# Car has no power..



## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Hello everone i need help, i was driving last nite and all of a sudden the car seemed like it barely wants to move(no power) i barley made it home and my engine lite came on, now when i start the car it idles terrible and still has no power at all..what could it be? could it be the air flow meter? its a 1993.


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

OK 42 views and still no replys..Ok heres what shes doin now. Now its seems like i have no gas in the car it starts and just shuts rite back off, if I give her gas she putts and stalls it maybe the feul filters on the car someone said if its cloged it would do that, I found out that it has 2 feul filters but the auto parts store has just one so i checked both and one seemed clogged so i replaced that one but the car still runs the same. someone also suggested the it maybe the idle control valve, im tryin to avoid goin to the dealer because as u know they are very costly. Or could it be bad gas, i put some STP gas treatment in there also but still no change.


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## ///MLover (Aug 5, 2005)

Hello 740iBimmer

Sorry to hear the band news... My brother-in-law has a 1995 740il he had the same problem as you and the problem was the mass air flow sensor... We had cleaned it with starting fluid and shook it to dry faster then put it back in. Then disconnect the battery for about a minute or so then turn on the car and drive it hopefully that would fix your problem.NOW LOOK this is hat i tried i am not telling you to do this so consult with other people before you try beause mass air flow sensors are VERY costly.


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Ok , can u tell me where this mass air flow meter is? Ill repllace that first.


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Ok i found it ,its rite on top connected to a long rubber tube.


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## ///MLover (Aug 5, 2005)

*How did it go?*

hey 740iBimmer,

Please keep me updated of what had happened...

Hope it works.. :rofl:


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

OK here we go. I did what u said to do and the car started up and the engine lite went off, i was happy but as i was driving to the dealer she started to have the same simptums so i said its probaly the air flow meter goin bad again so i get to the dealer and buy the part and i pull off on the side of the street and install the new air flow meter, and as im driving the engine lite never goes off this time and on my way home it stops completely, it was moving like 2 mph and it was putting, so i turn it off and try to start her and it sounded like before like i have no gas in the car. so im like da** it wasnt the airflow meter, so why the h*** did it start up and run ok? all i did was un hook the battery and spray the air flow meter, so im standed and i say let me un hook the battery again for about 10 min. so i did that and it started rite up with no problems at all the engine lite went off and everything and i made it home im puzzled as ever now. somethin is happenig when i un hook the battery and plug it back in. :dunno:


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## ///MLover (Aug 5, 2005)

Usually the older model of BMW's make a log entry in its computer that the mass air flow meter is not getting ay air (because it is dirty). So the car wouldnt try at all to move  at all. Thats why when you change the battery it usually clear out the log. Im glad that it had worked....


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Now im afraid to drive the car anywhere now. I really have to find out whats wrong with this car.


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## DanT (Apr 14, 2003)

It makes no sense to me that you are afraid of taking the car to a mechanic to have the problem diagnosed but you will run and buy an expensive component like an air mass meter on nothing more than an uneducated guess. An hour of diagnosis even at the dealer is still much cheaper than an airmass meter. Honestly im not trying to bad mouth you but rather talk some sense in to you. Have the fault codes read. If you dont want to pay a mechanic to do it I hear Autozone does it for free. If the check engine lamp is on or has been on and went off then a fault code is definitely stored. This code will help guide you to the problem. If you just continue to throw parts at the problem using guesses and suggestions from people on the forum who have never even seen your car then Im pretty confident that you are going to spend more money than if you had just paid a good technician to diagnose the problem. Already you have wasted a few hundred dollars on a part that you did not need. Im all for saving $$ with DIY and getting help from the forum but when it comes to diagnosing problems you have to go about it logically and use a specific process. STEP 1 Get the codes read. Once you know what faults are stored then you can make a decision as to whether or not you want to make an educated guess and install a part or maybe leave the diagnosis to a professional. If you decide to seek professional help then when the technician calls you and tells you what the problem is you can once again decide, Do I want to do this myself or pay him to fix it. If your not sure then ask people on here for advise once you are armed with some more knowledge of what the fault code is, what the shop is wanting to charge etc etc. 
Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can get the problem fixed as quickly and cheaply as possible.

DT


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Ok who on here wouldnt try to figure it out on their own first before taking it somewhere ? second i love to work on my own car sometimes thats how we learn about or cars, 3rd Autozone wont diagnose anycar that older than a 1996, so tomorrow ill break down and take it to this lil shop that does diagnostics. Im just pissed that i couldnt figure it out myself and the bimmer experts on here had no ideas(besides PWNED). thanks anyway


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## AutoXer (Oct 21, 2004)

Sorry about the problem with your car. But we just don't have enough information to give you any proper guidance to solve your problem. It can be a number of things that lead to loss of power including defective fuel pump, clogged fuel filter, leaky vacuum hoses, clogged CAT, faulty computer, intake manifold, and so I think it's hard for the members of this forum to even make a guess at it. Good luck.


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

AutoXer said:


> Sorry about the problem with your car. But we just don't have enough information to give you any proper guidance to solve your problem. It can be a number of things that lead to loss of power including defective fuel pump, clogged fuel filter, leaky vacuum hoses, clogged CAT, faulty computer, intake manifold, and so I think it's hard for the members of this forum to even make a guess at it. Good luck.


Yeah i know i was doing research on my problem and it could be a number of things just as u said..trust me i do understand what yall are saying.


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## AutoXer (Oct 21, 2004)

740iBimmer said:


> Yeah i know i was doing research on my problem and it could be a number of things just as u said..trust me i do understand what yall are saying.


Best of luck to you, but do let us know when you solve the problem; and I know that you will figure it out. We all do ... eventually. It's probably just going to be a small part that failed. :thumbup:


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## iove75 (Sep 10, 2004)

Have you checked the ignition coils? A couple of bad ignition coils will cause loss of power and a rough idle. I don't know if your car has that or not but worth checking out.


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Ok i finally have her fixed turns out it was 3 bad relays two under the hood and one under the dash, and he said i really needed a tune up. so it wasnt all that bad after all.thanks for all ur help...


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## ///MLover (Aug 5, 2005)

*Good*

Hello there,

Im glad that it was fixed.. Soryy for the problem.

Thanks
-Pwned :rofl:


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## AutoXer (Oct 21, 2004)

740iBimmer said:


> Ok i finally have her fixed turns out it was 3 bad relays two under the hood and one under the dash, and he said i really needed a tune up. so it wasnt all that bad after all.thanks for all ur help...


Good job :thumbup: Now you can enjoy the car again


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## Iceman540 (Jul 20, 2005)

I am having the exact same problem in my 1998 540iA. What relays did you replace exactly?? I realize these are two different engines, but it may help some.

Thanks!
Ben


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## 740iBimmer (Jun 5, 2004)

Sorry i havent been on lately but ive been pissed because the relays that the shop replaced did not fix my car.. i just got tired of all the people that said they were goin to fix it or said they could fixed, and i took her to the dealer if u still are having the problem let me know and ill tell u all the things the dealer replaced. anyway the car rides almost like new now.


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