Uneven idle on 1.9 Z3

[Dobbo]

hi all

Has anyone had issues with uneven, rough idle?

Seems to drive fine but only had it for little while so no frame of reference.

I have no engine management light ever so don't know if someone has removed to hide something or if it never had one?
Handbook appears to imply it may not of been standard as has asterisk next to light which means if fitted?!

Should I have one or not? Confused.

Also could an issue with small air intake pipe coming off main down to injectors cause idle issues? Looks like it might be split but maybe not all the way through?

Any help or ideas welcome please!

 

[Grumps]

hi all

Has anyone had issues with uneven, rough idle?

Seems to drive fine but only had it for little while so no frame of reference.

I have no engine management light ever so don't know if someone has removed to hide something or if it never had one?
Handbook appears to imply it may not of been standard as has asterisk next to light which means if fitted?!

Should I have one or not? Confused.

Also could an issue with small air intake pipe coming off main down to injectors cause idle issues? Looks like it might be split but maybe not all the way through?

Any help or ideas welcome please!

Dobbo, the slightest split can cause all sorts of issues. If you've found a split just to test it tape it over. If it corrects the problem replace it. T-tony lives near you and has offered to plug your car in for your. Have a run over when it's convenient to you both and see what it throws up.
My old daily driver was an astra 2.0dti. It was smoking and running really rough with a huge loss in power. Two garages blamed the turbo. Turned out to be a split in a vacuum advance pipe. Cost? £2.30!

 

[Dobbo]

I will try to contact T tony and meet him for a chat and plug it in.

Thanks.

Have spent half hour pulling out dials and there is no bulb holder let alone bulb for management light so don't know if should be there or not.
Have to try and get bulbs/holders and try it out sometime.

Anyone changed the small air tubes down to injectors?
Is it easy? I guess I have to remove top of intake for access?

 

[Dobbo]

Grumpy

Do you know anyone in the area for wheel refurb?
Few/lots marks on mine and fancy getting right.
Car came with these wheels but I think they look good.

 

[Grumps]

Grumpy

Do you know anyone in the area for wheel refurb?
Few/lots marks on mine and fancy getting right.
Car came with these wheels but I think they look good.

J.D bodyworks did mine on Anglia way at Mansfield. Don't have a price per wheel as had mine done as part of full respray. A lot seem to go down the blasting route now as it's cheaper and you can get a better job done.

 

[Dobbo]

Thanks

I'm trying to resist the urge to re spray mine. It's not that bad but loving it so could easily go overboard and completely overhaul.

Maybe do it over winter after a summer of fun. If we get one.

 

[Grumps]

Thanks

I'm trying to resist the urge to re spray mine. It's not that bad but loving it so could easily go overboard and completely overhaul.

Maybe do it over winter after a summer of fun. If we get one.

If your going to keep it for years why not treat yourself. I take mine off the road in October and resume fun in march/April time. I had mine done during winter so not to miss out. The front ends suffer badly from stone chipping. If you decide to go ahead then try and get the wheels thrown into the deal as I did.

 

[bertiejaffa]

Rough idle is almost always caused by a hole in one of the air pipes from the filter to the engine - often the pipe to the MAF. Check them all, there will 100% be a hole and it won't cause a light

 

[Dobbo]

Well bit of an update

Fault codes read. - no codes recorded.

Small pipe from air intake down to injectors? Bit perished at end I can see. Cut it shorter but no better. Does get worse if pull off pipe.

Taken plunge and ordered all new pipes to injectors along with breather pipes and valve at other end.
Hopefully arrive before weekend so I can get my hands dirty and have a go at replacing them. Intake apart by the look of it to get to everything.

 

[MartinN]

While your there it's worth cleaning & servicing the injectors. I replaced all the little pipes off the injectors, the bellows and cleaned out the PCV banjo and pipes, these were rotten from the inside and all gummed up, before a run to Glasgow, from Stevenage, what a difference.

 

[jonco]

Suggest you change your injectors while you are in there. I did mine a few months ago using zedonist's excellent write up . https://zroadster.org/articles/m44b19-fuel-injector-replacement.76/ my hoses were actually ok but injectors were a bit off colour

 

[t-tony]

When you've done put some fuel system cleaner in the tank. I swear by Forte products, this will also clean the fuel lines injectors, pump, the lot.

Tony.

 

[jonco]

When you've done put some fuel system cleaner in the tank. I swear by Forte products, this will also clean the fuel lines injectors, pump, the lot.

@t-tony The injectors in my pic above were after a Forte treatment - shudder to think what they were like before probably needed a few more doses!

 

[Dobbo]

Well not a great day really!

Replaced breather pipes and valve plus the intake pipes to injectors.
With a lot of fiddling managed to do it without taking inlet apart!
One of the injector pipes was totally split so was encouraged.

Unfortunately after a run its no better!
Seems to pull better but idle the same, if not slightly worse.

Have recently run injector cleaner through so getting out of ideas now!

Thinking idle control valve???
Seen them on eBay for £35 or £145 original BMW part.

Once I had given up on that I started trying to trace the annoying rattle I have.
Lifted fuel tank and put in some rubber. Removed seat and found coins under carpet - thought that would be it.
Put it back together but still have rattle and now I have a red light on dash which I assume is airbag warning light?!

Starting to think rattle is fuel tank but just can't tell.
Wish I hadn't started today!

T Tony do you think I could except your offer of meeting up for you to read fault codes for me please?

 

[jonco]

Not a good day - we've probably all been there. Get the codes read and it may help but is not a definite.
If you have had the seat out and and disconnected or dislodged cables then the airbag light will need resetting - hopefully it's just that. Air bag light is in bottom right corner.

 

[Dobbo]

Yes seat out

Followed the how to section and never had keys in with seat disconnected but light on anyway.

Ordered a reset tool on eBay following T Tony's helpful advice - cheers Tony.

Going to meet with Tony next week for fault code read and take it from there.

 

[Antm72]

Hope it gives you direction and you find the fault. ...

 

[Dobbo]

Hi all

Another update

Took the plunge and bought both the bcables INPA and a new idle control valve.

Fitted valve today and no improvement.

Read fault codes and had loads - funny the garage that read them few weeks ago said there wasn't any!

Anyway managed to clear all and reset my airbag light.

Now only engine fault code is

175 Output suction pipe - switching

Does anyone have any idea what this means?

Trying to install TIS onto laptop that came with cables but not having it at the moment, keeps crashing.

Also have

71 ASC pump code which I'm guessing means new pump required to fix the abs light fault.
Had codes in for some speed sensors but cleared them and after a drive they have not come back.