wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

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wilbertcr
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wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by wilbertcr »

Hello Everyone,

Here is some background information on Mr. Smith(yeah, it has a name) as it is currently. The car is running on its stock L-Jetronic EFI(Bosch):

Here are some links to the parts that compose the L-Jetronic EFI currently on Mr. Smith:

Sensors, ECU, etc.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=13&fg=15
More Sensors:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=13&fg=15
Fuel Injection System:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=13&fg=15
In tank suction pump:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=16&fg=05
Fuel Pump:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=16&fg=15
Distributor Single Parts:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=12&fg=05

I bought the car about 7 years ago and since then, I've been trying to get it back to its former glory as its condition(mechanically speaking) wasn't anywhere mint when I got it. Nevertheless the chassis is in good condition and with very little corrosion despite having spent its last 20+ years in Costa Rica(90% humidity and very rainy place). The list of parts that I've changed is long and most parts have been swapped for new ones(either Genuine or OEM). When it comes to the engine/EFI system I've changed:

Ignition Coil
Distributor Cap & Rotor
Distributor Cables(to spark plugs)
Distributor repair kit installed
Spark Plugs
Battery
Engine Wire Harness
Minimum Valve(ADDITIONAL AIR SLIDE VALVE)
Cold Start Injector(Starter Valve)
Throtle Position System
Fuel Rail Pressure Regulator
Grounding Cables
Temperature-time switch
Vacuum Hoses
Water Hoses
Gasoline Hoses
Timing chain, tensioner and sprockets
Cylinder Head was machined and left as new(valve seals changed etc, the whole shebang).
Cooling Fan
Cooling Water Pump
Thermostat
Filters(Gasoline, Air)
In tank Fuel Pump
External Fuel Pump
Radiator(Cleared up and fixed for leakages - not original but it works)

Regarding Andy's questions:
1. What type of crankshaft position sensor do you have (ie: VR sensor or Hall Effect sensor)?

Right now I don't have any.

2. What is the crankshaft position sensor pattern (ie: 1 pulse per cylinder, 36 teeth minus 1 tooth, 60 teeth minus 2 teeth, etc...)?

Right Now I dont' have any.

3. Does your engine have a camshaft position sensor?

I don't think so, not right now.

4. What kind of ignition system are you using now (ie: wasted spark ignition, coil on plug, distributor)?

L-jetronic uses a Hall Effect Distributor- See links above for specifics

5. Which kind of ignition system do you plan on using in the future?

That's open ended at this point, I haven't made a decision and would appreciate advise given my current setup. The aim would be to get it to be as fuel efficient as possible without complicating things(at least visually) too much.

6. Are your fuel injectors low impedance (approximately 1 ohm if measured with a DMM) or high impedance (9-20 ohms if measured with a DMM)?

To be honest, I don't know, but I figure they are low impedance since they're stock(BMW Part number 13641706058)

7. How many fuel injectors do you have on the engine?

The engine uses 4 fuel injectors, one per cylincer and the cold start one.

8. Have you added a turbocharger or supercharger, or do you plan on adding one? (I have optional MAP sensors, the standard MAP sensor is good to 250kPa, which is about 10-12 PSI of boost) For the MAP sensors, I can supply a 115kPa sensor for non-boosted engines, a 250kPa sensor for moderately boosted engines or a 400kPa sensor for wildly boosted engines. The 400kPa sensor requires an adapter board which is an additional $5.00 USD.

No, the engine does not have a turbo or super charger, nevertheless, a moderately boosted engine is something I would like in the future so I would like to be prepared for that.

Initially, the aim is to get the car to run on FreeEMS using all its stock parts and without adding any new sensors/switches. In the future, I would like to add more sensors and stuff though, so I would like the hardware to be capable of handling those given the correct firmware upgrade.

Here are some pictures:
10150108874611431.jpg
Mr Smith.jpg
10150479991791431.jpg
Here is a link to a video of the engine running:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BygfUM ... sp=sharing
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Fred
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Re: wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by Fred »

Excellent write up! :-)

My advice:

1) Fit a missing tooth wheel and VR sensor or Hall sensor to the crank or pulley
2) Run wasted spark coils, there are many options, choose something easy to source and easy to source leads for
3) Pull a plug off of an injector and measure the impedance: if it's low Z then order a 2.0.1 P&H box from JBPerf.com, I have one in my car, it's a good little kit in that it can be driven from the standard jaguar outputs.

The advantage of doing it this way is that you can run the system virtually in parallel with the stock system, ignition wise. IE, you can get into this by running ignition only and continuing to use OEM fuel control. Then you can swap to full control with a known good timing map and signal setup. Ignition only really requires RPM and MAP to function adequately.

I hope this makes sense :-)

Fred.
DIYEFI.org - where Open Source means Open Source, and Free means Freedom
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FreeEMS dev diary and its comments thread and my turbo truck!
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SkipUsername
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Re: wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by SkipUsername »

From service manual: Injector resistance 14.5 to 17.5 ohms
Check out my thread too. I'll keep an eye on your's. :)
You're lucky to have injection engine on your's. I'm converting from caburated to injection first(head, fuel lines, fuel pump wiring etc. with some mods.).
wilbertcr
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Re: wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by wilbertcr »

Hello,

First of all, thank you all for taking the time to advise on this.

Fred, you said:
1) Fit a missing tooth wheel and VR sensor or Hall sensor to the crank or pulley
2) Run wasted spark coils, there are many options, choose something easy to source and easy to source leads for.
I found this website and wanted to see what you guys think, mostly about the prices:

Trigger Wheel:
http://trigger-wheels.com/store/contents/en-uk/d5.html

Spark Plug Leads:
http://trigger-wheels.com/store/content ... 9.html#p17
Coilpack Kit:
http://trigger-wheels.com/store/contents/en-uk/d8.html

They also have other stuff.

From Wikipedia:

"The EDIS-4 module is used on the following vehicles equipped with the Ford HCS engine, and the 1.9-liter straight-4 Ford CVH engine, between 1990 and 1993:
Ford Escort / Mercury Tracer"

So I looked up brand new parts for the Ford Escort 1993 and found:

http://miniurl.com/8768f

They have the coil pack and the ignition module there.
3) Pull a plug off of an injector and measure the impedance: if it's low Z then order a 2.0.1 P&H box from JBPerf.com, I have one in my car, it's a good little kit in that it can be driven from the standard jaguar outputs.
Thanks to SkipUsername for the information. I appreciate the help.

Fred, you recommended the 2.0.1 P & H Box from JBPerf.com if they were low impedance, but apparently they are high impedance, that means the Jaguar can control the injectors without adding anything right?

Question: My car would end up with a Crank Sensor, but no camshaft sensor if I do the wasted spark coils right? Can you explain when you need both and roughly why?

Thanks!
wilbertcr
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Re: wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by wilbertcr »

SkipUsername wrote:From service manual: Injector resistance 14.5 to 17.5 ohms
Check out my thread too. I'll keep an eye on your's. :)
You're lucky to have injection engine on your's. I'm converting from caburated to injection first(head, fuel lines, fuel pump wiring etc. with some mods.).
I wasn't feeling lucky at first, I am feeling lucky now!

I love your 316, it's the exact same color as Mr. Smith but yours looks much more sharp right now. I am likely to paint mine before December(same color though, I love how it disguises dirt), right now I'm getting the parts but still have to ship them down to Costa Rica(which will take a while). Still, I already settled a price with the painter and it seems like it will be looking good for my Wedding in December of this year.
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SkipUsername
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Re: wilbertcr's BMW E30 318i 1984 Euro A.K.A. Mr. Smith

Post by SkipUsername »

Hey! I'm getting back on my project. Hope You stick around too and let me know what's Your progress. ;)
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