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View Full Version : engine idled loopy, died.

jhalliman
09-03-2008, 05:35 AM
went out on break at work today, fired the car up. started fine. rev'd to 1k, idled at 800, got loopy within a second or two and stalled. fired it back up. rev'd to 600 or so and then stalled immediately. now it turns over to no avail. I'm assuming it's fuel related, but my primary concern could be the timing chain. anyone familiar with the noises/sounds you'd primarily hear from a timing chain letting loose? I didn't hear any apparent engine noise during all of this, but then again, my crappy exhaust from the PO might have drowned anything out that I would have heard anyway.
BMW_Hatchback
09-03-2008, 06:45 AM
you might want to check your vacuum & the hoses its connected to. Check the valve cover breather hose also to make sure its not ripped like mine was.
jhalliman
09-03-2008, 08:01 AM
you might want to check your vacuum & the hoses its connected to. Check the valve cover breather hose also to make sure its not ripped like mine was.

good call. definitely not the chain now, I'm sure of that. got it to fire back up into a smooth idle for over a minute. revved fine to 4 grand in neutral. for some reason, stalled immediately as I tried to back out of the space? and I'm pretty sure it wasn't shotty clutch handling as I never stall to begin with and it refused to start back up after. makes no sense to me but I'm only going to assume that it's fuel related for now.
trickiekid
09-04-2008, 03:00 AM
Idle control valve? any idiot lights?
Dumpy
09-05-2008, 01:12 AM
I have the same issue; another mechanic I know told me to check the fuel pump since he believes the needed pressure (which I have yet to find) isn't constantly supplied. The strange thing is I'm fine if I give it $10 of gas a day....
jhalliman
09-06-2008, 09:24 PM
turns out it was the fuel pump. pulled the line at the filter, turned the key, no spray. threw a new pump in, runs like..almost a charm. except for the fact that somehow, maybe from cranking the dry engine for a while trying to diagnose problems, I have developed a lifter tick that is very noticeable. I assume this could be a t-chain tensioner but it sounds much like a lifter tick. anyone ever have a similar problem or have any advice on why that problem would develop then?