Bmw 518i M10 Low power

[Kingswood]

Hi All,

I need assistance if anyone can help.

I own a Bmw 518i Auto, ever since I bought the vehicle I was under impression that she is very sluggish and very under powered.

Previously I owned two other cars with same body and engine, one in particular was very responsive and eager to rev.
Other was slightly less responsive, but still very enjoyable.

My current car, starts perfectly cold or hot.
Runs clean
Idle is a bit erratic but nothing that my other two dint do occasionaly.
No oil leaks, running temperature in normal range, oil stays clean for very long period after each service.
But she is very lazy, car feels as if only one range of acceleration can be used, she does not respond on depressing the throttle.
On uphills she just keeps on slowing down as if I am driving a 1000cc truck!
Engine will rev into its high revolutions but very leisurly with no signs of any peak range.

Sorry on long mail, but if someone can point me in right direction I would be very grateful.

Will the fuel/air mix ratio help if I try and adjust?
Is there some other form of adjusting K jetronic that I should look into.
Can valve clearance setting be too tight that it perhaps keeps exhaust valves open? ( I never touch those I am just stipulating)

I am confident that the car is either being underfueld, or some other setup is needed.

Lastly is there any good workshop in JHB that understands these K jetronic cars?

Best regards

Alex

 

[Major]

Is there maybe a vacuum leak in the pipe leading to your distributor? And as a fellow M10 driver, I think 'sluggish' describes them well

#5
http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E.../browse/engine_electrical_system/distributor/

 

[Carbon]

Well, its an old car and there are a great many possibilities to what the problem may be, but the best way to find the problem is to test.

Valve clearance is very easy to set, get some feeler gauges and a Heyns manual, will take you 30mins the first time.

Do a compression test, testers are cheap.

Check ignition timing with a timing light, the M10 is very sensitive to ignition problems, more so than fuelling.

Lastly, if all the above checks out, get someone to test the Air fuel ratio.

Its either fuelling or timing or a tired engine.

Good luck.

 

[Kingswood]

Hi,

Well it has been long since I had my other two 518i's, it is possible that I forgot how those cars really ran.

I still think that current car is weaker then normal.
Regarding the engine, I think compression is good as there are no signs of abnormal wear and she is only on 140000km.
I am thinking of swamping out my auto box to manual and converting to EFI.

Always wanted to keep her as original as possible, but in this modern age she struggles to keep up in traffic.

Last option will be a bolt on Turbo with moderate boost.
Just to plumb in a turbo with K Jetronic is not easy and Brake booster is in the way aswell.

So there are some options to get her going but I wanted to hear if there is something obvious that I am missing.

Cheers

 

[Luis Malhou]

If you in JHB area take your car to Paul Casson, the M10 and M30 engines are his speciality. Hes a collector, extremely knowledgable and always helpful. Give him a call, let him check it out for you. He works and maintains special customers and is not open to general public. He does charge but he isnt expensive and he has the tools and workshop fitted for these old cars.

Paul CASSON 082 576 FOUR ZERO NINE ZERO

 

[Kingswood]

Thank you Luis,

I will get in touch with the guy and find out if he would be willing to advise and go through it.

I also have 528i M30, so it would be good to have an expert around for advise.

Cheers

 

[Kingswood]

Hi,

I just wanted to thank Luis for passing on the contact details of Mr Paul Casson.
Gentlemen is a pure Legend.
He was most welcoming, patient and most of all extremely knowledgeable.

He sorted out my glitches on 528i within few hours.

Thank you again on the contact.

Best regards

Alex