E30 Misfire

[Kumarv]

Hello,
i have a 1989 325i 4dr.
when i first got it i changed the head gasket and timing belt and the car ran fine. the crankcase breather tube from the crankcase to intake was not seated properly and was leaking oil. I took off the intake manifold, so all the plugs, coolant sensors, throttler body hoses and plugs, MAF, fuel pressure regulator, and i put it back on, with the breather seated properly, and it started to misfire very bad, to a point where it became undrivable.

I changed the blue coolant sensor which goes into the fuel rail (not the one that goes to the gauge in the cabin). It started up fine and drove fine for the 5 minute test drive i had.
This morning i started it, it ran fine. It had been sitting in my garage, and it is currently negative 10 Celsius outside but my garage is much warmer. It started up fine and i drove it, as the engine warmed up, it developed misfires but still drivable, just annoying and not fun. I parked it outside for the day. When trying to start it in the cold (-10 C), it started to have the same problem of misfiring and would not rev at all. i am not sure what is going on and where i should start. It started in the morning but not now, i do not know if it is a cold start problem or loose wiring or something else (vacuum leak?). The crank position sensor looks ok, not ripped too much, i unplugged it and plugged it back in but no difference, could be compromised but i do not know if that can cause the misses.

(fuel tank full, fuel filter changed, idle control valve cleaned, was idling fine in the morning)

I found a video which is highly similar to my problem, here is the link, although no solution in the comments or description.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOz2LKEtJc4
you can hear it missing lots, the tac is broken so you must hear what is going on in the video.

Thank you for your help with getting my dream car running,
Manu

[superj]

that crank sensor, next time it starts, wiggle the wire and see if it changes how it runs, while its running. that's how I found when mine was messed up, I accidentally bumped it while the car was running bad and it smoothed out.

[Kumarv]

that crank sensor, next time it starts, wiggle the wire and see if it changes how it runs, while its running. that's how I found when mine was messed up, I accidentally bumped it while the car was running bad and it smoothed out.

Thanks, I wiggled it and it changed how the engine behaved, I pulled it out and am gonna buy a new one, thanks lots.

[superj]

no problem

[doctorx69]

reviving this... I have started to notice a miss on mine. Plugs maybe have 400 miles on them and new wires. When I was doing the timing belt, i noticed that the crank position sensor wire was really stiff and possibly the original. The OP sounds like what mine is doing. it has been getting worse over the last couple of weeks. Could this be the issue? No problem ordering new one if needed.

[superj]

it could be

[doctorx69]

ordered it... it will be in tomorrow. It runs better today after giving it an Italian tuneup yesterday. I think i may be driving it too easily.

[superj]

ha ha ha, maybe. it is made for spirited driving through curvy roads

[doctorx69]

didnt want to abuse it since it was a gift from my parents and i sunk a lot of money into it... however, i think she gets grumpy when she cannot stretch her legs on occasion. It kind of acts like my 92 sonoma. It does not like to be babied either. It sat for several years, so i am guessing it needed it anyways. I have resisted running seafoam in it. It really helps the Sonoma which has a 4.3L v6.

[superj]

dude, I am having non stop Sonoma issues with my 98. first it overheated on the highway and I put a new head on, now the brakes. it looks like time to replace all the lines from the abs unit to the calipers because its rusty.

but that is such a fun little truck. its got the 2.2 but also the zq8 package. it is fun through the turns

[doctorx69]

last November, i put new drums,shoes, calipers and rotors, and hoses on the Sonoma. Now you may eat the steering wheel if not careful.. BTW, highly recommend the powerstop brand. I have used that on the e30, 2002 sedona, sonoma, and just installed a kit on parent's 2000 Suburu outback. I tried it on the sedona first and was impressed. Easy install, even for the sonoma.

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oh.. for the overheating... i had the same issue with mine. Turns out the stock radiator is something left to be desired. I replaced it last time it overheated in 2006, havent had a problem since. Just got a cheapie from Oreillys

[superj]

Ok. Thanks for the rad info, Didnt know that