325i problem

[e301988325i]

Have you checked the rocker cover to TB pipe, they get hard and brittle and then split easily. I lefft mine disconnected yesterday (cold getting to me) and the car did the same thing, idled fine then stalled when I touched the throttle lightly.

I need to replace said pipe, luckily I'm led to believe it's quite cheap.

[muzz]

brian sorry i meant to say the afm gave me that reading im afraid that i am only a novice mechanic but i have seen the odd 6cyl e30 you give me the impresion that your a bit upset with me i dont know why im doing the best i can with limited tools out in the elements which is about 41 degrees celcious with a humidity of about a constant 95% summer storms every 2 hours and so on but i will try disconecting the baterey and hope that it will reset itself i had no history on this car as i bought it smashed and repaired it myself outsourcing the painting but the welding is mine so im not completly useless.iwill try to post some pics of it on this thred asap and you can tell me what you think.also the coment on timming no i didnt touch the canbelt i only replaced the water pump in my opinion it sounds like the timming is out but i know it couldnt be.
and i will also try the rubber pipe from the tappet cover to the throtle body at this stage if it is the problem ya hoo fingers crossed

[kman82]

When you test the air flow meter i thought it should give different readings as the flap inside opens and closes? I doubt the problem will lie here though as you swapped the afm for a working one from you cabby?

Deosn't the water pump run off of the timing belt? so you must of had to remove it to change the water pump. I've never done this before so cant really offer much advise but arn't there timing markers on the belt that have to be alined.

[Brianmoooore]

Deosn't the water pump run off of the timing belt?

No it doesn't!! Don't mistake BMW for GM rubbish or similar!!
In my very first post I said this sounds like an inlet air leak, and you said that you'd checked for this - that would include the rocker cover vent pipe.
If you have no history of this car, this could be along standing problem, so timing is a possibility - you'll have to take the timing covers off to check, and if you've gone in that far, a belt change would be a good idea anyway, as it always is when you take possession of a car with no history.
Are you sure the AFM you've fitted is a good one, or indeed, the correct one.
Yes, I am short tempered at the moment - I'm sitting here with a serious dose of the 'flu, getting absolutely no sympathy from the missus, who ideally should be nursing me and attending to my every need, but instead is insisting I just have a slight cold!

[muzz]

brian i know what your going through so ok mate just have a few more scotches and that will dull the pain,of the flu [and the wife] the t/body again came with the car but i did swap it over for a proven one and no diference so im presuming its ok was dreading the whole timming belt thing but you are right i should change it and while im there i could check the timming if all else fails,boy what a drama im looking forward to the final act.brian hpe you feel better soon mate thanks

[muzz]

right while im waiting for my crankcase breather hose to arive i took the tapet cover off and discovered one of the head bolts was broken at the top and the head and washer floating in the head chamber fortunitly i have a stud removal tool and a spare head bolt so i replaced it just thought i would check the breather for blockages as i think this problem is due to a blocked crankcase vent hose although it looks ok from the outside it is old and might be blocked like an artery on the inside i tried to shove a thin plastic tube through it and encountered alot of resistance with sludge not too much but enough not too breath properly imo so i will keep you all posted fingers crossed.

[Brianmoooore]

If you've found a broken head bolt, then it is likely you have the type that should have been replaced under a service bulletin issued by BMW years ago! The bolts should be replaced, one at a time, by the current torx headed stretch bolts, and angle torqued into place.
You're lucky that the broken bolt head hasn't decided to lodge itself under a cam lobe, and punch through the head!
It sounds like your crank case breather hose is well past its use by date, but I can't see it being blocked having any relevance to your described problem, although, if it's leaking it could be the problem

[muzz]

yes brian i thought that was the case with the bolts because all my other cars have had the torx head bolts spot of luck i thought that the broken bits didnt cause any damage as far as the breather im praying that this might be the cause of the problem wishfull thinking and im trying to kepp the glass half full on this one positive positive positive.
in the past ive found with my other e30s that its usually the most smallest of problems that cause major dramas eg 86 325 convertible not starting 2 years ago was due to fuel pump relay with rusty terminals not making contact that one took my 3 weeks to sort out ah well its all good fun cheers

[e301988325i]

So was the breather pipe damaged, or did it fall to pieces upon removal?

[muzz]

no the breather pipe was ok if you looked at it but it is hard and brittle and did split when i took it off so im hopping that this is the problem ill have to wait untill i get the new one i will keep you all informed when i get it all together cheers

[kman82]

Does the crank case have a gasket? would it be worth replaceing as you've got it open?

Its probably worth replacing the remaining bolts while you've got it open. Or at least in the near future when you've sorted the idle prob out to stop any shrapnel making a right mess!

[muzz]

too right mate yes i will be replacing the gasket and ive got a full 2 sets of new torx head engine bolts so i better do it have got a brand new head i was going to put it on my convertible but now im thinking ill do a m50 conversion to my convertible but one thing at a time ill get this one sorted first , i need a holiday

[muzz]

ok update ive refited the tapet cover and new crakecase vent tube after all that ive done it still is doing exactly the same thing that is it starts fine and revs fine but cuts out when slow reved between 700 and 1000 rpm i disconected the oxygen sensor as per brians request still the same anyone out there with any other sugestions would the fuel injectors be the source of this type of problem thinking since this is the only thing i havnt touched im thinking that one or all the o rings might have a air leak all feedback is very welcome

[muzz]

anyone got any sugestions

[Brianmoooore]

May be time for a few basic tests!
Remove the spark plugs, remembering where each one came from. Do they all look the same, or is the tip of one a significantly different colour?
Do a compression test.
Did you ever check the timing?
How have you checked for air leaks?
The best way is to waft an inflammable gas around possible air leak points. The gas will be drawn into the engine,through the leak, and make an immediate change to the engine note.
I use a propane blowlamp for this (the type with a seperate bottle and a hose), by unscrewing the head and jet, turning on the gas, and pushing the front end of it in and around and under the inlet manifold, etc. (Stick the nozzle into the air filter intake, and the engine will start and run quite happily without any of the petrol system working - a useful test if you have sparks on a non running engine, but suspect no fuel.)
In the absence of a gas blowlamp, most aerosols have propane/butane as a propellant these days, and can be used instead.
Carb/brake cleaner is ideal, as both the propellant and the contents are inflammable.

[muzz]

brian i have checked for leaks with the carby cleaner wafted around all the inlet areas plugs are new as i just replaced them old ones were not sooty but were black and ive got to call a mechanic mate of mine in to do a compresion test and check the timeing as i dont have the corect equiptment to do thisbut asap i will try and do this.
also brian what do you think of my fuel injectors idea could they be at fault if the o rings are worn and not sealing corectly

[Brianmoooore]

Injector O ring failure would just be another air leak, and should have shown up in the air leak tests you have done.
Disconnect the plug to the air flow meter. Does this make much difference to the fault symptoms?

[muzz]

no brian i dosnt but the idle when engine is warm hunts a bit between 500 and 1000rpm ive got a feeling the idle control valve might be the culprit im going to get a replacement on monday and fit and try i replaced the rubber boot that goes from the afm to the throtle body with a spare i had seems to be a bit better but still not what i would call a bmw ride quality anyhow im determined to sort this problem myself so i will keep on going keep throwing me advise it is much apriciated and i did test the injectors for leaks and all are good.

[muzz]

hey brian just a thought would a blocked fuel injector cause these problems if so is there a procedure for removing the fuel rail,reason i ask is because even when i rev the car it tends to splutter a bit.any thoughts

[e301988325i]

Removing the rail and injectors is possible with the inlet manifold in place, the injector wiring connectors have pain in the **** little metal clips around them that have to be removed first, then the injectors themselves are held into the fuel rail with metal spring clips.

Be advised to aquire new o-rings for the injectors as you can easily damage one, then you have to wait for new o-rings to arrive. . . not that that happened to me.

[muzz]

ok took the fuel rail out today and cleaned the injectors new o rings new fuel lines refit everthing reconected the battery after all the effort its still doing the same thing ive got to tell you all this one is really trying my patience any one out there with some more insight

[e301988325i]

It's the flow characteristics of the injectors that need checking, did you?

[muzz]

It's the flow characteristics of the injectors that need checking, did you?

im not sure what ypu mean by this how do i test this

[muzz]

ok im getting nowhere fast so ive decided to go back to basics 1st job air flow meter cause engine sounds like its choking i replaced it with the one of my 325 cab and there is no diference so then i decided to take them all off started the car and problem has gone engine reves freely right through the ranges with no hesitating or cutting out now i know i can get my hands on a replacement but seeing as i have tried it with a working one is this the problem or is it electrical if so what do i lookfor or is there a relay at fault any thoughts

[muzz]

guys im pleased and relieved to say that after almost a month of fault chasing the fault was with the air flow meter got a replacement from my friendly bmw wrecker who after hearing my saga offered to loan me 2 to trial {thanks marcus} fitted it and the car is now running excelent whew what a relief so the score is muzz 6 bmw e30's 0 and just goes to show that if even i can sort out a e30 anyone can thanks to all on the forum that gave advice your help was invaluable..happy motoring

[Brianmoooore]

Your fault description has all the characteristics of.........something else affecting the AFM signal, ?