Murphs 0 Report post Posted April 17, 2006 hi all, only had my car a few days (01/1988 325i) its an auto, was sitting it traffic lights this afternoon and she had a little hesitation while on idle then stalled... what are some possible causes for this? is it an ecu problem? its probably nothing but i love my e30 and i'd like everything to be perfect (car runs beautifully apart from this small incident) and it has been serviced regularly im trying to avoid taking it to the local bmw dealer as i just paid 6k for the car, money is a little tight to pay the dealership to fix something so little cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simcox_325i 0 Report post Posted April 17, 2006 your not alone on this one. happens to me about once a month. :banghead: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carl 3 Report post Posted April 17, 2006 Start with the easy stuff and check you don't have a vacuum leak, check all your tubes for cracks/splits but especially the rubber boot between the AFM and trottle body, tis a common problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
325GRANT 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2006 check you don't have a vacuum leak, sounds like a vacuum leak to me also.start the car and listen for any (might be very quiet) hiss. focus around the inlet manifold. also check the bit the arrow is pointing to in the photo below... dont know what this is called or what its for (MAP sensor for link now) but unless its blocked off my car runs really crappy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topless 5 Report post Posted April 18, 2006 Does your car have aircon? If so, was it on at the time? I came across a car one time doing this and some work had been done to it and a wire that goes to the ECU that tells it that the A/C was on, and increases idle to compensate, had been left unplugged. Reconnected it and all ok. Otherwise check for air leak via the dipstick or oil filler cap. They must be air-tight. If they leak air, your car will be inclined to stall. The motor runs a negative crankcase pressure so air leaking in via these areas will affect idle speed. Also test you idle control valve, it may be sticky. Air leaks into the induction system can be traced by carefully using a product like quickstart and spraying it selectively into an area where a leak is suspected. If the revs increase briefly after a squirt, there is a leak. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murphs 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2006 thanks heaps guys, time for some diagnostic work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted April 20, 2006 I have similar symptoms with my Mitsubishi - and especially after the car hasn't been used for a while. The throttle butterfly valve sticks in the fully closed position and jams shut. If I take my foot of the gas slowly, and let the throttle close slowly, the idle will be smooth. If I take my foot of quickly, and the butterfly valve closes all the way suddenly, it sometimes sticks and my idle speed drops right down to 200-300 RPM, and struggles to idle. A slight touch on the gas, unstick the throttle, and it comes up to a smooth 600RPM. Jochen (I wish my Mitsi was a 320i) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
