IDLE PROBLEMS

[dicko]

i have a 320i 1990 and wont idle properly if i maually adjust the throtle end stop screw to hold the throttle open a little its alot better but if i set the throttle body up so it closes completly the car trys to idle at adout 400 rpm and eventually cuts out
the tps is fine and the idle control valve dosent seem to be stickng and is clean
Any idea's

[nooster]

hi my cars doing the same iv adjusted the throtle screw to mate mines a 320i no a 1990 to. the thing is i cleaned my control valve before this.and its never been the same. so i think it the valve and im geting one off ebay right now to see if it is that valve.cleaned it on wensday put it back on and never been the same .

[dicko]

my car wont start now it's fooding its self i think it might be the fuel pressure regulator
hopfully this was the problem all along or i am going to shoot the car

[nooster]

now then got my new i/c/valve today. put it on and the cars runing great
£5.00 of ebay not bad a.

[ricey46]

Make sure you've not got any air leaks, vaccum leaks too, like on the botton of the rubber boot from the air flow meter to the throtle body, mine had a big hole in the bottom of it!! Oh and try to clean out the air flow meter and ICV with carb cleaner it'll make a difference!

[dicko]

fitted a new fuel pressure reg friday and its like a new car so good i fact i am going to treat it to a new set of lead's dizzy cap and arm and i promise never to threatin to shoot my car again

[Nelly]

[Brianmoooore]

Original HT leads will outlast the car!

[dicko]

Do you reckon there a waste of money

[Brianmoooore]

I've never changed one on any E30, apart from the odd one that's been physically damage, and all that I've tested have been as new.
Certainly don't replace them with any aftermarket stuff.

[dicko]

Wouldnt dream of cheap nasty aftermarket parts
They are ┚¬170 over here and the old ones dont look to bad and there are is no lightning under the bonnet at night
the cap and arm are diffinetly knackered they are the original's 98 k on them

[Pete159]

My 325 will not idle an cuts out. So what eventually cured your problem?

[Low_E30]

My 325i had been parked up for a little while , but has now developed a idling problem, seems to cut out when warm,, revs tend to go up & down untill it eventually dies, runs like a pig also, like its kind of missing...

leads are fine, ICV is relativly new, air flow bellow is new

I can get it stay on if i adjust the screw on the throttle, but im sure its idling too high when i do that...

What should the position of the throttle screw idealy be?, when i say that, im asking at what RPM should it be so that the car is idling perfectly?

Could it be that the car needs a tune up?

[murran]

if the idles up and down its either an air leak that its having to compensate for. or the throttle switch underneath the throttle body thats not working. without the switch working the ecu doesnt know its supposed to be idling it thinks your trying to drive it without using any throttle and its about to stall! so doesnt know to settle the idle speed using the idle air valve! check the wiring to the switch and that its working. everyone that just adjusts the throttle screw up to stop it idling up and down, your idle switch isnt working! and ypour using lots more fuel at idle speed! if it just idles low not so much up and down its probably the valve.
cheap nasty plug leads are big no no, especially the silicone core ones! ill be sticking to my original 18 year old ones thanks.

[murran]

the ecu knows/decides what the idle speed should be, not you with a little flat blade screw driver in your hand. wind the screw all the way off the throttle ,if you know what i mean, then back on a bit so it just resting on it and leave it, if it wont idle properly then check other things. throttle switches, dirty throttle bodys from heavy breathing engines, idle vales bunged up with crap, crappy contaminated wiring, etc, the idle screw and the co adjuster in the afm should not need to be touched. tune ups?.... phah!! what a load of twaddle! its an bosch injection system.......... not a twin 45 dcoe webber carb!!!!!......... your only compensating for dirty components or whats really wrong with it!!!!!!
on another note, i love the word crap its so versatile. much better than word than shit.

[shaprid]

Just taken a K+N off mine and replaced with a proper air box had to turn tickover up to keep it running or have i missed something 1990 320 bty

[Low_E30]

everyone that just adjusts the throttle screw up to stop it idling up and down, your idle switch isnt working! and ypour using lots more fuel at idle speed!

Is this idle switch that you refer to also known as the throttle position switch?.....

[murran]

yes the idle switch, the thing with three wires going to it under the throttle body. tells the ecu when the throttle body is closed (idle), part throttle and wide open (full throttle) on a 325 its more of a postion switch/potensiometer, telling the ecu actual position of the throttle flap in steps, 5 or 6 quadrants sort of thing if, you know what i mean?

taking the k+n off shouldnt make any difference, did it just cut straight out after the initial start up or was the idle up and down afew times then cut out. i take it u didnt drop the afm on the floor?????

[The_Duke]

Hi all

I drive a 320i F reg E30. Its reliable and I am pleased with her. I do have some problems with her though. When driving at the 30 mile an hour - the engines seems to jump (I am not sure how to describe it) its like a petrol feed problem... like the engine does not get enough fuel... but when driving at at 50 mph this does not occur, when I rev the engine this stops happening. She idles fine, no problems there.

Can anyone help please.

[shaprid]

After i removed the K+N it just wouldn't tickover so i raised it via the screw and now it somtimes does the up and down thing but normally settles has just passed an emmisions test for MOT, tried removing and checking connectors to throttle switch and when i removed the plug on the idle valve it made no difference to the engine tickover at all does this mean it aint doing what it should be, i expected it to get worse when idle valve unplugged

[murran]

if you unplug the idle valve when its ticking over it should stall, but by adjusting the throttle stop screw up youve taken the job that it does away from it. but also it means that the idle part of the throttle switch isnt working cus youve wound the screw in it cant return to where the throttle flap should be on idle, the ecu thinks the engines on part load when its ticking over. so bunging in more fuel than needed. what was the co and hc readings on your emissions print out? wouldnt surprise me if it passed its mot, theres a pretty big leaway on these sort of year cars.

[Brianmoooore]

Why do people play with the throttle stop screw? It's hardly likely to have moved itself. It's not likely to have worn, so why move it?
Deliberately introducing a second fault to counteract or mask another fault is hardly the way to sort a problem!

[Brianmoooore]

if you unplug the idle valve when its ticking over it should stall

Only on early systems with a two wire ICV.
Unplugging the ICV on most E30s should have no immediate effect whatsoever, as the ICV should just stay open exactly the amount it was, and idle shouldn't be affected unless load conditions change.

[murran]

on my e30 it stalls and on mk2 golf digifant gtis it would near enough stall.
im sure that because no one understands the system, most e30s have had their idle screws upped to compensate for other probs. its like peirburg carbs on vws no one understands them so they just fit a weber equivalent at great expence.
ill tell you my sequence of events when i got my e30. it ticked over bout 1300 revs stayed the same if i unplugged the idle valve so i backed the stop screw off then it started up and downing, i found a broken wire inside the little rubber boot on the three wire connecter to the throttle switch. repaired that and cleaned out the throttle body and hey presto. v good steady idle. 750-800rpm hot, 1100 stone cold.
and just about stalls if you unplug the valve.

my mk2 golf driver also runs fine on its peirburg too!