318i driveability issues

Post Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm

Hi guys,

Apologies if I'm starting another thread that's going to go on for too long, looking for advice on how to sort my 318i Touring.

Essentially, even after the camshaft the car doesn't drive well at all. It's still prone to missing and feels gutless, esp. driving up hills where it feels like more throttle does nothing except rev the engine. Also gets through loads of fuel despite the fact it's incapable of being driven aggressively (fuel gauge also bounces around which doesn't help).

At the moment my plan is to replace anything to do with ignition and see if that sorts the rough running (also going to reinstall the cam again). Also planning on getting new injectors and a fuel filter in.

I'm hoping that work will get it to a better point but I'd love suggestions for what could be the culprit(s) for my issues.

Post Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:49 pm

If it revs when you go up hill but does not accelerate then your clutch is slipping.

Ben

Post Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:43 am

BenHar wrote: ↑
Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:49 pm
If it revs when you go up hill but does not accelerate then your clutch is slipping.

Ben

Yep- most likely it. Going to check it when I'm back next. Cheers

Post Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:09 pm

Check blue bosch sensor under inlet manifold. I had these symptoms on an E30 M40 engine and that ended up being the culprit.

Post Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:57 pm

terryjippo wrote: ↑
Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:09 pm
Check blue bosch sensor under inlet manifold. I had these symptoms on an E30 M40 engine and that ended up being the culprit.

I don't see how that would allow the engine revs to change but not the speed of the car.

Ben

Post Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:16 pm

BenHar wrote: ↑
Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:49 pm
If it revs when you go up hill but does not accelerate then your clutch is slipping.

Ben

Cheers for suggesting I look at the clutch. Had it in the garage to get a new clutch fitted- supposedly the last one looked like a new part but was still slipping. With the new clutch in the car feels so much better to drive, it lurches way less and is generally actually driveable now. Aiming to do the belts and etc + recheck the camshaft at some point after next weekend which should hopefully get it most of the way to being normal.

Post Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:33 pm

Good to hear.

Ben

Post Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:10 pm

Hi zone,

Thought I'd follow up in this thread with new problems I'm having with my E30.

Did the cambelt (aux belts, pump, thermostat) yesterday and today, which went about as well as I could have hoped. I also got around to replacing the rotor and distributor, the latter of which was hanging on by one bolt (not my doing). I almost got to the spark plugs but couldn't find a tool both long and narrow enough to remove the spark plugs.

The engine sounds like it's already down a cylinder when running so I tried pulling the wires for each plug in sequence to see which one was at fault. The first plug made basically no difference when it was unplugged, but the other 3 didn't really have a large impact on the running either, but were still subtly noticeable. Looking for suggestions on where to go from here, since from my (limited) experience with misbehaving plugs I'd expect pulling them to have more of an effect than it actually did. Also would a misfire be the cause of it hunting at low idle?

Cheers.

Post Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:08 pm

First thing to do is to find a tool to remove the spark plugs and have a look. There should be a spark plug box spanner in the tool roll in the boot side pocket. Use a suitable length of 13mm or so rubber hose pushed onto the plug to remove them from their hole or to refit and screw them partly up.
No point in debating anything until #1 plug is out and compared with the others.

Post Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:43 am

Brianmoooore wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:08 pm
First thing to do is to find a tool to remove the spark plugs and have a look. There should be a spark plug box spanner in the tool roll in the boot side pocket. Use a suitable length of 13mm or so rubber hose pushed onto the plug to remove them from their hole or to refit and screw them partly up.
No point in debating anything until #1 plug is out and compared with the others.

Yeah, this was my plan. Sadly I realised yesterday I don't actually have a tool roll at all in my car. Don't know if it would be worth picking one up second hand since they seem to be going for a fair bit, does anyone make their own spark plug tools similar to the engine locking set?

My neighbour reccomended a local garage who should have something similar enough to get the plugs out. I guess replacing the plugs will either fix the problem or narrow down what could be causing it.

As well as this, I noticed when I gave it a quick drive yesterday that the having the throttle fully depressed seems to have very little impact on the revs/acceleration, also there's constant white smoke coming from the exhaust. Guessing this is all tied into the fuel system?

Post Mon Oct 19, 2020 2:39 pm

This would be close enough to the OE for me: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-MS157 ... SwKGRfcGK9 16mm is what you need.
White smoke s water vapour. Burning petrol produces many times its own volume of water, and with a heavy exhaust system, such as those used by BMW, the mass of metal tales a long time to heat up enough for that water to pass all the way through a invisible steam.

Post Mon Oct 19, 2020 3:21 pm

Just had the plugs done at a local garage, it's definitely had an impact on the way it drives. Feels more stable when pulling away and the engine physically shakes less at idle, but it's still hunting at low idle and when it's cold. Was wondering if it would be worth renewing both the coil and cps, or would these not contribute to rough running? Also when I was bleeding the coolant and inspecting the engine I noticed the clutch fan is constantly spinning and cannot be stopped (shredding paper) regardless of engine temperature, I thought that it was only meant to operate at high speed when overheating?

Finally, what would be the cause of the low rumble and lack of response at wide open throttle? Think this is my next problem to tackle.

Cheers for the help.

Edit: just went off to do some research and realised the fuel system should be my next focus since I've already done general maintenance and renewed ignition. I'm already suspicious of the car running rich and it looks like the blue sensor that terry suggested might be the culprit. My only doubt is that the old plugs came back more brown than black, where I think black indicates rich running. Plan is to get a multimeter and test the ecu to see if the blue plug is gone.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2020 6:51 pm

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to tackle the blue sensor on the M40 engine. I went in assuming it would be easy based on its position but only managed to shave my knuckles on the intake manifold. Does the intake manifold have to come off to get at the wire clip for the blue sensor? Would it be also worth getting my injectors serviced in the process?

Also posting up some pictures of the removed plugs, the tips seem to indicate normal wear rather than rich running, I don't know if this means the rich running is a recent development or something else entirely.

Screenshot_20201019-150943.png

Cheers