M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: codyb on June 04, 2012, 08:25:34 PM

Title: 91 318i, runs great for one second, start it back up and it runs horrible!
Post by: codyb on June 04, 2012, 08:25:34 PM

Just bought this 91 318I. Today I drove it 9 miles, ran perfect, no problem.

Shut it off... 15 minutes later, start it up, it sputters, runs awful, lacks serious power, sounds like a diesel and shakes badly. Strangly the idle is not bouncing around. Over 3k rpms seem to run a little better, or at least the shaking goes away but still lacking power.

Sort of feels like I lost a cylinder??? Any idea on where I should start? Check engine light is not on... but how can I check for stored codes?

Title: 91 318i, runs great for one second, start it back up and it runs horrible!
Post by: Nelson_40 on June 05, 2012, 01:42:09 PM

Hard to say what's going on. To check your codes http://e30world.com/fuel/BMW-E30-DME-Motronic-fault-codes (http://e30world.com/fuel/BMW-E30-DME-Motronic-fault-codes). May be a fuel delivery issue, was the car parked for a while before you purchased it?

Title: 91 318i, runs great for one second, start it back up and it runs horrible!
Post by: codyb on June 05, 2012, 09:18:24 PM

FOUND THE PROBLEM!!!

The spark plug gasket on the number four cylinder has failed, allowing oil to blow up into the spark plug wire connector fouling it up. I cleaned it up and it ran much much better, but still not perfect. Drove it around the plug, pulled the plug connector again, and noticed a fresh coating of oil in it.

I think I will replace all the plugs and wires, and put a new plug connector on the 4th cylinder.

I will also do a new valve cover and spark plug gaskets at the same time.

Pelican parts, here I come...