Is this a common occurence among the earlier E21s? Mine's a 1982 320i.
It all started last monday, August 2nd, around 8pm. I was driving on the Interstate 8 westbound, after coming off the 805->8 junction. The cars was revving normally, all of the sudden I feel an irregularity in the engine's rhythm and then the car skips a beat, I hear a whirring and then a "clacking" noise and I have to keep the RPMs really high just to keep in motion. Mind you, I nearly lose my cool, because this is on a San Diego freeway, where the average speed is 75+, so people are coming at me fast (normally, I'm passing THEM). So, it's making this kind of whirring and pinging noise, then I think to myself: "Oh shit, clutch plate." So, I try downshifting-- no, clutch is fine, engine is not however.
Anyway, I manage to limp it to my dad's place in Point Loma, and I have to keep it in the 2500 range just so it won't die. The cop sitting next to me is now leering (oops). After being followed home by a cruiser, I let the car die in the car-port.
After the longest 2 minutes of sweating and explaining myself to the officer he wished me luck and went about his business. See, because I am still young, I am public enemy number one, regardless of the fact that I have no criminal history or any traffic or parking violations whatsoever.
Anyway, I pop the hood, try to start the engine, it starts and then dies. It does this several times, I figure it to be misfiring, so I check all the plugs (mind you, I bought the vehicle used). They appeared to have been severely warn, and not replaced in sometime. So, I think to myself, no big deal, it's just a misfire, go buy some plugs. I walk to Kragen, while I'm there, I buy new plugs, new distributor cap, new rotor, some injector cleaner and a Chilton's guide. Walk back, replace everything, make sure the firing order is good, the cap is good and, still, no love.
So, I call my friend over who is a bit more knowledgeable than I about engines, and he brings his timing gun wiht him. We get the engine running, but we notice that it's running on only 2 or 3 of 4 cylinders. I think, "crap, headgasket." So, we pull everything apart, check for water, and there's no abnormal exhaust discoloration. No, not the gasket.
Anyway, I manage to get it running steady enough to limp it home back down to Chula Vista, on Thursday evening. Since then, I've tested the alternator, the distributor, replaced the spark wires, checked under the valve cover. None of the valves are stuck, but I can't get to enough of the timing chain and cam shafts to see if the mark is set properly.
We know it's not a thrown rod, because all of the pistons move. Also, for some reason it seems cylinder 3 doesn't spark. I've replaced the wires, the plugs, the dstributor cap/rotor, everything. However, it seems it's a compound problem, the timing is off plus the 3rd cylinder not sparking.
Has anyone had similar problems or know enough about this vehicle's design to hint as to what the problem could be. Also, has anyone had any experience setting the timing on these machines? Because, it appears I have to pull-off half the engine components to get at the timing chain.
I'm so throroughly assed-out if I can't get this car running by next Monday, because I start class again and I go to two different campuses, in addition to working a job. So, the car is a vital necessity, for me.
It all started last monday, August 2nd, around 8pm. I was driving on the Interstate 8 westbound, after coming off the 805->8 junction. The cars was revving normally, all of the sudden I feel an irregularity in the engine's rhythm and then the car skips a beat, I hear a whirring and then a "clacking" noise and I have to keep the RPMs really high just to keep in motion. Mind you, I nearly lose my cool, because this is on a San Diego freeway, where the average speed is 75+, so people are coming at me fast (normally, I'm passing THEM). So, it's making this kind of whirring and pinging noise, then I think to myself: "Oh shit, clutch plate." So, I try downshifting-- no, clutch is fine, engine is not however.
Anyway, I manage to limp it to my dad's place in Point Loma, and I have to keep it in the 2500 range just so it won't die. The cop sitting next to me is now leering (oops). After being followed home by a cruiser, I let the car die in the car-port.
After the longest 2 minutes of sweating and explaining myself to the officer he wished me luck and went about his business. See, because I am still young, I am public enemy number one, regardless of the fact that I have no criminal history or any traffic or parking violations whatsoever.
Anyway, I pop the hood, try to start the engine, it starts and then dies. It does this several times, I figure it to be misfiring, so I check all the plugs (mind you, I bought the vehicle used). They appeared to have been severely warn, and not replaced in sometime. So, I think to myself, no big deal, it's just a misfire, go buy some plugs. I walk to Kragen, while I'm there, I buy new plugs, new distributor cap, new rotor, some injector cleaner and a Chilton's guide. Walk back, replace everything, make sure the firing order is good, the cap is good and, still, no love.
So, I call my friend over who is a bit more knowledgeable than I about engines, and he brings his timing gun wiht him. We get the engine running, but we notice that it's running on only 2 or 3 of 4 cylinders. I think, "crap, headgasket." So, we pull everything apart, check for water, and there's no abnormal exhaust discoloration. No, not the gasket.
Anyway, I manage to get it running steady enough to limp it home back down to Chula Vista, on Thursday evening. Since then, I've tested the alternator, the distributor, replaced the spark wires, checked under the valve cover. None of the valves are stuck, but I can't get to enough of the timing chain and cam shafts to see if the mark is set properly.
We know it's not a thrown rod, because all of the pistons move. Also, for some reason it seems cylinder 3 doesn't spark. I've replaced the wires, the plugs, the dstributor cap/rotor, everything. However, it seems it's a compound problem, the timing is off plus the 3rd cylinder not sparking.
Has anyone had similar problems or know enough about this vehicle's design to hint as to what the problem could be. Also, has anyone had any experience setting the timing on these machines? Because, it appears I have to pull-off half the engine components to get at the timing chain.
I'm so throroughly assed-out if I can't get this car running by next Monday, because I start class again and I go to two different campuses, in addition to working a job. So, the car is a vital necessity, for me.
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