running like a bag of sh1t. fixed????

[murran]

interesting ill do some checking into the icv thing......
the crank sens was only 40 quid, and its good to eliminate it from your list of stuff thats causing it......
im guna plug the diff sens back up and see bout disconecting the diff wire at the eng ecu side, prob involving my side cuts and some black tape.......

[murran]

this sounds very similar to the issues I have been having with my 318i (posted as poor performance 318i) and I still haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet! CPS was going to be my next move, though I can't help feeling it's an underfueling problem/ It reacts very much like an air leak, but I have checked for those, so I will be really keen to find out what luck you have with the CPS. Good luck!

i can only presume its supposed to raise the idle slightly when your rolling in much the same way as the power steering has a pressure switch in one of the pipes to tell the ecu to correct the idle when your turning the steering on idle or when your got other electrical loads on like headlights, rear screen etc. with the diff sensor unplugged it does seem to idle a touch lower.....
oh and its not very nice driving it with the idle valve unplugged it doesnt idle right, tho thats hardly surprising. least its not cutting out and chuffing about...... will be purchasing a new valve when i get paid in a few days......

[murran]

oh havent updated this, been quite a while since i fixed it! sorry. the multi plug under the inlet for the inj. and temp sens improved it crank sens ive now put the old one back on cus it werent that. brand new idle valve! ouch my wallet hurts! and ive plugged the diff sens back up and that fault hasnt been back either since fitting idle valve........

[benlewismav]

Hi,
Old post I know but did this sort it?
I'm getting a similiar type of thing, when I first start the car after not using it (stone cold), it'll cut out after running for a few minutes (with no warning; it'll purr like a kitten then just die).
I can then restart it with a bit of effort (sometimes requiring taking out the fuel pump fuse and deflooding it). Once its up and running it gets progressively better until its fully warm, however it also kangaroos a bit if you try and drive it before its fully warm.

[georgezippybungle]

My 325 (owned for 4 days - hello all!) has exhibited similar problems too, random surging, hunting and occasional stalling and won't restart for a few mins, yesterday it completely died but conveniently right outside my house so I pushed it into the drive. I suspected the idle valve thing too, had a similar problem on Ford Efi systems, am going to take it out, and clean it with carb cleaner, check all the hoses and connections and hope it fixes it. The Ford one is just a solenoid so is the E30 one more complex? How much are new ones?

[mr_dink]

New idle control valve is approx £90 from GSF iirc.

Before replacing this check the rubber pipe between the airflow meter and the throttle body thoroughly for leaks.

Also test your throttle position sensor, this is on the bottom of the throttle body and has a 3 pin connector.

You should have continuity between the left and centre pins at closed throttle, and continuity between right and centre pins at full throttle.

If the throttle position sensor is not giving the ECU a signal to say that the throttle is closed and it's at idle, then the idle control valve is not able to do it's job.

This was the problem with my car, idle up and down between 500-1100 rpm and occasional stalling. I managed to adjust the position of my throttle position sensor so it gave the correct signal at idle. Problem solved.

Also with a component like this there is no need to shell out the full price for a new one, you should be able to get a second hand one much cheaper on the zone. Check the parts for sale section and see if anyone's breaking a 325.

Hope this helps.

[Brianmoooore]

ICV failure on an E30 is rare but not unheard of. You would be unlucky to buy a dud second hand one from a scrapyard.

[murran]

yeah new idle valve fixed mine...... but id agree with mr moooooore, a failure of the valve itself is uncommon.
more likley......... air leaks, poorly adj. full of shite throttle switches, some dumb coonts been adjusting the throttle stop and co adj., knackard temp sensors, that multi-plug for the temp. sens. and injectors under the inlet manifold.

lots of stuff that doesnt cost anything to check. before you shell out your hard earned for an idle stab. valve.........

when my idle valve finally packed up completely i was having to get out of the car every 2 mins to hit it with a 1/2 inch ratchet (only thing i had in the car that felt satisfiyingly heavy enuf) which then it started to idle fine. until you touched the throttle, then it stuck wide open again idle jumping between 2000 and 2500. in an out of control robot kinda way lol! going like this....... from start up......(2) buuurrrrr (2,5 drop 2) buuurrrrr (25 drop 2) buuurrrr (25 drop 2) bu..... (you get the idea!) then suddenly hitting it with some thing wouldnt fix it anymore, then i bought one. think mine was only £70 inc vat from ecp.
but then i get trade discount........

[georgezippybungle]

What is actually does is not stall when I press in the clutch with throttle closed but stalls when I touch the accelerator after it has idled, think it's overfuelling, have cleaned the ICV thing and there doesn't seem to be any air leaks. am going to give it a proper service soon as the dizzy cap is shot, clean the multiplug everyone talks about and replace the blue sensor.
When I pulled out the ICV it was closed, once I sprayed carb cleaner into it it opened, could it be getting jammed? I cleaned it as best i could and sprayed some WD40 in there. Overfuelling could be the blue sensor?

[murran]

have a look at the flap in the amf, does it feel stiff or sticky to move? could be as you touch the throttle from idle that the flap is not free enuf to move quickly in reaction to the air bein drawn in so is actually not inj. enuf fuel at this point.
maybe giving similar symptoms as the accelarator pump/enrichment device on a carb not working.

with the ign off the valve i think should be closed, ign on it should buzz and be partly open in readyness for you to start the engine.......
check the blue sensor with a multi meter cold, warm and hot. but for how much they cost you may azwell replace it to eliminate it from the list of possible causes.......