hellllllo. its been a while, i have a lot of questionsss.

[JDMchick]

so its been a while since i've been on here.
i have quite a few questions.
a lot has happened to my car, first the accident then the motor,
seat belt & door. thats just a few to name.
the one question i have to start off with is about my motor.
it takes forever to start, warm or cold weather.
my bf & i changed the spark plugs, & the plugs that were in were hella darkkkk, & smelled like unburnt gas.
when we put the new ones in, we tested it out, it started right away,
i took them out to just check on em, they smelled like unburnt gas too.
i cleaned them, put them back in & i started it clean.
the next morning it starting taking forever to start again.
& ever since then, its just been like that.
wtf is wrong with my car??????
can anyone help plzzzz.

[White325is]

plug wires, dizzy cap, rotor, fuel pump, FPR to name a few.
But if it was better after the new plugs I would start with wires, cap, rotor.
Thats if its an M20. You was specific with what motor you have so its hard to help.

[iamsam]

[JDMchick]

it's an M20

[JasonC]

You know how much shit is gonna come up if she tries to search to what is wrong. If you cant help, dont bother replying to the thread.

Edit: moved to the M20 section.

[IRON-E]

may sound ridiculous but have you changed your fuel filter? I spent about $500.00 bucks to get to my $30.00 dollar problem!

[Fidhle007]

What year is your car? The fuel filter can cause those issues, along with the cap and rotor as previously mentioned. I'd be willing to bet your injectors are giving up the ghost though. They could be leaking and mildly flooding the combustion chamber causing the unburnt gas smell and the hard starting. When you last changed your oil, did it smell like gas at all?

[JDMchick]

may sound ridiculous but have you changed your fuel filter? I spent about $500.00 bucks to get to my $30.00 dollar problem!

yes i have. & why the eff did you spend that much??
they're so easy to replace.
oh & i think i found the problem.
the hose for the cold start had a rip in it,
do you guys think it might be that??

[JDMchick]

What year is your car? The fuel filter can cause those issues, along with the cap and rotor as previously mentioned. I'd be willing to bet your injectors are giving up the ghost though. They could be leaking and mildly flooding the combustion chamber causing the unburnt gas smell and the hard starting. When you last changed your oil, did it smell like gas at all?

ummm i think the last time i changed the oil was like in november.
& i was low like a couple weeks ago, but i added a bit & its pretty good.
i check the oil constantly. & i checked the spark plugs last night.
they still smell like unburnt gas, but they're burning right. perfect actually. the tips are nice & white.

[jlevie]

Idle or hard starting problems are most commonly caused by intake leaks and/or
a sticky or defective Idle Control Valve (ICV). The only reliable method of
locating intake leaks is to have a smoke test run on the intake and crank case
and to test the brake booster with a gage and vacuum pump. The complete list
of possible causes of an intake leak is:

Intake boot
Throttle body gasket
ICV hoses & connections
Brake booster, hoses, and connections
Crank case breather hose
Evaporative control hose and valve
Fuel pressure regulator & hose
Injector seals
Valve cover gaskets & bungs
Oil filler cap
Dip stick o-rings
Oil return tube o-rings

While leaks in some of those can be found by inspection or by spraying carb
cleaner on suspect areas, not finding leaks that way doesn't eliminate the
possibility. Only a smoke test will really work.

Once the possibility of intake leaks is eliminated, the ICV needs to be
removed and cleaned with carb cleaner until the vane inside moves freely. When
the ignition is switched on you should be able to feel vibration from the
ICV. If no vibration the ICV is bad, there's a problem with its wiring or
connector, there's a problem with the TPS, or the DME (or Idle Control Module
(ICM) on an ETA car) is faulty.

For the DME (or ICM) to control idle, the idle switch in the TPS must work
correctly. The switch should close when the throttle stop is 0.020-0.060" off
the idle stop screw.

The fuel system should be tested via the suite of tests in the Bentley manual
as invalid rail pressure can be a contributor to idle and starting problems. A
simple injector check is to pull the injectors, jumper the fuel relay to run
the pump, and see if the injectors are leaking. You can also point the
injectors into a towel, remove the coil wire, and crank the engine to see if
all of the injectors appear to be spraying in a similar fashion. The best
approach to possible injector problems is to have the injectors cleaned and
flow tested. Since raw fuel can or will be released in these tests, have a
fire extinguisher handy.

The O2 sensor can be a contributor to idle problems. The O2 sensor is a
scheduled maintenance item with a useful life of no more than 100k. If the
sensor has that mileage or more (or is of unknown age), replace it.

The AFM can be a contributor. If the vane doesn't move freely or the
resistance track is worn the DME may be receiving invalid data from the
AFM. And if someone has fiddled with the bypass air adjustment the DME may be
unable to stabilize idle. The bypass air adjustment should only be adjusted
per the procedure in the Bentley and with an exhaust gas analyzer. And even
then everything else associated with engine management has to first be
operating properly. If the AFM becomes a suspect, replacement with a good used
unit is the best approach.

Improperly adjusted or malfunctioning valves will affect idle and starting. As
can compression issues from ring or cylinder wear. A valve adjustment is
called for every 15k. A useful diagnostic is to run compression and leak down
tests on the engine. And aged ignition wires, plugs, distributor cap, or
rotor can cause problems. Insulation does break down with time and heat. And
since the youngest E30 is going on 19 years old, if the ignition system is
original or the plugs are old replacement is indicated.

Although not usually a problem, a bad DME temp sensor is a possibility. That
generally won't cause an unstable idle, but can cause hard cold or hard hot
starts and/or a rough idle. As can problems with the timing reference sensors.

When all other possibilities have been eliminated and idle or starting
problems persist, replacement of the DME, or if applicable the ICM, is
indicated.

[IRON-E]

yes i have. & why the eff did you spend that much??
they're so easy to replace.
oh & i think i found the problem.
the hose for the cold start had a rip in it,
do you guys think it might be that??

well my problem started with a bad battery, moved on to spark plugs, wires, rotor cap, alternator, vac hoses, ICV, intake boot, FPR and finally the fucking fuel filter!

Idle or hard starting problems are most commonly caused by intake leaks and/or
a sticky or defective Idle Control Valve (ICV). The only reliable method of
locating intake leaks is to have a smoke test run on the intake and crank case
and to test the brake booster with a gage and vacuum pump. The complete list
of possible causes of an intake leak is:

Intake boot
Throttle body gasket
ICV hoses & connections
Brake booster, hoses, and connections
Crank case breather hose
Evaporative control hose and valve
Fuel pressure regulator & hose
Injector seals
Valve cover gaskets & bungs
Oil filler cap
Dip stick o-rings
Oil return tube o-rings

While leaks in some of those can be found by inspection or by spraying carb
cleaner on suspect areas, not finding leaks that way doesn't eliminate the
possibility. Only a smoke test will really work.

Once the possibility of intake leaks is eliminated, the ICV needs to be
removed and cleaned with carb cleaner until the vane inside moves freely. When
the ignition is switched on you should be able to feel vibration from the
ICV. If no vibration the ICV is bad, there's a problem with its wiring or
connector, there's a problem with the TPS, or the DME (or Idle Control Module
(ICM) on an ETA car) is faulty.

For the DME (or ICM) to control idle, the idle switch in the TPS must work
correctly. The switch should close when the throttle stop is 0.020-0.060" off
the idle stop screw.

The fuel system should be tested via the suite of tests in the Bentley manual
as invalid rail pressure can be a contributor to idle and starting problems. A
simple injector check is to pull the injectors, jumper the fuel relay to run
the pump, and see if the injectors are leaking. You can also point the
injectors into a towel, remove the coil wire, and crank the engine to see if
all of the injectors appear to be spraying in a similar fashion. The best
approach to possible injector problems is to have the injectors cleaned and
flow tested. Since raw fuel can or will be released in these tests, have a
fire extinguisher handy.

The O2 sensor can be a contributor to idle problems. The O2 sensor is a
scheduled maintenance item with a useful life of no more than 100k. If the
sensor has that mileage or more (or is of unknown age), replace it.

The AFM can be a contributor. If the vane doesn't move freely or the
resistance track is worn the DME may be receiving invalid data from the
AFM. And if someone has fiddled with the bypass air adjustment the DME may be
unable to stabilize idle. The bypass air adjustment should only be adjusted
per the procedure in the Bentley and with an exhaust gas analyzer. And even
then everything else associated with engine management has to first be
operating properly. If the AFM becomes a suspect, replacement with a good used
unit is the best approach.

Improperly adjusted or malfunctioning valves will affect idle and starting. As
can compression issues from ring or cylinder wear. A valve adjustment is
called for every 15k. A useful diagnostic is to run compression and leak down
tests on the engine. And aged ignition wires, plugs, distributor cap, or
rotor can cause problems. Insulation does break down with time and heat. And
since the youngest E30 is going on 19 years old, if the ignition system is
original or the plugs are old replacement is indicated.

Although not usually a problem, a bad DME temp sensor is a possibility. That
generally won't cause an unstable idle, but can cause hard cold or hard hot
starts and/or a rough idle. As can problems with the timing reference sensors.

When all other possibilities have been eliminated and idle or starting
problems persist, replacement of the DME, or if applicable the ICM, is
indicated.

Impressive man, you went through a lot of shit.

[ZombiE30]

Impressive man, you went through a lot of shit.

Of course he did.....it's JLEVIE!
He IS an E30.

[E30Andrew]

sounds retarded that it could be this i know but seriously first thing to check is dist. cap and rotor. just had that problem with my car. 1st was bad plugs. then it was the cap and rotor. replaced cap car runs fine. check the easy stuff first b4 spending money :)

[JDMchick]

okay well yesterday i went to the junk yard & i snatched me one of those tube things & i took it out of the actual cold start, i put it in mine & it took a while the first try, second try it started up a little faster.
then later on last night i started it up & it started right away, but when i came back from dinner & parked it out for like maybe an hour, it took a while to start again.
im super confused on this. :/

[JDMchick]

& checking all the other stuff...i have no idea how to.
im kinda new at this so i apologize for my inconsistancy.