Weird problems with my new e30

[devin6519]

So I have had my e30 for two days now and it's a great car but there is an unknown problem that I would like to find and fix. The car is very random when starting. Sometimes it starts up immediately other times it can take up to a minute to start up. Last night driving it and tonight driving it, the car has done this. I'm driving down the road in gear going 40 mph and it's all smooth and fine and then bam the car stalls while driving and I push in the clutch while driving and turn the key and it starts back up and it didn't happen again the whole night. Well tonight I was going Down I-5 going about 60 and bam the same damn thing happens! It stalls out while driving. I try to start it but it won't start so I pull over to the side of the road and when I was coasting at about 10 mph the car starts up and I come to a complete stop and the car is idling rough and the check engine light comes on. I put it in gear and go to take off and it did not seem to want to go and then bam the check engine light turned off and I was flying down the road and it didn't happen again the whole 30 mile drive home. Any ideas what this issue could be???

[e30austin]

Holy shit. Paragraphs, dude!

[devin6519]

I know lol. I'm just tring to give the best discription I can.

[BigBillions]

getting to know your e30

Well i'd start off the easy route and chech the coil to make sure its ohm out ok .and the coil wire both ends to make sure there connected right. only reason I say this is because you didnt lose air while driving so it has to be a electrial or fuel issue. if those are ok id next start with fuel filter replacement. the one right behind the driver seat under the car and depending on the vechile and year there could also be one in the engine compartment near the charcol canister. if its stock it should look like a square thing not see though dark color in the fuel line about the size of a fist. and then again it could be alot of things . this is just my advise and my opinion.

[Pdxseth]

Sounds like you're driving an early model 318i


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[FLG]

Most important thing to diagnose this issue.

What does the tach do when it stalls? When it does it again don't press in the clutch... does the tach continue to follow engine rpm?

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[devin6519]

I drive a 89 325i. And when the car stals the rpm guage dies. I'm at 0 rpms and I have to physically turn the key while coasting to get the car started again. It litterally dies.

[FLG]

Than you have one of two problems...which I know all too well as I had the same.

Either your losing signal going to the dme (cps sensor) or your dme is losing power.

My issue wound up stemming from a bad connection in the connector next to the fuse box (round one) so first id pop that open and clean it...I was chasing this issue for months. Have a thread on here somewhere


check your cps sensor, do you have a multi meter? Your going to need to check resistance between pins 1-2 coming off the sensor. It should be between 500-600 ohms

Next thing to check. There's smaller gauge wire that runs with the battery cable, about a foot from the battery on this cable is a fusible link, sometimes it breaks in a way that it might still work most of the time...but randomly cut out. With the car running wiggle this wire and see if anything happens. You might need to remove it from the main one as if I remember its got a rubber sheet covering it.




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[e30austin]

I suggested CPS myself. Devin, go buy a CPS and an oxygen sensor at work today. If you want, being it by the shop and I'll change it out right quick.

[devin6519]

Thank you for the help. I will try those things soon. I have to wait until i get paid to buy those things austin. I'm also thinking my fuel filter needs to be changed out. And even if that doesn't fix my problem it is still a good thing to do.

[FLG]

Looks like you have access to a shop and parts at cost....if so might as well change the cps, its probably as old as the car, fpr, fuel filter... ect

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[ethirtydavid]

I've seen this issues happen a couple different ways. For me, I had a bad coil and when I'd put the power down it would cut out on me as you are describing.

However a buddy had the same issue and it was related to the CPS, though the sensor itself was fine. The wire that runs to the CPS is tucked up to the front of the engine and runs past the pulleys etc. His wire was not well secured and the pulley, over time, had eaten through it a bit causing a short intermittently. < check that wire out while you're investigating

[FLG]

David the give away is the tach...even a bad coil wouldn't effect it reading engine rpm. If it stayed consistent during the cutoff than id look at ignition/fuel related.

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[BigBillions]

fusable link

i was going to say possable fusable link but wasnt sure if the e30 had one. also the cps is another good idea to check +1 to the guy who thought of that one. my e30 has the battery in the trunk 1989 325is and havent see a fusable link on it. so is it possable mine doesnt have one?. either way its either electrical or fuel. also should be that much to fix once you figure out the problem. good luck with the many check and check areas.

[e30austin]

They do. It's in the trunk, about a foot from the battery terminal.