Help, Stalling and Cutting out Issues!?

[Robb957]

Hi, Ive owned my Z3 for about three months now, just joined the site so please bear with me! hoping someone can help me?

Pretty much ever since i bought the z3 it has had the same problem, while driving or at junctions It will splutter then conc out (sometimes just cuts not even a splutter). It also has a rough idle every now and again. I could be doing 10mph 50, 70.. and it will still do it, its completely random and sometimes feels like someone has nipped the fuel pipe and cut off flow for 2 seconds or sometimes feels like someone has just unplugged a lead from battery. For the past month i have been driving my partners car because its got to the point where its dangerous pulling out onto motor ways etc.. Im desperate to get my little z3 back on the road!

So far i have:
-cleaner pretty much every important electrical socket i can get my hands on in the engine
-Put in: New plugs, battery, air filter, fuel filter. New fuel. New oil/filter.

Two things which could possibly related are, the ignition barrel sometimes spins when i try to start the car (eventually does it) and when i go over bumps this little red light in the right hand corner of the display flashes (as if there is a loose connection).

I felt like i have spent an eternity looking through forums online where people have had similar problems, cam sensor, ht leads, crank sensor, MAF sensor... the list is endless, Just wondering if someone had any real experience of this issue?

I'm also trying to keep this as cheap as possible as i am really strapped for cash at the moment!

Looks like a real friendly site! I appreciate the help in advance!

Car is 1997 BMW Z3 1.9

Thanks A lot,
Rob

 

[handsomejackuk]

first step get a code reader, or get the codes read. a code reader is cheap to buy... then when you get the code change the part that is shown may be a cam sensor thats the symptoms i had

 

[handsomejackuk]

you could see if anyone in the area has a code reader most members on the forum are pretty handy and willing to help....

If you buy a code reader, it will save you money in the long run, as you can do all your own diagnosis.. you also need to get a 20 pin to obd convertor plug, as theres no obd socket inside on your model year of z3... also the car wont show a light on the dash if theres a fault... if you look under the bonnet on the left side you will see a plstic plug with a top on it unscrew the top, and plug the 20 pin adaptor in there, and then plug in the obd reader... the inside of the plug looks like a pacman !!!!!!

 

[GazHyde]

Welcome Rob,

As mentioned a code reader is first port of call. Have you checked over the air intake hosing after the MAF on it's way in to the engine?

Gaz

 

[Antm72]

Have you checked all the inlet hoses between the Maf and the throttle body and cleaned out the throttle body ?
These hoses quiet often split with age and if is been leaking awhile it may have dragged a lit luck in cleaning won't hurt and it will be easier to see the splits if any off the air as a lot of them are hidden .

 

[Robb957]

Hi guys!

I just ordered a code reader which hopefully should be coming Tuesday, i bought one with the converter plug, its surprising how many garages don't have the fitting for my year! Ive heard about that problem gaz, a lot of people saying they get hairline cracks and this causes a similar problem but i have examined it in depth and i cannot find any issues with it. I was also thinking of ordering some specialised MAF cleaner as i have have these components break easy while cleaning, is there anything i could clean this with without buying?

Thanks for the advice everyone

 

[Robb957]

I haven't tried cleaning out the throttle body yet Antm72, ill give that a try this weekend

cheers

 

[Tracy Dee]

Idle valve try cleaning it first mine wasn't the idle valve but the gasket on the idle valve sucking in air.
I bought a new valve anyway and discovered the gasket had broken you could hear it hissing when a finger placed around it.
Hope you get it fixed very frustrating .
Ps forgot to say mine was just extremely lumpy barely would idle.

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

I had a similar issue, turned out to camshaft sensors.

Mike

 

[FRANKIE]

Hi, Ive owned my Z3 for about three months now, just joined the site so please bear with me! hoping someone can help me?

Pretty much ever since i bought the z3 it has had the same problem, while driving or at junctions It will splutter then conc out (sometimes just cuts not even a splutter). It also has a rough idle every now and again. I could be doing 10mph 50, 70.. and it will still do it, its completely random and sometimes feels like someone has nipped the fuel pipe and cut off flow for 2 seconds or sometimes feels like someone has just unplugged a lead from battery. For the past month i have been driving my partners car because its got to the point where its dangerous pulling out onto motor ways etc.. Im desperate to get my little z3 back on the road!

So far i have:
-cleaner pretty much every important electrical socket i can get my hands on in the engine
-Put in: New plugs, battery, air filter, fuel filter. New fuel. New oil/filter.

Two things which could possibly related are, the ignition barrel sometimes spins when i try to start the car (eventually does it) and when i go over bumps this little red light in the right hand corner of the display flashes (as if there is a loose connection).

I felt like i have spent an eternity looking through forums online where people have had similar problems, cam sensor, ht leads, crank sensor, MAF sensor... the list is endless, Just wondering if someone had any real experience of this issue?

I'm also trying to keep this as cheap as possible as i am really strapped for cash at the moment!

Looks like a real friendly site! I appreciate the help in advance!

Car is 1997 BMW Z3 1.9

Thanks A lot,
RobView attachment 57821

Welcome to the forum from Egg Haarbor Township, New Jersey. While I have 2 Z3's, I never had the problem with them that you describe. Actually, never any engine problems with them but then again I don't drive them too much. However, I have done alot with other cars and some of the problems you describe sound familiar. A faulty IAC valve (Idle Air Control) will cause a car to idle poorly and stall out especially at stops. The MAF (Mass air flow) sensor, when bad, will also cause poor performance although I'm not sure if it causes stalling. There are spray cleaners that can help but sometimes the MAF is too far gone for even this. The code reader should notify you of many problems. IAC's can be removed and cleaned as they can get carboned up. They are usually easy to remove and you can use either carb cleaner spray or, if available in the UK, a cleaner with xylene which will mess up rubber gaskets if you're not careful but is a GREAT cleaner. If cleaning the IAC doesn't help, you have to get a new one. Some of the members on here have reported problems with faulty air hoses or leaks in them.
There is one thing that you describe that happened to me with one of my cars. I would come to a stop and the car would stall out and not start right away, perhaps for a minute. Or I would go into a store for a few minutes and when I came out, the car wouldn't start right away. It might take several minutes of trying. It never actually stalled while driving down the road. It turned out to be a bad relay that governed the fuel pump. The solder in the relay got old or loose and would interupt the electric flow to the fuel pump. The fix for this is to take apart the relay and re-solder it, or buy a new one. This is one of those quirky problems that doesn't show up on diagnostic tests because it happens randomly and is not a CONSTANT problem. You can find out where the relay is from one of the other members that know or you can look in the repair manual for its location or a wiring diagram. Sometimes this relay may govern other processes in the car along with the fuel pump. Also, a quick test for this problem is to find another member of the forum that is local to you and swap relays and then take your car for a test drive. I can't do it 'cause I'm 3200 miles away. Please keep me informed as to your progress..................Frankie

 

[Faheem]

Forgive me, I've not had a chance to read what others have said but I had a similar issue with one of my 1.9's when I first bought the car.

My advice to you is to buy a cheap code reader / have the car scanned before buying any parts as parts can be expensive for the car and by replacing x or y in an attempt to fix the issue you could end up spending a lot of money.

My code was P0340 - camshaft sensor - I replaced the sensor - only BMW sensors work (trust me, I've tried...) - and the car has been fine since.

The little red dot could be a brake pad wear sensor? <- that is just a guess and someone with more experience at this will probably better answer that.

 

[Shelly]

Hi and welcome from me too

 

[Robb957]

Hey guys, thanks for all this useful advice, didn't expect so much help!!

I have spent all morning cleaning components that were suggested, I bought some MAF cleaner and some carbon cleaner. Cleaned the MAF sensor, idle Valve, throttle body. And still idles the same.

Does anyone know where the fuel pump relay Is?
Once I Have checked this I will wait for my code reader to come Tuesday which will hopefully shed some light!

Many thanks again!!

 

[FRANKIE]

Hey guys, thanks for all this useful advice, didn't expect so much help!!

I have spent all morning cleaning components that were suggested, I bought some MAF cleaner and some carbon cleaner. Cleaned the MAF sensor, idle Valve, throttle body. And still idles the same.

Does anyone know where the fuel pump relay Is?
Once I Have checked this I will wait for my code reader to come Tuesday which will hopefully shed some light!

Many thanks again!!

The relay would couse complete stalling if it's faulty but the rough idle is something else. You really need the code reader for this. I've cleaned IAC valves before with no result because they were a bad unit, but I've also replaced them with new ones and the idle was the same. In those cases, I went over EVERY air hose only to find out that one of them was faulty and was the true culprit of the problem....... I know that others have cited a faulty crank sensor and your code reader will give you the result if this is the case. In the meantime, take a GOOD LOOK at all possiboe air leaks. It's a free

 

[MartinN]

great advice from the Forum, my experience was the air intake boots, both had splits, they are reasonable from BMW. then I looked at the rest of the rubber plumbing, replaced the vent tubes from the injectors, the crankcase vent tubes & cleaned the crankcase vent/filter. made a great improvement. Good luck

 

[Robb957]

Hi guys sorry for late reply work has been hectic recently! However I have spent some time with the car, first of all the code reader came I followed the instructions and it doesn't come up with any problems (admittedly it's quite cheap). However one component (pictured) has started crackiling buzzing and hissing, when I unplug it, the engine runs rough and stalls which is the exact same symptoms I have whilst driving it. Does anyone know what it's called? Going to see if it's cheap to replace and see if that solves the problem.

 

[Tracy Dee]

Idle valve.

 

[Shortie_gal]

Were having a similar problem (were you on the facebook page?)

Hubby says that if your engine is cutting out while driving not just when stopping or trying to pull off from stationary then its most probably a crank shaft sensor but once the code reader arrives let us know what codes are coming up

 

[Mint]

Hi @Robb957 , to the forum from me too in Staffordshire, have you managed to sort your problem out?

 

[handsomejackuk]

had similar issue with mine turned out to be cam sensor... but all the other things really needed doing anyway... did you remove the throttle body completely to clean it ? or just squirt carb cleaner inside...

I found it better to remove it and you can access it much better, also i had to cut slots in the idle valve, and throttle pos sensor screws to be able to remove them, as the screws had rusted and rounded off.. i have since put stainless steel screws in those two items.. so they will come out easy...

i got a pattern cam sensor and it worked fine for me and cured all the stalling, and misfiring...