BMW Doc's diagnosis... Or sort of anyway...

[cableface]

Well, I just had the dealership mechanic take a look at my acceleration heistation/idle problem along with just a general overlook of my car. Here's what he came back with.

***
1.) They arent exactly sure what is causing the hesitation problem but they know that there is an O2 sensor out. Doc says that this could likely be the problem. (I've read a couple places that the O2 sensor on this car really doesnt do much, am I mistaken??) If it's not the O2 sensor, then we move onto a fuel problem.

2.)Front suspension is shot and everthing needs replaced. (Kind of knew that already. The car does have 210,000 miles on it)
3.) Slight valve cover gasket leak (knew that already). Slight crankshaft seal leak (Did not know this).
4.) Rear transmission mounts are shot.
5.) Rear transmission seal leak (He didnt say how bad)
6.) Whatever that disk between the trans and driveshaft is shot
7.) Oil pan gasket and trans pan gasket leaking. (Knew about that)

So, with that being said... I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I just bought the car about 3 weeks ago. I knew it would have some issues and already knew what some of them were. It's a little different to have that plus a few other handed to you on a list.

Should I panic or relax? I got a good deal on the car even with the mileage. It looks good too.

Any suggestions or acts of comfort are greatly appreciated!!!!

[Evan]

It's not really hat much stuff... since you got a deal on the car you can put a couple thousand in her and get her right.

A lot of it is do it yourself... the front suspension is a good project for you.... make sure you buy quality parts. You'll find all the info you need on here and bmwe34.net

Find a good independent BMW mechanic and get estimates then go from there...

[Felixdacat]

Good advise. These guys and gals have taught me a lot in this forum, and you will be able to do alot of the work yourself. Goodluck, and keep us informed

[31Hertz]

Definitely relax... You have a car which is 14 years old. If you have any confidence with a wrench, purchase a Bentley Manual. If not, find a good Indy as Evan said. There are many helpful and very knowledgeable people lurking here. I have saved quite a bit of money searching this site!!! Still looking forward to the heater core replacement myself...:D

[Robin-535im]

1.) They arent exactly sure what is causing the hesitation problem but they know that there is an O2 sensor out. Doc says that this could likely be the problem. (I've read a couple places that the O2 sensor on this car really doesnt do much, am I mistaken??) If it's not the O2 sensor, then we move onto a fuel problem.

2.)Front suspension is shot and everthing needs replaced. (Kind of knew that already. The car does have 210,000 miles on it)
3.) Slight valve cover gasket leak (knew that already). Slight crankshaft seal leak (Did not know this).
4.) Rear transmission mounts are shot.
5.) Rear transmission seal leak (He didnt say how bad)
6.) Whatever that disk between the trans and driveshaft is shot
7.) Oil pan gasket and trans pan gasket leaking. (Knew about that)

Looks like the usual stuff. Are you a DIYer? If so, you'll be happy with the relative ease and elegance of working on this car. Front suspension - been tons written on that, you'll want to replace the bushings at least, and for an extra few hundred do the springs and struts, you won't BELIEVE the improvement... you thought it was a great car before...

Tranny mounts, Guibo, output shaft leak, all easy to do from under the car with hand tools.

Oil leaks on the engine can be harder to get to, but start with the valve cover and see if you really need to fix the others.

You didn't mention cooling system issues (heater core, radiator, water pump) so already you're ahead of the game.

My advice re: suspension parts, just do it all at once and get it over with. Otherwise you'll be chasing shimmies for a long time and not stop until it's been rebuilt anyway! Upper/lower control arms + bushings, pitman arm, shocks, springs, sway links (+ stiffer bar if you want) and you should be good for another 50-70 k miles at least.

Good luck!

- Robin

[cableface]

Looks like the usual stuff. Are you a DIYer? If so, you'll be happy with the relative ease and elegance of working on this car. Front suspension - been tons written on that, you'll want to replace the bushings at least, and for an extra few hundred do the springs and struts, you won't BELIEVE the improvement... you thought it was a great car before...

Tranny mounts, Guibo, output shaft leak, all easy to do from under the car with hand tools.

Oil leaks on the engine can be harder to get to, but start with the valve cover and see if you really need to fix the others.

You didn't mention cooling system issues (heater core, radiator, water pump) so already you're ahead of the game.

My advice re: suspension parts, just do it all at once and get it over with. Otherwise you'll be chasing shimmies for a long time and not stop until it's been rebuilt anyway! Upper/lower control arms + bushings, pitman arm, shocks, springs, sway links (+ stiffer bar if you want) and you should be good for another 50-70 k miles at least.

Good luck!

- Robin
Thanks guys! I feel much better. I'm just in unfamiliar territory with BMWs. I've always worked on my own cars for the most part, but have previously stuck with Hondas and Toyotas. So, yes I'm a DIYer so to speak :) I'm going to go ahead and replace the O2 sensor and see if that fixes my hesitation issue (I'm not too optimistic about that). I'm leaning more toward a fuel problem at this point. Then it's off to fix the AC (I didnt mention that). Then I guess I'll tackle the others. I'm sure that I'll be asking many, many questions on this forum. I need to try and have this wrapped up in a couple of months b/c when school starts....well I'll not even talk about my lack of time!

Where's a good place to buy the parts for the suspension???????

[Qube]

All standard stuff :) No worries.

[pundit]

All standard stuff :) No worries.
You mean... "No worries mate!"
or... "No wuckers cobber!" ;)

[rob101]

Well, I just had the dealership mechanic take a look at my acceleration heistation/idle problem along with just a general overlook of my car. Here's what he came back with
tell me, does it get better when the car is warm.
if so then your problem is probably a vacuum leak or a MAF sensor.
also what kind of idle problem surging, idle speed flunctation or general roughness.

[BillionPa]

if it only gets bad when the car warms up, its probably the O2 sensor. if you are having problems during cold, its not.

[cableface]

if it only gets bad when the car warms up, its probably the O2 sensor. if you are having problems during cold, its not.I have tried soooo hard to narrow this thing down. MOST of the time it's better when it's cold but about a third of the time it acts up from the moment I start it. Either way, I think I'm going to replace the O2 sensor. It needs to be done anyway. As for the MAS and vacuum leaks. I originally thought it was a leak, but the dealership said that they went over everything with a fine tooth comb and found no leaks. The MAS seemed to function properly as well. I tried a trick mentioned here on the forum which included spraying ether to try to find a leak... no luck. The "Doc" says that if the O2 is not he culprit then we need to do a fuel compression test. I agree with him but what sucks is that this is nothing new. It's what I told him at the very start. I was hoping that he would just press a magic button and it would be fixed, but I suppose that I had better get used to working on this car... Better yet, I should make it my favorite pasttime! HA! Thanks guys.:D

[Espen]

I have the same idle problem.. Took a diagnose check at the dealer, and found a error code on the o2 sensor, i bought a new one and replaced it. No difference still the fishy idle...

[neil_004]

When my car was having hesitation issues it turned out to be a combination of older Bosch Platnium plugs (they were cooked in a rather short time), and a bad coil. The coil had tested fine but the car works great now that I switched it out. Not saying this is definatly the problem but it kinda sounds similar. I had taken my car to the dealer and all they told me was that i needed to change belts and the O2 sensor (still working now 3k miles later no engine light).

[632 Regal]

first thing you should do is reboot the computer and when it throws a code after do the stomp test and narrow down the cause. I still think it could be an intake leak.

we get most our parts from BMA www.bmaparts.com call them and order, you will get a better price than on their site plus mention "dot info" and you will get a lower price than if you just call...lol.

do a search on 02 sensors, I think theres a source and its a lot cheaper but I lost that bookmark.

use the www.realoem.com site to get the correct part numbers before you search or look for anything.

enjoy...these cars arent hard to work on at all, they are intimidating until you get your hands into it.

[cableface]

first thing you should do is reboot the computer and when it throws a code after do the stomp test and narrow down the cause. I still think it could be an intake leak.

we get most our parts from BMA www.bmaparts.com call them and order, you will get a better price than on their site plus mention "dot info" and you will get a lower price than if you just call...lol.

do a search on 02 sensors, I think theres a source and its a lot cheaper but I lost that bookmark.

use the www.realoem.com site to get the correct part numbers before you search or look for anything.

enjoy...these cars arent hard to work on at all, they are intimidating until you get your hands into it.
Thanks Jeff. Damn, just those two sites help alot. I love the RealOEM page. I've ordered the O2 sensor so I should be installing it soon. Looks like BMA is running an E34 control arm special as well. I think that I may look into that.