Author Topic: Hi from Australia + Stalling issues (Read 4458 times)

tjcrowther · « **on:** November 01, 2009, 12:48:08 AM »

Hi guys, I just picked up my 1990 318is a few weeks ago and have so far been loving it. It is not my first E30 having owned a 323i sedan a few years back (My "kicking myself for selling it" car).

All was good on inspection and after a decent drive however it was a cold miserable day... Yesterday was the first hot day I have driven it and after maybe 45 minutes of driving it started misbahaving, stalling and running rough. To make matters worse, this was the second time my fiancee has been in the car... she didnt say anything but the look on her face was "WHAT THE F*** HAVE YOU BOUGHT THIS TIME?!"

So far this is what I figure...

The engine will stall or almost stall then charge back up to a high idle if I remove the oil cap
The "Run S*** wire" is disconnected
The idle is not affected by shaking or tapping on the AFM
Problem is worse if the AC is on

For some reason The 5 stop/ 5 second test doesnt work (maybe because its an AU car - different management?)
My next step will be to pull the ICV and clean it out, has anyone any more suggestions?

quinn11m20 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 01, 2009, 07:21:34 AM »

Check your "check engine" light bulb, for the Stomp test. As for the removal of your run sh.. wire. I have no idea what you are writing about. Also check your throttle cable and make sure it is taught. First when the car is off and then when the car is running. By the way my engine stalls when I remove my oil cap as well. Good idea for cleaning the ICV. Also read the thread about the "mess under the intake". Its a good thread and it will help with some running problems. You might just have a vacuum leak. And make sure all your belts are tight as well. Good luck . T.

tjcrowther · « **Reply #2 on:** November 02, 2009, 09:41:38 PM »

Thanks for the reply, I have read the procedure for the stomp test - 5 stomps of accelerator within 5 seconds... my car doesnt want to know about it. Maybe the bulb has blown out, Ill replace them all when I rebuild my instrument cluster. Does anyone know if possibly australian models didnt have diagnostics?

Cristian G in Oz · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2009, 02:44:57 PM »

tjcrowther, did you fix this up?

I have been offline for a while.

It is true that teh AUS delivered E30 M42s didn't have teh check engine light. They did have diagnostics but unless you have an interrogator is difficult to get anything out of it.

I bought a kit off ebay and was able to get the software version and codes but did not find any diag codes so I don't know if it worked or not.

As for help....

Try checking your intake (as described above), check all your elec plugs are on properly, look for any leaks around the top of the engine (shown up with greasy residue and heaps of dust stuck to it).