No Power

[Visions]

89 535,,,, 150k miles

Hello,,, a friend of mine bought this car and ever since it hasn't had any power... You can stomp on it and it will gradually get up to speed... Car idles a bit rough but revs up fine and seames to have power until you put it into gear... Trans shift very smooth... Has new fuel filter,,, not a fuel pump problem because I put mine in his car just to test that out...

Took the car to a shop that only works on BMW's and they said they got some fault codes and some codes they didn't know what they were and one code said the Computer wasn't working properly... I put my computer in his and still had the same problem... One code they pulled up was Torque converter and it even showed up on the screen but ever since I traded out computers it hasn't showed up again... could of just been the damn comp giving out wrong codes... Anyway I just don't trust them cause all they did was read codes and tell me I needed another TC and Trans... but the trans shifts like a dream... Just afraid they will trade that out and it wont be the true problem...

My regular mechanic has gone AWAL and doesn't answer his phone anymore,, going through a divorse and who know what...

Again the car drives fine but just no power... shifts fine,,, if you were used to driving a geo metro you wouldn't even know there was anything wrong but I know that car should have alot of power... Hell my 735i kick *** and his should be faster...

What do you guys think...

[DaveVoorhis]

As a starting point, search for the "stomp test" to obtain the codes from the ECM.

I'd also look at obvious maintenance items first, such as the air filter, plugs (read them before you replace them), distributor cap and rotor, plug wires, oxygen sensor (if you've got one), possible leaky air/vacuum hoses, restrictions in the intake and/or exhaust, valve adjustment, etc. Also, verify that full throttle opens the throttle body all the way, and that the kick-down is working. Carpet jammed under the pedal can make a fast car go very slowly.

Engines are pretty simple devices. Given proper compression, valve timing and opening, ignition, mix of air and fuel, and unrestricted exhaust, they produce power. If an engine is operating within design specifications, accessories and mechanisms attached to the engine can drag and reduce power, usually converting it to heat and/or noise. Check for transmission problems, seized A/C compressor (usually the belt won't last long), dragging brakes, etc.

[Cor-Man]

My car was doing the exact same thing, but my car has EML (drive by wire throttle). I even had the torque converter lockup code. It was going into "limp" mode because my warning lite in my instrument cluster for the EML system wasn't working. Any problem with the EML system will initiate the "limp" mode. The car will rev to red line or close to but really slowly at wot. Being your car is an 89 I dont think it will have EML but I'm not sure.

[Visions]

I just checked Shogun's site on EML and BMW didn't make them for the E34 until 1991...

Thanks



My car was doing the exact same thing, but my car has EML (drive by wire throttle). I even had the torque converter lockup code. It was going into "limp" mode because my warning lite in my instrument cluster for the EML system wasn't working. Any problem with the EML system will initiate the "limp" mode. The car will rev to red line or close to but really slowly at wot. Being your car is an 89 I dont think it will have EML but I'm not sure.

[Alexlind123]

Parking brake on?

[Visions]

Parking brake on?

No,,, but I thought of that and made sure it was disengaging... That would make it quickly slowdown but the car coasts as usual...

I'm no mechanic but I will change out the plugs, distributor and rotor to start and go from there... Also will check for vacum leaks... Will checkout the throttle body but right at this moment I don't know how to check that... I have read about the Throttle body but havn't read how to clean it up and make sure it is working properly... Been reading for hours today on anything possible

[Jay 535i]

No,,, but I thought of that and made sure it was disengaging... That would make it quickly slowdown but the car coasts as usual...

If the parking brake is on, it won't take long at all for enough heat to build up to demolish the parking brake's decelerative ability. You say the car coasts fine. I don't think that's a good test. A better test would be to see if it will roll down a very gentle slope of its own accord, like a driveway, when the brakes are cold.

I doubt the parking brake is your problem, but I thought this was worth mentioning. More than once, I've seen someone claim that the problem couldn't be the brakes because the car coasts fine, only to discover that the car coasts fine because the brakes are at 2000 degrees.

In fact, when my car was my father's, he had this problem. He drove around for a week with a seized front caliper. Since the problem 'disappeared' after a couple of miles he wrote it off as no big deal. What was happening was that, after a couple of miles, that brake had overheated so badly that it was no longer creating any friction. If he'd just touched or smelled around the wheel after a trip he'd have figured that out.

My father wasn't the brightest chap, but I owe my love of cars to him. R.I.P.

[DaveVoorhis]

Will checkout the throttle body but right at this moment I don't know how to check that... I have read about the Throttle body but havn't read how to clean it up and make sure it is working properly... Been reading for hours today on anything possible
Take off the pipe from the air filter box to the throttle body. Peer down the throttle body, and open the butterfly. Is everything coated in oil and gunge? If so, take off the TB and clean it in oxygen-sensor-safe carburetor or throttle body cleaner. Re-install and start the engine. Spray more oxy-sensor-safe cleaner down the throttle body to clean gunge out of the intake manifold.

[Visions]

Take off the pipe from the air filter box to the throttle body. Peer down the throttle body, and open the butterfly. Is everything coated in oil and gunge? If so, take off the TB and clean it in oxygen-sensor-safe carburetor or throttle body cleaner. Re-install and start the engine. Spray more oxy-sensor-safe cleaner down the throttle body to clean gunge out of the intake manifold.

Thanks I easily understand that and I bought some throttle body cleaner today... That was a big help


Is it possible that the TPS isn't working and it doesn't sence more throttle?... Looking from the left side of the engine bay is the TPS on the right side of the intake manifold?

[Visions]

If the parking brake is on, it won't take long at all for enough heat to build up to demolish the parking brake's decelerative ability. You say the car coasts fine. I don't think that's a good test. A better test would be to see if it will roll down a very gentle slope of its own accord, like a driveway, when the brakes are cold.

I doubt the parking brake is your problem, but I thought this was worth mentioning. More than once, I've seen someone claim that the problem couldn't be the brakes because the car coasts fine, only to discover that the car coasts fine because the brakes are at 2000 degrees.

In fact, when my car was my father's, he had this problem. He drove around for a week with a seized front caliper. Since the problem 'disappeared' after a couple of miles he wrote it off as no big deal. What was happening was that, after a couple of miles, that brake had overheated so badly that it was no longer creating any friction. If he'd just touched or smelled around the wheel after a trip he'd have figured that out.

My father wasn't the brightest chap, but I owe my love of cars to him. R.I.P.


Its not the parking brake for sure... Just this past month it got new brakes and rotors... calibers were fine... My 735i on the other hand just had a caliber lockup so I know what you are talking about... thanks

[Visions]

Thought I should add this info... The car easily passed emissions with very low scores

[Visions]

Ordered, plugs, rotor, distriutor and O2 sensor and I'll start with that when the parts arrive which should be early next week... I'll borrow TPS and CPS off of my friends junk car to see if they help.... Also will do major cleaning of ICV, MAF and Throttle body.... Also while under the car I will check for any bad wires because I just read where I guy had no power like me and it turned out a wire was frayed and when he fixed it he had instant power... He wasn't sure what wires they were

I didn't order new wires and I am not sure if I should have... I havn't looked them over at all so they may be bad...

On this 89 535i it only has one ignition coil doesn't it?... What would be the symptoms of it being bad... I searched but didn't find anything concrete... Also with the coil does that plug on top just pop off cause it seams to move freely around but wont easily come off... I don't want to break it and do something wrong...

Thanks guys...

[bill g]

1989 535i has only one coil.
Faulty coils can produce no spark or intermittent spark or weak spark. Symptoms can be no start, hard to start, or misfiring when running, especially when under load e.g. accelerating. I have also experienced a coil which caused engine to die when warmed up (due to an internal fault in the coil being affected by heat), then would not restart until I waited half hour for it to cool - eventually got home.
I think there are two possible types of coil fitted to these cars - common type shaped like a coke can, or odd shaped compact type. Mine is the latter type. As far as i can remember the coil lead did come out of mine without damage, but I did need to pull on it.

Bill G

[Visions]

Ok today I replaced the plugs, dist and rotor... Plugs weren't fouled bad and were actually quite clean considering the ware...but they were worn out bad... checked the gap on them and they were:
#1) .050
#2) .049
#3) .046
#4) .053
#5) .054
#6) .057
So as you can see the plugs were worn badly... There wasnt any anti-seize compound used and it was hell getting them out... kept even pressure on the socket so I wouldn't snap them off...

Put in Bosh Supers gapped at .034 because I have a 735i that idles and runs super smooth and that was the gap when I got the car so I stuck with it and I did the same with this car...

Put new distributor and rotor on... the old ones were burnt out....

Started the car... ran a bit rough...

Cleaned up throttle body... MAF... didn't have time to take off the ICV and clean it...

Loosened the TPS and moved it because the idle was a bit low,,, like 600...

Started the car and now it idles pretty good @ around 750... not perfect like my 735i but pretty good since these cars usually dont idle very smooth... Throttle response is better and smoother...

Have an 02 sensor to install but didn't have time and that shouldn't fix my no power problem anyway...

All in all a great improvement...

But the car still has no power... and I am beginning to believe that the shop was right in that it could be the Torque converter... Here is an observation... In drive the car takes off slow... it shifts smooth and the car will go through all the gears and go as fast as you want but it has a lack of thrust or torque to take off... What I noticed today was if I put it in reverse it has power as normal... If I put it in manual 1 it just drives like its in ED... It shouldn't shift but it does... Put it in S1 and it does the same... just doesn't matter which one I put it in it still acts like its in ED but with no thrust power... Hopefully you guys can figure this out...

Checked for codes with my Peak reader and it doesn't show any and the Torque fault code hasn't shown up again...

Thanks alot for the help on this...

[Ross]

Check for restricted exhaust.

[Visions]

Check for restricted exhaust.

Car has full power in reverse... am sure I could burn the tires in reverse but I know better not to do that so if the exhust was restricted wouldn't it show up in reverse too?

The car shifting when put in M1 like its in ED shows there is a real problem with the Trans or maybe its really not changing to M1 or other gears... Either way it has a lack of torque taking off in any gear... Sort of like starting the car in 3rd gear but it shift through all the gears like you would expect...

[Visions]

Tried to put on the new O2 sensor but I couldn't get the damn thing loose... had the tool for it too... he's just gonna have to pay to have it put on... sucks cause it really should be easy... freakin things should be bolted on instead of screwed...

[stu1]

Well if the car has full power in reverse I'd say the engine is fine which leaves us wuth the gearbox. Have you checked the transmission fluid?

Stu.

[632 Regal]

heat the ****er with a torck then try to break it loose!

[BillionPa]

if the torque coverter was toast it would rev but have no power, if its not revving as fast as it should then the transmission would be fine.

you should be able to stomp on the gas and it will go instantly to about 2000 rpms then start to increase as the speed increases, then it will shift and go down. if it shifts and goes way up, then the converter is toast.

[Visions]

BillionPA--- thanks for the input.... Shifting seams to be fine.... Revs normal for the speed and doesn't rev high...

Stu1---the shifter cable was changed when he bought the car... The readout says the correct gear as you shift it but like I stated before no matter if I put it in M1 or S1 it shifts like its in ED through all the gears so maybe you are onto something

Regal--- yea I read to do that,,, I had the car on ramps so there isn't much room to move... He can just pay to have it done cause it will be much cheaper using his own part... I've saved him alot of money doing all the work on his car for free and I am not a mechanic but between his car and mine I soon will be ... lol