I looked at the first page of your ETM and the wire in question had a circle drawn on it, two minutes to find no power at pin 27, two ore to find a green wire under the bonnet that needed connecting, two more minutes and we were firing on all cylinders!

Apart from the idle issue the clutch is semi working but I couldn't get a gear, so I think it'll need bleeding again. Depending how I go on with front splitter/rear wing building on the slug tomorrow I'll have another go at the Baur and see if it'll work properly.

The sensation when it fired up was amazing, it finally worked!

I've cleaned out the idle control valve, and it still has the hunting idle problem. ICV doesn't buzz/vibrate/do anything when ignition on so I assume it isn't working. Ordered another from Chris Warburton, just got to wait for it to arrive now. Been busy with slug and trackday prep. If the ICV arrives early next week I might get the Baur running on Wednesday.

it doesnt buzz with the ign on? hmmmm..... could you check the idle valve and the throttle body tps dont have their plugs mixed up? they are the same 3 pin plug.....
swap them over and try it...... if its still the same. swap them back and wait for the valve.

Had some electrical ''issues'' myself over the past few days. As I'm hardly what you'd call patient I thought of setting light to the bloody thing several times. Eventually it turned out to be the offside front indicator plug being so corroded that the electrics were overloading and instantly blowing fuses! After 3 days in took 10 seconds to fix! Wiring is not fun.

murran wrote:it doesnt buzz with the ign on? hmmmm..... could you check the idle valve and the throttle body tps dont have their plugs mixed up? they are the same 3 pin plug.....
swap them over and try it...... if its still the same. swap them back and wait for the valve.

More brilliant electrical design by BMW there. I'll go and try it now - have to go to B&Q to buy some ducting for the dryer. New boiler and hot water tank has gone where the washer/drier were. I could move them up along the wall, but that would leave 4.37M from the garage door to the drier, an E21 is 4.355M according to the tech specs, so fitting Baur/Slug/ANOther car in will be tricky. The alternative is move it to the other side and run a load of ducting - plan B seems sensible!

Will report back later.

Murran I would say you are a genius, but I suspect you connected it up wrong in the first place.

Idles high, and has a blow from the manifold - need to tighten it up - but edging towards the finish line!

lol. well they are the same plug. stoopid bmw.

Strange that they didn't have the connectors flipped around male/female or colour coded on the pairs that can be swapped. Whilst dismantling the front of the slug to fit splitter/move oil cooler etc I removed the electric fan that Ric Wood fitted. Wired up via simple bullet connectors, but male/females swapped over so it can only go one way, sign of a professional at work, clearly BMW aren't that good!

Need to work out how to adjust the idle speed, be nice if I could get it MOT'd next week. Am thinking of getting it to Bluebell BMW in Altrincham where Steve the service manager has been waiting to see this car for a couple of years now, also understands older cars and slightly non standard stuff, so getting him to MOT it is a good idea.