cdfeto

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Car: 1983 323 Problem: engine cuts out very intermittently and randomly can drive fine for a day and then really badly the next it cuts out for prolonged periods (2-3 seconds) but mostly it is an on/off stutter it seems to be much worse in the heat The car is currently at the local mechanics as the problem was starting to do my head in. We originally found a cracked vacuum hose which seemed to fix the problem but it came back the next day. The mechanic is now certain it is the ignition system (primary circuit). He thought he'd fixed the issue by moving the sensor located on the front pulley as it was contacting it, but again the issue came back the next day. The mechanic was going to get his electrician over to look at the wiring but I just wanted to see if you guys had any ideas that could shorten the troubleshooting time down a bit. By the way ... plugs, leads, distributor and coil have either been replaced or thoroughly tested. cheers!

I finally found my TPS, after almost giving up on the disassembly of the unit, as it was so well glued together I discovered this: Uploaded with ImageShack.us Which I guess would explain the poor idling? I cleaned the hell out of it and put it all back together, and after a week's worth of driving I can't really say it's completely fixed it. The idle drops to a lower and more reasonable RPM but it still has spikes and periods where it will just sit high. What should be my idle speed? Also, the intake manifold seemed to have a nice oil lining which was a bit of a scare, but would explain how the oil made it's way down into the sensor? How much oil could/should be in the intake manifold for a car of that age: 83 and kms: 155000? (I will do a compression check as soon as I can to determine valve/guide and barrel/ring conditions.)

I think that could well be an issue, at least part of the problem. I opened the original filter and it was covered in black "dirt", I've never inspected one before but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be that filthy after two years (approx age of filter). And the stuttering almost stopped after it was changed (although the ignition harness was done at the same time). I don't think it's ignition related because if it was I it would be backfiring every time it stuttered? Which it does not do, apart from the first incident. What temp sensor are you referring to? Where is there ICV? Here is a picture of my engine bay. Where is this switch? I have done the throttle opening test and could hear any clicks. Does the M20 have the same system? Ok ... that still leaves the stuttering and engine dying when parked at very steep angles problem unsolved! Maybe this is another consequence of the dirty fuel tank? Also, this vacuum diaphragm seems awfully exposed and damaged (diaphragm split), what's its purpose? And lastly, there is an unused connector alongside the fuel rail at the thermostatic valve housing end, any ideas where it should/could go? Thanks again!

Ok. I will start from the beginning: I purchased my E30 (2 door manual 83 323i) a couple of months ago knowing there was a few engines issues as it was smoking quite heavily, after a bit of advice I determined that the valve guide seals were worn/old and were therefore allowing excessive amounts of oil to be burned. I didn't get on to replacing these straight away ... and after a long drive with a car full of passengers and some highways speeds, the car started stuttering quite heavily, enough to lose power completely for a second or two at a time. This issue sort of came and went until one evening it stuttered so much that it backfired and ripped my muffler apart. Which I blamed on the oil seals leading to fouled plugs. So I decided to finally replace these seals and ended up removing the head, lapping valves, replacing the head bolts and all disturbed gaskets, adjusting rocker clearances and chucking new plugs in there. After all of that the car ran quite well. Although it did seem to use too much fuel and it always smelt a bit rich ... The other issue I encountered soon after was a stutter and the engine dying on me when I did a few very steep hills starts, after a bit of researched I came to the conclusion that it must have a boost pump in the fuel tank (as well as the main pump) which was intermittent or not working at all which would only really affect the fuel delivery at low levels or at awkward tank angles. So here is my first question: does/could my car run two fuel pumps? The stuttered never came back after insuring I always had plenty of fuel in the tank. Until last Friday when I was driving back home on the motorway and the car stuttered a few times, once again losing power and proceeding to once again blow my muffler (which was already weakened by the first blow). After more research I decided to replace all vacuum hoses, which after a test drive didn't seem to fix anything. I then replaced the ignition harness and fuel filter (old one was only about a year or two old) and the problem seemed to have disappeared, until today where I got a couple of stutters on the way home (very negligible compared to previous situations). But a new problem has now surfaced since these two fixes: the idle is very high at about 1600 at the start and dropping to 1200 as the car is driven, and it fluctuates quite a bit between say 1100 and 1200. So the current issues being a very intermittent and infrequent stutter, and a high idle. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!