Hello everyone!
First, I want to thank everyone who has shared previous experiences and valuable DIYs on this website. I bought a 1993 320 CE (the European version of the 300 CE with the M104.992 engine) from Nederlands last year. Had a millage of 180k km, body in a good shape, sexy color (bornite metallic), but it was in urgent need of a complete overhaul. The ABS light was on, the engine had oil leaks, the central locks didn't work, the radio didn't work, A/C was dead, and it was displayed for sale for the last 4 years with no buyer crazy enough to take it.
So, with what I've seen and read around here, I was able to repair it? Should I call it `repair`? Let's say `resurrection`, although the engine was running just fine. Anyway, i took the engine out and apart, changed the head gasket and all the timing stuff, all the seals and hoses, belts, pulley, mounts, sensors, sondes - mostly all the worn parts (consumables is a better word?). The harness and the ETA were rebuilt, OVP changed, plugs, coils, wires, transmission out and overhauled too, various covers and bits vapor blasted, some parts powder coated, everything is now shiny and the engine is pouring like a cat.
So everything is fine now, the car drives well, has very good mileage and nice power delivery... but it has two problems.
1. Sometimes after I stop at traffic lights, it idles kinda low. No shaking or something, but looks like it's around 650 rpm. And from time to time, when I accelerate to pull off, it just dies. It's like the rpm first drops when I accelerate, and then if I`m lucky, it goes up. If I`m not, it dies. It's more likely to die if I also turn the steering or do something that makes the rpm drop. This happens especially with the engine warm, or should I say hot? And that brings me to the other problem.
2. Sometimes the water temperature gauge goes above the 100-degree C mark. Not a lot, because I turn on the heating as soon as I see it and it drops under 100 fast, but still. This happens only when I drive in traffic, never on the highway. I replaced everything except the radiator, so I am thinking that's the culprit.
Regarding the stalling, I was thinking maybe it's the MAF sensor. So I tried another one today that I picked from a junkyard. It still dies. Everything else it`s new, I really don't really have other parts that were not replaced (except the ECU, of course, or the speed sensors for the crank and the camshaft). The more obvious explanation could be a vacuum loss, but I sprayed brake cleaner everywhere, and nothing, no sign of ingestion. Oh, and could the throttle linkage be responsible? I know about the microswitch for the idle, it clicks when I release the throttle. But I also know that there were two springs installed on the throttle linkage and when I assembled it back, I could not determine which spring goes where, so I only used one.
So, if you have any suggestions, please throw it to me. I can't find a solution right now.
First, I want to thank everyone who has shared previous experiences and valuable DIYs on this website. I bought a 1993 320 CE (the European version of the 300 CE with the M104.992 engine) from Nederlands last year. Had a millage of 180k km, body in a good shape, sexy color (bornite metallic), but it was in urgent need of a complete overhaul. The ABS light was on, the engine had oil leaks, the central locks didn't work, the radio didn't work, A/C was dead, and it was displayed for sale for the last 4 years with no buyer crazy enough to take it.
So, with what I've seen and read around here, I was able to repair it? Should I call it `repair`? Let's say `resurrection`, although the engine was running just fine. Anyway, i took the engine out and apart, changed the head gasket and all the timing stuff, all the seals and hoses, belts, pulley, mounts, sensors, sondes - mostly all the worn parts (consumables is a better word?). The harness and the ETA were rebuilt, OVP changed, plugs, coils, wires, transmission out and overhauled too, various covers and bits vapor blasted, some parts powder coated, everything is now shiny and the engine is pouring like a cat.
So everything is fine now, the car drives well, has very good mileage and nice power delivery... but it has two problems.
1. Sometimes after I stop at traffic lights, it idles kinda low. No shaking or something, but looks like it's around 650 rpm. And from time to time, when I accelerate to pull off, it just dies. It's like the rpm first drops when I accelerate, and then if I`m lucky, it goes up. If I`m not, it dies. It's more likely to die if I also turn the steering or do something that makes the rpm drop. This happens especially with the engine warm, or should I say hot? And that brings me to the other problem.
2. Sometimes the water temperature gauge goes above the 100-degree C mark. Not a lot, because I turn on the heating as soon as I see it and it drops under 100 fast, but still. This happens only when I drive in traffic, never on the highway. I replaced everything except the radiator, so I am thinking that's the culprit.
Regarding the stalling, I was thinking maybe it's the MAF sensor. So I tried another one today that I picked from a junkyard. It still dies. Everything else it`s new, I really don't really have other parts that were not replaced (except the ECU, of course, or the speed sensors for the crank and the camshaft). The more obvious explanation could be a vacuum loss, but I sprayed brake cleaner everywhere, and nothing, no sign of ingestion. Oh, and could the throttle linkage be responsible? I know about the microswitch for the idle, it clicks when I release the throttle. But I also know that there were two springs installed on the throttle linkage and when I assembled it back, I could not determine which spring goes where, so I only used one.
So, if you have any suggestions, please throw it to me. I can't find a solution right now.
