318ti.org forum - View Single Post - 1995 318ti rough idle lead to blown up spark plug connector?

vixxysmalls · 09-29-2014, 09:23 PM

Hey. First time poster, have read through lots of posts on here though! Didn't see one explaining quite what I'm experiencing but my apologies if this is a repeat. Also I am a TOTAL novice mechanic but I love this car and want to learn it back and forth and have it truly be my baby. Bought my 1995 318ti (187k miles) about two months ago and it purred like a kitten for the first two weeks. We had a huge rainstorm out here in AZ and (being used to driving a tall truck) I hit a pretty deep puddle goin about 40-45mph. So much water rushed over my hood it looked like a carwash. Since then my problems have not stopped.

I woke up the next day to a SUPER rough idle that evened out a bit after the car warmed up. I did research (mostly on this site) to try and diagnose

I pulled the DME out to check for flooding (no signs of water at all) -
I pulled all the spark plug connectors out to check for flooding (again no signs of water) -
I checked for any obvious vacuum leaks and put clamps on any hoses showing signs of ripping at the ends.

None of this helped, but I kept driving with the rough idle because I have no other car. After a week or two driving with the rough idle it stopped moving, I opened the hood and my 'intake boot' was nearly ripped in half. I thought I had found the culprit of all my problems, bought a new boot and replaced. The idle problem wasn't TOTALLY gone but at least 85% better. Again, continued to drive it. The idle would be rough mostly when i first started it or when it was humid outside or raining. Since then I have been eating through gas and the acceleration is nothing like it was when I first bought the car, a very noticeable drag in the accl while in first gear. The CEL comes on with a code of 1222 (after the stomp test) which comes up as Lambda Control 1 which I guess means a faulty o2 sensor or that it's running lean/rich. I googled prices of o2 sensors yesterday but on my way home from work my car lost A LOT of power but continued to move, it was terrifying because my engine sounded JUST like a go-kart. Opened the hood this morning, went to check the spark plugs again and the second connector from the top (from windshield down) was blown out. The rubber is demolished and the metal part inside looks blown up.

Has anyone had similar problems? What could have caused this? Did I connect it wrong after I pulled it the first time? Is replacing the spark plug wires and connectors difficult? Could this all have been caused by a larger problem that is creating these off-shoot problems? I am totally at a loss but would rather fix it myself then shell out for a mechanic as I don't have one I can trust and like I said, I want this car to my own project as much as possible. Thanks so much for reading through this novel and for any advice you may have.

09-29-2014, 09:23 PM	#1
vixxysmalls Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Phoenix Posts: 1 iTrader: (0) Photo Gallery	1995 318ti rough idle lead to blown up spark plug connector? Hey. First time poster, have read through lots of posts on here though! Didn't see one explaining quite what I'm experiencing but my apologies if this is a repeat. Also I am a TOTAL novice mechanic but I love this car and want to learn it back and forth and have it truly be my baby. Bought my 1995 318ti (187k miles) about two months ago and it purred like a kitten for the first two weeks. We had a huge rainstorm out here in AZ and (being used to driving a tall truck) I hit a pretty deep puddle goin about 40-45mph. So much water rushed over my hood it looked like a carwash. Since then my problems have not stopped. I woke up the next day to a SUPER rough idle that evened out a bit after the car warmed up. I did research (mostly on this site) to try and diagnose I pulled the DME out to check for flooding (no signs of water at all) - I pulled all the spark plug connectors out to check for flooding (again no signs of water) - I checked for any obvious vacuum leaks and put clamps on any hoses showing signs of ripping at the ends. None of this helped, but I kept driving with the rough idle because I have no other car. After a week or two driving with the rough idle it stopped moving, I opened the hood and my 'intake boot' was nearly ripped in half. I thought I had found the culprit of all my problems, bought a new boot and replaced. The idle problem wasn't TOTALLY gone but at least 85% better. Again, continued to drive it. The idle would be rough mostly when i first started it or when it was humid outside or raining. Since then I have been eating through gas and the acceleration is nothing like it was when I first bought the car, a very noticeable drag in the accl while in first gear. The CEL comes on with a code of 1222 (after the stomp test) which comes up as Lambda Control 1 which I guess means a faulty o2 sensor or that it's running lean/rich. I googled prices of o2 sensors yesterday but on my way home from work my car lost A LOT of power but continued to move, it was terrifying because my engine sounded JUST like a go-kart. Opened the hood this morning, went to check the spark plugs again and the second connector from the top (from windshield down) was blown out. The rubber is demolished and the metal part inside looks blown up. Has anyone had similar problems? What could have caused this? Did I connect it wrong after I pulled it the first time? Is replacing the spark plug wires and connectors difficult? Could this all have been caused by a larger problem that is creating these off-shoot problems? I am totally at a loss but would rather fix it myself then shell out for a mechanic as I don't have one I can trust and like I said, I want this car to my own project as much as possible. Thanks so much for reading through this novel and for any advice you may have.