BMW e36 94 318i it doesnt rev past 1500rpm but idles a 100%.

One possibility is a converter that is maybe 95% clogged

At idle does the vehicle run rough or is it smooth? Does the fuel pump have a loud whine to it? Couple of things to check are like frank said a exhaust back pressure test, fuel pressure test while reving the engine it should be around 5 bar I belive but don't quote me on that If you rev it up and the fuel pressure drops then you have fuel cut out which you need to replace the fuel pump. And check to make sure the spark has enough power to jump in the cylinder. It is 10 times harder to fire a spark plug while under compression instead of just sitting there. My trick is to take a decent plug and remove the ground electrode and then attach it to the wires and ground it and watch to see if it gets a bright blue spark if so its ok if its dull yellow or not at all then either wires are bad or coil. Hope some of this helps right back with what you find out.

Did you ever figure out the problem, my 90 325i conv is doing the exact same thing. I would be interested in what you found.

Would bet on a clogged catalytic converter.

unplug your airflow meter, if it will then rev freely, replace it. happens on many E36/E46 BMWs

Thanks for the replies guys, I live in South Africa Frank and we don't have CATs in and its free flow. I did check airflow and did disconnect the MAF sensor plug Luke but still the same. Going to replace the coil pack tomorrow to then see if it helps and sparks any better Robert and if it doesn't then I will replace the TPS sensor and crank pickup sensor to see if it makes a difference.

Hello guys.. Please i need help on my bmw e46 318i. the car always give hard start in the morning.. When I start the car it will pick and went off in 2 second so i have to keep up with it for 8 to 10 times before the car will pick up and take up to 3 minuets to rev nicely then am good to go.. I don't know if any has experience such problem..