Symptom - no spark from the ignition coil.
Cause - ignition impulse sender failure
Took some pics.
Ye old Ignition Distributor
Remove retaining clips.
Remove ignition rotor
Remove protective cover (if any)
Unplug Impulse Pickup wire to Ignition Coil
Loosen retaining bolts (10mm) and remove distributor
Vacuum Regulator
Unscrew Vacuum Regulator retaining screws
Vacuum Regulator Arm is held by a round retaining pin. Push down on the arm to remove the Vacuum Regulator
Next up, the Circlip and washer that holds the Impulse Sending Wheel in place.
Use a circlip remover. However, the tool's pins are not small enough to fit into the circlip's holes. Had to grind them down with a Dremel tool.
The circlip and the "corrugated", i.e. wave washer.
Watch out for this little sucker. It's a tiny dowel pin that can easily get lost. (Ask me how).
The Factory Service Manual recommends using two flathead screwdrivers from opposite sides to act as levers to raise the wheel.
The Impulse Sending Wheel removed.
There's another circlip under the wheel. Remove that too. Same as the other circlip.
Next up, the plastic surround the covers the Impulse Sender's connectors. Remove that screw.
Gently pull the plastic piece off.
to be continued...
another rebuild thread for the ignition distributor
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1138249
Also, a dude asking how to do this:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ibutor+rebuild
My Website
1982 323i
Under the Hood:
M20B23, Dogleg tranny, K&N Box Air Filter, Hayden 11inch Pusher Fan, redline tranny/diff fluid, Dual Exhaust,3.45 open.
Braking/Suspension:
Steel brake lines in front, front/rear 323i disks, Front and Rear Strut Braces, Lower Alpina(Ken) Bar, Kmac Camber/Castor Plates(Raise the front 1 inch), PolyUrethane Steering Rack Mounts, Rims = RG alloy wheel set (BBS design) silver 6x13“ KBA 40324, Tires: Sumitomo 195/60/13, Struts: Bilstien HDs Springs: Stock
Body:
087-Graphit-metallic, Euro Bumpers, BBS Valance, Foha Rear Spoler, Yellow Hella High Beams
Interior:
Recaro Front Seats, Sports Steering Wheel, Kph 220 Speedometer, Vacuum gauge, Air/Fuel Gauge
Jester, the man was born with a silver distributor in his head. He's of a higher pedegree.
BTW, I like the oil psi switch cover and harness thing you made..mine needs r and r.
Last edited by waferman; 04-20-2009 at 11:13 PM.
LOL - that's for the advanced (or retarded?) class...
and now you chime in, you prodigal brother. what's up, man?
The plastic housing removed... looks like the mask of a surprised Bionicle Toa (ask my son what that is)
These are the last two screws that hold the Impulse Sender in place. Remove both these screws.
How, pray tell? Like so, nutswingers.
With both screws out, add some penetrating oil or motor oil to loosen up the sender. May open your 2nd beer at this point. Upon returning from your refrigerator/beer run, you can gently insert a small, rubber protected device thru the hole in the side where the Vacuum Regulator is attached to coax the sender up.
And there's your Ignition Impulse Sender, or Pulse Generator, BMW Part Number 12 11 1 276 127.
Thankfully, there isn't too much gunk inside the housing.
And there you have it folks - the Ignition Distributor - Single Parts.
For Reference from the RealOEM or Maximillian Website (their prices).
Interestingly enough, by sheer coincidence, there's that other post on cleaning the Ignition Distributor. Hope both are helpful.
Last thing: I had actually taken the Distributor apart before I started taking pictures. I posted the pictures in reverse, as they were taken when I installed the sender.
Last edited by fullswing; 04-21-2009 at 12:21 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
You continue to impress, Jimbo. I may do this soon as I think my dizzy is changing time on me..
Sorry I've been gone, my cage-fighting career didn't take off after the divorce like I planned. Stupid training camp kicked me out...but I still have my in-trailer daycare so that's somthing to fall back on.
does it run now?
-Josh
Man, excellent writeup. Sorry I was in a hurry before and just wanted to have another reference up there.
Thank you for doing this - it's a quality writeup and I had always been intimidated by the thought of doing this procedure.
Last edited by g323; 04-21-2009 at 01:28 AM.
My Website
1982 323i
Under the Hood:
M20B23, Dogleg tranny, K&N Box Air Filter, Hayden 11inch Pusher Fan, redline tranny/diff fluid, Dual Exhaust,3.45 open.
Braking/Suspension:
Steel brake lines in front, front/rear 323i disks, Front and Rear Strut Braces, Lower Alpina(Ken) Bar, Kmac Camber/Castor Plates(Raise the front 1 inch), PolyUrethane Steering Rack Mounts, Rims = RG alloy wheel set (BBS design) silver 6x13“ KBA 40324, Tires: Sumitomo 195/60/13, Struts: Bilstien HDs Springs: Stock
Body:
087-Graphit-metallic, Euro Bumpers, BBS Valance, Foha Rear Spoler, Yellow Hella High Beams
Interior:
Recaro Front Seats, Sports Steering Wheel, Kph 220 Speedometer, Vacuum gauge, Air/Fuel Gauge
The scary part is how shiny your distributor is.
Wow Jimbo, nice write up.
How on earth did you think to check the dizzy for the problem, but specifically the hall sensor/unit?
See you at lunch today.
Last edited by BoostedE21; 04-21-2009 at 11:58 AM.
good work
Bav's Build Thread: http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2498
Step 1) Swap to M42
Step 2)
I know! I wouldn't have known if not for some nutswinger that came over the house and helped me out.
Yeah, see you at lunch.
LOL - two sources
1. GDAus - an electrical genius that Graham
2. BoostedE21 & his Dad
Here's the email from Graham:
Here's a simplified explanation of how a coil type igniton system works ...
First the coil:
- it has 2 windings inside it (coils of wire), one inside the other: a low voltage winding and a high voltage winding
Low Voltage Winding
- one end of the low volt side is connected to the +ve terminal.
- the other end of low volt side is connected to the -ve terminal.
High Voltage Winding
- the high voltage winding has one end also connected to the -ve terminal
- the other end is the high voltage connector where the lead plugs in for the distributor cap.
So .. to test the coil electrically .....
Test 1) Measure the coil's resistance with the coil connected and the ignition off
Low Voltage Winding - measure resistance across both positive and negative terminals. The resistance should be < 1~2 ohms for a coil designed for a transistor type ignition.
High Voltage Winding - measure resistance from the Plug lead terminal to the -ve terminal. The resistance should be around 8 kilohms or a bit more.
NOTE:
1) A coil for a points type system will have a higher low volt winding resistance to limit the current flow through the coil to safe levels - the transistor ignition module can control the current directly so it can flow more current safely, giving a higher voltage output.
2) In the case of "points" type ignition .. the points are the mechanical switch that opens and closes to give a pulse of current flowing through the low volt windings in the coil.
In an electronic ignition system .. the switch is a one or more transistors (usually) set up to work as a switch, controlled by a switching pulse generated inside the distributor.
The idea is that ... a magnetic field is generated around the low volt winding by the current flowing through it ... when the engine is cranked over ... the points or the transistor interupt the flow of current and the magnetic field collapses and you get a high voltage induced in the high voltage winding of the coil which is then directed to the spark plugs and you know the rest etc.
Now .. back to the checking ....
Test 2) When the ignition is on ... there should be +ve Battery voltage on both terminals of the coil from the start/run bus
- if you have a really good meter then the -ve terminal will have a very slightly lower voltage
Test 3) When when you crank the engine over .... you should still have whatever your battery voltage is as you crank.
- The starter draws about 250 amps when it is turning over the engine ... so that drags down the battery voltage quite a bit .... I'd say that having 11.65 volts on the coil +ve during starting is reasonable .. particularly if you have had a few attempts. But of course the voltage should go back up over 12 volts when you release the starter.
If you have voltage for both Test 2 and Test 3, the coil has a return path from the coil +ve to the battery.
Next: In addition to voltage, the coil needs pulses of DC voltage and current from the Ignition Module (on the other side of the engine bay).
For that to happen, the Ignition Module needs ...
A) + and - power from the battery
B) AC timing pulses from the distributor
C) The wiring and connections between the coil, ignition module and distributor to be continuous.
So ... this shows the connections to the ign module so you can see where to test for ..
A) + and - voltage (brown to green) and ....
B) AC pulses from the distributor (black and yellow on the right) and the -ve DC output pulses (black on the left)
-----------------------------------------
In my case, I had resistance and voltage across the coil, but no spark.
I checked the Ignition Module as directed. Also had voltage but no AC pulses from the distributor.
THEREFORE: the Ignition Pulse Generator/Sender needed replacement.
I replaced it. Now I have spark.
But no, the car hasn't started.
I'm going to check the fuel delivery again next.
Last edited by fullswing; 04-21-2009 at 09:05 PM.
I've said it before, but Amazing writeup man
My Website
1982 323i
Under the Hood:
M20B23, Dogleg tranny, K&N Box Air Filter, Hayden 11inch Pusher Fan, redline tranny/diff fluid, Dual Exhaust,3.45 open.
Braking/Suspension:
Steel brake lines in front, front/rear 323i disks, Front and Rear Strut Braces, Lower Alpina(Ken) Bar, Kmac Camber/Castor Plates(Raise the front 1 inch), PolyUrethane Steering Rack Mounts, Rims = RG alloy wheel set (BBS design) silver 6x13“ KBA 40324, Tires: Sumitomo 195/60/13, Struts: Bilstien HDs Springs: Stock
Body:
087-Graphit-metallic, Euro Bumpers, BBS Valance, Foha Rear Spoler, Yellow Hella High Beams
Interior:
Recaro Front Seats, Sports Steering Wheel, Kph 220 Speedometer, Vacuum gauge, Air/Fuel Gauge
Excellent DIY write-up. Just the way I like it--with plenty of pictures. Thanks.
lol .. Damn you Jimbo ..... you beat me to it
I was going to expand that email and add some more general how to check tips and post it separately. I just wanted to try a few things to come up with some checks to show what to test first !
Cheers Jimbo
EDIT: I've come across a strange anomaly ... the North American 1980 + models 1.8 litre M10s with electronic ignition seem to have been fitted with a lower rated coil than the rest of the world models !
So for a NA model - 3.1 ~ 4.5 kΩ is the correct value .... rest of the world models - something like 7.5 ~ 8.0 kΩ is the go.
Last edited by GDAus; 04-30-2022 at 11:22 AM. Reason: Additional Information
hmm .. Wonder what happens if I do this ...
That dowel is a pita.
My Website
1982 323i
Under the Hood:
M20B23, Dogleg tranny, K&N Box Air Filter, Hayden 11inch Pusher Fan, redline tranny/diff fluid, Dual Exhaust,3.45 open.
Braking/Suspension:
Steel brake lines in front, front/rear 323i disks, Front and Rear Strut Braces, Lower Alpina(Ken) Bar, Kmac Camber/Castor Plates(Raise the front 1 inch), PolyUrethane Steering Rack Mounts, Rims = RG alloy wheel set (BBS design) silver 6x13“ KBA 40324, Tires: Sumitomo 195/60/13, Struts: Bilstien HDs Springs: Stock
Body:
087-Graphit-metallic, Euro Bumpers, BBS Valance, Foha Rear Spoler, Yellow Hella High Beams
Interior:
Recaro Front Seats, Sports Steering Wheel, Kph 220 Speedometer, Vacuum gauge, Air/Fuel Gauge
Beautiful work fullswing.
I'm so glad mine has points and condensor. Some day I'll try to shine up my mess around here. Robert
Tbd
This needs to be added to the parked "E21 FAQ and DIY" thread.
Great write-up and pictures Jimbo and great info from you to Graham!
Last edited by OLD MAN; 05-31-2009 at 12:28 PM.
Always FUN TO DRIVE - Build Thread & Tech info - 79 320/6 track car build thread -- Videos of track car -Adam in car Auto-x video - Start-up video - 4/2011 Adam's TOP BMW time San Diego BMWCCA - 4-5-15 Dyno break-in run new M20B25 - Exhaust Thread - Link
Found an old post from Ken D. which is relevant here for dist rebuilds:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ight=ken+shimskdanielson
Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Petaluma CA
Cars: '82 320is hot rod, '78 320i nearly stock
Posts: 1,771
iTrader: (0)
Get your OEM distributor working correctly. I recommend complete disassembly for [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]cleaning[/COLOR][/COLOR] and lubrication. When you reassemble it add some small shims between the distributor body and the drive gear until you have only .005" end play-check it with a feeler gauge.
ken
__________________
http://www.kengineering.info
I hope he comments on this, where can you get these shims?
My Website
1982 323i
Under the Hood:
M20B23, Dogleg tranny, K&N Box Air Filter, Hayden 11inch Pusher Fan, redline tranny/diff fluid, Dual Exhaust,3.45 open.
Braking/Suspension:
Steel brake lines in front, front/rear 323i disks, Front and Rear Strut Braces, Lower Alpina(Ken) Bar, Kmac Camber/Castor Plates(Raise the front 1 inch), PolyUrethane Steering Rack Mounts, Rims = RG alloy wheel set (BBS design) silver 6x13“ KBA 40324, Tires: Sumitomo 195/60/13, Struts: Bilstien HDs Springs: Stock
Body:
087-Graphit-metallic, Euro Bumpers, BBS Valance, Foha Rear Spoler, Yellow Hella High Beams
Interior:
Recaro Front Seats, Sports Steering Wheel, Kph 220 Speedometer, Vacuum gauge, Air/Fuel Gauge
great write up!
A very educational and informative thread! Thanks fullswing! It sure beats the heck out of paying 40k for a college education. (Seriously)
Now... if I could only get my distributor to look as shiny as that...
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