BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted June 2, 2011 Hi Y'all. We bought this car for my daughter and we've had it about 3 years. When we first got it, it had a lot of work done on it, head, new hoses, torque converter, trans. It'd been owned by an old man and He'd spent about $5k on it. I paid the dealer $4.5k. When we first saw it, they had it in the garage out back. Reckon the cleaners got water in the computer, e30 screens leak that side... But it was idling up and down really fast. They never fixed it, but gave it to us running the day we picked it up. They'd turned the air con on to up the idle... We took it back and they toyed with it, 2nd hand afm and computer. But still not right, never got it to idle right and it ran like a bag of horse droppings. The idle was still flicking up and down, not surging, 700 to 1000rpm like a switch? Gave it to my mate Andy in Maddington and he cleaned it out a bit, twiddled with the afm and got it going alright. But we've never managed to get it going perfectly. I've had the injectors serviced. changed the cap and the rotor, plugs new timing belt, tappets... It's a 320i 6/89 I'm A bit suss over the belt and tappets, done by different people who don't know bmw? Lately it's been 'choking up', idle has been rough, and sometimes it surges at idle and then is rough pulling away, not a misfire, just 'choking'. It clears itself and pulls away, just at low revs. It's a bit intermittent, sometimes it's fine. When it goes it pulls away strong, up to 5-6krpm, no missing. Took it into my mate Andy's today, he played with it for an hour, no vacuum leaks, tried a few afm's, checked the icv, twiddled with it and got it going nicerly. But He took the plug off the afm and the motor still ran? he asked if anyone had put a chip in it? Not us, dunno bout the old man though? Wear gunner take it back there for him to go over it properly, tappets, compression etc, And he may as well do the wheel bearings, I'm sick of cars! But what is it with this car that it's never ran right? 5 spark plugs were lean, one was a bit blacker? #6. I'm sure we'll get this sorted... eventually. The motor is a good strong runner, fluids are okay, doesn't use any or leak. Me thinks something electrical? Different computer? afm? Reckon they prob traded the car like that, old boys put a few dollars into it. Dunno if it was the water in the computer, or why old boy sold it? HAS IT GOT A GHOST? Any theories or insights I'd appreciate, it's perplexed a few people already! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rxsumo 33 Report post Posted June 2, 2011 Have you compression checked the engine.... If you have a sooty plug, surely it means its getting too much fuel, or it's unable to fully burn the correct amount of fuel. Too much fuel, does it have a leaking injector, when you say that you had the injectors services...were they removed from the engine and cleaned, or "serviced" in place? Is the cold start injector leaking? or is the cold start circuits faulty - sensor ? If it cant burn the fuel properly - low compression, blown head gasket, cracked head, burnt valve, dead ignition lead, fault spark plug- compression check would be a starting point - at idle is itactually firing number 6 regularly...I have used a timing light and watch and see if it flashing regularly...compare with the other cylinders Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted June 3, 2011 Have you compression checked the engine.... If you have a sooty plug, surely it means its getting too much fuel, or it's unable to fully burn the correct amount of fuel. Too much fuel, does it have a leaking injector, when you say that you had the injectors services...were they removed from the engine and cleaned, or "serviced" in place? Is the cold start injector leaking? or is the cold start circuits faulty - sensor ? If it cant burn the fuel properly - low compression, blown head gasket, cracked head, burnt valve, dead ignition lead, fault spark plug- compression check would be a starting point - at idle is itactually firing number 6 regularly...I have used a timing light and watch and see if it flashing regularly...compare with the other cylinders The injectors were taken out and sent for servicing.Sooty plug was recent anomoly, changed plugs after 1 year. could've been plugs, they were pretty old!Not a cold start problem. ATM it's going fine, but shaking about at idle, Never done a compression test, Runs fine sometimes, so it's not a constant... I'm taking it into get fixed when I go back to work, he can have it for 2 weeks. Just trying to get my head around it all... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted June 3, 2011 Check the throttle position sensor, these are actually a switch and can be adjusted. I had a similar issue, the switch was out of adjustment and the engine ran really rich at idle which made it surge. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2959 Report post Posted June 3, 2011 HAS IT GOT A GHOST?This.Cars make about as much logical sense as women sometimes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted June 3, 2011 thats a classic symptom of a dirty idle control valve if it was an M30 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted June 4, 2011 M20 B20 You could eat your dinner off the ICV! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwolf 0 Report post Posted June 4, 2011 Might not be the same but could be worth considering. I had a similar issue with a 1989 Toyota Celica. It ran fine but if you put the engine under load it would hesitate and/or misfire. Over 15,000KMs it got worse and worse. The plugs had fouled, it would misfire, I don't remember the idle being an issue though. I had the fuel system checked (pump, lines, filters, injectors), ignition system checked (plugs, leads, coil, dizzy) and checked all the sensors I could find. I eventually sold it because I couldn't find the problem and I needed a car I could rely on (travelling 200KM round trip to work each day). The new owner replaced the leads - just cos. Problem solved. I spoke to the auto electrician who did the computer/ignition system check. He said that the only thing he could think of was that when he did the continuity test he didn't find any issues but it may have been an issue that was only apparent when the leads got warmer or had more load transferred through. In his defence I took it to him when it was barely noticeable. The leads cost ~$100 and if I had known it would have saved me a lot of hassle. If you haven't already had the leads checked/replaced it could be worth looking into. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2011 (edited) True! Last week we tested each lead, by pulling gthem off and there was a resultant drop in idle. Yesterday when it was running like a pigs bottom again.. My daughter's bf tested each lead. Good spark from 2/6 bright and blue, others were yellow spark. He tested the resistance of the leads ann they were fine. I'm going back to work tomorrow (yay) fore another 2 weeks ann we're dropping it off at Beemer Motor Works. Andy there is gunner start from scratch and trace it down! It Shirley is baffling, I'm pretty sure it's a GHOST! But when we pick it up again, hopefully it'll be all good. More theories welcome but, a prize for the person who gets it right! Might not be the same but could be worth considering. I had a similar issue with a 1989 Toyota Celica. It ran fine but if you put the engine under load it would hesitate and/or misfire. Over 15,000KMs it got worse and worse. The plugs had fouled, it would misfire, I don't remember the idle being an issue though. I had the fuel system checked (pump, lines, filters, injectors), ignition system checked (plugs, leads, coil, dizzy) and checked all the sensors I could find. I eventually sold it because I couldn't find the problem and I needed a car I could rely on (travelling 200KM round trip to work each day). The new owner replaced the leads - just cos. Problem solved. I spoke to the auto electrician who did the computer/ignition system check. He said that the only thing he could think of was that when he did the continuity test he didn't find any issues but it may have been an issue that was only apparent when the leads got warmer or had more load transferred through. In his defence I took it to him when it was barely noticeable. The leads cost ~$100 and if I had known it would have saved me a lot of hassle. If you haven't already had the leads checked/replaced it could be worth looking into. Edited June 6, 2011 by BlowMyWhistle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted June 6, 2011 intake manifold leak at the head?? on one or more cylinders . double check all the intake pipes for splits etc . check the fuel pressure reg is working (no fuel in the vac pipe that goes to it) make sure the dizzy cap and rotor are not too worn out. test the tps is working in idle position and fully open position , compression test , shoule be 140ibs or more per cylinder. but is some are 140 and some 180 etc , then that will cause bad running . get the mixture tested co and o2 readings , but make sure all other things have been tested/fixed first Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted June 17, 2011 All these things have been tested, the cars running sweet now, but still breaks down at idle. It'll sit okay, then give a surge, and or a dip, doesn't seem to be missing? Like a mis-fire. Sometimes it sits there and idles like a high lift cam, 'lump lump lump', then it evens out to a smooth idle... The car rocks and shakes a bit... But once you're moving it's fine! Seems worse when the car is cold. And sometimes it's hardly noticeable too! I'm taking it back in to Andy, needs wheel bearings and a boot for the steering rack, He's gunner look at it again. But here's my new theory: The cat is partly blocked, at idle there's too much backpressure and the engine is trying to figure out what it should do? At revs there's more flow and it pushes through the cat? I found the old receipts for it, this car's been in for service by the P.O since 2006 for rough idle! New head, cambelt ICV O2 sensor, trans overhauled (next post) hoses. 2nd hand cpu and maf, cap and rotor, injectors... So my theory on the Cat being a 'bit run down'? Yeah or nah. I'm back to work today so I'm dropping it off on the way to the airport, Yeah I take a plane to work! a Lear Jet, not! So hopefully we can sort this once and for all, just a discussion, it's going to the shop today! Cheers Y'all intake manifold leak at the head?? on one or more cylinders . double check all the intake pipes for splits etc . check the fuel pressure reg is working (no fuel in the vac pipe that goes to it) make sure the dizzy cap and rotor are not too worn out. test the tps is working in idle position and fully open position , compression test , shoule be 140ibs or more per cylinder. but is some are 140 and some 180 etc , then that will cause bad running . get the mixture tested co and o2 readings , but make sure all other things have been tested/fixed first Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marc.denton 0 Report post Posted June 25, 2011 Hi I would have a look ate the oxygen sensor in the exhaust front pipe. Sounds as if the car is running in default mode, that is too rich at idle and too lean under load. Hi Y'all. We bought this car for my daughter and we've had it about 3 years. When we first got it, it had a lot of work done on it, head, new hoses, torque converter, trans. It'd been owned by an old man and He'd spent about $5k on it. I paid the dealer $4.5k. When we first saw it, they had it in the garage out back. Reckon the cleaners got water in the computer, e30 screens leak that side... But it was idling up and down really fast. They never fixed it, but gave it to us running the day we picked it up. They'd turned the air con on to up the idle... We took it back and they toyed with it, 2nd hand afm and computer. But still not right, never got it to idle right and it ran like a bag of horse droppings. The idle was still flicking up and down, not surging, 700 to 1000rpm like a switch? Gave it to my mate Andy in Maddington and he cleaned it out a bit, twiddled with the afm and got it going alright. But we've never managed to get it going perfectly. I've had the injectors serviced. changed the cap and the rotor, plugs new timing belt, tappets... It's a 320i 6/89 I'm A bit suss over the belt and tappets, done by different people who don't know bmw? Lately it's been 'choking up', idle has been rough, and sometimes it surges at idle and then is rough pulling away, not a misfire, just 'choking'. It clears itself and pulls away, just at low revs. It's a bit intermittent, sometimes it's fine. When it goes it pulls away strong, up to 5-6krpm, no missing. Took it into my mate Andy's today, he played with it for an hour, no vacuum leaks, tried a few afm's, checked the icv, twiddled with it and got it going nicerly. But He took the plug off the afm and the motor still ran? he asked if anyone had put a chip in it? Not us, dunno bout the old man though? Wear gunner take it back there for him to go over it properly, tappets, compression etc, And he may as well do the wheel bearings, I'm sick of cars! But what is it with this car that it's never ran right? 5 spark plugs were lean, one was a bit blacker? #6. I'm sure we'll get this sorted... eventually. The motor is a good strong runner, fluids are okay, doesn't use any or leak. Me thinks something electrical? Different computer? afm? Reckon they prob traded the car like that, old boys put a few dollars into it. Dunno if it was the water in the computer, or why old boy sold it? HAS IT GOT A GHOST? Any theories or insights I'd appreciate, it's perplexed a few people already! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Hi Y'all, latest thinking, after it's been to the shop for wheel bearings and another tune up... The computer has been changed out in the past... Were taking it to the German Peter Erlemeyer Master Motor Mechanic rockingham, where we live. Wear gunner do a diagnostic on it with his $40k machine. Run it for an hour on his computer, take it for a drive and then bring it back. Everything imaginable has been done to it, so time to take it to the german! He is good, but expensive! $150 to diagnose this thing, and hopefully we'll get an answer from it? Do the computers remap themselves? Or do they need to be remapped when changing it from 1 car to another? The car's going fine, but the idle breaks down, not really missing, like x firing, just dipping and surging, the car rocks and rolls a bit at idle under load. Excuse my non technical explanations.. Hi I would have a look ate the oxygen sensor in the exhaust front pipe. Sounds as if the car is running in default mode, that is too rich at idle and too lean under load. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlowMyWhistle 0 Report post Posted July 20, 2011 Took the car into 'The German" He ran it up on his computer. reset a couple of faults. Put the idle up a little. Not quite perfect, still dives occasionally. But much much better. My girl has to take it back in there after a week and he's gunner recheck the readouts, see if there's any faults. Post closed methinks? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
