No power below 3000RPM, idling is like a old fishing boat

[Espen]

Well i went to the store this morning, bought some stuff and was about to drive home. Started it up and it sounded like a old fishing boat, My old volvo sounded like that when it fired on 3 out of 4 sylinders.

However I tried to give it some throttle and it backfired a couple of time through my airfilter (open filter, K&N style) and it revved up to 3000rpm, then it was like normal.. I could drive home with no problem as long as I kept the engine above 3000rpm`s. Below that it lost all power and felt like my aunt`s mazda.

I`ve pulled out a plug just to check, and ther was some oil in the plughole, not much, just so that i was dripping a bit from the plug when i got it out, how the h***l did i get oil down there?

Anyway, a buddy thought it might be the air mass meter (not sure it this is the right english word for it) i unplugged the connector when the enginge was "idling", and then the idle raised up to 1200rpm, before it dropped to 800 and was like normal again. Tried to drive it without my air mass meter and it pulls fine all the way.. Plug it back inn again and the fishy idle was there again.

Anyone? Please? I would be so gratefull.

PS! Its a 525 m50. Recently(2days ago) fitted a "huge" stereo in the trunk, could this have ruined some electrics?

[Morgenster]

I`ve pulled out a plug just to check, and ther was some oil in the plughole, not much, just so that i was dripping a bit from the plug when i got it out, how the h***l did i get oil down there?

Valve cover gasket leaky? Or did someone botch an oil change and spill?


Anyway, a buddy thought it might be the air mass meter (not sure it this is the right english word for it) i unplugged the connector when the enginge was "idling", and then the idle raised up to 1200rpm, before it dropped to 800 and was like normal again. Tried to drive it without my air mass meter and it pulls fine all the way.. Plug it back inn again and the fishy idle was there again.

Anyone? Please? I would be so gratefull.

PS! Its a 525 m50. Recently(2days ago) fitted a "huge" stereo in the trunk, could this have ruined some electrics?

If removing it makes the engine run better, then that's your culprit right?
Does your engine give you codes for the MAF? Backfiring can seriously hurt your MAF since it's a single wire set-up.

[joshua43214]

Clean the oil out of the plug holes, clean off the plug boots and spray them down with a liberal coat of silicone and let the carrier evaporate off before you reinstall. see if the problem goes away.

Repair the oil leak asap, it will ruin the plug boots if it hasn't already.

Do what Morgenster recomends, if it will barely idle now, unplug the MAF and if it improves, the MAF is almost for sure the problem.

[Bill R.]

mass air flow sensor to the throttle body and look for cracks where air could be sucking in . If its cracked or the hose clamps are loose it will suck air around the mass air flow sensor and give it a false reading.. Also does the car have asc and a secondary throttle body? Also i would look at the mass air flow sensor to see it the oil from that wonderful K&N has contaminated it and affected it readings.





Well i went to the store this morning, bought some stuff and was about to drive home. Started it up and it sounded like a old fishing boat, My old volvo sounded like that when it fired on 3 out of 4 sylinders.

However I tried to give it some throttle and it backfired a couple of time through my airfilter (open filter, K&N style) and it revved up to 3000rpm, then it was like normal.. I could drive home with no problem as long as I kept the engine above 3000rpm`s. Below that it lost all power and felt like my aunt`s mazda.

I`ve pulled out a plug just to check, and ther was some oil in the plughole, not much, just so that i was dripping a bit from the plug when i got it out, how the h***l did i get oil down there?

Anyway, a buddy thought it might be the air mass meter (not sure it this is the right english word for it) i unplugged the connector when the enginge was "idling", and then the idle raised up to 1200rpm, before it dropped to 800 and was like normal again. Tried to drive it without my air mass meter and it pulls fine all the way.. Plug it back inn again and the fishy idle was there again.

Anyone? Please? I would be so gratefull.

PS! Its a 525 m50. Recently(2days ago) fitted a "huge" stereo in the trunk, could this have ruined some electrics?

[Jon K]

This happens to me when the valve cover leaks. Oil sits on the plug and messed up the spark so you will misfire on it weird like. New VC gasket and new plugs, clean off the coil packs, and you'll be on your way.

[Espen]

Thanks for great answers!

The oil could come from a oilrefill. This is the first time i remove the plastic cover , i noticed that the rubber sealing around the oil inlet was not lying right. The oil on top of the plug might have it source there.


If removing it makes the engine run better, then that's your culprit right?
Does your engine give you codes for the MAF? Backfiring can seriously hurt your MAF since it's a single wire set-up.

Im not sure if the maf is the culprit, i thought removing it would force the DME to use default fuel tables (limp mode?), so that it gives it a very rich mixture. I have no error codes on the display, havent done a diagnostics check, no check engine light.
Backfiring isnt good, yes i know. I`ve driven with the MAF unconnected all day to avoid backfiring, fishy idle, and no power. The idle seems to be a bit high without the MAF, i think that is normal, because it is running in "limp" mode.


Also does the car have asc and a secondary throttle body? Also i would look at the mass air flow sensor to see it the oil from that wonderful K&N has contaminated it and affected it readings.

ASC? Second throttle body? (My english is not that good) Ill just post a picture of my engine bay, and you`ll figure out.
http://filserver.pyrabel.net/bilder/e34/motor/motorrom.jpg


Repair the oil leak asap, it will ruin the plug boots if it hasn't already.
plug boots? Not sure if i understood you, its just the bottom of the "nut-part" (16mm socket) that was covered with oil not the white part on the top, there wasnt really much oil, and not all plugs had oil on them.

I bought 6 new plugs just to be sure, so ill change them tomorrow. The old ones looked kinda old anyway.. Cant hurt changing them.

How can i find out if it is the MAF that has problems? It could be a false air problem, and there could also be another sensor that is shot? O2 sensor?

[Espen]

anyone?

[Espen]

bump

[joshua43214]

Clear the codes, hook every thing back up, disconect the stereo. take it for a test drive. If you have no trouble start with looking into the stereo install. people mess this up alot and it can cause lots of odd problems.

If the problem is still there, pull the codes, and check that out. typicaly though, if you disconnect the MAF and the idle improves, the MAF is bad. You will already have a MAF code since you ran it with it disconnected, so make sure you clear the codes first.

The oil on the plugs that both JonK and I spoke of is important to fix even if the opil is not yet pooling up to the boots. eventualy it will and cause a missfire, then it can short out the coils and lead to other trouble. Make sure you know where the oil came from, assuming it came from spilled oil is not a safe thing to do when you consider the cost.

[Morgenster]

plug boots? Not sure if i understood you, its just the bottom of the "nut-part" (16mm socket) that was covered with oil not the white part on the top, there wasnt really much oil, and not all plugs had oil on them.

I bought 6 new plugs just to be sure, so ill change them tomorrow. The old ones looked kinda old anyway.. Cant hurt changing them.

How can i find out if it is the MAF that has problems? It could be a false air problem, and there could also be another sensor that is shot? O2 sensor?

The plug boots are the long tube extensions on your coils.
How old are the plugs?
O2 sensor would not give you this when starting cold.
Double check the oil thing before putting in the new plugs, otherwise you could end up fouling brand new ones.
Disconnecting the MAF in itself should give you an error code.

[Morgenster]

Clear the codes, hook every thing back up, disconect the stereo. take it for a test drive. If you have no trouble start with looking into the stereo install. people mess this up alot and it can cause lots of odd problems.

If the problem is still there, pull the codes, and check that out. typicaly though, if you disconnect the MAF and the idle improves, the MAF is bad. You will already have a MAF code since you ran it with it disconnected, so make sure you clear the codes first.

The oil on the plugs that both JonK and I spoke of is important to fix even if the opil is not yet pooling up to the boots. eventualy it will and cause a missfire, then it can short out the coils and lead to other trouble. Make sure you know where the oil came from, assuming it came from spilled oil is not a safe thing to do when you consider the cost.

Dang, you beat me to it.

[Espen]

The plug boots are the long tube extensions on your coils.
How old are the plugs?
O2 sensor would not give you this when starting cold.
Double check the oil thing before putting in the new plugs, otherwise you could end up fouling brand new ones.
Disconnecting the MAF in itself should give you an error code.

Hi guys, thanks for answer.
Ill disconnect the amp in the trunk, do another "shogun"reset and connect the MAF again. Although it isnt that bad driving with it disconnected, the only irritating thing is the high idle.

Im now pretty sure the oil came from a oil change. It pulled out all plugs and cleaned out the oil, and then fitted new ones.

How do i clear the codes? Ive tried a "shogun" reset, but i have no way to check the codes.


Disconnecting the MAF in itself should give you an error code.
I dont have access to a diagnostics tool, and take it to the dealer is like $100 just to check the error codes, its a last option only.

[joshua43214]

How do i clear the codes? Ive tried a "shogun" reset, but i have no way to check the codes.


I dont have access to a diagnostics tool, and take it to the dealer is like $100 just to check the error codes, its a last option only.


Stomp test http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/engine_codes.htm

[Espen]

Well its a european car, stomp test doesnt work on those as far as i know.

[kwamek]

Good evening..
I think i have the same problem stated below with my 1992 525i E34 M50. I new to bimmer so could you please show explain the process or if possible diagrams of how to replace new VC gasket and new plugs (if the plugs are spark plugs, then i just installed new ones about a month ago). Or any website with instructions on how to replace vc gasket. thanks







This happens to me when the valve cover leaks. Oil sits on the plug and messed up the spark so you will misfire on it weird like. New VC gasket and new plugs, clean off the coil packs, and you'll be on your way.

[Espen]

yep we are talking about sparkplugs here.. Do your car run ok when the maf is disconnected?

[Espen]

Well i had mine to the BMW dealer, they did a diagnosis test and dounf out that it was the Lambda sond. They wanted $200 for that test wich took 3minutes. I have a friend there so he did it free :D

It was pretty cool actually, he met me outside their workshop, and just connected a yellow wireless transponder into the diagnose connector, we went inside the shop and read out my codes on the computer. He could also check that the wiring harness to the Lambda was ok. cool.. the lambda was $340 so im gonna try cleaning my old one first.

[Morgenster]

vc gasket replacement:

check out the technical articles on this website:

http://www.pelicanparts.com

There's an extensive procedure + pictures.

[joshua43214]

Lamda Sond is Euro talk for O2 sensor. Cleaning doesnt normaly do much since it should be self cleaning, just like your oven. If it is contaminated, there is not much that can be done about that.

Just source an OEM O2 sensor through the aftermarket.

[Espen]

Wont it be full of burnt particles from the exhaust? When i changed my rear muffler i saw the inside of my exhaust pipes, they were not _clean_ i thin layer of black stuff ( dont know the english word for it) If that stuff fills up the o2 sensor, wont it be giving error codes?

[joshua43214]

Wont it be full of burnt particles from the exhaust? When i changed my rear muffler i saw the inside of my exhaust pipes, they were not _clean_ i thin layer of black stuff ( dont know the english word for it) If that stuff fills up the o2 sensor, wont it be giving error codes?

It gets really hot up in front, they stay alot cleaner than you would expect. It should just have a small coating of ash and be discolered by whatever additivesare in the gas. If the perforations in the sheild are actualy pluged, you are running way to rich or are burning oil, but even then an "Italian" tune up should clear most of the debris.

BTW, the English word for the thin layer of black stuff is "soot"

[Espen]

Well i thought it was sot, but it is also the Norwegian name for it, so i guessed it couldnt be the same word. Stupid me.

What is an Italian tune up? It dont think im burnin much oil. a little off course, ive refilled about 1 litre between oil changes (10 000 km ) I dont think im having a to rich mixture neither i just cahnged the sparkplugs and the old ones were brught brown of color.

[joshua43214]

"Italian tune up"- Drive the car at high speed just at the redline for as long as you dare.

[Espen]

"Italian tune up"- Drive the car at high speed just at the redline for as long as you dare.

oh..I go up to the red line a coupple of times every day.. Im not staying on tha rev thoug, just for a second before i put in the next gear...

Gonna search ebay for O2 sensors... ;)