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jamesr

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hi all,

firstly i'd like to say congratulations to TJ for finally solving THE problem. Although i know very little about mechanics and rarely post on this forum, i visit it everyday. i hope in the near future when i find some time and space (two things i seem to lack in london) to rectify this problem.

i've finally, after 6 months, managed to find the time to completely rebuild my bumpers (they were a bit knackered and the strips holding the rubber on had rusted away). This involved a complete strip, rust proof, prime, polish and rebuild, which left me feeling like the greatest mechanic alive!

In high spirits i then moved on to attempt to fix several problems with my rear lights and indicators. All the lights seemed to work intermittently according how many bumps i'd been over the day before. i found that all the light sockets where very lose and managed to rectify this by bending all the connection points in to create tighter sockets. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do but it seemed to work and once again left me feeling pretty good. i was even thinking about taking on a complete engine rebuild at this point...

i took the CSL out for a few runs and although it was running as bad as always, it seemed to just be running as bad as always, so my work had been a mild cosmetic success. i also have a strange stumbling, stuttering problem which is why i've been an avid fan of TJ's posts. I strangley at this point in coupe ownership feel happy in my ignorance to have never driven a decent running e9, as i don't yet have the knowledge to realise how bad mine actually is!

i then set off back to london (i'd done the work at my dads place in birmingham) and after 10mins found that my car would no longer idle at all? when ever i stopped at junctions it would completely die, but would start up straight away with no problem. this was all good whilst cruising back on the motorway but once i reached the traffic of london became a complete PITA.

i called my mechanic and explained that i'd only changed all my fuses and fixed the rear lights but he said that it didn't sound electrical. However, having just read TJ's post i'm not so sure? My battery was also run dead the day before the problem began as my radio that i didn't think worked was left on whilst testing my lights. This was then fully recharged overnight. Any idea's?

cheers,

james
 
Fuse No 7

Hi James,Not sure if the Fuse layout is the same on the CSL but check to see if your Horn/Hooter,iIndicators are working etc if not change fuse no 7..It also runs a host of others on my two carbed E9's namely the electrical chokes.( I had a frustrating hour kangeroo'ng from traffic light to traffic light last December.)
I repeat, am not sure if it's the same on the CSL but changing /checking all the fuses cant hurt.
regards
Dax
 
I strangley at this point in coupe ownership feel happy in my ignorance to have never driven a decent running e9, as i don't yet have the knowledge to realise how bad mine actually is!
Click to expand...

James,

If you are ever up in this neck of the woods, give me a shout and you can try out my CSi - running well just now. Brakes are a bit sticky. There is certainly more go than stop! Should be rectified in the near future.
 
James, im up in north london and if you are nearby or fancy popping up this way we could troubleshoot it together. Sounds to me like an intermittent vaccum problem. As for the hesitation I have few spare manifold pressure sensors which we could try as this is the main component which affects the car on the move.

Regards,

Rohan
 
I concur on the vacuum problem. Idle issues are quite often cause by lean running due to a vacuum leak. At higher RPMs the leak contributes less false air and the issue goes away.

Is this a CS or a CSI (I forgot to look in the post)?

However, after chastising TJ for his non systematic approach he went and fixed his problems by turning on his headlamps.. so it seems these cars are too quirky to make any bold assumptions.. Have you checked your trunk lock? ;-)

If yours runs crappy at higher RPMs then you have some other issue. Can you try to describe as completely as you can how it runs?

S
 
dax, all the fuses are ok, although i don't have a fuse in 9 (passenger windows) as as soon as i flick any of the switches it blows. Also the windscreen wipers have a strange habit of coming on unprompted from time to time?

dave, hopefully i'll get a chance to take you up on the offer at some point, although with the mileage i'm getting at the moment it would probably be cheaper for me to hire a bloody jet and fly there... if there's another track day at silverstone this year i'll definately see you all there.

cheers Rohan, i'll definately take you up on the offer. i'll give you an email off the board during the week to arrange a good time.

scott - shit, i'm not good at details, this could turn into a 10,000 word essay if i'm not careful...

it's a CSL. It starts fine every time, but once running and in motion starts to stutter as if the engine is cutting out and then firing again. It creates a sudden jerking sensation, as if there's a sudden lose of power and then it starts up again. The thing is that i've tried to drive around and work out when the problem occurs but it doesn't seem to be related to any one thing. it happens in all gears, when i'm pulling away slowly and when i'm travelling at speed on the motorway. The one thing i have noticed is that sometimes when accelerating hard it'll be running really shitty, intermittently stumbling and accelerating quite slowly and then all of a sudden its as if it starts running correctly and they'll be a sudden surge of power.

one more thing, can anyone suggest any good books for someone who's attempting to learn how all the parts of an engine work and what they do? i figure this would be a good starting point for me to understand where and why problems occur.

cheers to everyone, i'm determined to get all these problems ironed out and get the CSL running well before i lose another summer.
 
Sounds like a failing fuel pump. Does the problem change depending on the amount of fuel in the tank?
 
I am assuming that all CSLs have D-Jet fuel injection.

The most important parts of your motor that you can do much about are the ignition system and the fuel injection system, si I would concentrate your efforts there.

Probst is the bible fo Bosch EFI systems. You can get it at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08...ref=sr_1_1/102-8037129-3810551?_encoding=UTF8

I would also invest $50 (30 Lb?)in a digital volt meter (DVM).> thi s little device is essential for tracing out and finding electrical problems, and it sounds as if you have a few. DOn't get a big one. You need DC volts and Ohms (resistance and continuity).

I suspect your number one problem is the throttle position switch. There should be one large, or two small black boxes on the left side of the throttle body as you look at the engine from the exhaust manifold side (I guess for you this is on the driver's side. If it is one switch then there will be three wires coming from it. One (center) is a common ground. Make sure it is grounded.

These switches measure the position of the throttle in a very crude way. One switch closes when the throttle closes, and opens when the throttle opens, and the other closes when the throttle is wide open. These change the settings on the EFI controller (ECU). If they are mis-set, especially the idle switch, the mixture will be way off and the car will drive very strangely. My L-Jet bucks and coughs just like you describe when the Idle switch is not oprerating properly. To set these you need a continuity checker (you could use a test light), or a DVM . There are some small screws that when loose allow the switch body to be rotated. You hook up the DVM/tester to the switch leads, and close the throttle. If the switch is operating correctly the contacts will close and the switch will have continuity. If this does not happne, then loosen the contacts and rotate the switch untill it closes. Then move the throttle, as soon as the throttle is cracked open a tiny bit, the switch should open. Again adjust the switch position until this happens. The go back and make sure it closes when the throttle coloses. You have to play with it a little to get it right.

The WOT switch is similar, but it is less tricky since it isn't as critical.

If the switch doesn't open or close then it may be faulty.

You mentioned that the engine is running rich. This may be due to the switched being screwed up. If so, the above procedure should fix things (my guess is that the idle switch is mis-set and the WOT switch is permanently closed, so the ECU is duming a lot of gas into the cylinders.

The other reason for lots of gas is that the temperature sensor is bad or the wire is broken. On L-Jets usually this casues the car to run so rich it will barely run, but the D-Jet may be more forgiving. Find this sensor and measure the voltage on it with the ignition on and the engine stone cold. If there is no voltage on the sensor, then the wire is broken. If ther eis voltage, then start the engine and monitor the voltage as the engine warms up. The voltage should fall. If it doesn't, then the sensor is bad.

I know these sound like simple things, but the EFI system is very sensitive

I highly recommend you get a copy of Probst and read the sectoin on the D-Jet. It shoudl de-mytsify the system a bit.

Cheers,
S
 
I'm glad that my pain and suffering has been amusing to at least one member of these hallowed halls. I'd hate to think my misery was all for naught.

Non-systematic? Hell, we tested and replaced virtually every component that was easily sourced! So I'm not great with a multi-meter, I can do a 5 spd install in one hour from wheels up to wheels down.

Good luck with your CSL James, just remember, your toil and frustration will set her free.

As in Field of Dreams, "ease her pain", most easily accomplished with liberal doses of time and money.
 
Non systematic..

Yeah, I learned my lesson on that one! I take back everything I said!

Headlamp switch.. go figure...

I must say, I was highly impressed at how fast you got that thing back together. Truly amazing..

S
 
cheers to everyone for the advice, i really appreciate it.

i've just bought the bosch book and a book on engine fundamentals so will soon be having a change of career to F1 mechanic...

That was one thing i forgot to mention the other night, yes i have noticed that it seems to run a lot better on a full tank. Although i think this may just be one of many problems by the sound of it.

Rohan, i'm just down in clapham, so it should be no problem to get to you near Barnet.
 
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