E30 316i cutting out

[oldskoolkool]

Hi, Im new to this site, and wondering if anyone can help.

I recently (tuesday) bought a bmw 316i on an F plate of ebay, and am having a bit of problem with it.

The car itself is a relatively tidy example, and only got 88k on the clock, but im having a bit of trouble with the engine.

Driving along last night after about a 4 mile journey, the revs just died and the engine cut out.

I pulled up to the kerb and tried to start the engine, and after a while i got it started again. Took it for a little test run round the block after that, and within about half a mile, the car stalled again. I was driving it the second time with only a very small amount of pressure on the go pedal, but as soon as i put my foot down just a little bit, the car stalled, as though i was low on fuel.

I left the car overnight, and went to try it this morning, and it stared up fine. I drove it back the 10miles or so home, and had no problems with it, though the idle speed is a little bit up and down.

Has anyone got any ideas what this could be?

Im resisting the temptation to drive it at the moment incase i cause any damage, or end up breaking down somewhere miles from home.

Any help would be greatly recived, as i said, i have only had the car 2 days, and its killing me not being able to drive it!

Thanks in advance!

[oldskoolkool]

After reading a lot of the posts on here, i have just checked the pipe from the AFM to the engine, and it all seems to be OK.

Is this most likely to be a problem with the afm??

The old owner said he did have a problem with the old one, and he replaced it off an E36 model, could this of caused a problem????

[Speedtouch]

Possibly a failing ignition coil, or loose connection to the coil or engine earth strap.

[Brianmoooore]

Could be a number of things, so futher observation,experiments and tests will be needed to narrow it down a bit.
Fuel pump would be high on my list of suspects.

[oldskoolkool]

Thanks for the replies!

I took it out round the block earlier to see how it was running, and it seemed to be fueling as normal.

When i came to a stop at a junction however, and the revs dropped down, they dropped right down, about 400/500, before just managing returning to idle speed.

Ive checked all the elctrical cables and they all appear to be fully pushed on, however i did find the pipe coming from the fuel filter was not attached on the litte clip to the adjacent pipe, causing excecclay up where it connected, and im wondering if this had anything to do with it??

[oldskoolkool]

I did about 50 miles in the car this evening, and its definately having a problem somewhere along the line.
I went to start it this evening about 10pm ( about the same time as last night?? ) and it was having trouble idling and would cut out unless the accelerator was used.
After setting off, i got about 500m up the road and the engine cut out, and the power just went. I tried to bump it while moving, but to no avail. I pulled over, and the car restarted after a bit of hesitation.
However on the way home, the car didnt seem to be pulling right, especially in the 2000-3000rpm area. I also noticed it didnt seem to pull quite right untill nearly 5000rpm, when it just shot off and seemed to be running perfectly smoothly.
The car did cut out momenteraly on the way back twice as well, both when the car was between 2000 and 3000rpm, but the car just jolted and continued going. I dropped it down into a lower gear and it seemed to be OK again.
Is it worth running redex or anything like that in case theres any sort of blockages in the fuel line? Ive had a little look through the haynes manual, and am i right in thinkign my fuel pump is located within the tank itself??
Sorry for all the questions, this is my first bmw, and im finding it a lot more complicated to understand than the vw's ive owned previously!
Cheers again for all the help!

[Brianmoooore]

An easy possibility to eliminate is the fuel pump relay.
Remove the wiring cover at the rear of the engine compartment, and you will find two relays underneath it, plus an empty relay socket.
The (probably) white relay is the main DME (ECU) relay, and the (probably) orange one is the fuel pump relay.
When you drive the car, pull out the fuel pump relay and identify pins 30 and 87 of its base (marked on the relay).
Link these two pins of the socket together with a short piece of wire and start and drive the car. Fit the wire securely as the car will stop if it falls out!
Fitting this link powers the fuel pump continuously, even if the engine is switched off, so don't leave the car parked without removing it, or you will flatten the battery.

[oldskoolkool]

Ah thats exellent!
As soon as the rain eases off i shall go and have a little fiddle!
Cheers fella

[oldskoolkool]

Nice one Brianmoooore, spot on diagnosis!

I cant take the credit for the repair work myself, but i popped by the local BMW specialist, and the mechanic tapped it with a screwdriver and the engine cut out, so he replaced it with a second hand one and charged me a fiver all in.

To say im chuffed is an understatement!

[touringandy]

bri your knowledge does it again amazed

[Brianmoooore]

Excellant result!