Lean Air - BMW Forum

chong325 · 12-22-2004, 11:40 PM

i have a 95 325i and have been driving with a check engine light lately. someone told me it was the o2 sensor so i had that changed and after resetting the check engine like, it came right back on when i was driving. someone mentioned that it could possibly be an air leak in the intake. and that i need to replace all 6 gauges in the intake manifold? which is in the engine block

i also noticed that it take forever for my car to warm up and bring the temp up to half way on the gauge. and when i start driving on the highway in higher speeds in the cold, it drops back down to the blue and the heater is blowing cooler air.

could all this be related to the same air leak problem???

also, couple days ago i noticed that when im driving at like 55 mph and its at about 2300 rpm, it makes this odd noise everytime i give it a little extra gas. it sounds like the bass of a subwoofer coming from the back of the car.

can anyone help???

Speedy-325is · 12-23-2004, 12:35 AM

yeah, the guys at a independant BMW shop....sounds like more than one thing...have them read your fault codes for $20.

sean · 12-23-2004, 12:43 AM

depending on what the weather is outside and how long you are driving it is quite normal for the engine temperature to drop back down. I have had this happen to me a few times while going skiing, or driving long distances. However the car shouldn't take that long to heat up, i am unsure of how long of a time period you are talking about, but going to an independent BMW shop as speedy suggested to get your fault codes read is not a bad idea.

jllphan · 12-23-2004, 01:14 AM

Yeah, sounds like you got a few problems.

As for your code, read it your self...{CLICK HERE}

As for the rear sound, do you have an auto or manual?

chong325 · 12-23-2004, 01:51 AM

i have a automatic.

it takes a while to warm up regardless of how cold it is outside. but when im doing city driving, it'll reach the middle and as soon as i go on the highway and start driving at higher speeds, it'll drop back to the blue area or right above the blue mark. it doesnt seem to matter how long i drive, its constantly doing this. but now with the chicago weather being so freakin cold, it doesnt even reach half way

abemcclellan · 12-23-2004, 04:39 AM

ghead holy shit! i got the same damn problem. does yours every tend to missfire?! mine seriously acts the same way, and i was going to take it in pretty soon to have it checked out. but my check engine light doesn't come on. so i dont know what the deal is. and i had people tell me that it was either my o2 sensor or a intake manifold gasket leak too. but please please post how you fix it.

abemcclellan · 12-24-2004, 01:37 AM

so i guess you haven't figured the problem out yet? well post if you find out. -Thanks

Ebb_N_Flow · 12-24-2004, 02:06 AM

to be honest it sounds like your thermostat is going out ..... just happened to me in my 94 legend ..... heat was taking forever to kick in car took forever to warm up .... turned out my thermostat was stuck open... changed it and havent had a problem since.. oh yea it was also causing my car to idle weird up and down between 1000 and 2000 till the car actually warmed up...
but i dunno im just stating this from recent exp with another model car this is a BMW after all so it could be a sensor something totally different ??????

abemcclellan · 12-24-2004, 02:43 AM

thats a very good point. i need to check my thermostat. it makes sense. if you guys have any other opinions please post.

chong325 · 01-05-2005, 02:40 AM

i haven't had a chance to get the problem fixed or figure out what is causing it. I just ordered new tie rods cuz that blew out and a new guibo cuz that looked pretty badly worn out. I'll get this fixed this weekend hopefully and find out. Ill post the results then.

Redbullrr · 01-23-2006, 07:47 AM

I have the same problem heat takes a long time to kick in, and if I'm not driving all I get is cool air. I jumped my fan to run at all times, I think my thermo is stuck in the open position. I'll keep you posted once replaced.

Gkamysz · 01-23-2006, 03:00 PM

Thermostat. Plain and simple.

The engine temperature should never drop below normal while driving. Why do people think that's normal?

The amount of fuel you burned over the past year while the engine warms up far exceeds the cost of replacing the thermostat. Just get it done.

Furious · 01-23-2006, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chong325

i have a 95 325i and have been driving with a check engine light lately. someone told me it was the o2 sensor so i had that changed and after resetting the check engine like, it came right back on when i was driving. someone mentioned that it could possibly be an air leak in the intake. and that i need to replace all 6 gauges in the intake manifold? which is in the engine block

you cant really say untill you get your code read, probably the o2 sensor, but i wouldnt go by anyones advice and start changing things untill your certain what it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chong325

i also noticed that it take forever for my car to warm up and bring the temp up to half way on the gauge. and when i start driving on the highway in higher speeds in the cold, it drops back down to the blue and the heater is blowing cooler air.

could all this be related to the same air leak problem???

this is your thermostat, stuck open, your waterpump circulates the coolant and the thermostat works kinda like a dam, it allows more or less coolant/water circulate through the engine, its stuck open , allowing max or more than normal coolant circulate through the engine, the reason its warm at idle is because the waterpump isnt working quite as hard, which allows, but when driving it starts to work harder thus over cooling the engine, this is bad long term, where as your fuel economy can go way down the tubes, and even longer term can make your car run rich (only hearsay).. but runnign rich can help contribute to burning out your o2 sensor or your cats etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chong325

also, couple days ago i noticed that when im driving at like 55 mph and its at about 2300 rpm, it makes this odd noise everytime i give it a little extra gas. it sounds like the bass of a subwoofer coming from the back of the car.

can anyone help???

this could be your guibo disk as you did say that it was pretty worn, when the guibo disk starts to fail , it will make a loud thumping noise when you give the car a hard throttle, almost sounds sometimes like you have a flat tire or subwoofer if it the problem is left long enough.

Redbullrr · 02-01-2006, 07:27 AM

Well, I just found out what the problem was. Head Gasket guys! Yeah that sucks. 2,000 in repairs. New Clutch and pressure plate, Flywheel resurfaced. New Head Gasket Head Resurfaced, Thermostat, waterpump, and coolant. I cant believe how much there charging me.