Hello and Gutless 2.2

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Tue 06 Mar, 2012 21:25

Hi
I am new to Z3's having bought my 2001 2.2 sport 3 weeks ago, parked it on the drive until last week, taxed it and straight out on the 1st to find it gutless!!!
Read the forum, spoke to my 'friendly' indy who basically said serves you right but its the MAF sensor after driving it.
Went home read the forum again bought a camshaft exhaust sensor, fitted it in 10 minutes and wow its great!! goes really well now.

Fixed the passengers seat up and down as the gearbox had got stuck at the end of its travel in the up position, now works well.

Next project is the rear wishbone bushes, ordered polyflex bushes off ebay for £33 the pair awaiting delivery hopefully this will cure the wandering all over country roads etc.

Nice to read all of your posts!

Chris

whiteminks · Post by **whiteminks** » Tue 06 Mar, 2012 21:39

Chris, the other thing with the Zeds' is that they thrive on high revs. Get it in 2nd gear and take it up into the 5's for some real action.

simonbud100 · Post by **simonbud100** » Tue 06 Mar, 2012 22:00

Hi Chris, guess you have the old tramlining issue, it's very common on these cars. Most people will say that the biggest cause of tramlining is tyres. On my old car I changed tyres, ball joints and fitted powerflex bushes and a strut brace. All helped a little bit, but nothing completely cured the problem.

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 19:47

Hi whiteminks

I was starting to think that, it does help! I have got use to driving diesels with 6 gears, quite a different approach!

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 19:50

Hi Simonbud100

I will start with the powerflex bushes and see how it goes as the tyres are nearly new, I was giving a lad in a souped up corsa a run for his money at the time so was up to 80ish!!! I will bear in mind your comments. Thanks

Chris

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 19:54

hi and welcome, I have a 2001 2.2 titanium edition and when i bought mine with 35k on it, it too felt gutless. first to change was air filter - must have been really clogged - put k & n panel in but last night fitted k & n induction kit. also changed plugs for iridium tipped which helps. just out of interest, where did you get your cam sensor from and how much? might be time for me to change mine!!!

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 20:05

Chriz3 wrote:Hi whiteminks

I was starting to think that, it does help! I have got use to driving diesels with 6 gears, quite a different approach!

That's my issue: I've recently got a 320d Touring as a company car (replaced a gutless 120PS A4 Tdi) and initially it felt quiet nippy, but then I've been driving around in my Z3 3.0 the last few days and providing it's over about 3-3,500rpm it really goes. I don't think I've any issues with sensors, but I think-like you-I'm used to the low end torque of a diesel. It's just a matter of adjusting your driving style a bit I reckon.

I'm going to check the air filter on mine when I get chance. In fact I'm tempted to do an inspection 2 type service anyway as I can't find a receipt to confirm when the plugs were last changed...I was surprised how expensive they are though, as I've not paid for car parts for a good few years due to the company car, plus I only needed 4 plugs for my RS2000 and they were the old fashioned simple single electrode type.

EDIT: I meant to say 'hello and welcome' too.

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 20:09

Hi Pedro20001
I got the cam sensor from gsf car parts, there was a choice of cheaper one or oe quality for £32 which is the one i got, air filter is standard and quite new and looks ok!
Might look at the plugs soon as it seems they can make quite a difference! Whats it like with the k&n, and the induction kit?

Chris

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 20:13

Hi OldskoolRS

I will try the driving style tomorrow when I go out, I definately got used to pulling away at 1500rpm in the diesel. I too am noticing the cost of parts as I havent paid for any for many years.

Thanks to all for the welcome!

Chris

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 22:36

cheers for that. the plugs are ngk , can't remember off the top of my head the part no, but i know they were the more expensive ones; my local garage quoted £10.80 each!! got a set of 6 off ebay for £32 delivered. the induction kit was £69 inc delivery from ebay, mjfilters and although it's a real fiddle to fit about an hour, it looks good and does make a difference, although there isn't quite as much growl as i would like.! The good thing about the 2.2 is the twin pipes of the exhaust that runs the full length of the car, they don't half pop and rumble !!!!!! I too have just bought some powerflex rear wishbone bushes along with some new lemforder wishbones, next job on the list, feel free to ask any questions and have fun!!!!!

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Wed 07 Mar, 2012 22:50

Pedro, have you got a link for the plugs? Are they the same on the 3.0 as most parts I've seen seem to say 2.0/2.2/3.0?

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Sat 10 Mar, 2012 21:36

hi chris, how's the car going? when you said it still doesn't feel quite as good as it should, what sort of symptoms have you got, ( bloody hell - i sound like a doctor

)

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Sun 11 Mar, 2012 18:12

Hi Pete

Been out in her today, and she definately hasnt got the power that you would expect, just feels like its holding back most of the time then sometimes it seems ok.

I think I will probably try the inlet camshaft sensor next!

gave her a good wash and polish in the sun today looks good, and took the wife out with the roof down, she enjoyed it to!

Chris

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Sun 11 Mar, 2012 22:26

glad to hear you are enjoying your zed, been a fine weekend. does sound like inlet sensor based on other posts, mine is probably same as yours; had it a few months but never felt that quick. i then changed air filter and it made a big difference but now still feels like no real grunt even with k & n induction kit. mine has just turned 43k and am thinking of changing sensors. let me know how you get on, hopefully you will get it sorted and can enjoy it properly

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Sun 11 Mar, 2012 22:31

Do these sensors not cause any lights on the dash if they fail? I think mine is probably fine, but it does need to hit 3,500 before it suddenly takes off, like a switch has been thrown. Below that it feels quite flat, if that is typical or a symptom? I'm tempted to buy new sensors, if they aren't too expensive, to see if it has even more power low down.

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Sun 11 Mar, 2012 23:05

from what i can gather after reading lots of other posts is they don't always give a code or a light. it seems they can play up intermittently causing poor starting, bad idle and loss of power. looking throught the posts there is a pic of existing and replacement sensors from bmw and they increased the size of the sensor area so it would appear bmw were aware of issues. i may have to explore a bit more

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Mon 12 Mar, 2012 00:03

Mine starts and idles perfectly even when cold, so maybe there isn't any issue with mine (other than I'm greedy for more power already

). Maybe not worth me shelling out the money just yet then.

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Mon 12 Mar, 2012 11:01

that's where i am at the moment, i don't mind spending a few quid if it makes a difference.........that might explain why i am waiting for my strut brace to be delivered today

even though my 2.2 is not a sport ( titanium edition) it was specced with lsd and mtec suspension and i must admit its quite jittery on uneven roads so am thinking of eibach springs to both lower and improve ride quality. maybe we should have bought a 3.0

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Mon 12 Mar, 2012 21:46

Mine normally starts very well, especially when cold but sometimes when hot churns over a lot before it starts and when it does this it is accompanied by a hesitation when pulling away from standstill and even stalling, but all the time it has this feeling of lack of power! So will try the inlet sensor as soon as I can get to town to get one, and then the plugs from pedro's eBay supplier. It's all quite intermittent, but still was great fun cruising yesterday.

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Mon 12 Mar, 2012 22:56

pedro20001 wrote:that's where i am at the moment, i don't mind spending a few quid if it makes a difference.........that might explain why i am waiting for my strut brace to be delivered today even though my 2.2 is not a sport ( titanium edition) it was specced with lsd and mtec suspension and i must admit its quite jittery on uneven roads so am thinking of eibach springs to both lower and improve ride quality. maybe we should have bought a 3.0

Mine is the 3.0, but I figured the sensors, etc would have a similar effect on both models. I was going to put a brace on mine, but someone mentioned insurance and I had enough hassle sorting out cover (company car driver in the week) so I'll leave it for now. I'm just going to rebush and change the wishbones as mine has (AFAIK) the standard suspension.

EDIT: Chriz3 sounds like you have an issue rather than my perceived lack of power. At least the sensors aren't too expensive, but buying lots of different ones could end up costly. I'd be checking the plugs first unless your service history shows them being replaced recently.

Zed Carer · Post by **Zed Carer** » Tue 13 Mar, 2012 07:41

Chriz3 wrote:Mine normally starts very well, especially when cold but sometimes when hot churns over a lot before it starts and when it does this it is accompanied by a hesitation when pulling away from standstill and even stalling, but all the time it has this feeling of lack of power! So will try the inlet sensor as soon as I can get to town to get one, and then the plugs from pedro's eBay supplier. It's all quite intermittent, but still was great fun cruising yesterday.

Camshaft sensor faults normally cause problems when starting from cold together with other symptoms; e.g. hesitant in mid range, etc. Have you checked the inlet pipes between the MAF and manifold? There is a small offshoot off the bottom of the main pipe just before the manifold that has a tendency to develop cracks and small splits - it can be a bit awkward to find. This lets unmetered air into the intake manifold, usually no fault codes are shown and causes many of the symtoms that you describe. Not sure if it is the same with a 2.2 but the 2.8 is as gentle as a lamb up to 3,000rpm but from there on it's constant power right through to the red line

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Tue 13 Mar, 2012 20:26

The last owner had a full service which included plugs only a few thousand miles ago, so i have assumed they are ok, but i had better check that they are the correct ones.4
i said to the indy mechanic that it sounded a bit like an airleak around the maf sensor but he said they all sound like that, but i think that i should remove everything and check the pipes,

thanks for the guidance, it is so useful.

Chris

Checked the invoice for plugs and found the previous owner had denso K20TXR plugs fitted so have ordered the NGK BKR6EQUP off ebay at just under £30 the set.

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Wed 14 Mar, 2012 19:18

Well, decided to investigate pipes this afternoon, so removed the air filter box the maf sensor and pipes couldnt find anything wrong then looked more closely at the pipe from the sensor to the throttle and found a big hole.
There is a small pipe teeing of from this pipe and it had completely perished into a large hole, so well done zed carer.

Went to BMw and ordered a new pipe £10, oh and had to order a new pipe from the header tank to the rad that runs over the air filter as it was totally brittle and broke when i moved it over. £20.00 for this one.

Cant wait to try it with the new parts fitted!

Thanks everyone

Chris

Zed Carer · Post by **Zed Carer** » Wed 14 Mar, 2012 20:48

ChrisZ3: most people have just found a split in the small pipe so looks like you are the first to have the whole pipe disappear - at least it made it easier to find

I think that you're the 3rd one so far this year to have had the problem but fortunately as you've found out it's not an expensive fix. Hopefully you Zed will feel a lot better when the new pipes are on.

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Thu 15 Mar, 2012 20:53

Hi all

If this works here is the 1st picture of the car, and a picture of the hose.

Chris

DSCF0269.JPG

DSCF0267.JPG

Zed Carer · Post by **Zed Carer** » Thu 15 Mar, 2012 21:19

Chriz3 wrote:Hi all

If this works here is the 1st picture of the car, and a picture of the hose.

Chris

By the look of that hose I think that you have definitely found the problem

Have fun.

Del · Post by **Del** » Thu 15 Mar, 2012 21:46

A perished/broken rubber boot between the MAF sensor and intake system is a very common fault. As zed carer has pointed out, it causes extra “unmetered” air in the system which will lead to a weak fuel mixture and lack of power. It can cause starting problems and rough running as well.

I’m probably stirring up a hornets nest on this forum but I would not personally fit a non-standard air filter of the type mentioned as many experts are of the opinion they can contaminate the sensitive MAF sensor elements over time. I’m not convinced that non-OEM air filters and posh spark plugs make much difference over normal OEM, good condition ones.

Personally, I’ve experienced more noticeable performance issues by having the wrong engine oil (sticking valve lifters and misfiring) and found that switching to something like Mobil 0W-40 made a tremendous improvement (1.9 M44 engine) – I wouldn’t have previously believed this myself.

pedro20001 · Post by **pedro20001** » Fri 16 Mar, 2012 14:29

That should sort it out !! let me know how the car feels after replacing the hose. i had a look at mine and all looks good at first glance but i guess without removal there could be a split hiding underneath ! Hopefully you will be able to fully enjoy your new car

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Sun 25 Mar, 2012 19:47

Well the hose was changed and that got rid of most of the problems, but I felt it was still a bit fluffy from 1000 to 3000 revs. So this morning swapped the camshaft inlet sensor and the plugs and I now have a perfect running car, she pulls smoothly from 1000 to the red line and I am so happy, went for a long ride this afternoon in the sun roof down with the wife and we both loved it. it took me about an hour to do both and was fairly easy to do.

thanks again everyone see you all at silver stone.

Chris

OldskoolRS · Post by **OldskoolRS** » Sun 25 Mar, 2012 21:10

Glad you got it sorted out in the end.

Out of interest how many miles has it got on it? I ask because I was thinking about replacing my plugs, but the car has 62,000 miles and the manual says change the plugs at 100,000 miles. I can't see any receipt or record to say it has been done, so AFAIK it's running the original plugs (perhaps like yours). I still feel my 3.0 is a little flat below 3,000rpm for such a big engine.

Hope to see you at Silverstone too (just waiting on a confirmed date for a mate's Stag do).

Badman gee · Post by **Badman gee** » Mon 26 Mar, 2012 07:38

pleased you got it sorted chris.

mark

Devon Z · Post by **Devon Z** » Mon 26 Mar, 2012 09:16

Chriz3 wrote:Well the hose was changed and that got rid of most of the problems, but I felt it was still a bit fluffy from 1000 to 3000 revs. So this morning swapped the camshaft inlet sensor and the plugs and I now have a perfect running car, she pulls smoothly from 1000 to the red line and I am so happy, went for a long ride this afternoon in the sun roof down with the wife and we both loved it. it took me about an hour to do both and was fairly easy to do.

thanks again everyone see you all at silver stone.

Chris

Out of interest where did you get your senser from? if It was GSF car paets was it the £28 or £58 one?

Steve

Chriz3 · Post by **Chriz3** » Thu 29 Mar, 2012 18:30

Hi Steve
Both my sensors came from GSF car parts, i went for the oE parts, but i paid £42+Vat, I asked for some trade discount and the lad gave me some!

The car is still running great!!

Chris

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