hello.. silly newbie with even sillier questions

[jinksy]

hi, i'm just after getting my hands on a 318is and its a flyer apart from a few minor issues i could do wit some help with.
(1) the car idles funny - shakes a bit and revs seem to go up and down a bit.

(2) rev clock and mpg thingy wont work - rest of clocks are 100%
but on the plus side i think i've convinced myself i'm always getting 50+ mpg no matter how i drive because of it...

(3) the central locking wont work - locks manually with key but when car is running it thinks its hilarious to lock the doors, usually with me outside the car. been lucky twice now in a week that the window was down.
oh and when i lock the steering hard to the right there is a squealing noise, its probably just the PAS belt but just thought i'd ask anyway

[stevotheevo]

welcome to the zone fella.

1. possible ICV ( idle control valve)

2. remove clocks and check behind, could just be loose nuts/connections.

3. do you have aftermarket C/L on a key fob ? C/L solanoids do have a habbit of failing, worth a check.

[cliffybabe]

welcome to the zone

1] yeah clean the IDC carb cleaner works great, check the pipes from the throttle body to air box to ensure no cracks or air leakes too

2]Have u tried resetting the service computer i found my MPG didnt work till i done that

3] Check ur fuses if that fails doa search on here for central locking red and black wire brianmoore has done exstensive posts on central locking issues

the squealing as u said could be adoggy belt however check ur power steering fluid too

[Chase007]

Welcome to the zone mate these problems cud be one of a lot of things but i will say the idle prob cud be the icv may need cleaning or a new one but as ur saying it shakes a bit i think i have heard this cud be down to the cam belt, with ur clocks u will need to remove the clocks take the foot well panel off then remove ur ECU feel behind the plastic cover on top off the steering boss and u will find two nuts one to the left and one to the right, once off u will see the screws u need to remove and the two on the top of the cover panel as well there r two holding the click in place inside u will see, now round the back pop the plugs off with a screwdriver to pop the clips out then just pull them out if u have ABS pull the bulb wiv the wire out then ease it out, now make sure u have all the earth nuts on the back, i wud take it a part and look inside myself to check and it also cud be the chip that sits on the front bottom right, The Locking prob sounds like the alarm system is it a standard one or a name brand one With the PAS have u checked the fluid and u don't have a leak in the system . Well mate there is a lot of people on here who have many more years of experience on top of mine so someone will help u hit the nail on the head ur in the right place mate E30 ZONE FOREVER Chase007

[DaveD]

Hi
1..Look under cleaning the icv on here
http://www.e36coupe.com/
..it shows you what MIGHT be the problem..but spray the inlet rubber with wd40 while it is ticking over ..if your idle alters you have a leak in the rubber
2..don't know
3 Take the drivers side front speaker out and check if the compartment is dry..they can fill with water (this is where the brain lives)
otherwise DO A SEARCH ...these probs have come up umpteen times before especially central locking

[jaistanley]

Try banging the dash and if the tacho jumps into life you have a loose/poor earth or a dry joint. That's the neanderthal method I used...

[jinksy]

well low and behold the neanderthal method worked!! i gave the dash a gentle closed fist haymaker and the rev clock springed into life. so i took the clocks out and found a loose connection. thats one less problem anyway, thanks guys.
the central locking is just the normal type with a bmw alarm i think but i dont have it switched on. i'll investigate further at the weekend.

just one more question for now. the car is lowered in the rear but not in the front for some reason, how do i know how far it has been lowered so i can even it up. looks like i've got 20 bags of cement in the boot

[stevotheevo]

well thats not good, if you got the £££s id replace all 4 corners, but thats just me.

[jaistanley]

Oh yea.. Another win chalked up for 'give it a kick' mechanics.......

[appletree]

You could post a few pics up of the car so we can see the ride hight and also a pic of the springs if you can might be able to help you more then

Id say the shaking on the engine ideling will be a leak in the pipe work some were check under the big rubber elbow thats were mine went

[TopSod]

Oh yea.. Another win chalked up for 'give it a kick' mechanics.......