Update: Today I got the new ecu and slapped it in there. It ran smoother than it did when I purchased it. Only one thing, it still smokes. I think its probably the o2 sensor because it probably has never been replaced and it has 141K miles on it. When I start it there is no white smoke. Then in about one minute the white smoke gradually starts appearing in the exhaust. From what my friend said the o2 sensor doesnt kick in till the engine warms up, so maybe that is why the white smoke starts to appear. Do you think this is the o2 sensor causing the white smoke?
</update>
Some of you might have seen my posts about the car I got about 3 months back. Its a 1984 bmw 318i 5 speed. When I bought it it had a rough high idle (around 2k rpm's) but other than that it ran fine. After I bought it I noticed an oil leak so I decided it was time to fix some seals. Me and my friend changed both the oil pan seals, timing chain seal, water pump seal, fuel filter, spark plugs,and the cap and rotor.
So we were driving it back from his house and he noticed that it didnt seem like it had as much power as it should (he was driving). Then when we were coming around a corner he said after it hit 3k rpm's it just lost power completely. Then it went back to normal. When we got back to my house he suspected it was a timing problem since it had an high idle and we had the loss of power. On this car you can adjust the timing by loosening a skrew and then spinning the distributor. We marked where it was originaly and then tried adjusting it. We moved it back and forth and then it seemed like we went a little to far and it stalled out. No problem right? WRONG! We put it back to the original position and then started it up.
For some reason it sounded horrible, almost like it was missing. Also there is a thick white smoke that has replaced the regular exhaust and it smells like gasoline. We tested the spark and the plugs and everything seems ok. The engine doesnt struggle to start but it is just this violently horrific sound. Like it could stall at any moment. The engine shakes since it isnt running smooth.
Me and my dad have been trying to troubleshoot the problem. We started with the electrical system as that is what it seems like everything is pointing to. We ruled out the idle controll unit/valve (thats what the dealership said it probably was. We have been trying to troubleshoot the jetronic but no such luck. The chilton manuals are just plain garbage and the repair manual my dad got from the library covers too many different models to get a clear description of what you are supposed to be doing. It asks you to test voltage for pins on the wiring harnes that do not exist and things like that.
The manual said something about an "EGR" filter or valve but we couldn't locate it on the engine. If anybody has some info on what the problem might be or if you know a place I could find better repair manuals it would be greatly appreciated.
Cliff notes: Car blows white gas smelling exhaust and runs eratically. Please help!
-Xionide
</update>
Some of you might have seen my posts about the car I got about 3 months back. Its a 1984 bmw 318i 5 speed. When I bought it it had a rough high idle (around 2k rpm's) but other than that it ran fine. After I bought it I noticed an oil leak so I decided it was time to fix some seals. Me and my friend changed both the oil pan seals, timing chain seal, water pump seal, fuel filter, spark plugs,and the cap and rotor.
So we were driving it back from his house and he noticed that it didnt seem like it had as much power as it should (he was driving). Then when we were coming around a corner he said after it hit 3k rpm's it just lost power completely. Then it went back to normal. When we got back to my house he suspected it was a timing problem since it had an high idle and we had the loss of power. On this car you can adjust the timing by loosening a skrew and then spinning the distributor. We marked where it was originaly and then tried adjusting it. We moved it back and forth and then it seemed like we went a little to far and it stalled out. No problem right? WRONG! We put it back to the original position and then started it up.
For some reason it sounded horrible, almost like it was missing. Also there is a thick white smoke that has replaced the regular exhaust and it smells like gasoline. We tested the spark and the plugs and everything seems ok. The engine doesnt struggle to start but it is just this violently horrific sound. Like it could stall at any moment. The engine shakes since it isnt running smooth.
Me and my dad have been trying to troubleshoot the problem. We started with the electrical system as that is what it seems like everything is pointing to. We ruled out the idle controll unit/valve (thats what the dealership said it probably was. We have been trying to troubleshoot the jetronic but no such luck. The chilton manuals are just plain garbage and the repair manual my dad got from the library covers too many different models to get a clear description of what you are supposed to be doing. It asks you to test voltage for pins on the wiring harnes that do not exist and things like that.
The manual said something about an "EGR" filter or valve but we couldn't locate it on the engine. If anybody has some info on what the problem might be or if you know a place I could find better repair manuals it would be greatly appreciated.
Cliff notes: Car blows white gas smelling exhaust and runs eratically. Please help!
-Xionide
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