92 bmw 318is will not idle

OK, so i have a 92 BMW 318is E36 M42. It has 191xxx miles on it and it having some problems with not wanting to idle. So far since ive bought it i have replaced the plugs, changed the order of the wires due to them being wrong when i bought it, i chagned it to 3241 order. After that it started just fine and if i held the gas down alittle ran smooth. But when i let off the gas it would stall and die. Also if i tried to keep the RPM's up higher and try to drive it, as soon as the clutch engaged it would bogg the engine down and stall it out. I took off the MAF, TB, and intake yesterday to do some inspecting and found two hoses that need to be replaced. Im going to clean the TB and intake while i have it off. A couple of days ago i took off the ICV and cleaned it. when i took the intake off i noticed there was not a gasket where the intake and manifold meet. Should there be one there? Im also going to change the oil and filter today and put those new hoses on put everything back together. I guess i need to get a gasket for the TB since i took it off. But if there is anything i may have overlooked and might want to check while i have it apart would be great. Thanks

I forgot to mention that someone cut out the Catalytic converter with a saw. bout a 1 1/2 gap in the exhaust now.

i think its your head gasket.

if it was the head gasket wouldnt it be leaking oil into the cylinders or on the sides of the block. the car does not smoke

My guess would be a vacuum leak. I had a hose on my old 93 318 that got a hole in it. The car wouldn't maintain idle and would bog and die if I put it in gear (auto).

I don't see anything in your first post that screams HG, no overheating, coolant in oil, oil in coolant, white smoke out exhaust...

Reason for edit....

Originally Posted by Eight Thirty

Reason for edit....

In that case you should just tell people the the coupling on their flux capacitor probably went bad because bmw cheaped out and used a plastic fitting.

All E36 enthusiasts know that you should replace the plastic coupling with a upgraded metal one and that it can be purchased from ddm for $15+ shipping.

so this is my first bimmer and must ask without trying to sound like to much of a noob, what plastic coupling???

Originally Posted by Ellemus

so this is my first bimmer and must ask without trying to sound like to much of a noob, what plastic coupling???

I can't tell if this is serious or sarcastic.

oh man.... thread of the yearrr!!!! hHhH~~ omgg

Sry but no sarcasm don't exactly know what ur talking about with the coupling

Seriously, I would look for a vacuum leak. It already sounds like you have the intake pretty torn apart, so inspect all the hoses for leaks and replace any that look badly worn.

There should be a gasket between the intake and TB. Check out Figure 8 in this link it shows the gasket. (Its for a 6cyl but I am assuming the 4cyl is similar.)

Pelican is also a great source for any parts you need.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tech...e-Manifold.htm

Thanks, I tried to get the intake. Gasket today but they don't have it, so I got the kit that has different types of material to cut ur own gasket...ever use that before? Ill prolly use it for the tb gasket if I can't find one tomorrow. Hopefully this will fix it