question about my m10 316 carb and cooling problems

[wayneE30]

ok i got a copy of the haynes manual from widge (thanks mate ) and have been going through the fault finding section and from what it said i either need a new carb or the ignition timing is out what do u guys think or is haynes like eveyone says full of sh1t.

[Sooty]

It might help if you told us the symptoms that lead you to the conclusion that you either need a new carb or the timing is out.
Some of the guys on here are wizards when it comes to E30's but I don't think we have too many mind readers

[wayneE30]

most already know but here's a list she overheats uses, too much fuel, lack of power, cuts out when ticking over,accelarating, backfires, sounds like she missfires too

[Sooty]

Now that's what I call a list of symptoms
Here's SOME possibilities that have probably been covered by other guys but you never know.

Overheats
Blocked rad (backflush & clean).
T/stat stuck closed (DON'T be tempted to try & wedge the stat open).
Air locks.
Failed head gasket (do the coolant hoses feel solid when the engine's hot?).
Ign timing (as you said).

High fuel consumption
Brakes binding (handbrake incorrectly adjusted or brake drag?).
Air filter dirty.
Ign timing (again).
Driving like a tw*t (we all do it sometimes ).
Carb worn out or needs adjusting (as you said).

Lack of power
Ign timing (again) or failing component.
Carb (again).
Brakes (again).
Low cylinder compression (broken piston ring, worn bores, leaking valve seats, broken valve spring + others).
Worn dizzy.
Intake air leak.

Cutting out
Ign timing (again).
Carb (again).

Backfires & missing
Plugs (wrong gaps or one breaking down under load?).
Intake air leak (again).

The list can go on & on unfortunately.
The thing to do is try & work through it logically without jumping to conclusions. With so many symptoms, it's all to easy to do that & don't assume that something is OK. Physically check it.
Try to split each part of the engine into separate systems (fuel, ignition, cooling, etc) & work through each one thoroughly.

HTH

Iain S

BTW...the Haynes comic is a total waste - but only to those that know & understand cars. To a novice they can be a good introduction.

[wayneE30]

thanks i think i will check the ignition timing first as that is the easyest and work from there haynes is a good comic to read as im new to bmw engines

[wayneE30]

sorry the coolant hoses are fine not hard but how do i get rid of air locks if there is 1