E46 from Wellington

[dwnz 9]

Hey - signed up a few months ago and have been stalking since - thought it was time to introduce myself!

Picked up my first BMW, a 2000 E46 325i touring a couple of months ago. Got off to a rough start (literally, though still haven't 100% solved it) but have completely fallen in love with it.

 

Cheers,

Dan

[zero 1160]

Yuussssss!

e46 tourings are the best.

 

What problems were you having?

[Olaf 3235]

Hey Dan, welcome along, join the fray.

do take a look in the meetings room, we're getting together relatively frequently. If you're keen there's a roadie this Saturday.

nice looking touring, looking forward to hearing of your adventures/experiences.

[Kepes 231]

Ah yes, this has caught my eye many times around Kilbirnie/Rongotai. Really nice car and those wheels suit it well. Welcome!

[dwnz 9]

@zero - I've always been a big fan of wagons, was pretty stoked to get a straight 6 RWD one after a few Legacy's and stuff. The BMW just doesn't compare to the others though - always blows me away with how it drives. Had/still having rough idle issues. MAF died a few days after I got the car which caused havoc. Done plugs, filters, PCV and a few other bits and bobs already too. Am about to do some O2 sensors and see if that helps my slightly rough idle.

@Olaf - Cheers! Was having a nosey through there last night, will have another one this evening, see where the roadtrip is heading! Keen to meet up with some other beemer fans in Wellington at some point

@Kepes - Cheers! Bought the car off a guy from Kilbirnie, so might not be parked there so often anymore, though I do visit those areas frequently. The wheels (and low kms) were what sold it for me, haha, big fan of them 

 

[zero 1160]

Daniel, before you throw money at it check for vacuum leaks.

 

Do a smoke test to find the leak - there are a few common spots on these motors.

I made a smoke tester yesterday with an old pot with two holes drilled in the top for some tubing. I just put some incense sticks in the pot and blew the smoke through the engine.

 

Check your disa valve, and also clean the throttle body and icv.

[dwnz 9]

@zeroI like the idea of using incense - might give that a shot seeming as I am yet to do a smoke test (and was put off by using cigarettes as the internet suggested). Have a few bank 2 pre-cat O2 sensor errors, so thought I'd start there and swap that one out and if it fixes it, do the others. Car real beautifully smooth right up till the MAF went, so hoping it didn't take anything major out with it.

Took the intake boots, DISA, throttle body and ICV out and cleaned them all up, didn't make much difference. I have a spare (well, old) DISA in a box of stuff the guy gave me... Wonder if it's worth trying it

 

Cheers,
Dan

[allan 295]

Check out No 15,and 17 they are rubber caps on the back of the inlet manifold due to the heat they just disintegrate

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E46-Sedan/Europe/325i-M54/R-N/oct2000/browse/engine/intake_manifold_system/.

[Olaf 3235]

what are the codes telling you?  The BMWs have excellent diagnostic information - gathering the data, followed by accurate diagnosis, can save you a lot of time and effort.  

[Olaf 3235]

2 hours ago, zero said:

I made a smoke tester yesterday with an old pot with two holes drilled in the top for some tubing. I just put some incense sticks in the pot and blew the smoke through the engine.

 

18 minutes ago, dwnz said:

@zeroI like the idea of using incense - might give that a shot seeming as I am yet to do a smoke test

This!  C'mon Nathan, don't tease us.  We need the pics!  We need the write-up.

[dwnz 9]

@allan - will check those out tomorrow and report back, cheers! 

@Olaf - have INPA up and running + have used my mates auto sparky tools. Appear to get misfires across random cylinders, only one at a time, moves about depending on day. Have moved coils around to no avail. INPA is also reporting pre cat O2 sensor heating element failures which sometimes throws an engine light. Will plug into car tomorrow and see if what's stored

 

thanks heapsfor your help so far everyone, really appreciate it!

[zero 1160]

2 hours ago, dwnz said:

@zeroI like the idea of using incense - might give that a shot seeming as I am yet to do a smoke test (and was put off by using cigarettes as the internet suggested). Have a few bank 2 pre-cat O2 sensor errors, so thought I'd start there and swap that one out and if it fixes it, do the others. Car real beautifully smooth right up till the MAF went, so hoping it didn't take anything major out with it.

Took the intake boots, DISA, throttle body and ICV out and cleaned them all up, didn't make much difference. I have a spare (well, old) DISA in a box of stuff the guy gave me... Wonder if it's worth trying it

 

Cheers,
Dan

There is a test you can do with your finger on the disa to see if its working;

 

 

[dwnz 9]

Just pulled the DISA in the car out - might be at least part of my problem - looks like it's missing heaps of the seal compared to the spare one I have, it also doesn't snap back as quick as the spare one. Might plug it in, give it a test and see if it works. *fingers crossed*

 

 

Dan

[zero 1160]

The disa gasket is one of the most common vacuum leak locations too.

[dwnz 9]

Spent the morning playing with various parts of the intake - checked the little rubber things on the back of the inlet manifold, they're all good.

Buut

@zero, I think you were onto it with the DISA there - rebuilt the gasket (the electronics in the old one don't work) - and my idle is back to buttery smooth, even when in drive and my foot is on the brake when it normally shuddered a bit. Will see how it goes over the next few days... But... THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

Should also add that it appears there's way less... Air... rushing... When you undo the oil cap when car is running now too

Edited May 23, 2017 by dwnz
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[zero 1160]

I would still do a smoke test, and i would buy the little gaskets and seals that normally fail as they don't cost too much if you buy from overseas.

Things to check and replace if dry or worn are;

Disa gasket

Intake elbow and the second intake hose that sits between the elbow and the engine

Two small vacuum lines coming off the intake elbow - the little connector can get brittle and break.

Oil dipstick o-ring

Rubber plugs on back of intake

Brake booster vacuum hose

Secondary vacuum pump vacuum hose (not all cars have the secondary vacuum pump - a better option is to delete it and put a blanking plate over it)

 

There are others that I've probably forgotten.

I cant stress enough just how valuable a smoke test is.

I'll take some pics in the weekend of my homemade jobby.

[dwnz 9]

Will defo do the smoke test still - keen to see how you built yours! Hopefully get it running right once and for all (well, for a while at least). Have checked the intake elbow area - but will go over the rest on the weekend and see how everything else looks as the idle, whilst better now, still isn't quite 100%. Thanks again  

[TermiPeteNZ 1299]

Welcome Daniel and glad to hear the idle is sorted. Your wagon is a beaut - colour and wheel combo works. Look forward to meeting in the near future.

[zero 1160]

On 5/22/2017 at 10:07 PM, Olaf said:

 

This!  C'mon Nathan, don't tease us.  We need the pics!  We need the write-up.

So as not to hi-jack this thread Ive made a new one for the diy smoke tester;