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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 32
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Howdy,
I have a 89' 325iX and since I've bought it (couple of months ago) the check engine light comes on at idle only. Raise the rpms and it goes out. Its been running really good. Well, today it cut out on me, (smelled a little fuel, which may be coming from the intake gasket, which needs replaced I think. It cranked again and seem to run o.k, but not great. Just had the timing belt work done, along with new cap rotor, etc.. Any ideas, Fuel pressure reg, Fuel pump relay, wire? Thanks, Bart 71 911T 2.7rs (Just had 2nd child, so I bought the iX) 89' 325iX |
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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It could be a lot of things.
1. Check the connections in the engine bay. Sometimes, a loose connection can cause the ngine to not start. In particular, the coolant temp sensor, (blue connection near front of engine) and the reference sensor (sensor on front of engine near crank pulley) 2. Fuel Filter? Fuel Pressure Regulator? Fuel Injectors? It's possible that these may be clogged or non-operative. If you smell raw fuel, SHUT IT OFF and find the leak! 3. Ignition. If you already have replaced these, chances are, it's not the problem. Sometimes, bad plug wires can cause erratic running, and if you have Platinum spark plugs, take them out, throw them away and get soem Bosch Supers. These engines dont like Platinums. 4. Oxygen Sensor. Do you know when it was last replaced? Typically, you need to replace these every 60,000 miles. If they fail, it can cause the engine to run rich, which will in turn cause bad running. You may want to take a look at this article and see if any of these codes show up. The E30's have an internal computer that stores fault codes and lets you read them back. http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/Mult-Code_Reading/Mult-Code_Reading.htm |
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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 32
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Great, thanks.
I looked for leaks when I smelled the fuel, but saw nothing. Maybe it was just running really rich, which also may be the reason for the check engine light (o2 sensor)? Thanks again, Bart |
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Registered
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Bart:
Any luck diagnosing the problem? I have spent many hours fixing air leaks and troubleshooting my '90 iX over the years. Give us some more info and we'll see what we can do. I wrote up a fix for air leaks on the elbows going into the throttle body housing (potential air leaks causing unmetereed air into the intake downstream from the AFM ... ECU adds fuel b/c of what O2 sensor reads and car runs rich). We also added a child recently however, I had the iX for 10+ years before he arrived ![]() Jason |
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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 32
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Jason,
Thanks for the link. I wish I had the capacity to understand it! I have not had the chance to pull the throttle body, but I was able to pull out the ICV elbow, so there's one leak. The boot has some cracking, but none seem to be all the way through. I will replace this anyway. So how do you perform the carb cleaner/propane test? This may be the main source of my problem. When I was getting the timing belt done a couple of weeks ago, my mechanic said I had an intake manifold leak, but the car still ran strong (except at idle). Can these "blow out" suddenly? How bad does this have to be to cancel out all the other "possibilities" and time consuming process of elimination with my problem? Also, love the 356. I've had a couple, one which went to my dad (58 silver coupe). So at least its still in the family. I've always wanted turn it into a race car, but it's too original, just can't do it. Thanks again, Bart |
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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 32
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Forgot to mention that I replaced the 02 sensor. Still have the same problem, but this time with smoke coming out of the exhaust. Now running even more rich than before.
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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Check the resistance on the coolant temp sensor. This is the blue sensor in the thermostat housing on the front of the engine. check out this article..http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/JF-Tech/BMW_E30_3_Series_coolant_temp_sensor.htm
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