Rough Start and Yellow Engine Light On Dashboard! Bugger

E

Exactmax

Active member
Hi,

Left my car over the weekend after using it all of last week fine only to turn it on this morning and it REALLY struggled to turn over and once it had then it was struggling to run smoothly. It was kinda chugging at me! After a few seconds the engine light came on on the dashboard (yellow symbol of an engine not the red one). So after my balls shrivelled a bit I turned the engine off quickly!!!

I left it for a few mins while I scraped the ice off the car and started it up again, no warning lights but it was running rough and then slowly started to run smooth again. Drove off in it for an hour and its fine now! Any ideas what could be wrong?

Thanks in advance,
Max
 
Could it be one of the coil packs is on it's way out,i had similar symptons with my roadster and that was down to a coil pack hope that is of some help.
Hope it gets sorted :thumbsup:
 
That sounds super expensive! Would the onboard error codes show that there is a problem with the coil pack? I only ask as I need to get my Inspection 2 done asap.

Thanks for your help
 
May be a coil pack, a fault reader will let you know which cylinder is misfireing . a replacment coil pack will cost you around £30 .( thats fitting it yourself )
 
Sounds damp to me starts rough then ok. if it;s broke it wont correct it's self. Get out the old WD40 and give all under the bonnet a good soaking and let soak in, if this does not work something could be loose.
Hope it helps cheap enough might cure. fingers crossed. :roll:
 
A single coil pack is pretty reasonable and an easy DIY -- IF you know which one's bad. The trouble codes should still be stored even if the light is off again, should narrow down where the problem lies. Checking for any stored codes is part of either inspection service, btw.

Sounds more like a weak battery to me. If the DME gets weird, improbable signals from various sensors, it can go into limp mode. Once the sensor signals started making sense, it reverted to normal. You'll probably find several random trouble codes related to sensors.

In general, red means shut down and determine the cause immediately, yellow means you can continue on, but determine the cause ASAP. Considering how bad it ran, I probably would have shut it down too, even though just yellow.
 
Are there any tutorials on here on how to replace a coil pack? What is a coilpack anyway, sounds like something you should get with your new ikea mattress :P
I just got a quote from a local garage for an inspection 2 and they wanted £489.86 for the service. I think BMW are cheaper than that?
 
Just found this link and it's pretty much how it went this morning for me http://www.m3post.com/forums//showthread.php?t=657241
 
Coil pack is the individual pencil coil that sits above each spark plug to generate the necessary charge to create the spark. Fairly easy fix just need to know which one has a problem. Being damp can cause a problem on a coil pack that's on its way out which could explain the 'warm up - gets better' symptoms.
 
It's looking more and more like a naughty coil pack that's gone kaput! Is the diagnostic software the only way of finding out which is faulty?
 
Exactmax said:
Are there any tutorials on here on how to replace a coil pack? What is a coilpack anyway, sounds like something you should get with your new ikea mattress :P
I just got a quote from a local garage for an inspection 2 and they wanted £489.86 for the service. I think BMW are cheaper than that?
Click to expand...

I found this useful, http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1937
 
Exactmax said:
... Is the diagnostic software the only way of finding out which is faulty?
Click to expand...
The diagnostic computer will give you the most complete information. Any OBDII code reader will give you some information. Many auto parts stores can do this for you. There's two classes of codes, common to all cars and specific to BMW. You can usually figure out BMW codes by searching online, the code reader will often tell you what the common ones mean.
 
You need to get a fault reader on the car , this is what I use and for the diy mechanic with limited knowledge it is a great investment. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-fault-reader-code-scanner-diagnostic-tool-OBD-2-CAN-/230644533100?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item35b37c476c


Misfire codes, P0300 Cylinder misfire detected - Random cylinders
P0301 Cylinder misfire detected - Cylinder number 1
P0302 Cylinder misfire detected - Cylinder number 2
P0303 Cylinder misfire detected - Cylinder number 3
P0305 Cylinder misfire detected - Cylinder number 5
P0306 Cylinder misfire detected - Cylinder number 6

list of codes here : http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/bmw/
 
that happened to me over the weekend. Turns out it was the DISA valvewhich was breaking up. I'd check it cos if it goes bits of plastic and the retaining pin get sucked into the engine through the manifold - wreck the engine. Part cost £150 inc VAT and indie fitted fitted it for £22.00
 
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