Question90 M3,, 30k;; major tuneup by master mechanic 500 miles ago; car ran super; wife started it once, moved it 5 feet, turned it off; It no longer starts; I have power to both sides of coil; no spark ? I even went and tried a brand new coil--same result I am only owner, car has been taken care of
please help
AnswerErnie,
First off, lets determine if you have fuel and spark. I know you tested the coil, but did you see if it was firing or not? Unplug one of the sparkplug wires from the spark plug, and insert a plastic handled screwdriver into the boot of the wire. Make sure the screwdriver is touching the elecrical connection. Lay the screwdriver close to the engine block (less than 1/8" away). Have a helper start the engine, and you watch the screwdriver to see if you see a spark jumping from the metal of the screwdriver to the grounded engine. LIke I said before, the screwdriver needs to be pretty close to the engine for this to work. You can also remove a spark plug and plug it back into the wire's boot, and lay it on the grounded engine and watch for spark. If you do see spark, it should be BLUE and noticable. If it's small, white or orange, you might need a new coil, or spark plug wires. If you have spark, then move on to fuel supply.
I would remove the PRESSURE side Fuel line, this attaches to the fuel rail. Locate the fuel rail, it should be on top of the engine and have 4 fuel injectors coming out of it. There will be two fuel lines, one pressure, and one return. The thinner of the two is the pressure side. It should have a smaller diameter. Loosen the clamp, and remove the fuel line (CAUTION it could have fuel pressure on it, and might spray you). With the fuel line disconnected insert the end of the fuel line into a plastic bottle. Have someone try to start the car again, and watch the fuel come out. If it comes out quickly then you should be fine. If it's a trickle then you should replace the fuel filter, and/or fuel pump.
Hope this helps,
Josh
