Hesitation At Cruising Speeds

[idanity]

hello :
owning a 89' 325i conv. with a mature engine and its great.
the best auto i have ever owned. its a dream machine. however i have been in search of what is creating a struggle with the power ...

this is very accasional and when i FLOOR-IT its not present but

when i am driving along at anyspeed i may encounter a HESITATION/STRUGGLE for a few seconds...

it FEELS close to when the air-compressor activates but continues for a few seconds, but persists even when the air is not on, with the heat on or off, with the stereo on or off, lights on or off, this,,,this,,, hesitation is not getting worse or better, just once in a while when im sliding down the road i feel a struggle for either fuel or air or vacuum ...

imagine the air compressor activating then another one then another one ...after each other the pressure is about the same but peaple think im a silly driver...especailly if they are sipping a soda from a can ...(ask me how i know).

what ive fixed is below

-fuel pressure regulator-
-timing,+v-belts, pulley-
-battery-
-fuel filter-
-air filter-
-spark plugs-
-gas cap-

what ive checked is below

-rotor-
-distributor-
-vacuum hose - behind the fuel pressure reg...-
-ground terminal from batter-
-water in the tank-(using :heat, fuel cleaners, fuel injector cleaners etc.)
-

this has been ongoing since spring, and im just feeling dumber than a dog chasing his own tail...

any ideas or volunteer mechanics need only to stop by and ill start the BBQ.

[detour54]

If you haven't already, then I suggest you give your ICV a little cleaning.

[idanity]

ugh... whats a ivc....

how to get to it, how much can a new one be?

im 4 minutes away from finishing the hour of waiting in the HOT SOAK...\\

icv .. means ..hmm. is it in any other posts ?

[detour54]

Originally posted by idanity@Nov 23 2004, 09:01 PM
ugh... whats a ivc....

how to get to it, how much can a new one be?

im 4 minutes away from finishing the hour of waiting in the HOT SOAK...\\

icv .. means ..hmm. is it in any other posts ?

[snapback]236306[/snapback]

ICV = Idle Control Valve



They're about $120 new, but you can pick up used ones off of ebay for $10+.

Try cleaning your ICV first. I'd use carb cleaner, but some people think that's a bit harsh, so they use electrical cleaner.

[idanity]

yeah okay thanks and i saw that and also checked for cracks in the hoses and such...

one thing is when i replaced the fuel pressure regulator ( @ 37psi= 10 too low) + $65.oo also replaced the fuel hose wich was stuck and broken on it...

that said i heard a small hissing over that ICV and searched for a ugly hose..

thay all look and feel good... spongy and even the air intake rubber (4' wide at least) was good except for a hairline crack in the top,,,, its right on a corner and only looks superficial...

is there such a thing as a superficial crack ... (its about as big as an italian arm hair)..??

thanks for the images.. how can i post images in my messeges ?

[detour54]

Originally posted by idanity@Nov 23 2004, 09:54 PM
yeah okay thanks and i saw that and also checked for cracks in the hoses and such...

one thing is when i replaced the fuel pressure regulator ( @ 37psi= 10 too low) + $65.oo also replaced the fuel hose wich was stuck and broken on it...

that said i heard a small hissing over that ICV and searched for a ugly hose..

thay all look and feel good... spongy and even the air intake rubber (4' wide at least) was good except for a hairline crack in the top,,,, its right on a corner and only looks superficial...

is there such a thing as a superficial crack ... (its about as big as an italian arm hair)..??

thanks for the images.. how can i post images in my messeges ?

[snapback]236346[/snapback]

No problem. In order to post pictures, you need to surround the image url by [img] tags.

[idanity]

testiting image conrtol [attachmentid=15453]


ohewe the icon or button of "add into post" is there...

lets see... this is a test of the emergancey imageing system

and a mopar motor
[attachmentid=15454]

almost too shiny but soon that may change to on fire and covered in carbon...

[rj7hills]

There's almost no such thing as a "superficial" crack in teh air boot. If you can see the crack - air can probably get through. Go ahead and replace it to rule out a source of you difficulty.

When you clean your Idle Control Valve, you may want to clean the connecting wires as well. Getting years of gunk out is great. Be sure to use a little dielectric grease (available at any oarts store cheap) on the connection. It helps the connection and keeps moisture out.

[idanity]

right, i will replace that boot and even though my engine bay is tops i just need to keep pluging away at the nicks and chips...

B.T.W. i finished the HOT-SOAK and wow im going to do it again.

i bought some injector cleaner/lube for afterwards just in case the chemicals have a drying effect.

i did replace the vacuum hose after the hot soak, so now i have a extra hose for my friends ride too...to do another hot soak with...

i do believe the problem has 'disolved ' (so to speak-pun intent) and even though i stalled half way through the first time

i learned JUST
HOW EASY THAT IS TO DO... big smiles here...I was about to pay a shop $135.00 to do it for me..

about the IDLE CONTROL VALVE, i will try for that T-DAY and is the "DIELECTRIC GREASE" the same as "BULB GREASE" or PETROLEUM JELLY?

JUST WONDERING.

thanks all for the big help