1986 535i problems.

So I got this car as a gift and been on and off driving it due to some issues . I now got my License and been driving it a lot.. Their are like 2 or 3 major problems that I need help on. The first one is that while decelerating the car either shuts off or when i make a complete stop and idles at a steady rpm for like 15 seconds the rpm will go up and down up and down and most of the time shut off when im stopped behind the light one other major problem i have is from 1st gear to 2nd the car changes very roughly and like jerks the whole car .. and wen accelerating i feel that under my hand brake there is this rattling and shaking going on under.. the last problem I have is I have a coolant leak and have to fill it up every other day and its not from my radiator but i think its from my water pump but not sure any help would be highly apreciated and im new at this guys

Ok, congratulations on a very nice car (and make sure you keep the points on that license!) Anyway, let's hit your problems one by one. Your first one seems to be the ICV or Idle Control Valve and it sits on top of your engine closer to the back. Its cylindrical in shape and made of aluminum so its silver in color. Remove it and get a can of carburetor cleaner and cleans the insides, they tend to get filled with "gunk" from the engine and then they stick and don't work properly. If after doing this there is no improvement it might need replacing. Second, it sounds like your car is an automatic. If so, when was the last time it was serviced? Change the oil and the filter but keep in mind that these cars are strong and if you leave your foot down the gas pedal it will shift strong! Third, the vibration that you are getting from under your parking brake is most probaby a bad center support bearing on the driveshaft. In order to check this one you will need to get under the car. If the center support bearing is ok, your driveshaft needs to be replaced (rebuilt units can be had from around $300). Ahh, a coolant leak (I just wenth through this myself!) you have to look at all hose connections and look for the tell tale signs of leaking. Go through all of them and give them a check for tightness (5.5 & 6 mm sockets). Also a very typical way to lose coolant is thorugh a defective coolant tank cap. They are cheap (around $5) so do this first. If you cannot locate the leak there two more possibilities: bad water pump or bad freeze plug. The water pump will leak more frequently after you just got back from a trip and turn the engine off, next time you are back, pop open the hood and look at it or feel the bottom of it (there is a small weep hole in between seals so you know that is going 'south'). The last possibility are the freeze plugs on the engine block. These are brass netal plugs that are hammered into place and if the proper ratio of antifreeze/coolant and water hasn't been kept,they can corrode from the inside out. They are round plugs on the sides of the engine block and you will need to look at this from under the car for the right side of the engine and from the top for the left side (they are under the intake and exhaust manifolds). I just realized that there is another possibility of losing collant which is a bad head gasket. This will make your oil look like milkshake so remove the oil filler cap on the motor and take a peek (also pull the dipstick and look at the oil). If you have this problem you are looking at a big amount of money to fix but it is highly unlikely since you didn't said that it was overheating.
Oh, and if you are planning on keeping this car and doing your own work, get a Bentley's maintenance manual for the e28, as it is the 'bible' for these cars.

Good Luck!

Thanks a lot... I guess i have a long way to go untill i fix all of these and get the parts but no problem. I have some quick other upgrade questions if you dont mind answering since i am new at this... I want to Get an exhaust perhaps . and mabey an intake. And btw yes my car is automatic with the sport and economy switch . and one thing i hate it that it has the metal crappy bumpers front and back and would like to get rid of them but dont kno where to get the euro bumpers from or the spoilers -_-.. Yes i sound like a newbie lol im really new at this and I would want to kno where i can get some good lookin rims and my car is black btw i would really appreciate these because i dont kno where to find or look or what u kno? thanks a lot to everyone that helps

Well, the european bumpers can be bought at the dealer but bring a deep wallet since all the parts will probably add to about $1200. You can get some used but will need to be patient and look everywhere for them. The bad part about the european bumpers is that if you just get touched by another car, there will be bent metal since they do NOT have any shock absorbers in them. As for the spoilers they can be found on Ebay or some e28 boards (I prefer www.mye28.com). Intakes on this cars won't do much changes except when going turbocharged so don't bother. As for exhaust Ireland Engineering has a very nice system in stainless steel that people have had good review on it, plus its about 20 lbs lighter than the stock!
You should look into replacing the chip with one from either Turner Motorsports or Paul Ladue. That should give you some more top end.

Good Luck!

Thanks, Do yo kno any other websites or anything like that for bmw parts and upgrades and stuff like that. I would really appreciate it..


Narbeh`

Ok, here is my personal "favorites" collection for BMW parts:

Autohaus Arizona
Bavarian Autosport
BMP Design
Maximillian Imports (This is a great place to get part numbers on the Mobile Tradition system!)
Steve Haygood This is my preferred parts guy!
Also remember that there is a lot of small stuff that you can get at your local dealer. If they don't have it in stock, they'll get it for you without additional shipping charges even if it has to come from Germany! (I'm waiting for a moonroof handle and it cost me $3.32 that's coming from the mother land).

I'm gonna fabricate a "roll pan" for the rear end at work for mine, I'll post pics when I'm done. I'm looking for a euro front bumper right now, as these shock bumpers are beyond retarded! At least you can scrap them with your soda cans and such as the covers are aluminum!

Nice that sounds good cant wait for the pictures... well i got a new drive shaft in today cost me a whole bunch for it and i got the manual so me and my dad can install it and hes a mechanic already so knows a lot about it so should be easyy... but i was wondering if it would be worth fixing this car or i shouldint waiste my time.. its a 1986 535i automatic with the sport economy and 123 option with tan leather seats interior and exterior very clean... it has 180,000 miles on it and it doesint work anymore and the temperature guage doesint work either ... and im getting very bad gas millage with all the previous problems stated... the problems keep getting added their small problems but add upp also the door handle ripped off on the passenger sides -_- im getting really annoyed and disapointed and dont know if i should fix her upp wit some other mods or sell it as is and get something else and i have 3-4 gz for a down payment for a used car

I would stick with it, you don't owe anything on it, so keep it.

Sorry guys havent been on in a while, so I finally got some things fixed.. I ran into a water pump problem so I ran to a European parts store near by in Burbank and bought one that was shipped from Germany so idk if its any better then aftermarket. It took me a while to change it since some of the screw were rusted and cracked inside so took a while to take out and rethread the inside And i got the starter changed because it would not turn over on occasion. I bought the drive shaft center support bearing and going to change it this weekend.. Wow im glad to change it. Its gotten really bad. Rattles more on take off and gear changes are really rough. Its been hibernating for a week at my garage so I can change it because i think I really messed up the center support bearing then it already was... I kno its getting really long but the other day i saw a e30 pull up next to me revving at the light and his was manual so i wanted to see wat my car had. So i turn it to Sport mode and light turns green and im off unfortunately take off was not up to my expectations due to the center support problem but I was well passed him on launch and throughout the third gear untill my center support gave up on me -_- I also needa new exhaust like a whole one the whole kitt .. I have a crack in many places throughout the exhaust system