the engine runs fine but when taking of in 1st its seems to lack power and when idle it goes up and down... its is also consuming more petrol than before and theres a ticking noise coming from somewhere around the regulator or fuel rail...please help as l need to source the problem but have no monies to do so !!!thanks for yourin advance!!!
by the way its a 94 318is 1.8

Adam,by the sound of it,you will be paying for new head gaskets and possibly A new timing belt.

What rubbish: It does not have a timing belt, and it is obviously not a gasket fault.
Most likely to be a pressure regulator or fuel pump fault, get it to an independent garage for a plug in diagnostic check, usually costs around £25 - this should point you in the right direction.
Best place for parts here;
http://gsfcarparts.com

for lacking power on 1st gear, its has to be the clutch needed changing. its happen to mine. petrol pump also need attention.

try to buy the petrol engine clean up fluids ( £10 ) that will keep your petrol tank and the rest of the pipes clean also reduce the fuel consumptions and increase the flow ( more power).

Ticking noise is injector solenoids opening and closing nothing to worry about.Because of power loss and uneven idle it sounds like air mass sensor could be down or you have a leak on a vacuum pipe downstream of the air sensor.If ticking noise is loud and metallic then could be a worn cam or follower.1.8 was never one off BMWs best motors.Check all induction manifold trunking and clean manifold butterfly valve and make sure its not sticking.

its either your fuel filer (most likely) possibly your spark plugs and hopefully not your fuel pump

While parked at home, run the engine till the idle starts to go up & down & u hear the ticking noise. Get a lengthy screwdriver & put one end to ur suspected ticking item & the other end to ur ear. Confirm the source of the noise. It could be the fuel pressure regulator (the round thing connected to the end of the fuel rail & to which a vacuum hose is attached), or idle air control valve which connects to the throttle valve assembly/intake manifold. l personally think that u have a bad idle valve but l could be wrong & it could be the fuel pressure regulator. And l doubt that the problem is any of the injectors.
To see if the idle valve is bad, lightly tap the idle air control valve with a piece of wood or hard rubber (not a metal hammer).
If the idle smooths out or the ticking noise goes away or gets affected by ur light tapping, then u need to replace the IAC valve. The idle valve is a round metal tube with wires going to it, the tube being approximately 2 inches in diameter by 4 inches in length.