EML light (E46)

[Dirichlet]

Here's the deal: I'm fed up (right pissed-off actually) because I've taken my car to a (unnamed) shop two times because it wouldn't run - both time having to be towed b/c it wouldn't even start. And, I'm still suffering the same problems. Both times the car (E46 323i) would go through a period of running fine for a few days (weeks) then start stalling. The car would (sometimes) restart from the stall fine. Other times it would start and immediately stall unless the gas pedal was held at appx 50%. The first time in the shop, they said, "oh, it's your mass air sensor, we can replace that and your car should be fine"... $500. The second time they claimed, even though the symptoms were the same (stalling, EML light and traction control light on, odd throttle response / limp-home mode), "oh, it's a totally different issue. It's your throttle control valve this time - it's stuck open, we can replace that and your car should be fine"... $600...
Well, I started my car today, and guess what... EML light and traction control light were on, and I had vitrually no throttle response for about 10 seconds - so it's still doing the same thing. The car decided it did want to take me to work, and somehow kicked out of whatever mode it was in (as it has done before).
Needless to say, I'm not going to take it back to that deal... oops, I mean anonymous car shop again, as I feel like they aren't fixing what's actually wrong w/ my car...
Any suggestions, advice, generel help (if you would like to donate your car to me out of pity, I would accept that too )
Thanks,
Colin

[AG]

Can you borrow a Peake code reader or head out to Autozone/Pep Boys and have the codes read? I'm not sure what's wrong, but from all the other E46 stalling issues I've read about, it sounds like either the intake cam shaft position sensor or the crankshaft position sensor is bad.

[SMOODY]

Colin,

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I encountered similar stalling issues in our 525iT. It ended up being the intake cam position sensor. I agree with AG, reading the codes out of the ECU should show the source of the problem. At least it did in my case.

Did the "auto shop" run a diagnostic on your car or just start replacing parts?

[Dirichlet]

I had the intake cam position sensor replaced around a year ago... so I don't think it's that. I also just assumed that the dealersh... (sorry, again, I mean local, unidentified shop) would have run a diagnostic to see what error codes would post - but who actually knows if they did...

[OwnedbyDuncan]

Undo the negative terminal of your battery and let car set over night. Then reconnect and enter appropriate codes. Sounds like the anonymous shop is just replacing stuff at your cost until they replace the right sensor etc. Is the car still under its EPA emissions warranty?

Find a good independent shop.


Why not name the shop? Its not like the service can get any worse.

Life was so much easier when cars had carbs

Dave Apker and the collies

[Dirichlet]

...Sounds like the anonymous shop is just replacing stuff at your cost until they replace the right sensor etc...

That's my impression too - a**holes...
Thanks for the battery terminal tip - I'll give that a try next time it starts crapping out. As far as waranty, nope - it's a 2000 w/ 118k on it.

[Barry]

Here's the deal: I'm fed up (right pissed-off actually) because I've taken my car to a (unnamed) shop two times because it wouldn't run - both time having to be towed b/c it wouldn't even start. And, I'm still suffering the same problems. Both times the car (E46 323i) would go through a period of running fine for a few days (weeks) then start stalling. The car would (sometimes) restart from the stall fine. Other times it would start and immediately stall unless the gas pedal was held at appx 50%. The first time in the shop, they said, "oh, it's your mass air sensor, we can replace that and your car should be fine"... $500. The second time they claimed, even though the symptoms were the same (stalling, EML light and traction control light on, odd throttle response / limp-home mode), "oh, it's a totally different issue. It's your throttle control valve this time - it's stuck open, we can replace that and your car should be fine"... $600...
Well, I started my car today, and guess what... EML light and traction control light were on, and I had vitrually no throttle response for about 10 seconds - so it's still doing the same thing. The car decided it did want to take me to work, and somehow kicked out of whatever mode it was in (as it has done before).
Needless to say, I'm not going to take it back to that deal... oops, I mean anonymous car shop again, as I feel like they aren't fixing what's actually wrong w/ my car...
Any suggestions, advice, generel help (if you would like to donate your car to me out of pity, I would accept that too )
Thanks,
Colin

Call my good friend Mike Sanderhoff at BMW of Fairfax. Tell him I referred you and tell him I said that if anyone could fix your car, he could.
Good Luck,
Barry

[pranu]

Colin:

While mine is an M3 - your problem seems to be eerily similar to the issue I had!

Check out the thread over at http://forum.nccbmwcca.org/showthread.php?t=1566 where I had posted some details.

Hope your can get your car up and running fine soon.