E36 M3ter’s Full

I went out tonight with Forscan on the laptop. It didn't start on the first try, but after a couple more cycles of the key it started right up. 

The Forscan live data showed fuel pressure at 104-106 kPa at idle, which works out to somewhere around 28-30psi. When I revved it a bit in neutral it dropped to low-90's kPa, bounced up to 120ish, then settled back to the 104-106 range. 

I *think* it should be around 40psi at idle, but couldn't find positive confirmation of that. Does anyone know for sure? For less than $60 I think I'll replace the regulator, since it's actually easy to get to on the van chassis.

There were also stored DTC codes for a fuel pressure issue, as well as lean bank-1 O2 reading. Though I have no idea how old either might be. 

Love the progress. If I was a glider, that's where I would want to be. 

Was wondering if there was any progress.  Think in the other thread it came down to fuel pump?

In reply to Stampie :

It sure seems like it's either the pump, a lose hose between the pump & mounting plate/output tubes, or something blocking the pickup. 

I did replace the fuel pump Saturday & a bunch of brown crud poured out the inlet side, but it didn't make an improvement. I couldn't find the fuel pump controller, I'm thinking it might be on the inside of the frame rail next to the pump. 

I finally found one shop who said they'd work on it, but their doors are only 9'8", and I'm at 10'4". So I ended up calling my usual mechanic(who replaced the master cyl) and begged/pleaded until he said he'd work on it, so I dropped it off yesterday. Im not looking forward to this bill, but it'll still be cheaper than dealing with it on the side of the road somewhere. 

It's about a 6-mile drive to his shop & it behaved pretty much like my last drive a couple weeks ago. It was hard to start, but didn't seem to run too badly. Then it almost died waiting for a light to change, and the closer I got to his place the worse it was running. I had to move it before I left & it took 1 foot on the brake & the other on the gas to keep it from dying. 
 

Curious, does this run a catalytic converter?  My son went through a similar problem with a Chevy Astro.  There were other issues that needed addressing, parts cannon deployed, still ran like crap.  Turns out the cat had come apart, inside.   Running good now after cutting out the converter.  A new one is on order.   Just spit balling.

In reply to Dirtydog (Forum Supporter) :

I think it does, but I've not specifically looked while I was under there. I've always though cats just got progressively worse & worse, I didn't realize it could run ok-ish until it started getting really hot?

That was my impression.  The van went from running ok to "limp mode-ish".   After replacing the distributor (needed), spider injectors, gaskets, a lot of while your in their stuff, it still ran like crap.   A shot in the dark revealed the front catalytic converter fell apart, clogging up the water works.  The (4.3 Vortec) engine would start, idle, stall, etc.  Sure seemed like a fuel issue.  Hope this helps.

So, how's the fuel filter?

This sounds a lot like crap in the tank and that leads to all sorts of poor running.

Can you run a new temporary line to the front from a gas can (Ala roadkill) and see if it runs correctly?

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

I had replaced the filter Saturday. I bunch of brown crud poured out of the inlet side, but no change in symptoms or performance. 

I picked it up from the mechanic this morning & it was pretty much what I thought it must be - I berkeleyed up replacing the pump.

I had only replaced the pump its self, because that's what Advance happened to have in stock. I didn't really like the way the hose connected the new pump to the assembly, as the outlet of the pump is slightly tapered, without any lip, and only a hose clamp to retain it. At least the other end of the hose connection was barbed. Of course that barbed side was the one that decided to slide off under pressure...

I'm really surprised it somehow was getting enough fuel to run as well as it did. I got into it a bit driving home & it seems back to normal. It's too bad it cost about the same as a Challenge car to repair though...

I took the RV for a little drive this afternoon out to our guitarist's house & back, for a total of about 50-miles. I put in 20 gallons of gas first & used about 7 of them based on the gas gauge, so no real change there. It ran fine & pulled strong, so no problems there. 
 

Next on the to-do list:

• The powered steps quit working when I left home & failed to retract, so I need to get its motor swapped out. 
   
• The HVAC system has the same problem I deal with on the van - they're stuck in the defrost position. So while the AC is blowing cold, it's mainly cooling the windshield. 
   
• I think shocks are going to be the next major purchase. It seems weird to call them a "major purchase" but at just over $500 for the set they're about as much as I've paid for Konis in the past. 

I realized it's been way too long since I've run the generator, so I went out tonight to fire it up for a while. And it's completely dead - I don't get any lights on the control panel inside, nor on the unit its self. 

The troubleshooting portion of the manual only lists the codes & what to check for each one, so that's no help. I'm thinking it's not getting any DC power, so I confirmed both the engine & house batteries were fully charged. I did find a blown 15a inline fuse by the hose batteries, but replacing it didn't change anything. 

So I'll need to crawl underneath it this weekend & see where the DC power to the generator runs from & look for any problems.

We did a thing. 
 

We spent the last 2.5 days camping at Bogue Chitto state park in Louisiana & I rode about 10.5 miles of trails yesterday & today - it was raining pretty hard all day Tuesday when we arrived. 
 

I made a friend. 

But then I picked up a hitchhiker(actually 2 different ones, this was the first, and narrowly missed 2 others).

Overall it was a really nice trip. The park & campground we're really nice, quiet & incredibly dark at night. No new problems with the RV(though plenty of previously remaining ones to deal with). I still have a long way to go to get back in shape on my bike, but I didn't encounter another person on-trail the entire time. 

Retractable steps often use common wiper motors, I think.  Same out and back fixed motion so it makes sense.  Probably a common part - F150 or similar would be my guess.

For the generator, remember they usually are set to cut off under 1/4 tank of gas so you don't strand yourself somewhere while you sleep in AC bliss.  Make sure there is enough fuel, and if so think about that system as you troubleshoot.

In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :

This one is a Ford Taurus motor. I replaced it, but I need to pull out the control board & check it out. I can hear the relay clicking when I open/close the door, but rarely would the steps move. So I'm thinking it's likely bad. Hopefully I can solder in a replacement rather than buying a new board. 

I filled the RV all the way before the trip. I'm presuming the generator reads the fuel level from the OE sender, and the fuel gauge is at least in the general ballpark, so it's most likely the control board for it too. I did find some troubleshooting steps I need to go through before I drop $300 on a new one though. 

Went camping/biking again. A park about 40-minutes from home had a sort of "grand reopening" for their MTB trails. 
 

It's only $18/night to camp, which seemed way too cheap. Especially since this was the view out my door from the campsite. 

Apparently there are several spots with their own trailhead, which is really cool. 

I also made the news, though fortunately they only got my backside in all their shots. 
Bicyclists pedal their way through Shepard Park’s first ‘Bike Throwdown’

I made a deal for a new bike on Saturday & he was able to bring it out for me to ride Sunday. 

I'm pretty sure I sold my old bike too. One of the locals was telling me last weekend about his wife, who had bypass surgery & a difibulator inserted about a year ago, but has been out riding with him some. She was there & just had a $50 rummage sale Walmart bike. I mentioned I was selling my Juliana & let her ride it all afternoon. She fell in love with it, so I let them take it home. 

That is a good use of time!  Awesome. 

We just made it back from a generally trouble-free 2600 mile trip in the RV. 
 

We drove out to Colorado Springs, taking 2.5 days to get there. The trip out wasn't too bad, except for a horrifically pothole-riddled stretch of interstate north of Dallas. It knocked the microwave completely off its mount(side note: who though it was a good idea to not bolt down the microwave in an RV?), and I believe it's also where we lost a gouge out of the outer right rear tire. 
 

We discovered the center console & cab floor between the seats gets really hot during the afternoon, overpowering the A/C, so I'll need to look into adding some insulation. Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful trip. 
 

I didn't track mileage or fuel consumption, but the Scangauge showed between 8-10mpg most of the time, which is higher than the ~7 I've previously seen. 
 

While in Colorado I got to live out a life's dream & race to the top of Pikes Peak. Fortunately the 4 of us were in our daughter's Fit, so other traffic was completely unaware of it. 

On the way home we stopped overnight in Amarillo, TX and I realized we were only a mile from the Cadillac Ranch, so I stopped for a pic the next morning. 

We took a full 3-days to drive back home, but we hit traffic in Louisiana which added about an hour to our trip. I think we'll try staying north to Jackson next time. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Glad it went relativity uneventful.  How's your overall view on RV ownership this far in?

In reply to Stampie :

All the worst parts of owning a house, and an older vehicle. But when they're (mostly)working, it's a rather freeing feeling knowing you'll never be homeless. 

I'm not sure I'd ever want to sell our house & go full-time in an RV, but if hour home ever gets blown/washed away & we had to start over anyway I think a Super-C with a 22' enclosed trailer - setup with a workshop in the front, AC, and a small bathroom of its own - might be the way to go. That way whenever the RV needs service you could still live in the trailer & have your vehicle of choice stored safely indoors. Not that I've put much thought into it. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Don't forget, I still want to sell the Super-Duper C, with its 26' V nose trailer... 

I owned a house with not much more square footage!

Very glad y'all are enjoying yours. 

In reply to 03Panther :

I thought you sold that a long time ago?

   Very happy the trip was relatively trouble free.  Many years ago my family and I road tripped across the country.  Four people and our Schnauzer, in a Chevy conversion van.  We hung a right at Memphis, and headed towards California, trying to follow Route 66.  We visited Cadillac Ranch.  By chance, did you visit Palo Duro Canyon?  Not quite the Grand canyon, but pretty cool.  My family rode horses into the canyon,  (They didn't have a horse that could handle my weight), on a private ranch.

   Looks like that tire is trashed.  Looking forward to more adventures in the camper.

In reply to Dirtydog (Forum Supporter) :

I've not heard of Palo Duro Canyon, but I'll look it up!

I took the RV for an oil change last Saturday, and since there's a slight chance that hurricane Ian could drift our direction I decided to gas it up & take it to the store this afternoon. However, as soon as I'd fired it up it was obvious someone stole the catalytic converter...

At least it's a pretty clean cut. 
 

I wanted to get it resolved today, just in case we need to gtfo, but no one locally had a cat in stock. So I put in a straight pipe for now & after storm season I'll get a new cat installed. 

Motherberkers.