I finally got some time to give my E30 a little love and I'm in the process of getting it to idle correctly. It hasn't been cranked in months and it started up fine, but it won't idle worth shit. When it's cold, it immediately dies when I take my foot off the gas. When it's warm, it idles really rough for a little while then cuts off. Reading through my Bentley manual it attributes the rough idle to one of 3 things: idle air control valve, fuel pump, and the injectors. I've removed the idle air control valve and I'm going to test it, but I don't think that's the problem; I think the previous owner replaced it in the past few years because it's actually very clean. I took a video of it hoping someone might be able to help me diagnose the problem. It sounds like it's knocking, but it's not, I just have a shitty camera.
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V1 - Debadged - Painted Reflectors - Black Kidneys
1987 325e -
Intake leaks and/or bad gas would be my guess. Drain the tank and refill with fresh gas. Also critically examine every hose that connects to the intake for a tight connection and absence of cracks.The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL -
I don't think it's bad gas; it's done it with fresh gas before. I checked all the connections and everything seemed tight but everything I've read says that a vacuum leak is probably the culprit. I guess I need to get new hoses.
V1 - Debadged - Painted Reflectors - Black Kidneys
1987 325eComment
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I ran some seafoam through the intake today, and it's running better, but still won't idle. When I unplug the controller from the ICV, it idles, but fluctuates between 700-1500rpm. If I connect the controller, it drops to ~500rpm and eventually dies. I measured the current running through the controller and I saw ~120mA; Bentley says it should be ~700mA. Is this an electrical problem or the ICV?
Video
V1 - Debadged - Painted Reflectors - Black Kidneys
1987 325eComment
Comment