1988 325ic feeling sluggish

[leonthelion93]

There is good advice scattered through this thread, but I'll stick an oar in and offer my suggestions:

1) Have a smoke test run to check for intake leaks and repair as indicated,
2) Have the rail fuel pressure checked and repair as indicated.
3) Adjust the valves.
4) If the car has 100k on it, replace the entire cooling system, including the fan clutch, and the O2 sensors.
5) Unless you have proof that the timing belt was recently changed, replace it.
6) Replace the ignition wires, distributor cap & rotor with new OE/OEM parts. Use NGK ZGR5A plugs.
7) Change all fluids & oil filter (Mobil1, BMW, or Mann are best choices for the filter).
8) Have an experienced BMW tech inspect the suspension for worn or damaged parts. It would be a safe bet to say that the car needs new shocks, struts, and upper shock/strut mounts.

There are other things that might need attention like the CPS and TPS and possibly the AFM. But do the other stuff first.

Thank you very much for listing out information throughout this thread in a neat manner. I'll use it as a guideline for the my upcoming projects with the vehicle. If I happen to stumble upon some trouble or issue with replacing/fixing a part then I'll definitely let you guys know.

Thanks!