ok.. still not driving properly

[jon_pure_british]

Ok a week ago, i ran out of petrol and then filled it up with a jerry can, and then a few miles later it conks out. strange considering there was quater tank in there.

so i had my pals try bump start me, didnt work.

next morning i come along thinking ok its had a rest maybe it will work, but doesnt and i proceeded to run my battery flat.

I changed the fuel filter that same day and squirted some injector fluid into the tank.

it barely got home. it ran lumpy and didnt rev over 2k in any gear or even on idle, after the engine got warm it still kept on being on the verge of stalling even on idle. so I had to be towed the rest of the way home.

A week later (today) I thought I may aswell check spark plugs, 2 of them were covered in oil, so I cleaned them all, I stuck them back in and then it started after awhile, I thought i would go for a drive round the block quickly, all signs seemed good as it reved up to 5/6 or so, and it was ticking over with a normal sound.

and then half way back it started acting up again running lumpy and wouldnt rev over 3k this time but it was harder to get to 3k than it was before i took it for a spin, it may have been backfiring im not sure as my exhaust is loud...

I just about managed to get it on my drive i feel like i am back to sqaure one.

What else can I do? im not really mechanically minded.
So i'm booking it into a garage, any last ideas before i do so?

Jon

[Dan318-is]

check your spark plugs again mate

if they have oil on them again its either piston rings or valve stem seals im afraid!

[Dan318-is]

Other than that an air leak?

but the oil on the plugs does not sound promising

i assume were talking m20 here mate?

[jagtech2002]

what engine is it mate?

[jon_pure_british]

its a 316!

i hope it isnt bad

[jagtech2002]

ive got to agree with 318-is on this one it doesn't sound promising. soz mate......

[jon_pure_british]

ive got to agree with 318-is on this one it doesn't sound promising. soz mate......

noooooooo

[Dan318-is]

check your sparks again mate, if they have oil on them it is likely you have either lost/loosing compression in one/some/all cylinders, or your valve stem seals are leaking and oil is pissing into the cylinders.

may also be worth checking your oil level?

the reason it was probably better after you cleaned them is cos the sparks werent covered in oil for a short time? would make sense mate but based upon my extremely limited knowledge that would be my first port of call

good luck soldier

[jon_pure_british]

could it not be a severe blockage in the fuel line?

ill check the plugs tomorrow.

if it is these valve thingys you speak of, whats the cost of repair, and at what price shud i cut my loss and buy another engine for it to be fitted in, i wont be doing it, i will be paying the garage to do it, or maybe i can pay one of you to do it for me?

what im trying to say is,

how much for another engine (same as what is in there) to be bought and to be fitted.

jon

[Dan318-is]

if its valve stem seals they are repairable with the head on the car ( i think ), but if its piston rings, like you say for the labour costs you might as well get a new lump

no idea how much a garage would charge, it would all be labour.

youd be better of dropping something nicer in there mate anyway, mb an m42/m20 ?

[jon_pure_british]

i dont know what they are,

im not sure if i really want to get a bigger engine. i dont really go fast i like to cruise

[Martinaston]

What was in the jerry can before the petrol ?
If your not mechanicaly minded then are you sure it was oil on the plugs and not just carbon soaked in petrol ?

The other surgestions may be jumping the gun,If it was your stem seals or a ring you would have noticed a lot of smoke when you start it up and i doubt it would stop it running.

If you want to get your hands dirty then undo the fuel line and run the pump to get some fuel into a clear jar and make sure theres no water or diesel in it, and it's flowing correctly.
It could be as simple as a blocked filter in the tank.

[ad318i]

have you checked the rubber pipe from the afm to the engine there could be a split in that which causes a lot of trouble for the engine?

[jon_pure_british]

there is another filter in the tank? is it replacable?

there was only ever petrol in that jerry-can before, as my family have never had a diesel.

I just took it to a family friend who owns a garage and he said either put more petrol in it to dilute the mixture of injector cleaner, or its the air flow metre.

how much is a brand new air flow metre/ im going to put 2 more gallons into the tank, see if it works.

jon

[eko]

If its the AFM,ive got one here,much cheaper than new!

[jon_pure_british]

ooo how muchie!

[eko]

£15 posted!
Tried and tested good too

[jon_pure_british]

ok ill let you know, how it goes

any news of the baby yet?

[eko]

ok ill let you know, how it goes

any news of the baby yet?

ok,and NO!

[gooner1]

i dont know what they are,

im not sure if i really want to get a bigger engine. i dont really go fast i like to cruise

TART!!!!!!!!!


Only joking mate /Each to there own.

[E30Mark]

Ignoring the spark plug issue, you may have knackered your fuel pump... the E30's hate running out of fuel, several people on here have had the same experience as you, run out of fuel, then a few days later the pump dies.... just a thought.

[jon_pure_british]

anybody got a pump if option 1 and 2 fail?

the person who saw my car didnt mention anything about the pump even though i could hear it whineing away when it was on idle.

but it only ever seems to whine when im very low on petrol, that lead me to think it was a fuel line blockage in the first place

[jon_pure_british]

ok i have come across something.

idle control valve?

i have tested the air flow metre and it works (with help of mechanic)

its either idle control valve/fuel pump

or its going for diagnostics monday

jon

[m-dtech]

seeing as everyone is guessing i may as well.

if its running rough after runing out of fuel could be blocked injectors

the car is running which makes me think the fuel pump is working

[Dan318-is]

seeing as everyone is guessing i may as well.

if its running rough after runing out of fuel could be blocked injectors

the car is running which makes me think the fuel pump is working

precisly. without sufficient fuel pressure it would not even start. and also, how come when the sparks plugs were cleaned the car ran better for half an hour?

imho it sounds like stems/rings

[georob]

I had exactly the same prob and it turned out to be the injectors

[m-dtech]

stems / seals are not gonna be a sudden thing, your going to notice smoke as oil is being burned over a period of time.

if there is oil in cyls then id say head gasket before stems ! ! ! !

could sit and guess all day.

but, all has happend after running out of fuel.
me personaly id clean/replace my injectors & fuel filters then take it from there.

its easy to tell if an injector is blocked,

While the engine is running remove the ht lead from spark plug 1 and see if it affects idle, if it does then injector 1 is fine if not then its blocked.
reconnect HT lead and do the same with the next ht lead and so on and so on.
(mind wear rubber gloves)

[jon_pure_british]

what about a petrol pump relay?

its still not working, but i havent really had that much time to do anything,

but someone suggested to me that it could be the pump relay?

any ideaS?

[jon_pure_british]

help?