Do i really not know how to drive a 5 speed?

[NeedaE30]

Or is my car just fucked? I have been driving a 5 speed since my first car and i always thought i knew how to drive a 5 speed whether it be slow fast spirited whatever.. but this e30...

I feel like i can not drive the car slow sometimes, because the RPMs drop too fast and make shifting sketchy/jerky.. sometimes they drop very slowly i assume the slow RPM drop is due to the ICV being sticky which i plan on cleaning with some brake clean soon.. but what would cause the RPMS to drop TOO fast sometimes could it also be related to a sticky icv? flywheel? Am I just bad at driving a 5 speed or is something wrong with the car? i can't remember any of my other e30s doing this or any of my other vehicles. i just put some MT-90 in it the other day because the old fluid was milky and extremely low with quite a few metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug.. it's a million times better with new fluid but this issue is starting to bother me because it makes me have to drive the car spirited more than i prefer..

the car also just recently developed a 1,500-2,000 rpm cold idle. the car seems to have always had an intermittent white smoke issue that i believe to be lots of condensation from the exhaust. the cat has had a huge leak in the catalytic converter for sometime long before i bought the car, I just recently plugged that bitch up with some exhaust cement until i get the time to get my exhaust flanges welded on my new exhaust. I'm hoping the exhaust leak has been causing the amount of smoke i see from the tail pipe. It does not smell sweet but rather exhausty maybe a hint of fuel. the car has lost maybe a minute amount if any, coolant loss. but the timing belt and complete cooling system was overhauled im sure some air bubbles have dissipated and cause what little coolant loss that i could possibly notice. the oil is not milky either. Upon deceleration sometimes, i feel a stutter in either the engine power or tranny, but it's hard for me to tell, due to how intermittent it is. could this also possibly me related to a bad/sticky icv?




my temp gauge for the most part sits directly in between mid and cold, 1/4 of the gauge. sometimes it will creep a tiny bit closer to mid but not really. i cant remember if my other e30s did this can anyone enlighten me?


damn, i've been working around plastic fumes and assholes for far to long :\

[jlevie]

Long distance diagnosis of this sort of a problem is iffy. But I'll hazard a guess that the engine just isn't running like it should be. And that is probably from a combination of factors.

The low temperature indication could be a gauge problem, it could be that the wrong thermostat is in the engine, or the thermostat could be stuck open. The standard thermostat is an 80C unit. Start with the thermostat.

Because the engine is unlikely to have been properly maintained I'd:

1) Have a pro run a smoke test to look for intake leaks. If leaks show up immediately, those will have to be repaired and the smoke test repeated to find smaller leaks further from the intake. Although not much pressure is used in a smoke test (2-4psi), that may be enough to pop your cat fix as the exhaust has to be plugged during the test. So you might have to replace the cats before a smoke test can be done.

2) Replace the ignition wires, distributor cap, rotor, and plugs (with NGK ZGR5A). Unless you have proof that they have been replaced recently.

3) If the O2 sensor has 100k on it, replace it.

4) Adjust the valves.

5) Check rail fuel pressure and if they have over 100k on them have the injectors cleaned, rebuilt , and flow tested. And replace the air filter.

6) Remove and clean the ICV, then verify operation and adjustment of the TPS. If the idle speed off, the throttle stop or air bypass in the AFM may have been fiddled with. You can adjust the throttle stop, but it takes an exhaust gas analyzer to adjust the bypass.

[NeedaE30]

Long distance diagnosis of this sort of a problem is iffy. But I'll hazard a guess that the engine just isn't running like it should be. And that is probably from a combination of factors.

The low temperature indication could be a gauge problem, it could be that the wrong thermostat is in the engine, or the thermostat could be stuck open. The standard thermostat is an 80C unit. Start with the thermostat.

Because the engine is unlikely to have been properly maintained I'd:

1) Have a pro run a smoke test to look for intake leaks. If leaks show up immediately, those will have to be repaired and the smoke test repeated to find smaller leaks further from the intake. Although not much pressure is used in a smoke test (2-4psi), that may be enough to pop your cat fix as the exhaust has to be plugged during the test. So you might have to replace the cats before a smoke test can be done.

2) Replace the ignition wires, distributor cap, rotor, and plugs (with NGK ZGR5A). Unless you have proof that they have been replaced recently.

3) If the O2 sensor has 100k on it, replace it.

4) Adjust the valves.

5) Check rail fuel pressure and if they have over 100k on them have the injectors cleaned, rebuilt , and flow tested. And replace the air filter.

6) Remove and clean the ICV, then verify operation and adjustment of the TPS. If the idle speed off, the throttle stop or air bypass in the AFM may have been fiddled with. You can adjust the throttle stop, but it takes an exhaust gas analyzer to adjust the bypass.

Smoke test not done yet cat replacement shortly, ordered bosche oem plugs not the super + replacements. Valve adjustment was just done alone with timing belt thermostat water pump clutch fan coolant hoses oilchange seafoam icv cleaned today icv elbow replaced due to leak valve cover breather hose replaced, I have to tap the dash to get the coolant gauge to move from cold maybe a screw?

[AndrewBird]

There is a nut on the back of the gauge. It's common for them to come loose and cause problems.

[NeedaE30]

There is a nut on the back of the gauge. It's common for them to come loose and cause problems.

ahh yes.. ill be removing the cluster soon to add a check engine light bulb which had mysteriously been removed before i bought the car.. once i removed the cluster ill see if that nut is loose ..

the o2 sensor looked old and crusty ill replace that by the end of the month as well.

after cleaning the living shit out of 2 of the ICV"s i have with carb cleaner... one of them idles at 1500-2000 rpms and has lots of problems while running.. the original icv that came on the car is now keeping the idle steady right at about 750-800 rpms and the RPMs are now dropping normally.. so i am assuming a Clean icv has fixed the RPM and idle issues.. Ignition and fuel system are next on my agenda.. I cant really afford to send the injectors out of be tested and rebuilt. so ill most likely either buy brand new ones or just clean the hell out of them and put new o-rings on them.. i'm sure anything will be better than 200k mile fuel injectors that have probably never been removed. BTW I added a stock airbox and Mann air filter when i purchased the car because it had a rusty fleabay cone filter on it and i much prefer the stock air box.. I removed the AFM and cleaned it because it had some residual oil inside of it the flap moves freely with no binding I'm not exactly sure how to adjust the AFM or the TPS ill go search