Hi there, I've started my car today to expect the usual trouble free motoring I've had over the past year and I was surprised that just after I started the car it stalled. I restarted with a few more revs and it stalled again as soon as I let go of the accelerator.
I though I'd leave the car for a few hours and I took it out again this evening and before I got to the town centre, everytime I came to a halt the car stalled.
On top of that the Idle is much lumpier than it ever has been before and the engine feels a bit reluctant?
a bit about my car:
E30 1989 318i M40
manual
125k miles
major service around 4k miles ago
Please could someone help as I can't use my car at the moment and it's my only car.
Many thanks everyone!
my E30 keeps stalling!
Moderator: martauto
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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Throttle body switch is the first thing to check out.
thanks Brian, what should I look for with the throttle body switch, does it need tightening? Is it the part of the the picture pointed out by the arrow?
Also there's a loud clicking noise that sounds like it's coming from the side of the engine block shown in the picture (yellow *), could there be something wrong with the engine?
cheers
Also there's a loud clicking noise that sounds like it's coming from the side of the engine block shown in the picture (yellow *), could there be something wrong with the engine?
cheers
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E30Mark
- E30 Zone Team Member
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- Location: Wimborne, Dorset
Remove the distributor cap (as indicated by your yellow*) check condition of the cap and rotor arm, the clicking might be it breaking...
1 & 2 bed flats in Bournemouth areas, with parking
PM for details
PM for details
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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Take off the black plastic cover near your blue arrow, and remove the convoluted rubber hose between the throttle body and the air filter assembly. (Check it carefully for cracks and splits while it's off).
You can now see the TPS and it's connector on the bottom of the throttle butterfly shaft.
Switch should click just as you move the throttle of it's stop, and again at about 2/3 throttle.
If it doesn't do this then it's definitely not working.
If it does click, then pull out the plug, and check, with a meter, that pins 1 and 2 are short circuit when the throttle is closed, becoming open circuit when you move the throttle.
Not relevant to your problem, but also check that pins 1 and 3 are open circuit at no throttle and short circuit at full throttle.
Can't see anything yellow in your pic, but it's an M40, so expect up to eight duff hydraulic tappets, which can hammer away.
You can now see the TPS and it's connector on the bottom of the throttle butterfly shaft.
Switch should click just as you move the throttle of it's stop, and again at about 2/3 throttle.
If it doesn't do this then it's definitely not working.
If it does click, then pull out the plug, and check, with a meter, that pins 1 and 2 are short circuit when the throttle is closed, becoming open circuit when you move the throttle.
Not relevant to your problem, but also check that pins 1 and 3 are open circuit at no throttle and short circuit at full throttle.
Can't see anything yellow in your pic, but it's an M40, so expect up to eight duff hydraulic tappets, which can hammer away.
yea I've heard a lot about the tappet, cam problems with the M40 unfortunately. Mine runs quite nicely usually. It's surprising that BMW made an engine with bad long term durability. Still, the M60/M52 Nikasil issues are just as bad...
brilliant, thanks for your help. Have just had a look at the throttle body and there's a small pipe beneath it that was not attached so I attached it again and it works as new! It's amazing how something like that ca n make it run so badly
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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There should be a small pipe hanging off the inlet going nowhere, but it should be plugged at its free end.318i1989 wrote:brilliant, thanks for your help. Have just had a look at the throttle body and there's a small pipe beneath it that was not attached so I attached it again and it works as new! It's amazing how something like that ca n make it run so badly
Glad its all fixed now mate. Stop steam cleaning your engine, it fcuks up the wiring in multiplugs....trust me i fix em.318i1989 wrote:thanks Brian, what should I look for with the throttle body switch, does it need tightening? Is it the part of the the picture pointed out by the arrow?
Also there's a loud clicking noise that sounds like it's coming from the side of the engine block shown in the picture (yellow *), could there be something wrong with the engine?
cheers
What ?! Drive straight officer......It's an E30 !
It's the Ultimate Drifting Machine.
It's the Ultimate Drifting Machine.
cheers Bobafett it's working fine again now! by the way I don't steam clean the engine, the photo is from google images of someone elses' M40Glad its all fixed now mate. Stop steam cleaning your engine, it fcuks up the wiring in multiplugs....trust me i fix em
the blue arrow is the adjuster for the throttle body. if you tighten the nut using a spanner it will make your car idle lower and if it's turned anticlockwise it will make the car idle higher. but that will only help if your car is idling too low in the first placeso just to clarify, what is the blue arrow pointing to, and can anyone edit the pic to show me where the Idle control valve is??
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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This nut is NOT an idle adjustment. It only has one correct position, and that's where BMW set it. DO NOT ADJUST THIS NUT!!318i1989 wrote:[
. if you tighten the nut using a spanner it will make your car idle lower and if it's turned anticlockwise it will make the car idle higher. but that will only help if your car is idling too low in the first place
oops I stand corrected. I kept mine at the same setting it was but it seems to adjust the idling speed (by tightening/loosening the throttle cable). Why is there only 1 settingThis nut is NOT an idle adjustment. It only has one correct position, and that's where BMW set it. DO NOT ADJUST THIS NUT!!
cheers
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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Because the idle speed is controlled by the ECU via the idle control valve. Adjusting the throttle stop makes the ICV operate in a part of it's range it wasn't designed to, or to go out of range completely. Also messes up the operation of the TPS.
The throttle stop is set to prevent the throttle disc fouling on the sides of the throttle body, and is set correctly at the factory.
The throttle stop is set to prevent the throttle disc fouling on the sides of the throttle body, and is set correctly at the factory.
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Dr Firefly
- E30 Zone Doctor
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Sorry to resurrect this one, but was wondering how to get my throttle stop back in the right position? It looks like it was altered previous to me owning the car. Had constant minor niggles with idling, which have been improved by lots of troubleshooting etc, but there's still a bit of a problem there, and it's recently gone off again, almost stalling all the time when I lift off the power. Think it's the ICV, but given that it looks like the throttle stop looks like it's been messed with, I'd like to get that definitely right before I go through yet another 2nd hand ICV.
Will any decent BMW specialist be able to sort it?
Cheers, Ian
Will any decent BMW specialist be able to sort it?
Cheers, Ian
tylerma wrote: you oxymoron, you...