Loss of power

[Delk]

This morning didnt start out good. Flying out for work and decided to take the car to the airport.

On the way it all of a sudden started running very rough and lost power. Traction control light came on and the tack fluctuated then went to zero.
It was barely running when I made it off the road. Once I stopped so did the engine. Took a second and it did restart but was very rough and sputtery. Restarted it a few times and it was running better but not great.
Continued on to the airport.
No tech
Traction light on
Loss of power. Runs ok but doesnt have the power when accelerating. Power fluctuates and seams to come in for a second or two then drop back off.
And generally sounds flat.

Any thoughts? I had an hour and a half to worry about it and the only thing I can think of is the cam sensor. Not sure if that drives the tach.

I fly back Thursday and hope I get home.
Did let it sit in the car park for a few minutes and it restarted without a problem.

 

[t-tony]

Definitely sounds like inlet cam sensor. Exact same symptoms I had on my Z3.

Tony.

 

[Delk]

I made it home from the airport. Car ran fine for about 20 minutes then did the same thing. Stopped and started it several times and it started to run but low on power so I made it home.

Plugged it in and found an error for the crankshaft speed sensor and 16 other faults that got flagged up. Cleared them and replaced the sensor and so far so good. I have not gone for a long trip but the car does seam better now.

But the next problem. The plastic tab on the speed sensor socket broke off when reconnecting it. Its now secured with a speed rated zip tie.

RealOem lists a lead adapter 12514592703. On ebay this comes up as a small loom. Is this the only way to replace the plug or does anyone else have an idea?

 

[mrscalex]

Can't think what this particular plug assembly looks like inside.

The majority of complex (and simple) plugs on a Z3 can be dismantled and the plastic plug itself replaced. You'll need to open the plastic hatch on the plug and use a very fine tool like this to release the pins. They are cheap and cheerful on ebay. Search for 'pin extractor tool' or similar'. But check the plug in question is of this type.