Hi all,
I am really enjoying the '93 245 (228,000 mi, B230F) I just got a month and a half ago. It drives well, and I am really enjoying getting my elbows greasy as I'm slowly going through the needed engine tune up activities.
I love how simple everything is...it just makes sense- if you've been under the hood you know what I mean. And if it isn't so simple I always scour the BB-love it!

Anyways- back to the reason for the post...
The engine sounds (to my somewhat untrained ears) as if it is getting unmetered air, or, the injectors are clogged/dirty, or, the valves are out of adjustment. Hopefully not 'all of the above' It's hard to describe the sound, but you would know it if you heard it...remember when you were a kid and made helicopter or machine gun noises (pass air through your teeth together, tongue forward/up). Ok, the car does not sound exactly like that but imagine that kind of sound along with the low growl of the lovely B 230F. Maybe you get the idea. This noise is matched to engine speed.
The engine idles very nicely at normal rpm, but does not accelerate all that quickly, but it goes. Not a whole lot of power (We have a 940 of same year/same engine so I have some comparison). The codes are all 1-1-1 for terminals 2 & 6. Fuel economy seems low- I haven't been able to crunch any numbers yet (need a full tank first) but it seems real quick between the 1/2 tank mark and the red zone...although the gauge does not seems all that accurate anyways.

So my plan of attack/tune up is this:
1. thoroughly check for vac leaks/unmetered air (I'll first try listening through some tubing, but I can also try propane if that is a recommended test...) I already checked them briefly but I need to do a more detailed search.
2. Use some in tank injector cleaner (I have some laying around the house, so it's worth a shot)
3. I think it will be useful to replace the injector seals, vac testing (step 1 should tell me if it's really needed)
4. Check and Adjust valves/replace hushers...but with the smooth idle I'm wondering if this is needed.
5. timing belt (overdue)

Before I do step 4, is there a way to diagnose the need for valve adjustment without taking off the valve cover? What are some symptoms that would lead to needing a valve adjustment?
Before I do step 5, will simply adjusting the timing belt tension roller (as shown in Bentley 215-1) make any difference in how the engine runs?

What I've already done to the car:
-cleaned contacts on coil, dist. cap and rotor, regapped plugs. Dist. cap/rotor and plugs will be replaced soon...but for now they're 'refurbished'
-new airfilter
-cleaned pcv system, but did not bother with the oil separator box (seems fine)
-partially cleaned throttle body (didn't remove it from the manifold, so I couldn't get to all the nooks and crannies)
-replaced CPS/RPM sensor (that was fun!...)

I hope this post isn't too long- I just try to describe everything as best I can.
Thanks for reading! All advice welcome.

Koos