Big time acceleration problems, help!!!

[Byron]

Hello all, what started out as a small annoyance during acceleration has now made my car undriveable. At first, I started noticing a slight hesitation/stuttering when accelerating from rest (it only seemed to occur from about 1500 to 2000 rpm). It seemed as if it only happened once in a while and was not a major issue. However, as time went by, the hesitation/stuttering progressively got worse and now it has basically forced me to stop driving my beloved bimmer. I changed the fuel filte hoping this would solve the problem to no avail. I checked the fault codes and got the 1444 code which I believe stands for no saved codes. I also noticed that the problem starts once the car has reached operating temp or gotten close to it. In other words, it does not do it if I start driving right after starting the vehicle cold. I also tried the computer reset by shorting the battery leads (after disconnecting them of course) with no improvement. Also, after checking it again today, I noticed that even when it's parked, if I press on the accelerator fast, it also does it. If I accelerate slowly while parked it does not have a problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(It's a 1993 525i by the way)

[94_e34_525i]

Did you check your fuel pump? That could be the problem.

[bsell]

Check your throttle position sensor, both for idle and a smooth sweep through the range up to wide open throttle. I can't help with the specs but this should be a quick and painless check.

Or you could have a bad ground cable between the engine and the body that opens the circuit as the engine rolls with the power. While you are at it, check all of the grounds on the engine for the above condition as a loose ground to the coil packs could cause the same symptoms.

I lived with something similar for a year before I found the cracked connection in a solder joint within the mass air meter on my Skyline. So hang in there and be thorough and I am sure you will find what ills your ride.

Good Luck,

Brian

[Ross]

Sounds just like mine. A hard stutter off idle.
O2 sensor is dead on mine though.
I'm ordering the sensor today and will post if that corrects my poor driveability.
If you decide it's the TPS I have a working one left over from a bad guessignosis a couple years back.

[Byron]

Thanks alot for the help everyone. I was finally able to fix the problem, after trying out most of your suggestions, by replacing all six ignition coils (and boots). I'm sure it might have only been one of them that had the problem but I replaced all of them to be on the safe side. Thanks again for all your suggestions.

[Jon K]

Was going to recommend coils, and valve cover gaskets.