Firstfives.org

My son took my 1977 530i in to Jiffy Lube to get an oil change. (don't ask me) First of all they drained the oil and then found out they didn't have the oil filter they needed. Then they tried to put it all back together and could not stop an oil leak at the oil filter. Now my son drove the car for a little bit but brought it home and told me that it was running rougher than it had ever had. I pulled it into the garage and tried to figure out what they had done... I found an oil rag on the inside of the engine compartment, the dipstick was not put in all the way and there was oil everywhere on the side of the engine and under the engine. I found out that they had used 10W30 oil. Now for the bad part... I cannot keep it running. I have looked all around the oil filter area trying to see what they may have damaged, but I cannot see anything out of place. It smells of fuel after trying to start, but it will not start and idle. I just went through the throttle body adjustment and timing last weekend and had it running great. Does anyone have any idea as to what they could have done to it?

I noticed when I left the oil cap or the dipstick out/off that my e12 won't run and burns oil badly. I'd check to make sure all the caps are on tight. mebbe there's a leak through the oil filter canister.
hope this helps
stewart

You probably have a vacuum leak if the oil leak is bad. Could be the rubber O ring for the cartridge, they put the cartridge back in cockeyed or they unbolted the whole thing from the block (dumb) and that gasket is leaking. There are 3 dfferent types of block gaskets.....you need to look close to get the correct match ................see pic
Get a refund.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=11&fg=30

Unbelievable.
I'd be back at that shop, just to give them what for.
Refund or a free oil change.

OK, so I am still trying to get this car on the road.

I have replaced all injectors, injector seals, fuel lines, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, plugs, wires, rotor cap and AFM. And while I had the intake manifold off I replaced all air hoses as well as all the radiator/cooling hoses.

Most of the hoses on the car where hard as a rock from 30+ years of service. In fact I thought that I had figured out what had happened at Jiffy Lube when I found an air hose on the Aux Air was busted off, but all of this work has not gotten me back on the road.

Currently the car starts right up and idles OK (little slow with some surging now and then). When I rev up the engine it purrs right along... but when going back to idle it occasionally backfires. If I try and drive the car it just has NO power at all... I can barely make it into 2nd gear... NEVER into 3rd... the more I press the throttle down... the more bogged down it gets.

I have adjusted the throttle body (including the throttle switches), cleaned the AFM inside and out... tried a 2nd AFM with the same results, timed it, verified the fuel pressure (35 psi), verified the distributer, points, grounds, new fuses all the way around...

I know that I have low pressure in cylinders 1 and 2... but it has been that way for years...

The only thing I can think of now it to replace all of the vacuum lines...

I have sprayed all around the engine looking for leaks... but nothing has come to light yet.

Any help is appreciated.

Sorry about the length... I need to get this car going.

Steve

Bump!!!

Did you fix the leaking oil part of the problem? Are you burning oil?

Some of your remaining symptoms, like running very rough and having no power, are consistent with having a massive vacuum leak.

Does pulling the dipstick out a few inches change the idle when running?
It should because it creates a massive vacuum leak. If you already have a massive vacuum leak, there won't be much difference....