WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? Please Help

[ajm325is]

]HI, I JUST GOT MY E36 1995 325IS COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND WHEN I POP THE HOOD, I NOTICE THIS (PICTURE ATTACHED) ZIP TIED ON MY INTAKE. I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS THIS. IT LOOK LIKE SOME KIND OF SENSOR TO ME. I'M SORRY THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HAVING BMW SO I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT YET. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS THIS AND WHAT DOES IT DO FOR MY CAR? SOMETIMES IT'S TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO START MY CAR AND SOMETIMES IT IDLE KIND OF FUNNY. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS THING OUT. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED PICTURE.

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by ajm325is

]HI, I JUST GOT MY E36 1995 325IS COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND WHEN I POP THE HOOD, I NOTICE THIS (PICTURE ATTACHED) ZIP TIED ON MY INTAKE. I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS THIS. IT LOOK LIKE SOME KIND OF SENSOR TO ME. I'M SORRY THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HAVING BMW SO I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT YET. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS THIS AND WHAT DOES IT DO FOR MY CAR? SOMETIMES IT'S TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO START MY CAR AND SOMETIMES IT IDLE KIND OF FUNNY. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS THING OUT. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED PICTURE.

That would be the stock air temp. sensor......from the stock intake muffler!

[basrite]

AJM,

As Johnny said, its a sensor. It is screwed into the factory air box to measure the temperature of the intake air.

I believe it adjusts waterflow to the throttle body assembly to heat it up in very cold conditions.

Eratic starting and bad idle could be caused by a dirty MAF sensor. Thats the round thing with a wiring harness plugged into it just up from your air filter. Oil soaked air filters can cause it to behave erratically, and with age they eventually die anyway. Try cleaning the sensor, but be very careful its a very high precision bit of electronics.

I used metho on mine :P

J.

[vincentmb615]

thats the air temp sensor you can drill a hole in the intake snorkel and silicone it in there its what tells coolant to flow thru the throttle body erractic idle maybe a dirty icv (idle control valve) and long cranks means you may have a failing crankshaft sensor or camshaft sensor i would also invest in a head shield for that intake