E30 - timing or something else?

[oscar90 0]

Right so i finished doing cambelt, waterpump, tensioner, belts, dist. cap and rotor and now the engine pulses or hunts at idle in a definite pattern pulses or hunts between 500-600rpm (shown in video)

We were SOOO careful with timing, got the Timing marks lined up, took the belt off and put the new one on straight after (not ruling out timing though )

So are there any other suggestions and possiblities??

The battery was disconnected for over a month so left it running for awhile incase it had sumthng to do with the ECU but no luck there

Video shows what i mean by pulsing or hunting

Sh!t happens lol all part of learning

[*Glenn* 854]

After putting the cambelt on..did you wind the motor over twice by hand and recheck to see if the timing marks line up ?? One tooth out will give you that problem

[oscar90 0]

nope ,

i was hoping it wouldn't be timing, but knew deep down i'd have to check , will start pulling it apart again soon to check

[*Glenn* 854]

nope ,

i was hoping it wouldn't be timing, but knew deep down i'd have to check , will start pulling it apart again soon to check

It may not be that. But if thats all you did or touched its likely its not quite right. 2 or 3 teeth and you'd be crying.

Best check that its right and go from there. Another thing to check for is your crankshaft position sensor wiring, make sure its in its plastic holder accross the front of the motor, or the waterpump pulley will end up cutting through it. If the timing is right, do a compression test. I hope no one turned the motor or camshaft with the belt off.

[oscar90 0]

hmm time will tell i suppose, thanks for the help

[Guest FrantiC]

With battery unplugged, ECU goes back to running default. Give it a thrashing and it'll be back to normal..

[bravo 35]

Good time to remind those doing their cambelt to follow Glenns advice.

Put the belt on, then by hand, wind the crank through two full revolutions. (which puts the motor through all four strokes) and check the timing marks again. it is very easy to get the timing out by 1 tooth. You should never install the belt, reassemble the car, and then start it up without first checking by hand. It allows the belt to tension properly and for you to check you haven't made a balls-up before doing irreparable damage to your motor.

Edited February 18, 2009 by bravo