intermittently dies, won't start walk away and then it starts! why?

[ucben105]

I have had nothing but trouble for the past 2 weeks and i am about ready to call it a piece of shit and put a for sale sign on it. i have a 89 325i and over the past 2 weeks i have had to replace not because i wanted to but because it broke down on me the following
1. water pump
2. fan clutch
3. thermostat
4.throttle body gaskets for coolant circulating.
then while i was doing all this i replaced the shift bushings, and gave it a nice wash and wax.
it has broke down on me almost everyday over the past 2 weeks. i'm not kidding and being that i'm at college and have almost no tools with me it is a major pain in the ass.i though i had it all fixed and i was driving around. when i got to a stop light and stopped i noticed my check engine light came on. as soon as i started driving it went away, it had a little roughidle but i figured it was just the icv. i looked at it and realized the boot that hooked up under the throttle body that goes to the charcoal canister fell off. that was a quick fix. i am heading to school and the check engine light comes on and won't go off. i didn't think much of it until it acted like it flooded and cut off. it wouldn't start so i got ride went to class came back and checked the spark and it cranked up but wouldn't run unless i stayed on the gas. i got it home let of the gas and it idled a little rough but didn't die. i took it for a test drive and let off the gas and the idle didn't drop. i patted the gas and it died again. i wait a while and it cranks fine, and idles on it's own but a little rough. i am afraid to drive it anymore because i don't know what it is going to do. any suggestions i have been searching all night but haven't found anything quite the same.

[jlevie]

I'd suspect an intake leak and/or a fuel delivery problem (clogged filter, dying pump, large amount of rust in the tank, bad FPR, obstruction in a fuel line).

[ucben105]

i think i might have stumbled across something i was reading in other post about a round connector under the intake that could get corroded if u had a coolant leak from say the throttle body. i checked it in the dark with no flashlight just messin around and when i twisted it a little the check engine light went off and the rpm's changed a lot. not sure what this is but it seems very delicate. any info

[ucben105]

FIXED IT the c191 connector had corroded and one of the wires was broke. i just cut the plugs off and used butt connectors and heat shrink tubing to hard wire it

[chadthestampede]

hard wire it

Probably not the greatest idea but at least you fixed it.

[jlevie]

The first time the intake has to come off you, or whoever works on the car, is going to curse a lot over that "fix" The correct fix is to splice in the part of a C191 that is needed.

[ucben105]

im the one that does all the work and it's not the best but it was the best i could do at the time. college leaves possibilities limited if u know what i mean