Stall then not starting. Diagnostic help needed!
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:01 pmI hope that someone can help me. I have a 1992 325i with 86K miles and have had it for about 4 years. It is in great condition, except one problem that creeps up and has gotten worse over the last few months. I am not a mechanic and have had my car at the mechanic several times and no one seems to be able to diagnose her! Please help!
Problems:
She starts fine when the engine is cold, but after she runs and then is shut off she won't start again unless I continuously crank and floor the gas pedal. On occasion that doesn't even work and I have to wait until she is cold again before she will start.
Sometimes she stalls after an idle. For instance, she may start fine after work, but if I get caught at a stop light when the light turns green and I press the gas to accelerate she will die...in the middle of the road. Once again, she will only start after this if I continue to crank and have the gas pedal to the floor.
If I am able to get her at highway speeds for a few minutes, she won't stall when stopped after that.
Possible Symptoms
Irregular idle. At a stop she will rev up on her own and then drop down on her own. When she does this I know that she will stall or refuse to start soon.
"Brake light circuit"? Whenever this warning shows up, she seems to have problems soon after. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the brake lights. Not sure if this is even related.
What's been misdiagnosed:
Throttle Control Valve...was replaced 3 years ago. Never solved the problem.
Not the fuel pump.
Crankshaft Sensor...was the diagnosis last week, but am told that it isn't the problem. The shop still has my car.
My current research:
I have spent the last few days searching and this does not seem to be an isolated incident. Some possible fixes that I would like your opinions on are-
1. Ignition Module
2. Integrated Supply Module (IVM)
3. MAF
The tech where my car is currently said that it isn't throwing any codes.
My former mechanic who was a BMW guy (I recently moved) thought that it was something electrical but he couldn't pin point it because the car only acted up intermittently.
It's really a beautiful car with very low miles and I really can't afford to get anything else right now. Has anyone seen or heard of this problem with this model before and can maybe help point my mechanic in the right direction?
ANY HELP is appreciated. Thanks!
Problems:
She starts fine when the engine is cold, but after she runs and then is shut off she won't start again unless I continuously crank and floor the gas pedal. On occasion that doesn't even work and I have to wait until she is cold again before she will start.
Sometimes she stalls after an idle. For instance, she may start fine after work, but if I get caught at a stop light when the light turns green and I press the gas to accelerate she will die...in the middle of the road. Once again, she will only start after this if I continue to crank and have the gas pedal to the floor.
If I am able to get her at highway speeds for a few minutes, she won't stall when stopped after that.
Possible Symptoms
Irregular idle. At a stop she will rev up on her own and then drop down on her own. When she does this I know that she will stall or refuse to start soon.
"Brake light circuit"? Whenever this warning shows up, she seems to have problems soon after. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the brake lights. Not sure if this is even related.
What's been misdiagnosed:
Throttle Control Valve...was replaced 3 years ago. Never solved the problem.
Not the fuel pump.
Crankshaft Sensor...was the diagnosis last week, but am told that it isn't the problem. The shop still has my car.
My current research:
I have spent the last few days searching and this does not seem to be an isolated incident. Some possible fixes that I would like your opinions on are-
1. Ignition Module
2. Integrated Supply Module (IVM)
3. MAF
The tech where my car is currently said that it isn't throwing any codes.
My former mechanic who was a BMW guy (I recently moved) thought that it was something electrical but he couldn't pin point it because the car only acted up intermittently.
It's really a beautiful car with very low miles and I really can't afford to get anything else right now. Has anyone seen or heard of this problem with this model before and can maybe help point my mechanic in the right direction?
ANY HELP is appreciated. Thanks!