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    sluggish and dies

    Ok so back story, just finished a rebuild after years of sitting, she starts right up and begin to drive her home from the garage where I did the work...all new gaskets, and everything retorqued to Bentley spec...driving home I start to lose power and feels sluggish or like its choking a little bit, moves but no power, so then I put it in neutral and coast to traffic at a stoplight and she dies, wont start for about 20 minutes, drain battery then get a jump, starts and dies again, thinking about maybe the cat is clogged from coolant (previously blown hg) I loosen the 4 nuts on header bottom and create a leak, clears the CEL and runs ok until I get home...once at home I pull spark plug wires and a small amount of oil comes out with the boot on #2 cylinder...she smokes but she got home under her own power...any ideas as to where to start? Thanks in advance for any help.

    #2
    smart thinking loosening the flange. I think you are onto something...!!!

    the oil on the plug boot is a definite sign of a leaky valve cover gasket, but that is not going to cause the problem you described.

    Recently, I had a very tough-to-troubleshoot problem with my m42. The car would misfire like crazy, not idle, have zero power, and generally BARELY RAN. After trying everything and finding that the plugs were fouling over and over I foudn the issue to be the engine ground strap.

    its cheap insurance to replace it and I bring this up because with your engine being in and out recently it likely disrupted the ground strap. Mine checked out visually but was obviously not OK lol. For the $15 it costs to replace its one of the first things I do now on my e30s.

    Even if the car cranks strong you never know with the ground strap... with m42 cars being the only coil on plug e30s the ignition system has very different needs than say an m20.

    I need more information though to help diagnose. Does it idle okay? how do the plugs look? text me

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      #3
      so it no longer hold an idle and it takes 30-40 seconds of key cranking to turn over and then dies...also no holding a decent charge on battery/alt....thinking ground cables and VCG because of oil on #2 cyl. plug and in the cable boot

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        #4
        Thinking that maybe my issue is fuel related...i.e. FPR, pump, clogged lines, dirty injectors...still need to test compression...but car feels like its starving even when it does start...

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