bmw wont start...

[McNally]

I just recently purchased an 89 325i. Well the other day I had a tune up performed on it... spark plugs, oil change. Anyway, it drove fine all day after the the tune up. to make a long story short I woke up this morning went out to my car and it wouldnt start. I think the problem might be the fact that i drove through some really big puddles last night when it was raining pretty hard... I was thinking it might be the starter? It cranks over but it wont start... thought it might have been the battery so i tried jumping it... didnt help... Any advice would be helpful...

 

[Big Daddy]

You have most likely gotten things inside the distributor cap wet. Remove the car and dry the componets, leaving the cap off to air dry for a few hours in direct sunlight.

 

[Kirby]

If it cranks over, it's not the starter or the battery.

Dan's suggestion is good, it certainly sound like a wet electrical issue as the #1 culprit. It could also be a dirty, wet connector shorting out. When the connector got wet enough, the dirt conducted and shorted out the ignition pulse.

 

[McNally]

did what you said... started right up... boy do i hate the rain.

 

[McNally]

yea i dont know if its the rain or not... i went out this morning and it wouldnt start again... maybe its the cold weather? i dont know but when i come back out around 12 it starts right up... im thinking moisture is getting in somewhere or its a combination of moisture and cold mornings.

 

[Big Daddy]

If you left any condensation in the cap when the temps go from warm to cold it will cause moisture in the cap. REmove the cap wiping all the condensation out and let it air dry in the sun for several hours.

 

[Doughnut]

Also, check yor vacume advance slide, if it is stuck all the way in it will crank but wont start, this is what happened to my 323i, although my car had been sitting for awhile.