95 318ti high idle and trouble starting please help!
1995 318ti 5-speed...135,xxx miles.
About 50% of the time the car will have a very high idle. Somewhere between 1600-2300rpms. It will drop down sometimes if I blast the A/C. If I hit the gas while it is idling high, the car will choke up, but then resume acceleration. Its almost like a stutter.
If I shut the car off while it is idling high, it will have trouble starting up again. I can smell gas when I am trying to crank it over and get it to start.
I have been getting poor gas mileage, and the idle is typically not steady. No CEL has been thrown.
Anybody have an idea what could be causing this? I am thinking I should replace the O2 sensor, TPS, and maybe the idle control unit. I wanted to check here with you guys first.
I would start off with some other things first. 1. Read the codes on your car. You have a 95 car so it's OBDI. Don't take it to Autozone. Just follow these instructions: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7211 2. Check for vacuum leaks by spraying carb cleaner in areas you suspect may be leaking. 3. Check the intake boot for cracks and replace if any are found. You can't check it by looking at it. You need to remove it from the car and look at it from all sides while flexing it. 4. Clean your ICV. Instructions here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=454501
Let me know what codes you get when you have them.
Thanks for the response! I will check the codes tomorrow after work. I did spray brake cleaner around tonite to check for vacuum leaks and I could not find any.
Thanks again, ill come back on tomorrow after I do a little more work.
I cant for the life of me get the car to read the codes. Ive tried it every which way. Any ideas?
The thread says turn the key to the on position. I tried it on the first click, and I tried it on the second click as well right before it would turn the car on. Is it a problem if the CEL is already on when im stomping the gas?
First you must be in key position 2... where all the dash lights come on. Next, don't try to stomp the gas pedal to floor in 2 seconds. You have 5 seconds to get it done. Do it deliberately and completely in 4 seconds or so.
Ive been at it for 2+ hours. Still cant get it to work lol. Is there any reason that it might not work? I have heard that if my TPS is malfunctioning it wont work. Any other insight would be greatly appreciated!
Hmmm... It would stand to reason that a failed TPS would prevent the car from giving you the codes, but don't give up yet.
After you put the key in position 2, wait 1 second. Then floor it 5 times. Make sure you allow the pedal to come back up completely after each one. I just did this on my car after i read your post.
Still no dice. Looks like im gonna have to just go in blind and clean the ICV. Should I just replace it since im going to have to take the intake mani off?
I wouldn't replace it unless I knew it was bad. That part retails for over $200. By the way, you may try doing the code reading with 2 people. 1 in the car to turn the key/read codes. 1 under the hood manually opening the throttle 5 times.
By the way, here is a video of someone checking the codes from inside the car:
Last edited by dave45056; 07-22-2011 at 12:52 PM. Reason: clarity
If I have someone doing it from under the hood. Can I just push down on the throttle lever on top of the engine to do this? Or is there another way to do it?
I appreciate all of the help your giving me! Thanks!
Yes, that is exactly what I was saying. It's worth a shot. You need 2 people to do it this way because it will be more difficult to get it done in 5 seconds. I didn't try this method on my car, since it works from the drivers seat for me. Good luck.
I did it by myself after work by turning the key on, running in front of the car and pushing the throttle by hand 5 times under the hood. It worked first time for me.
My car spit out code 1234. It gave me this code 78 times in a row. I eventually got too tired to continue sitting there.
"1234 Speedometer "A" Signal This code is generated when the engine is under load, over 2500 RPM and no discernable speedometer signal can be detected for more than 10 seconds. Check the wiring harness, and also the instrument console".
I'm not sure if this is related to the vehicle speed sensor or the wheel speed sensor. Is your ABS light on? Does it come on when your key is in position 2? If the light works in position 2, but the ABS light stays on with the engine running, I would check your wheel speed sensors. I assume your speedo works. But it still would be worthwhile to ring out the wiring to that sensor in the diff cover. Also, verify the sensor is not chewed up or anything.
A quick way to reset the code is to remove both battery leads, and connect them together with the battery out of the circuit for a couple seconds. Then hook up the battery again. Take your car for a drive and see if you get the code again.
I just posted a video on YouTube of thus issue because it is still happening. It is titled BMW 318ti idle issue...posted by alexfield05.
Any ideas guys? It is idling around 2,000 rpms and it studders and chokes when I tap the throttle but then catches and resumes acceleration. I'm getting horrible gas mileage and if I shut the car off when its idling high I have to give the car gas to start it back up and its difficult to start. Sometimes the car idles perfectly...it seems to idle high when its warmer or humid out but lately its getting worse and worse. When it idles high the throttle pedal is sticky right when I hit it.
The car just had the battery replaced, throttle body cleaned, and injectors cleaned. The throttle body clean helped and it didn't do this for almost 2 weeks but now its back.
95 318ti high idle and trouble starting please help! 
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