I spent the 2 seconds it took to take off air tube and sprayed some wd-40, mystery oil and PB in there.
My car no longer revs at 1700-1800rpm during warm up....it's now 1400 rpm.
Also, my lurching and and trailer hitching problems are gone as well, but I did set the idle and afm screws back to spec. at the same time.
Amazing what paying attention and a little googling can do.
And, for what it's worth, I've became a fan of Marvel Mystery Oil as a lubricator.....been staring at the stuff for 20 years and it seems better than everything else I have been using. The trunk locked always was a little sticky, unless freshly sprayed with something. It's been a couple months with MMO and it's working like new, (to me).
And, no, thank you and the others. I've found if I just spend a little time here, all the things I think are big problems are actually little problems I can fix pretty quick, for the most part. My car is solid at 165,000.
Lenny D. and Mike W. really come clear explaining things in simple, (me), terms and how important it is to make sure the wiring system is correct. It's a must on them for the BMW humm and reliability we all love.
Combined with all the others who have "done this and tried that", makes it pretty clear once you look at it all.
These cars ARE thirty years old and need to be cleaned and stuff, but it's like an ole' airplane to me, and there are a lot of those still around.
What's 'PB'?? I understand the rest. Oh, exactly where is the aux. valve??
Small shadetree. My Haynes manual (yuk) shows me, on pg. 79. for Cali., shows me #4 is 'check valve'; #5 is 'blow off valve'; #6 is 'air pump'; #7 is 'EGR valve'; #8 is 'vacuum limiter'; #9 is 'vacuum control valve'.
I see nothing about the 'aux. valve'.
I'd love to do what you did, but where do I start?
My '80 528i, lately has been hiccupping in first gear on normal take-off, somet times in second gear too; unless I take-off reeaaly slow and build up speed eventually. It only happens under power. What's 'pb'?
Thanx In Advance,,,,,Greg
Welcome to acronyms, our new language. I think the letters PB are referring to Power Blaster, a magic sauce similar to WD 40. Comes in a spray can at your local parts store, label says it loosens crud etc.
The auxiliary air valve may be found by referencing the FAQ. Glad to discover others like me. I ask the clerk where the the bulbs are, standing next to 600 of them on the shelves by my right elbow.
You may be in for some Google searching various descriptions of the stumble problem here. Not likely aux air, again like me you may be in for a tour of thirty year old parts needing cleaning, a pep talk or replacement.
FPR, TBR,SPW,IR,...Fuel pressure regulator, Throttle body rebuild, Spark plug wires, Ignition rotor, check all grounds, do the Lenny wire ends clean up, replace. etc.
As with what T.Hanson said, I don't think your problem would be the aux. air valve as it is only for idle during start up. YOu problem, off the top of my head, would seem like the timing is off a bit, or maybe the AFM. You never know though......throttle body adjustment?? Seems like you may want to advance your timing just a "touch".
On my car, a 78', it's known as the "Jules Verne" contraption as it looks like a part of the engine off the Nautalis, and it located on the driver side below the cold intake valve.
On your car, it looks more normal and is located, looking at the engine from the passenger side, left of the intake with your O2 sensor an other little things. It has a larger plastic tube that wraps around over the engine to a port in the driver side of the engine. It's ONE large tube.
Google it. It's under tha main FAQ.
Also, make sure the ground that runs from it, (brown wire), to the front of the intake where it's grounded with a couple others grounds on a triangle type wire end, is clean and solid. Lenny D. has stated a millions time over how important that ground can be and it should be tight, clean and SOLDERED!!! I just did mine but haven't started it yet. I am dreaming of SMOOTH start and warm up.
PB is a upgraded version of WD_40. ANd, it works good, but, I think Marvel Mystery Oil is my new best friend. It is working wonders and you may want to spray inside all you sensor things you can with it, and pour some in the gas tank.
The main thing I am learning is that while these cars are old, and some of the wires need to be cleaned up, most other things are not "broke", but "stuck". From window motors, to sensors and valves, locks, hinges, yadda, yadda, I've found a little but of loves and a few minutes here and there has brought my car waaaay around not really spending too much. I realzed I wasted alot of time tweaking things instead of just cleaning them first.
Thanx CPalmer & Tom. Awhile ago I bought a new(I think) afm. It was on the red car which I don't drive. Since the afm was a possible problem on my 'Rossellina'(silver5spd), I switched and sure enough, no more lurching!
She drives the way she should, sweet & smooth.
Question: Does the older afm need to be cleaned to maybe eliminate the lurching? Would pb do the trick? Or since it's the afm, maybe another approach is better.
Thanx for a smooth running Rosellina,,,,,,Greg
Search the archives for Mike W.'s and my discussion on fixing an AFM. They definately do wear out in a specfic spot and there are two ways to make the wiper track a new path.
cpalmer wrote:to carry on this topic, since it is such an important one, I have read the archives and I am basically wondering this-
Once you have slice the silicon on the AFM and gotten to the rotor/spring you want to mark and basically go one way or another.
If this correct?
No, not really. As it wears, it creates a worn spot in the trace on the PC board, if it's good, moving the flap or repositioning it inside would richen or lean it, but what you need to do if it's worn is to reposition either the arm or the board so it's riding on a new, unworn part of the board. It doesn't have to be much, but there's not a lot of room in there either.
There was also a post on pushing the AFM flap manually in, with a good ear, and see if it smooths it out a bit.
Would this be the same as advancing the rotor/spring a notch or two and sort of a pre-test for actually opening the thing up?
That is true, but the adjustment probably isn't the problem.
Mike W.
02 525ita. Wife's, aka grocery getter
02 530i. New to the fleet, 3 pedals.
03 QX4, AKA the Datsun. Finally got the 4WD vacationmoble to stop smoking.
07 Xterra. Still on the DL, a purchase from hell.
Thanks for that link.....it is, as they say, "SWEET!".
I'd actually went to open mine up, but it seemed to be REALLY on there, and not having another one and being up in the mountains, I didn't want to mess around with it and crack the plastic cover as it's freezing in the garage this past week........
I am pretty sure though, with 165 k, my AFM has the "USED" tracks the link speaks of.
Would make sense why this 5 has not had the smoothness of my previous ones.
I looked at re-mans and there not so bad, something I could get around to later.
I was wondering, I've read talk about " adjust the clicks on the wheel and mark the starting point and advance or decrease".
But the link sort of made me think you only have to loosen a bolt and slide the whole contraption North so the rail passes over new area on the ceramic tracks.
Is this one in the same adjustment, or two separate things to be done?
I'm really close to getting my car where I at least want it. New shocks, exhaust and a new AFM or adjustment and I think I am good to go for a while so I am interested in what you all have to say.
do the trick? Or since it's the afm, maybe another approach is better. 
