Engine cuts out?

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:06 pm

I turn the engine on and can rev the engine fine, soon as i leave it, it just cuts out? any idea whats causing this?

There is also some fluid on the passenger side of the engine? not sure what it could be.. obviously leaked from somewhere!

The engine is an 1986 m10, the car is non-injection.

cheers guys

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:25 pm

You need to tell people this is a non-injection car, otherwise you'll get all sorts of odd answers. Not even the Wiki is good enough for the primitive setup you have.

You'll also have no narrow down this "fluid". Is it coolant, oil or petrol? Running from the top, or just on the side? How much is leaking?

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:35 pm

The fluid is either oil or petrol, i assume its oil because of its thickness, heres a picture >

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:46 pm

Well done, genuine hats off to you for having a go. But if you can't tell the difference between petrol and oil

I think you need to reassess how much you are capable of doing at the moment.

It looks like an oil leak, clean the area, then when it leaks again trace it back to its source, it will be easier to see this way.

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:50 pm

I thought it was oil leak as i have had one on a previous car, wasn't going to rule out petrol though as i haven't had one. And in no way am i a mechanic, have only had one previous car which had little problems. I will only learn by doing these things myself but thanks for the opinion.

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:59 pm

The only way to learn is to get stuck in

Take it for a drive, and then park it on some freshly-laid newspaper. Come back after an hour and see how much has dripped onto the ground. That will tell you what the fluid is and how severe it is. It's almost definitely an oil leak, but it's impossible to tell from the photo where it's coming from.

As for the stalling; possibly a poorly set up carburetor; exactly the reason why people go for a Weber swap.

Post Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:35 pm

Grrrmachine wrote:
As for the stalling; possibly a poorly set up carburetor; exactly the reason why people go for a Weber swap.

We need to know what carb. is fitted. The OE carb. has electronic idle control, and if this has failed, it's time for a Weber.
I owned one of these back in the days when E30s were still in production, and spent several hours learning about and trying to fix this feedback loop without success for more than a couple of weeks.
I then had a drive in a 325, so the 316 was sold on to a new owner who promptly fitted a Weber to it.

Post Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:59 am

I also had a two door one of these and had all sorts of issues with split air hoses and vacuum pipes. Engine was good as four pots go but the carb did let it down. Was glad when I had the replacement 320i I can tell you

Post Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:26 pm

The carb fitted to it would be the original it came with, not a weber or anything!

Post Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:30 pm

Junglistjed wrote:The carb fitted to it would be the original it came with, not a weber or anything!

Give us a picture of the carb to be sure (you'll need to remove the big black rusty air filter you have to do so).

For a quick fix, look at all the black rubber hoses going to and from the carb to the distributor, and make sure there are no cracks or splits - those will affect the running of the motor.

Post Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:34 pm

Will attempt to remove the air filter soon, i did suspect an air leak somewhere, if they are full of cracks and splits would i just replace them or get myself a weber? thanks for the reply mate

Post Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:59 pm

These rubber pipes are vacuum pipes to the advance/retard on the distributor, so even if you fit a Weber you'll still need those pipes, and they need to be in good condition. So if they're split or cracked or crumbly, get them replaced.

Post Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:13 pm

Oil is everywhere, seriously need to clean it up as i have no idea where its coming from! also the metal casing on the top, are those metal clips what hold it on?

Post Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:22 pm

Without pics, none of us know what you're talking about.

Post Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:29 pm

that mate

Post Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:56 pm

Oh, on the air filter? Yes, those should just prise off, and you'll need to undo the nut in the middle.

Post Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:04 pm

Three metal clips and the centre bolt hold the lid on the air filter case. The case itself is bolted to the top of the carburettor.
If there's oil everywhere, then yes, you do need to clean it all up - then watch carefully to see where it's coming from.