[Daniel635]

my 323i e36 is driving me nuts. It will run fine cold and there is no stuttering when i go to accelerate, if i put my foot down though it gets stuck at 2000rpm for a few seconds and it throws the car back and foward (very scary when im merging on motorway) once the car is warmed up abit randomly it will die on me or the revs will go to 0 rpm and theyll pick back up after they drop. once that has happened the car sounds like it is choking and coughing and spitting and the revs drop and pick up when i accelerate from a stop, it is like its starved of fuel and the car can't accelerate without it feeling like it wants to choke out and die. I have replaced spark plugs, done the coilpack test when you disconnect the wire (no change in engine sound) , cleaned the MAF, cleaned the throttle body, is there anything else incan do im seriously about to lose it with this car. i dont have the money for a mechanic so im doing it my self, is it worth fixing or sell it as is? please any ideas on how to fix are welcome
thanks

 

[hornhospital]

Test the fuel pressure. There's about a 99% chance your fuel pump is dying or the filter is clogged. If you get low readings on the fuel pressure (less than about 30 psi) change the filter and retest. If that fixes it, great (not likely). If it still has low pressure, you'll have to change the pump. Pelican Parts website has a good DIY article on doing that.

 

[mark21742]

Could be the regulator too if your fuel pressure is too high (this is what happened to mine) my fuel pressure was sitting between 55-60 psi at the rail.

Your fuel pressure should be around 43 psi

 

[dc_wright]

It's interesting that it seems to run OK when cold but the problems start once it's warmed up? Could be when it changes from open loop to closed loop. Have you had the fault codes pulled to see what's been flagged?

I'd be tempted to disconnect the vanos solenoid and see if anything changes......