From digest.v5.n596 Fri Nov 22 01:35:12 1996
From: "John W. Raines" <john-william_at_worldnet.att.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 20:55:01 -0800
Subject: re:318i idling problem

I recently had a similar problem with my '84 318i. (Please pardon my lack of "technical speak", and I'll try to describe the solution in my case.)

On the driver's side of the engine, between the fuse box and fender, there's a plastic casing/cover. The case slides straight up, revealing several wires coming from two different directions, linked together by a plastic socket (plug?). In my case, the green wire had corroded at the socket, and "wiggling" the wire resulted in the idle returning to normal (from upwards of 3000 rpm). I disconnected the wire from each side of the socket and hard-wired them together. Problem solved! Just a note...whatever the "green" wire is, it was causing a slow drain on my battery--stranding me on several occasions. I replaced the battery, alternator (twice), battery cables, and idle valve before discovering the actual problem (by accident!) If you're not getting the battery drain, you might have to look elsewhere for the fix.

Hope it helps!
John