Car stalls

[andyshoun]

I'd like some help on where to start with a problem.

Car is an '86 NA with >200K miles. The engine has started running rougher and it will stall when idling. This has happened a couple of times while driving and slowing to downshift. Engine quits and sometimes cranks right back up and sometimes it takes 4-6 tries to restart.

History. Car has been a good daily driver for 5 years. No recent tune-up work. New clutch and timing belt last fall.

What would you do to start diagnosing the problem?

[Gawernator]

I'm thinking fuel issue maybe, possibly your fuel pressure regulator or fuel pump? If those both check out maybe start looking at spark

[Tom944]

Not sure how long it is since you checked the routine stuff so I would first check the distributor/rotor, plugs and air filter.

[John_AZ]

The boring stuff.

Clean grounds and the battery terminals.

Check the wire from the reference sensors. Any cracks in the cover or the plastic connectors?

Replace if OEM with the cheap BMW interchange.

Try your spare DME/FUEL pump relay.
These age and solder joints crack.

Do you have corrosion on the battery cables?

GL
J_AZ

[44CUPMASTER]

do a tune up . replace the plug wires and make sure you pull the vaccum lines off the fuel pressure regulator and check that there is no fuel in there . also replace the dme coolent temp sensor , its the blue one under the trottle body . all these things can cause this driveability problem .