1997 E36 328i - BMW Forum

design engnr · 06-30-2009, 09:33 PM

Hi everyone,
I have a '97 328i. One day I went to start it and it would not idle. It would start and if I was quick enough on the gas pedal I could keep it running. I eventually adjusted the butterfly on the throttle body open slighlty and the car would idle fine. However, I noticed since doing that there seems the electronic choke no longer seems to work. The engine still seems to run great despite all this (once runnig).

Is there some sort of sensor that may needs replacing? The car is not throwing any codes because of this. Any help would be great.

Dave

design engnr · 07-01-2009, 08:06 PM

Anybody??

design engnr · 07-02-2009, 05:42 PM

Has no one else had this happen?

design engnr · 07-04-2009, 10:36 AM

Somebody, Anybody, I can't be the only one this has happened to!

marti5 · 07-04-2009, 11:01 AM

Sounds to me as if its running lean, I reckon you have a leak in the intake system check all your hoses for cracks or splits, also there shouldnt be any need to adjust the butterfly, I would put it back where it was set.

design engnr · 07-04-2009, 12:09 PM

Checked the hoses, I didn't see any cracks. Would there be any whistling noises from vacuum leaks. The car used to have a higher rp, idle until it got up to temp. That idle is no longer present. Would the idle control valve have any affect on this?

Dave

marti5 · 07-04-2009, 12:26 PM

I think you have just answered your own question, ICV !!

design engnr · 07-04-2009, 12:56 PM

I am just not sure if a faulty ICV can cause this issue. Is there a good way to check the ICV? And if faulty, how hard is it to replace?

marti5 · 07-04-2009, 02:24 PM

Give it a clean:

Cleaning E36 ICV (Idle Control Valve) . . . DIY! | BMW E36 Blog

design engnr · 07-05-2009, 09:09 AM

Thanks for the Link! I will give it a shot. After 160,000 miles, it could probably use it.