Where is cold start valve on 1988 325i 6 cyl?

Thanks Psycho, I came to the same conclusion last night after looking some more and reading the manual more carefully.

I had already checked that temp sensor and it was reading the proper resistance for a cold engine.

Something suspicious that I found though is that the electrical connector for the throttle position switch was wet, and this fluid seems to have gotten inside the connector. I cleaned things up reasonably well but didn't get everything back together to try starting it yet, as I had the air filter / air meter removed for inspection. Throttle switch checked out okay but the contacts may have been shorted out with that fluid.

The mystery fluid looks like clean motor oil and has no real scent. Doesn't seem to be leaking down from the throttle assembly above. I suspect it might be spray from a leaking power steering hose but need to check some more. Any suggestions on this fluid or the cold start are welcome.

Christopher

What exactly is the car doing? Does it not start at all or does it run very rough until it warms up?

The throttle position switch only reads two positions, fully closed and fully opened. Make sure when you reinstall it that it's adjusted properly. That may well cause start/idle issues. I doubt that the contacts are shorted out, my sons car blew a power steering hose and completely saturated everything under the hood and didn't mess anything up. Drop all the information here that you can and we'll see what we can collectively figure out. Have you checked the condition of the cap and rotor as well as the timing belt?

The trouble is just long cranking on a cold start before the engine fires up. Idles and runs fine otherwise.

I did clean that plug and there was some fluid inside. Once everything was back together it started right up. A few days of driving will be required to see if that fixed the problem though. BTW, I didn't remove the throttle switch, just unplugged it.

I've never had the distributer cap off, and the timing belt is might be 25,000 miles old or less. Bought the car about five years ago and there was no record of how old the timing belt was, so the first thing I had done was have that replaced along with the water pump.

Christopher

If the problem arises again I'll check. Thanks.