First Car, 1976 Bmw 2k2 [fuel issues]

[GraysonHaugen]

I need some advice!

So i got my first car awhile back (i'll try and get some pictures posted)

It ran when i got it, haha. But i ran the car dry of car (yes i'm a student) due to lack of money at the time. anyway, next time i got gas, the car ran for about 100 more yards, then just puttered out. and i coult not get that thing to fire for the life of me. After rope towing it home with my sisters subaru, My dad and i did some examination. the car runs great, when you spray starter fluid into the carborator the little clear plastic thing has no fuel in it. Could be the tank clogging, could be the fuel pump? looks like a brandnew aftermarket pump though.

anyone could send me a link to maybe a similar problem or just give me some advice that would be awesome! (also i can't get it to pass DEQ which I dont know hwat to do) the smog equipment is out of the car.

[eurotrash]

Clogged screen on the pick up in the tank. Twist it out, clean with carb cleaner. Drain tank, at least partially if you just filled it, to flush out silt in the bottom. You will want a new sender O-ring, as they tend to not seal well after removal, if its original.

This from experience.

[GraysonHaugen]

Ok, Its embarrassing but I'm not to technical at all, are there any places i could see like a picture tutorials?

thank you so much for your help man!

[eurotrash]

Take out the right side trunk floor board. (Watch for the little screws and what nots. Don't loose them.) You will see the sender on top of the tank. Stop and take a pic so you know how it goes back together.

Taking the usual precautions, disconnect the electrical and hoses. I used two long flat head screw drivers and criss-crossed them to make a spanner and twisted it out. Tweren't easy, it has that O-ring in there. Remove it slowly to let the fuel drain out..else you'll have a trunk o' gas. The screen is on the bottom.

Be very gentle with this sender, as you could easily damage the internal electrical bits that make your gas gauge work. Keep it vertical as much a you can, just as a precaution.

Squirt cleaner into the lines and anywhere else you can get it to go in.. You should see quite a bit of sediment from this.

As for the tank, on the bottom, you may or may not have a drain plug that accepts an allen wrench. Thats how I drained mine.

If not, you will have to remove the tank. Its fastened around it's perimeter from inside the trunk. You'll need to remove the filler neck as well.. Pull and dump your gas into a clean pail or something, through an old T-shirt to filter out the crusties.

The poor man's way of cleaning the tank is either a few pounds of clean gravel, or a length of chain. Put it in the tank and shake the schnit out of it. top, bottom and sides. Rinse with a hose. And let it dry for a day in the hot sun. Reinstall.

If you want to go all out, you can buy a gas tank sealer on line. This will help prevent that rust scaling..

Its not as hard as it sounds, you should have a drain plug.

[GraysonHaugen]

Your awesome, thank you so much,

Ill post an update when i try this,

thanks again!

[GraysonHaugen]

Today was about 10 hours of 2002 work.. and we went in a full circle.

We started with cleaning the fuel lines and screens the little plastic filter on the carborater side of the fuel pump was totally gunked up, the question is, is it only suppose to be about 1/4th full? i replaced that, and we took the fuel pump apart to clean the screen in that, it was really messy too. we blew air threw the lines, and they were clean. looking in my gas tank we found it was actually really clean and there was nothing to clean there, and air traveled streight through the fuel sender. for about 2 hours the car actually ran after all that cleaning, and it ran like perfectly, but alas all good things must end. it puttered to a stop and it died because of lack of fuel.

for some reason the fuel pump is not sucking or pushing any fuel anywhere. the thing is that fuel pump is like brand new. i didnt install it obviously but it looked like it was fresh out of the box.

anyway, we are still stuck with a fuel starved 2002, and we dont know where to look next. are there any other filters or anything i am missing??

I dont feel like we'll ever figure it out.

[eurotrash]

As i stated, money says it's the silt in the tank. The crap you found everywhere else proves it.

As the fuel gets used up, the cloud of silt gets more and more dense (2 hours of driving), facilitating the build up on the screen, starving the motor. As it sits and the vacuum in the fuel line slowly pulls fuel up and the hold on the silt lessens, the silt falls away and magically there is fuel in the filter again.

Been there. I thought I was crazy. And I'm not the only one.

[GraysonHaugen]

The crazy thing is that i got a flash light and looked all around on the inside of the tank and it was close to spotless! sure there was a little bit of silt but really? enough to kill the car? it still has practically a full tank of gas!

is the little plastic container by the carburetor suppose to be full of gas?

I don't know. i will do the cleaning again and clean the tank but i don't think there is anything in there.

thanks again for your help

[eurotrash]

From my second cry for help..

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,321825/highlight,fuel+issues/

I apparently put on a new pump and it went away.. :/ I totally forgot about that. Try a different/new pump.

[GraysonHaugen]

Haha, all signs just seem to be pointing to the pump, so that sounds right.

ill try that.

let me know if you see one around for cheap. on your thread you said you got one for 52 bucks? what kind was that?

thanks buddy! you've been tons of help! i want to drive my car againnn!

btw, what could cause a "brand new" looking pump to die?

[eurotrash]

Grit from the tank.

[jgerock]

The fuel tank has a recessed area in the bottom where crap tends to migrate. If the car isn't driven for a while, this stuff tends to stick to the bottom of the tank and the car may run OK.

Adding fresh fuel and/or driving the car will stir up this dormant crud and it will be sucked into the sending unit screen (or pickup tube on tii's). The result is your car will die.

Today's gasoline is much harsher and contains detergents that eat away at old fuel pump diaphragms, rubber fuel lines and the pleated element inside those little plastic fuel filters . The best way to avoid problems is to replace everything at once.

[GraysonHaugen]

So something that concerns me is this sending unit. You guys keep talking about it like it's got a screen in it, but mine (which looks new) has a floater in it and just a straight shot from the bottom of the tube up until the top were it's a 90* angle. If you shine a light at one side... No screen. It's a very small tunnel that goes inside the sender about as big as the fuel line it self.

That has no pumping mechanism in it does it?

[jgerock]

Here is a picture of a gas tank removed from Clay Weiland's 76 (RIP). Please ignore the bird dropping.

The sending unit is clearly shown on the top surface of the tank. I am not sure if those units had a round, fine mesh screen at the bottom of the unit. I have seen the sending unit pulled from a '75 and it did have the screen.

[roadhog0]

Nope, it doesnt have anything to pump in it. If ya cant find anything I have a spare pump I got with some parts. Its not tested though.