85 318i Issues

[KenC]

I'd just get a new one, they're cheap.

[Hey_You]

I replaced the FPR with a new unit, and had some hesitation when revving right above idle. This symptom soon disappeared though. Went for a test drive and to my dismay, I still have the misfire. It just clicked in my head that awhile back I noticed that when I would turn my key to the on position, my fuel pump primed, but it didn't stop, and it just kept making noise. And recently it has just been kicking on for a second and then turning off like it should. Could that possibly be a sign that the relay is acting up? I think I'm running down the possible fuel issues, and I think the only things I haven't replaced are the in-tank pump, and the relay.

If anything, the new FPR seems to have made the misfire happen a lot more frequently, and now my car will occasionally stall at intersections where it never used to do that before. Fuel is being cut-off somehow/somewhere.

[crazyman]

This thread is alot of help. On my 85 m10 I'm having almost identical problems, but it waffleswaffleswaffles it only when I'm holding the throttle steady from just off idle to 2k (mainly city driving). Never had it stall on me though. do think the issue's are related at all?

Chris

[Hey_You]

I'm not too sure if they are, but who knows. For the past couple of days my car was running like absolute crap, and during those 2 days, my exhaust was hanging in the middle as my Oakie-Rigged exhaust hanger came off. I fixed it the same day I replaced my oil pan (fresh oil/filter) and no missfire since. However, I also did unplug my MAF as it's so much easier to get to the oil filter without the airbox in the way, so that might have something to do with it. There might be a possibility that by unplugging the MAF allowed it to reset and corrected some air/fuel issues, but who knows. I'll have to borrow some high-tech tools the next time I'm near the old shop I used to work for when/if it's acting up.
On a side note, I did notice a tiny bit of "milk" on the inside of my upper pan which tells me I'm leaking coolant into my oil. Anyone know of a good write-up on how to change the head-gasket on the M10? I'll be searching around for one in the meantime.

[crazyman]

I'm not too sure if they are, but who knows. For the past couple of days my car was running like absolute crap, and during those 2 days, my exhaust was hanging in the middle as my Oakie-Rigged exhaust hanger came off. I fixed it the same day I replaced my oil pan (fresh oil/filter) and no missfire since. However, I also did unplug my MAF as it's so much easier to get to the oil filter without the airbox in the way, so that might have something to do with it. There might be a possibility that by unplugging the MAF allowed it to reset and corrected some air/fuel issues, but who knows. I'll have to borrow some high-tech tools the next time I'm near the old shop I used to work for when/if it's acting up.
On a side note, I did notice a tiny bit of "milk" on the inside of my upper pan which tells me I'm leaking coolant into my oil. Anyone know of a good write-up on how to change the head-gasket on the M10? I'll be searching around for one in the meantime.

Sweet, thanks bud. I will try that out and see how it works and I'll let you know.

[Hey_You]

My car broke down yesterday and for once, actually left me stranded. Luckily I was able to get in a parking lot, but I was pissed, only 2 miles max from my house, so I locked the doors and hoofed it home. I came back later in a different vehicle, and to my amusement, my car started right up, idled just fine, and I was able to drive it home. I got motivated and ripped out my back seat, opened up the in-tank pump compartment, and started my car. I put my ear to the pump and I heard some abnormal not so good noises, so, I will be installing a new pump tomorrow if it comes in as the parts guy says. Hope this solves the/a problem

[crazyman]

Hope that works out for yeah. I tried unplugging the maf and it still does it. So I'm going to keep looking and see what this problem. knowing my luck probably something stupid that I over looked by mistake.

[Hey_You]

I replaced my in-tank pump and had the same misfire as before. Although it was running much smoother now, I was still pissed. I brought the car home and started pulling the relays by the strut tower and somehow managed to knock off the wire cover of the relay in the middle so all the pins came out. Lucky for me, since they had been in there for the past 25 years, I could tell where they should all go from the bend in the wire. Got that taken care of. I also cleaned up the contacts on the fuel pump relay just to make sure. On of the prongs had some black gunk on it, so I took some 230grit to it and got them cleaned up. Also while I was at it, I remembered that when I installed my plugs, when I bought them the guy at the autoparts store was reading off his screen that they needed to be gapped to .028" so that's where I put them. Pulled out all my plugs and regapped as KenC recommended. So far no problems as of yet (1 day of driving) but there is always tomorrow. I have also noticed that when I first start my car, my voltage light stays on until I give it the slightest throttle. I can watch all the lights and as soon as I do that they increase in brightness and stay there, but start dim. Do these cars have a voltage regulator? Maybe my alternator is going out or a bad ground?

[sixty6falcon]

Wow, sounds like you're driving my car. Keep going on this thread. I've owned my car for less than a week. I've had all the same problems as you, and then some. But, for some reason, I absolutely love the car. AND!..... I'm a Ford guy.

[crazyman]

I'm a huge ford guy myself, I bought my first e30 cus it was $600 and needed something more fuel efficient than my Ford (I was like getting 10mpg at best with the pickup). But I now own my second e30 and I have to say, if I had to loose one of my vehicles, I would most likely say good by to the ford. What other problems are you having?

[sixty6falcon]

Ha, you're telling my story. I bought my car to replace my F-150 'cause I'm driving 70 miles a day and getting 13 miles to the gallon. I looked at all kinds of cars, from Thunderbird Turbo Coupes, Volvo wagons, and finally found this little 318i. It's really straight, needs a driver's seat, but fun to drive and way easy to work on. It fits me perfectly. Since I've owned it (1 week), I've had coolant issues (both heating up and overheating) that are now sorted out. My gauges are slightly erratic ( the speedo always works, mileage works sometimes, tach works most of the time, temp gauge takes a light tap to move into position). On top of these issues, I'm basically having the same issues as Hey_You. I found a well maintained '84 318i at the junkyard and have been pulling every vacuum hose, injector, sensor, radiator, taillight, and anything else I can get my hands on that might possibly be an issue on my car. I'll probably get a chance to work on it tomorrow. I'll let you know if any progress is made.

[crazyman]

Wow that sounds like alot of fun, jk. Yeah if you need parts or anything like that I can get you hooked up cus my buddy still has a fair amount of dash parts I'm sure.

[crazyman]

What year is your Ford?

[sixty6falcon]

Cool man. I'll let you know if I need anything. I have a '95 F-150 with the 4.9L. I bought it thinking I would get good mileage on the freeway. Not so. It gets about 18.5-19 at about 55 mph but, when you hit 65-70, it drops drastically. Didn't get a chance to play with the car today. My wife and I are both full-time student plus I work. She took some final while I watched the kids. I should be able to get out there tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Also, I picked up some coolant and Lucas fuel treatment. I'll let you know if anything develops.

[crazyman]

Ok cool. Your Ford gets better than mine, I got a 72 F100 with a built 390. I get 8 miles to the gallon no matter how I drive, and whether or not I'm hauling a load, LOL. If you lived around here I would help you out, I love working on cars. On that coolant thing my buddy told me to use BMW coolant in the engines. He said that because the way they are built the normal anti freeze that you would pick up at like Napa, auto zone, ect. Will corrode the inside of the engine alot faster than normal, and if used over a long enough time it will burn up a water pump, and eat through a heater core pretty fast. So after being told that, I'm in the process of flushing my whole system and putting that stuff in it instead.