98' 318i Touring wont tickover and emissions fail.H+E+L+P

Mon Feb 02, 2015 2:21 pm

Just bought a 318i Touring auto to smoke round in while the weathers bad and my E30 gets TLC for 2015 use. its a peachy dark blue/tan leather 98k ' er with huge history thats just failed its mot on emissions . cheap as you might expect divided by 2. the Mot tester advised lambda sensor and indeed it appeared to be running rich and boggy. yesterday the tickover disapeared completely, the gearbox cog appeared for 5 mins on the display just once and then disapeared . im now driving with two feet to keep it from stalling, a bit of a bugger in an auto. before i start a cold weather strip and clean of the air intake sensor system, could the lambda sensor have simply died or shed a wire. would that cause a loss of tickover and a petrolly smell coming from the engine bay ? - poor mixture, or shall i start the fuel system reconn if this dying isnt likely to be the cause of zero tickover. the car still drives okish when the revs are above tickover.

Mon Feb 02, 2015 6:09 pm

Be sure to check for air leaks BEFORE spending any money. The intake boot and associated pipework are often split allowing major air leaks leading to major running issues. The breather from the rocker cover to the black plastic valve at the rear of the inlet manifold is often goosed as is the valve diaghragm. If there is a sucking from the valve, it is goosed and will cause running issues.

Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:07 am

thanks, will go over this point as well as i can today before starting any other disassembly.
fingers crossed the laughably cheap smoker doesnt become the pit of hell with a all powerfull wallet magnet at the bottom.

Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:34 am

ahhh, the joy of a cheap fix. the big fat hose that runs to the inlet manifold had come adrift but not completely, when i lifted the airbox to change the filter, DOH!. on replacing it in its rightfull position we had tickover!! joy! there isnt always a big bill on a little table when you reach the light at the end of the tunnel. those 16" double spokes are doing there thang again.