So I've had the car taken into to the garage for a full service and a suspension change. I also assumed I had a fuel leak due to the MPG and strong smell of fuel.
After having the work done my mechanic had a look for a fuel leak, however I've been told there is not leak but the car is running too rich (very pungent of smell of petrol out of the exhaust.)
So now what do I have to do/change to get the car running perfect?
Car running rich.... Still stinks!! BREAKING NEWS!!
Moderator: martauto
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E30BeemerLad
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what engine?
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eta
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Coolant temperature sensor could be at fault., its the same on all E30 engines. It is an NTC thermistor so check with a multimeter in boiling water it should be a lot lower than in cold tap water.
The bentley gives the the following values.
@20 degrees C rsistance = 2000-2900 ohms
@80 degrees C resistance = 300-360 ohms
If its a little outside those values don't worry. It function as an NTC though.
The bentley gives the the following values.
@20 degrees C rsistance = 2000-2900 ohms
@80 degrees C resistance = 300-360 ohms
If its a little outside those values don't worry. It function as an NTC though.
If your on about the blue temp sensor, I've changed it.eta wrote:Coolant temperature sensor could be at fault., its the same on all E30 engines. It is an NTC thermistor so check with a multimeter in boiling water it should be a lot lower than in cold tap water.
The bentley gives the the following values.
@20 degrees C rsistance = 2000-2900 ohms
@80 degrees C resistance = 300-360 ohms
If its a little outside those values don't worry. It function as an NTC though.
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eta
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So you have done that then. Is it runnning rich at idle or at all throttle positions. There is a hex screw on the AFM which can be opened out to reduce CO and hydrocarbon emmsissons. The AFM could be at fault.
I'm not sure but the smell is very strong on start-up. Also it can be smelt strongly when stopped in traffic.eta wrote:So you have done that then. Is it runnning rich at idle or at all throttle positions. There is a hex screw on the AFM which can be opened out to reduce CO and hydrocarbon emmsissons. The AFM could be at fault.
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Brianmoooore
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It could be something as simple as leaking fuel pipes. 20 year old fuel hose can be very porous.
I don't think this would be the case as I purchased the car "very" standard and I have not changed it....but I will check.maxfield wrote:End of the fuel rail.
Some people put these on to make the car 'faster' all the do is cause your car to overfuel.
Same with the silly eBay resistor.
I've changed all the lines and have had them checked. No problems there.Brianmoooore wrote:It could be something as simple as leaking fuel pipes. 20 year old fuel hose can be very porous.
My mechanic has said it could be the distributor cap/AFM. Also when the timing belt was done, the rotary arm was changed. My parts guy told me the rotary arm I had on it was from a 325 and not the standard 316 arm. I changed it like for like so I'm wondering if this could be why the car is running rich?
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Brianmoooore
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I've no idea what the fine details are of the difference between a M40 rotor arm and a M20 one, but if it causes a misfire, a gas analyser will show the car as running rich, as unburnt fuel will be entering the exhaust system.
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Ajsingh
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Id personally adjust the air flow meter and see if it makes a difderance, if not then thats knackered!
Always start at the basics... If the air flows knackered then theres enough air gettin into the engine hence it adjusts by adding more fuel.. Put the car on a CO machine and adjust it
Always start at the basics... If the air flows knackered then theres enough air gettin into the engine hence it adjusts by adding more fuel.. Put the car on a CO machine and adjust it
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Ajsingh
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Id personally adjust the air flow meter and see if it makes a difderance, if not then thats knackered!
Always start at the basics... If the air flows knackered then theres enough air gettin into the engine hence it adjusts by adding more fuel.. Put the car on a CO machine and adjust it
Always start at the basics... If the air flows knackered then theres enough air gettin into the engine hence it adjusts by adding more fuel.. Put the car on a CO machine and adjust it
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octanejunkie
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AFM deffo.
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Brianmoooore
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If the AFM hasn't been miss adjusted before, then it doesn't need adjusting now. You might get an improvement by adjusting it, but you are introducing a second 'fault' to balance out the existing fault. If you do adjust it, carefully note where it is now.
So I finally changed the AFM to one that I bought of a zoner, but I still seem to have the same problem. MPG way too high and a strong smell. I've noticed that when I turn the heaters on (middle ones!) the smell seems to get alot more potent.
Any ideas guys......I really need to get this sorted as I'm getting heavily intoxicated!
Any ideas guys......I really need to get this sorted as I'm getting heavily intoxicated!
Funny that as i have a 316 and has the same problem!! 
Havent look into it yet....as just going to fit my m52 that will solve it!
Havent look into it yet....as just going to fit my m52 that will solve it!
Are you sure that the small rubber fuel pipe thats goes into the fuel rail under the inlet manifold has been changed? It's only a couple of inches long and is hard to spot because of its location. I have a couple of 316/318i's and they have leaked in that same place, and your symptoms seem similar to mine.
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Brianmoooore
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If the heater fan is sucking a strong fuel smell into the cabin, then you almost certainly have a leak!
Any chance of pics for locating?jimjim wrote:Are you sure that the small rubber fuel pipe thats goes into the fuel rail under the inlet manifold has been changed? It's only a couple of inches long and is hard to spot because of its location. I have a couple of 316/318i's and they have leaked in that same place, and your symptoms seem similar to mine.
I thought this was the case.......but after filling the tank I put it on the ramp and had a good look around. I couldn't find any leaks whatsoever.Brianmoooore wrote:If the heater fan is sucking a strong fuel smell into the cabin, then you almost certainly have a leak!
Where are the main points where it can leak?
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Brianmoooore
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If it's a M40 engine, a couple of short bits of hose hidden under the inlet manifold, but it can also be the longer hoses from the back of the engine bay to the engine.bedumon wrote:Where are the main points where it can leak?
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capri_rob
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Don't you just love it when you locate the source of a problem and find it will only cost pennies to fix 
e30topless said : Proper BMW's have 4 headlights, last of the run was the E30 and E34/E32 anything after that is just complete shite