1996 BMW 318 Logo
Posted on Jul 16, 2009
Answered by a Fixya Expert

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Starting occasionally but...

Our car turns over, has spark. We didn't change the wires when we changed the plugs, but they didn't look like they needed it. Occasionally, she gets pissy and won't start reliably for a couple of months so we push-start her. When she's recalcitrant, she always starts better on a full tank. A friend of ours who's a mechanic hinted that it was electrical but he didn't have time to look at it. Would the ignition switch be in on those symptoms? The wires? Could we not have gapped the plugs correctly? The fuel pump or something to do with it? I did all I know how to do- changing all the filters, the oil, the bulbs, and the windshield wipers *wink* but this is beyond me. Help me resurrect my Baby!

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  • Master 784 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 25, 2009
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The wire look OK but it should be judged by measure its resistance according to the manufacturing spec. But your problem is not there.
The car is designed to have a start valve to spray additional amount of fuel at the start besides the injectors dedicated for each cylinders in your engine. This valves is controlled by the electric solenoid. The valve is normal closed. It only opens when the there is an electric signal at start. If it didn't open then a car has always experienced a hard start. Next time try to spray some gas at the carburetor when you have a hard start. If it starts right away, then that valve needs to be replaced. Good luck.

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