m10 318i randomly stalls

[rustybullet]

So I'm having a random issue with my car stalling.
It feels like someone just turned the key to off. Sometimes it coughs a little but its a very abrupt end. So I replaced the fuel pump....no help. New pump actually died in one day.
I switched ignition coils and dud not help.

Now if I drive the car on the highway for an hour I get random hickups in power. Around town I can drive for a whole day without issues and the it just cuts out.

This car is l jetronic and is a simple system. The strange thing is it always fires up and has yet to leave me stranded.....knock on wood.

[e30jake]

Welcome to the club. I just learned to deal with it since it always starts back up again fine

[rustybullet]

Also the fuel pump relay always clicks on. Fuel lines are all clean and clear.

[Hey_You]

Double check the little wire to your starter to make sure it's not loose. That can cause a MAJOR drivability issue. Your m10 has 2 fuel pumps, so replacing one might not take care of it.
And just so you know what I am saying, I have replaced BOTH fuel pumps, FPR, Filter, Plugs, Wires, Cap, Rotor, Coil, CTS, o2 sensor, and rebuilt the engine. After doing this my car would stall while driving like it wasn't getting spark or fuel, then after a few seconds of coasting it would kick back in. I later safety tied all my injector plugs since all the clips are broken, and that did not solve the issue. I double checked all my connections and at the starter I noticed the reference wire had slipped off a little (it's a spade connector). I wiggled it while running, and sure enough, it would make my engine stall out. Hope this helps atleast 1 person on here, cause it was a lot to type for such a small issue.

[vpilarrt]

I had an M10 in which the insulation on one of the injector wires had cracked and it would randomly short out to the head or someting. This would make the engine die. Check all the injector wires.

[Hey_You]

Also, double check ALL grounds. There should be about 3 if I remember correctly, but the major one is the one on the intake manifold. If that gets an intermittent short, it will cause the engine to loose all power

[E30_Pare]

I used to have this issue. Would be driving on the highway & all of a sudden I would lose all power & car would just die. Would do so every 10 mins or so & kicking the clutch wouldn't get it started back up. So I would just coast until it came back to life. Hasnt done it in a while, but still concerns me. Car has been sitting for a while so haven't been able to diagnose the problem. Seems that all e30 m10 cars just don't want to run

[rustybullet]

Hey_you thank you for that info. I will double check all wiring under the hood.

It's so weird that m10s stall like this. I had a 84 533i with the same L jetronic setup with no issues.
Well atleast I'm not the only one with this issue.

[rustybullet]

Have any of you guys tried replacing the fuel pump relay?

[solo318]

Check the air flow meter. They get a dead spot in the sweeper and shuts the fuel pump off.

1. Mechanical test.

• 1. Detach intake hose on air flow sensor.
  2. Move sensor plate with finger.
  3. Sensor plate must move easily through entire range, without touching housing, or binding on its axis.
  4. If not, replace the air flow sensor.

1. Electric air flow sensor tests.

• 1. Potentiometer test

• • 1. Connect an Ohmmeter between terminals 2 and 3.
    2. Check resistance while moving sensor plate along its entire travel.

Control unit (ECM) No.:


0 280 001 106, 111, 122 70 - 800 Ohms0 280 001 008 475 - 1900 Ohms0 261 200 007, 008, 021 475 - 1900 Ohms

• 1. Air temp sensor test.

• • 1. Disconnect connector from air flow sensor.
    2. Measure resistance between sensor terminals 1 and 4 (outer terminals).
    3. Resistance should be:

8250 - 10,560 ohms at -9 - -11°C (12 - 16°F)2280 - 2780 ohms at 19 - 21°C (66 - 70°F)750 - 910 ohms at 49 - 51°C (120 - 124°F)

• • 1. If resistance values are not within specifications, temperature sensor is defective.

Note: Air temperature sensor is integral with the air flow sensor and cannot be serviced separately. If sensor is defective, air flow meter must be replaced.