I replaced all three relays, including the white 5 pin DME relay, and so far so good. KNOCKS ON WOOD.
I drove it around my neighborhood for 45 minutes with the headlights on, AC on and stereo blasting and it didn't die. In years past, having the AC on would almost always cause the engine to stall when pushing in the clutch.
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The relay that would most likely cause this would be the White relay that controls the Fuel Injection. This can fail intermittently and it will stop the car. This is typically found in the small relay box closer to the front of the car. This is the "main" relay.Leave a comment:
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Thought I provide an update in this thread. Replaced my M20 with another out of a wrecked auto vert with 70K on it. My previous engine had a small crack in the block and was burning through coolant. So, the new engine is strong, BUT I still have the stall out issue. So it's definitely electrical. Replaced the ignition switch because the windows and climate control fan would randomly stop working. The switch kind of fixed that problem, but now my radiator aux fan switch is disconnected because it keeps blowing the accessory fuses. UGH!
Should also mention that I did replace the CPS as the old one was all chewed up from not having the clip installed and rubbing into the water pump belt. The usual.
So now I'm going to replace all three main relays. Mine are super old and all of the pins are burnt and corroded. We'll see what happens.
4 years, all new parts and a new engine and this E30 is still not 100% reliable.
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My problem is still gone but the car has been sitting awhile because my head warped. Why? Well it's a combo of waiting til the last minute to replace the thermostat and the aux. fan never coming on (fuse box circuit board resistance problem). Always something. Good luck!Leave a comment:
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I was having this issue and although I did not pinpoint the exact cause, The sudden power loss has not since happened. Here’s a list of parts I changed. Changed the AFM, still happened. Cleaned ICV and throttle body, still happened. At this time I checked for vacuum leaks. ICV hose was split and the crank case vent hose was severely cracked... after changing these two hoses the sudden power loss stopped happening, although the car did start idling like hell after this. Now I discovered the fuel tank breather valve hose under the throttle body was destroyed.Leave a comment:
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Idle Air Control Valve. So this problem, for me, started maybe 3 years ago. Swapped the ICV for a cheap Chinese one. Big mistake. Right out of the box my split second loss of power (which was a total loss of power) was still there. Naturally I thought the problem had to be elsewhere. Fast forward to New Years this year, a brand new OE Bosch T-shaped ICV (with appropriate intake boot) is installed and ever since then there has been no such issue. Of course it took me reading codes without the prompt of a check engine light to finally nail it. It showed me 2 codes, both for the ICV. So yeah just because your CEL is not on, does not mean there are no codes. Luckily the damn thing did not cause damage to my DME as far as I know.
Summary: A brand new Original Equipment (Bosch) Idle Air Control Valve solved my problem. Pretty sure you can't get the old style L-shaped valve anymore or the cost is insane. Just "upgrade" to the T-shaped. Stay away from Chinese crap! If it does not say where it was made, assume it was made there.Leave a comment:
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I think I've subconsciously been trying to pretend it's not the AFM, when it very well could be.
FYI - the CTS didn't fix the engine cut out problem when cold. In fact, it's still throwing the 1223 code which makes me wonder if the wire going back to the DME is cut or broken. That or the DME doesn't know what to think.
Just dropped off my baby to an E30 whisperer today. We'll see if he questions the AFM. They have a ton of parts BMWs in their yard so they can quickly swap parts in and out which is cool.
I'll throw out the AFM tomorrow if he calls.
Thanks!Leave a comment:
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FWIW, I cleaned and adjusted my AFM wiper on the carbon track in 10 minutes with the whole thing still on the car. I used a small camera cleaner bulb type air blow to get rid of dust and then made the slight bends of the wiper after removing the arm.Leave a comment:
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See this thread on how a bad AFM will cause your exact issue.
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If it hasn't been done before, clean the AFM and shift the wiper on the track. I was getting something like this (more of a hesitation in power than a total loss) and the AFM corrected it.Leave a comment:
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Well the problem is still there even after having the injectors rebuilt and recalibrated. Now the engine split second cutout is only happening on cold start up. I’d say it does it for the first five minutes of driving in the morning when it’s coldest out. The issue goes away once the car is out normal operating temp. So I finally did the stomp test after a buddy explained the process today. It threw a code did the coolant temp sensor. I’ve read that a faulty temp sensor can cause the issue I’m having. Although I doubt it would fix my crappy idle. I ordered both the ecu sensor and the sending unit sensor just to be safe and hey they’re pretty cheap. If that doesn’t work then I guess I’ll replace the CPS and possibly the o2. My fingers have never been this crossed in their life.Leave a comment:
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I'm definitely thinking it has to be the injectors on my E30. The engine cutout issue has gotten exponentially worse over the last few days. To the point where I can't drive it anymore. It bucks like a bronco when the engine is cold which is scary when driving in traffic. I dropped it off earlier this week at my local independent BMW mechanic. I asked them to flow test the injectors and rebuild them if needed.
I chatted with a local BMW owner and enthusiast this past weekend and we came up with a good theory. Which is - an injector is leaking dumping too much fuel into a cylinder, which then causes the O2 sensor to go crazy and thus loads up the catalytic converter with unburnt fuel causing the engine to choke out.
There is some serious back pressure going on when you start up the car. You can feel it when you walk behind the trunk. Plus, you can smell hints of unburnt fuel coming out the exhaust on top of the stinky cat smell. The cat also pings like crazy when you turn the car off after a drive.
Hoping to hear something from the mechanic today. Fingers crossed.
I've been dealing with this for over 3 years and some closure would be nice.Leave a comment:
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hey this is probably a stupid suggestion but mine would cut out randomly. instant off for a split second.
some days it wouldn't even start and i would pull on wires then it would start.
for me. turned out the big round plug/harness for the injectors under the manifold was fucked up and not making good contact.Leave a comment:
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I'm having almost identical issues. Would love to hear how things are going long term.
I had a bad ICV that was replaced by a brand new OEM part. Now I'm wondering if it did something to the DME.
I've had a rough idle and occasional stall out issue since I bought the car. The stall out issue happens when I'm coming to a stop and push the clutch in and the revs drop. Once in a great while I'll go into a store, come back out, start the car and it will just crank. I turn the ignition off, wait a second, then crank again and the engine will cough and sputter a bit and then smooth out. The next day the car will just start up normally. These issues are super super random.
Flash forward to this week and now the dreaded engine stutter/cutout/misfire has developed. I never ever had this problem before once I got above idle. Like the OP, it only happens for a split second but you can feel it.Leave a comment:
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