E30 325i black smoke/oil pressure

[MyDirtyThirty]

Hi there, sat there writing this in a pub where my 325i auto is stuck in a car park. Feeling really pissed off as just put my car through expensive MOT, took it out to celebrate it running and it's totally gone nuts.

Oil pressure light seems to come on at low rpm, and idle. Checked the level, seems fine, but the oil was dripping off the dipstick so seems very thin. Anyway, took it out, ran fine, stopped at a pub, fine.

Got to a junction and the thing seemed to just stall while I was waiting. Started up again fine, then when I was driving seemed a little juddery. Pulled into a car park and it really started juddering, spluttering, and a bit of black smoke started to come out of the exhaust. No smell other than exhaust fumes. I tried to leave by reversing out the space, but it was not happy idling, and the MPG gauge started flapping back and forward like mad, and my car died. Turned the key few times, nothing. Still out there.

Had the car a year and feeling really demoralised. Is this sounding like a big fix? Is this something to do with the oil pressure?

[Strugs]

Are you on the E30 zone site? I would recommend posting on there. Would you like me to ask this question on there for you if you're not?

[imagineifyeswill]

Sounds to me like youve got fuel contamination in the oil causing the low pressure and the breather fumes will be causing an excessively rich mixture causing the smoke and poor running. Off the top of my head I would be thinking a faulty injector.

[MyDirtyThirty]

Interesting, thanks. Yeah it starts for about five seconds drives.. Then dies. Wait five seconds, sparks up again, juddery, I put my foot down, dies. I can't move it. Is this what you'd expect with this kind of injector issue? Is it gonna cost me?

[sim16v]

I had a similar problem on an old E30 323i.

Water was getting in to the ECU and causing over fueling.

Might be worth having a look at the ECU?

[Pickled]

Whip the distributor cap off - oil seal might have gone, 50p part and 5 minutes to fix

[OldGermanHeaps]

My e30 perforated the diaphram in the fuel pressure regulator causing neat petrol to travel up the vacuum pipe and flood the engine. Perhaps something similar has happened and it has been running rich enough to get by the rings and dilute the oil. Does the oil smell petrolly?

[Little Pete]

It does sound like the oil has been contaminated with fuel. I've had the fuel pressure regulator fail shut on this model and it means full fuel pressure at all times. As above, check the diaphragm in the regulator too.

[lowdrag]

You seem to have enough answers above, but for sure I wouldn't run the engine again until you have checked further. If the oil has been thinned out considerably you are looking at possible engine damage if you run it up. But let's hope the answer isn't costly. I loved my E30s in the day.

[MyDirtyThirty]

All good ideas. Thanks all! Interesting to read all this. I would have a look at it but it had to be left there in the end- it was towed away today and going to get the verdict tomorrow. It's bloody thirsty so hopefully something will be sorted. I love that car too! There's so many little bits up with it though. Now the convertible top has broken...

[unclepockets]

Nobody messed around with any settings during the MOT test did they? Worth asking the garage that did the test just in case they 'adjusted' something for emissions purposes, does seem a coincidence that it's only done this after the test although the oil pressure light makes me wonder.

I agree with others in recommending you get on the e30zone forum, there's a lot of knowledge and experience available and you can bet that others will have had the same problem.