M20 runs like garbage on low rpms

[e30hest]

Hello

Been having some trouble with my 86 320.



I have to crank the car very long before it starts. No signs of life, but very slowly starts barking and popping and finally fires. The idle is pretty steady actually. Then the problems start, its very hard to rev the car. Its hesitating alot and its almost as if the limiter is set at 2k rpm. Every now and then I can rev it higher and it will happily climb all the way up to the actual limiter. If the rpms then drops back to idle, on throttle it stops at around 2k again.
On the limiter the car is backfiring like crazy, fireballs comming out the exhaust and alot of black smoke.
Sounds like the engine is misfiring alot on lower rpms and not running on all cylinders, but at 3-4k+ rpm it runs on all 6.


Same thing when I drive it. Runs like shit, cant even pass 15 mph and get it into 2nd, but then it suddenly passes a certain rpm and it runs like normal.


What is going on?

I have replaced the coil, spark plugs(old plugs was covered in oil), plug wires, coil wire, and the distributor. I have also replaced the intake boot, icv and afm
Could it be a fuel problem or maybe worse?

Today I noticed that the coil plug is shorting on the metal covering the distributor. All wires and the distributor is brand new.

[doctorx69]

your fuel pumps are going out. I actually had about 2 in of rust in mine.... the ground wire on the one in tank was gone... it was making a circuit through the gas. this is exactly the same symptoms i had... would not pull itself up a tiny hill.