Charlotte not very well

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Daz
Joined: Tue 25 Nov, 2003 18:29
Posts: 78

  M roadster S54
Location: Wrotham

Charlotte not very well

Post by Daz »

Charlotte has been laid up over the winter and this evening has developed a worrying problem.

She has been started and run up to temperature every couple of weeks but not taken out since October always started instantly and run as sweet as the proverbial. This morning I took her out of the garage to have a general tidy up and when I started her up to put her back into the garage this evening, she suddenly started to sounded like an old 5 pot Audi and the EML came on yellow.

I turned off and started again a couple of times with the same resulting very lumpy idle and severe misfire on giving it a little gas. The engine actually died when i first tried to move her, but I managed to get back into the garage.

Sounds like she#s firing on 5 cylinders and therefore something expensive like an injector but would appreciate any ideas, diagnoses or suggestions from you guys who are infinitely better qualified than I am.

Best regards to all,

Daz
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
Posts: 9521

  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Gazza »

I had a very similar problem after a period of non use, I started the car and left it idling whilst I gave it a wash n polish, switched it off and restarted and got the same symptoms as yours.

It turned out to be a duff coil pack. You can check by removing the plastic engine cover, there you will see the coil packs, release the holding clip on each one by one, you will hear the engine note change, if no change that will be the duff coil pack. You could check this further by swapping positions of the duff one and testing again. Be prepared it could be more than one or hopefully just a loose connection.

Coil packs are not expensive and available on Ebay.
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

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Daz
Joined: Tue 25 Nov, 2003 18:29
Posts: 78

  M roadster S54
Location: Wrotham

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Daz »

Gazza,
thanks for that I will try it tomorrow.
Regards
Daz
ALPHA 3.0i Z3
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 20:37
Posts: 57

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
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Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by ALPHA 3.0i Z3 »

I had same problem. I had a code read it an intermittent misfire on a cylinder, plug or as said a coil pack..still haven't changed it as its gone now...but I will be doing plugs on next service and see if its as simple as that if not a coil pack.
A
Who says size doesn't matter? After a straight 6 3.0 litre....Its hard to go back .
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Southernboy »

To eliminate the injectors as a source of problems, a short length of 5mm plastic flexible pipe is useful. You can start the car and place the one end in your ear and the other close to each injector in turn. If you can very distinctly hear a regular and repetitive "tick" sound, the injector is operating. This doesn't mean fuel is passing through though, and any injector may be blocked. To access the injectors, simply remove the plastic cover which will expose them and the fuel rail. The injectors are quite easily removable, but requires a professional cleaning service since the jets are extremely small. It is not often the case that these become blocked since that would mean your fuel filter is not functioning.
Perhaps as a "cheap" service, you should add some injector cleaner into your fuel tank before going to the hassle of having the injectors cleaned and checked at greater cost. If you decide to tackle removal of the injectors, you can use injector cleaner to soak them in and gently agitate each injector in the cleaner. Don't use any pressurised air to attempt to blow through the injector as a means of cleaning !! The injectors have clips holding them to the fuel rail and will all come away with the fuel rail after removing the rail securing bolts. The injectors are held in position in the cylinder head by the fuel rail when bolted down. Each injector has a wiring connector attached which is similar to other electrical connectors with a slide locking mechanism holding the two components together. ie. you need to slide the locking mechanism out and then lift off the connector.
When you remove the cover over the injectors, carefully examine each injector seat / seal where they go into the cylinder head. If you see any sign of fuel leakage around any of these seals, it will require removal of the fuel rail and injectors to clean and fit new seals to all 6 injectors.

This link is worth reading to elaborate on the task....... http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techart ... cement.htm

As suggested, also check each plug coil for correct operation. If you remove the plugs, carefully check each one for colouration / oil contamination to satisfy yourself of any suspicious deposits. They should be dry -ie. no oil on the electrodes. Excessive oil can indicate an issue with valves or piston rings with oil bypassing the valves in the cylinder head or passing the piston in the sleeves. It is common to see a little oil around the threads of the plug though, so don't be concerned with that. Any sign of "wetness" should be checked. You must determine if it's oil or fuel. If it's fuel, it may be caused by fuel entering the piston chamber via the injector, but not being ignited. That will indicate the plug or coil not functioning by igniting the fuel. Finally, since your car has 6 individual throttle bodies, it may be worth checking the proper functioning of each throttle to ensure they are opening and closing as they should.

I assume you have checked all the rubber tube / hose parts around the MAF area for splits / leakages etc. Also have a look at the Crankcase ventilation valve to make sure it is not broken. It is responsible for balancing the pressure inside the lower end of the motor / crankcase. All these components have a bearing on the performance and smooth running of the engine.
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siwilson
Joined: Fri 19 Jun, 2009 09:54
Posts: 790

  M roadster S54
Location: Horley

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by siwilson »

Gazza wrote:I had a very similar problem after a period of non use, I started the car and left it idling whilst I gave it a wash n polish, switched it off and restarted and got the same symptoms as yours.

It turned out to be a duff coil pack. You can check by removing the plastic engine cover, there you will see the coil packs, release the holding clip on each one by one, you will hear the engine note change, if no change that will be the duff coil pack. You could check this further by swapping positions of the duff one and testing again. Be prepared it could be more than one or hopefully just a loose connection.

Coil packs are not expensive and available on Ebay.

+1

I had a coil pack die on the way to Gaydon a couple of years back. They are gettin old now and after millions of sparks it's no wonder they fail.

A code reader will also tell you what is going on.
2001 M roadster S54 Laguna Seca Blue
Daz
Joined: Tue 25 Nov, 2003 18:29
Posts: 78

  M roadster S54
Location: Wrotham

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Daz »

Thanks so much for you advice and experiences, all very much appreciated. I will let you know what happens when I get chance to check the coils etc.

I actually rather like the Audi Quattro like sound track but will be very happy when its all sorted.

Daz
andy & fonz
Joined: Tue 28 Jul, 2015 17:35
Posts: 71

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by andy & fonz »

hi
I have had the same trouble with my 2.2 just don't like being shunted about, I found that if after starting run the car at 1500 revs for a little then let tick over and then every now and again run up to 1500/2000 revs until warm I do not get the problem also run at the higher revs before switching off.
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
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  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Gazza »

andy & fonz wrote:hi
I have had the same trouble with my 2.2 just don't like being shunted about, I found that if after starting run the car at 1500 revs for a little then let tick over and then every now and again run up to 1500/2000 revs until warm I do not get the problem also run at the higher revs before switching off.

It's worth noting that any unburnt fuel is collecting in your exhaust system ready to go bang :wink:
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

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Alfie
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Joined: Thu 29 Apr, 2004 14:28
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  M roadster S54
Location: Broadchurch....

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Alfie »

Had a similar problem with RED some years ago whilst still under BMW warranty.
Engine went into limp mode on the way to work one morning, coughing, spluttering and powerless, but just about managed to get there.
The very nice man from BMW Assist came out and diagnosed a faulty coil pack.
He explained that if one has gone, the others might not be far behind, and having taken a shine to the car, he changed all six for no charge!
I used to moan lots about the spiraling cost of BMW warranty, but on that occasion, I got my money's worth!

Good luck with Charlotte.

A.
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Daz
Joined: Tue 25 Nov, 2003 18:29
Posts: 78

  M roadster S54
Location: Wrotham

Re: Charlotte not very well

Post by Daz »

After having to remove the strut brace and engine cover (only a 5minute job really) it would appear that no.5 coil pack is the culprit.
New one arrives tomorrow so we should be back to full health again.
Daz
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