84 bmw 323

[DevInAz]

hey guys i just found this forum and its awesome! i'll post some pics up soon but its a 84 euro that i got for free and it ran great until i decided to install vems. i removed the stock intake manifold and installed a late m20 manifold with stock blue top injectors and t/b and a e36 tps. i removed stock engine wiring harness and wired up everything tonight and gave it a crank for the first time and got spark out of the coil but none out of the distributor... not sure whats going on.. any ideas? i set  h[2] to 00 only.   0 is "0 (EC36 Pin 35).
the outputs are set to 00 only in the setting screen. the coil charge time 14v is 3.01  and the 6v is 2.0. i'm stumped and am sure its something simple.

[gox]

check the distributor and set dwell to 2.5ms instead of 3ms

[rob@vems.co.uk]

Chances are that the coil is discharging when the rotor arm is nowhere near an ignition post on the distributor cap.  Its a pain to get your mind round the fact that the ignition is not synchronised by the distributor but by the ECU calculating postion from the trigger wheel (both Ben Fenner and I have had the same PITA experience with our Nissan installs and ended up going straight to coil packs or COPs to stop the pain)

To get the thing running I'd use the 1.0.73 release

Set TDC after the trigger to 60 and Trigger tooth value to 0 in Settings->Primary Trigger Settings, then increase the Trigger tooth value in single steps.

Use your timing light on the coil and try to bring the mark towards the value you've set to cranking advance.  I usually stick a strip of light coloured insulating tape onto the front of the pulley in line with the timing mark so that I can find it easier to find it.

Once you're somewhere near the timing mark, move over to the distributor and use that to trigger your timing light as the rotor arm should be close enough to distribute the spark to the plug.

[DevInAz]

thanks for your input! i'll change those settings tonight but i can't move the distributor its locked in place
after so many years and never being adjusted. would it be easier to change the distributor from the side
of the motor to the cap on the front of the cam?

[rob@vems.co.uk]

No particular reason to move the distributor at all, you can tune the setup using the trigger tooth and the TDC after trigger values.

If you wanted to do anything modification wise, throw the distributor in the bin and go wasted spark or coil on plug

Rob

[gox]

You should mount the 60-2 wheel on the crank puley and use 325i distributor and cap on cam,that is way easyer and you can use semi-sequential injection.Just block the place when old distributor was,down to the block...

Its a good choic that you decided to get rid of that old Jetronic shit,you will expirience more power with VEMS.

Good Luck

P.S You have mail!

[DevInAz]

i already changed the crank pulley to a 60-2 wheel and crank sensor from a late model e30. when i get home i'll swap the distributor out (if i can get it out) and move the cap and wires to the cam and hopefully get rid of the timing issue i'm having. i too am going to turbo this car. i have a gt35r and 50mm blow off valve with 44 v band wastegate and a custom tubular manifold and 4 inch exhaust already built. i had this stuff built over a year ago and never messed with it until now.

[DevInAz]

ok well i changed the cam timing gear and distributor to the front of the cam but same thing has happened. i get spark from the coil but
not out of the plugs. where can i read about what all the primary trigger setting mean and how to find that information? rob i tryed what you said about setter the trigger tooth to 0 and started climbing 1 by 1 and after 25 it wouldn't even spark anymore. anything else i could be totally over looking?

[DevInAz]

it runs! thanks guys for your help. rob after i upload .73 it just worked before i changed any settings! tomorrow i'll start the tuning after
i run down to vw and get a o2 sensor

[gox]

I`m running 1.0.73 and didnt had any problems

Keep us updated!

[DevInAz]

why is my spark angle stuck at -.75degrees while the engine is off even i have it set to 13 degrees in the priming,cranking and after start?

[rob@vems.co.uk]

I'm guessing that your anti-lag is stuck on.

[BenFenner]

Good to see you've got it running. DanMartin had the same problem with his e30, except it seemed to be a config upload problem. Starting fresh and entering all the same data into VEMS configuration instead of uploading a config file seemed to solve his spark problem (he had spark at the coil but not at the distributor).

I forget which firmware he's using...

Good to see another turbo BMW in the works. =]

[DevInAz]

anti lag is off i think. the deactivation time and deactivation EGT is 0. the input channel is old: SDA. i'm watching the ignition map and its about 20 degrees but the spark angle gauge is -49degrees. suggestions?

[DevInAz]

what does this mean? i found it in the audit log
C:\VemsMT1.0.73Final\VEMS Genboard V3 16x14 Standard\bmw323-3.msq:Open
   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h21_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h22_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h23_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h24_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h25_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h27_dummy" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d0" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d1" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d2" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d3" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d4" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d5" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d6" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "h2d7" = "INVALID" not found.

   WARNING(03): Value from option list "boost_conf_pwm" = "INVALID" not found.