Engine has little shake on idle

[bimmere30]

I brought my e30 BMW out of dry storage and when I fire it up the idle is good staying at 800 but I can feel that there is a little shake to it. There is small ticking noise when I put my ear next to engine, what should I do for smoother idle?

[estoguy]

Stock M20 engine I assume? There will always be a tick. Its the way the valve train works. If you put some power to it when it's sitting, should sound like a sewing machine. Perfectly normal.

The little shake... is it just when its first started or all the time? I find my Eta can be a little like that when it's really cold out.

Make sure you don't have any air leaks anywhere... only good way to determine is by what is called a "smoke test".

Something else you can try too is pulling your spark plugs and checking the gap. (If you don't know when they were last changed, get some new ones) Gapping spark plugs on the higher end of specifications makes for stabler idle speed. The M20 spec is .028"- .032" (0.7 - 0.8 mm), so you want to be closer to .032. I use the NGK ZGR5A plugs, and their gap is pretty good right out of the box, usually around .030 or .031. You can order them at Canadian Tire. Don't get the platinum tipped ones (G-Power, they come in a plastic pack of 2). You want the V-Power ones (Boxboard , will say V-power on it
). They should run around $5.70 per plug.

[frankie591]

are your engine mounts in good shape? Often times the studs separate from the rubber part of the mount.

[bimmere30]

Originally Posted by estoguy

Stock M20 engine I assume? There will always be a tick. Its the way the valve train works. If you put some power to it when it's sitting, should sound like a sewing machine. Perfectly normal.

The little shake... is it just when its first started or all the time? I find my Eta can be a little like that when it's really cold out.

Make sure you don't have any air leaks anywhere... only good way to determine is by what is called a "smoke test".

Something else you can try too is pulling your spark plugs and checking the gap. (If you don't know when they were last changed, get some new ones) Gapping spark plugs on the higher end of specifications makes for stabler idle speed. The M20 spec is .028"- .032" (0.7 - 0.8 mm), so you want to be closer to .032. I use the NGK ZGR5A plugs, and their gap is pretty good right out of the box, usually around .030 or .031. You can order them at Canadian Tire. Don't get the platinum tipped ones (G-Power, they come in a plastic pack of 2). You want the V-Power ones (Boxboard , will say V-power on it
). They should run around $5.70 per plug.

There is a little shake now almost all the time, I can feel it in the steering wheel when I idle.