Iratic idle problem

7JAZZIZ7

MEMBER
1989 BMW 325I
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
192,127 MILES

I have a 1989 bmw that idle very iratic during cold starts and the chkeck engine light comes on

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 AT 5:57 PM

5 Replies

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,601 POSTS

Replace the oxygen sensor to make the check engine light go out. The idle issue is going to require the idle control valve to be cleaned out, start here.

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Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 AT 6:09 PM

7JAZZIZ7

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I did replace the oxygen sensor and the coolant temp sensor as well as cleaning out idle control valve and the the throttle body. I also installed and new fuel filter, cleaned the mass air flow sensor and checked for any leaks. Nothing changed after all this but I should mention that the car idles better once it is warmed up and the check engine light only stays on when idling but goes out when I am driving

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Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 AT 6:24 PM

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,601 POSTS

It would have been helpful if you would have included that information in the original post my friend. Inspect the ignition components and be sure the plugs are gapped correctly and that they are the correct plugs, NOT PLATINUM! Valve lash is critical, set it to 0.010" The oxygen sensor, was it a Bosch sensor? Inspect the wiring at the connector for the injectors/temp senders under the throttle body. The AFM might also be a bit worn, it is tough to say from cyberspace.

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Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 AT 8:05 PM

7JAZZIZ7

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I apologize for not being more thorough in my original post. The distributer cap and rotor and look a bit worn and have some carbon tracks. The plugs are gap at.007 and they are platinum, the valve clarence is set at 0.008 and the brand new oxygen sensor is a Bosch. I inspected the wiring connector for the injectors/temp and found no problems there. I swap the AFM with two other used ones and that didn't change anything. It is still idling iratic and running very rich (it's consuming a lot of gas) and the check engine light still comes on at idle but goes out once the car is in motion. I even tried swapping on the ECU with another used one but the number on it didn't match perfectly, anyway no change. Also I completely removed the fuel injector rail and cleaned the injectors and installed new o-rings.

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Sunday, February 6th, 2011 AT 4:04 AM

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,601 POSTS

Remove the platinum plugs and install the correct plugs as per my previous post, and gap them to.028" Set the valve lash to.010" as per my previous post. The connector at the injector harness/main engine harness interface, was it disconnected and inspected? Is the throttle position switch adjusted correctly, does it click?