M-Series (M1, M3, M5, M6)General M-Series Discussion - If it does not fit into a more specific M Category above, please place it in here. In addition, previously archived M-Series discussion is located in this section.
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Hi everyone i'm kinda new to the forum and so excuse me if this is a repost. But I own a black 1997 m3 E36 and there have been a couple of problems.
First off the Check Engine light has been on for the past couple of hundred of miles. I went to auto zone to check up since they have a free check thing. They told me there were 3 problems. P0442, which reads that there is a small leak in the evaporative emission control system (AKA the gas cap being loose too) P1250, which reads a PRC Solenoid Circuit Malfunction. And P0306, which reads that there is a misfire in cylinder 6. At first this game me no problems, but eventually this has caused a number of problems. I seem to have noticed that there has been a slight studder at 3-4000 RPMs. The engine seems to sputter and lag for a split second before getting into the high revs. I went to my local BMW dealership and just went up there to ask what I should do and he said try changing the spark plugs. And they recommended Bosch platinum +2. So we went to autozone once again and bought the spark plugs and installed. The car ran the same and so we are left with this. I just would like some help on what to do here
Here are the symtoms.
1.The car studders around 3-4000 RPMs every time, every gear.
2. After driving the car fast, the studdering appears to happen throughout all the RPMs.
3. After turning off the car, and waiting about 5 seconds or so the car seems to go back to normal and drive like its brand new.
Well when you are dealing with problems such as yours.. .I would exhaust all thoughtfull problems before I finally took it to the dealer.. which I hope we dont have to do in your case.. (I've owned my 97 M3 for almost 5 years.. and havnt been to the dealer yet.. "knock on wood")
First... put in exactly the correct plugs... Bosch FGR8KQC NJK also make a equal OEM plug. I would use this type of plug only due to its spark rate and its ratings. The ignition on BMWs in my opinion and experiance is very picky on what it gives spark on.
Secondly I would get a good fuel injector cleaner.. I use Lucas fuel system stuff between oil changes (for time interval) and I use Techron injector cleaner directly after an oil change.
Third I would take a look at your plug wires... leading to the coil packs. The rubber lines are often burned and or worn and cracked over time. Depending upon how many miles your car has been through it is always a good idea (Its said that ever 60 months) to check your wires with an ohmmeter. Excessive resistance will cause a misfire for sure. Your resistance should be between 4500 and 5500 ohms.
Hope some of this helped and or opened good helpfull ideas for you,
P0442, which reads that there is a small leak in the evaporative emission control system
the gas cap was loose and set the light off. no worries about that just tightent cap better next refill your tank.
P1250, which reads a PRC Solenoid Circuit Malfunction.
not exactly sure what the PRC is i will check up on that.
P0306, which reads that there is a misfire in cylinder 6.
You have to replace all your ignition coils. If you have the original ones in (Bosch) there is a recall on them so bring the car there and ask for the coil recall. If you are somewhat car inclined take your coils out and see if there is a silver coating around the coils. if there is than you have the Bosch ones and get them replaced.
Originally posted by n0fear@Nov 26 2004, 02:52 PM Hi everyone i'm kinda new to the forum and so excuse me if this is a repost. But I own a black 1997 m3 E36 and there have been a couple of problems.
First off the Check Engine light has been on for the past couple of hundred of miles. I went to auto zone to check up since they have a free check thing. They told me there were 3 problems. P0442, which reads that there is a small leak in the evaporative emission control system (AKA the gas cap being loose too) P1250, which reads a PRC Solenoid Circuit Malfunction. And P0306, which reads that there is a misfire in cylinder 6. At first this game me no problems, but eventually this has caused a number of problems. I seem to have noticed that there has been a slight studder at 3-4000 RPMs. The engine seems to sputter and lag for a split second before getting into the high revs. I went to my local BMW dealership and just went up there to ask what I should do and he said try changing the spark plugs. And they recommended Bosch platinum +2. So we went to autozone once again and bought the spark plugs and installed. The car ran the same and so we are left with this. I just would like some help on what to do here
Here are the symtoms.
1.The car studders around 3-4000 RPMs every time, every gear.
2. After driving the car fast, the studdering appears to happen throughout all the RPMs.
3. After turning off the car, and waiting about 5 seconds or so the car seems to go back to normal and drive like its brand new.
To anyone that helps me i am very thankful.
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I would definitely change the spark plug wires first off...
I used to have a camaro that would burn up wires all the time and give the exact same symptoms. I know its not a BMW, but its still a combustion engine.
I wouldnt be surprised if that fixes it. you are probably getting the emissions error code because there is one cylinder that isn't firing properly which means the gas isn't being burned properly. I wonder if you have noticed it smelling like gas or fumes.
Avoid the dealership at all costs...you know what it will do to your wallet.
Originally posted by 69Mach1351c@Nov 30 2004, 08:12 PM P0442, which reads that there is a small leak in the evaporative emission control system
the gas cap was loose and set the light off. no worries about that just tightent cap better next refill your tank.
P1250, which reads a PRC Solenoid Circuit Malfunction.
not exactly sure what the PRC is i will check up on that.
P0306, which reads that there is a misfire in cylinder 6.
You have to replace all your ignition coils. If you have the original ones in (Bosch) there is a recall on them so bring the car there and ask for the coil recall. If you are somewhat car inclined take your coils out and see if there is a silver coating around the coils. if there is than you have the Bosch ones and get them replaced.
i have a 98 e36 m3 and it has been giving me the same problems i have just changed the spark plugs and it didnt help i also need help with it . my check like turns off after a couple days but when i gun it the problems come back and the check engine comes back on. when u find out what was wrong please let me know
ok, here's what I have found out so far...
Somebody put the wrong spark plugs in, so I regaped the plugs and some of the studder went away, but the check engine light was still on. At 5psi of boost, the studder was pretty much gone, but at 9psi, it was still there really bad. I scanned it with an OBD2 scanner and it came up with like 4 misfiring cylinders. I have come to the conclusion that the coils are bad. My customer ordered the coils, so I am just waiting on them to show up at my shop. I will let you know what happens when I put the new coils and plugs in.
I've had the same P0442 "small Evap system leak" for a few weeks and the fuel cap isn't the answer. Any ideas on where the likely places are to start leak-checking? How extensive is the evap system in the M3 and are there places that can't be accessed (such as above the gas tank)?
Any ideas or experiences welcome. I'd rather try to solve this myself since the I/M status monitors take a good long series of drives to return to Ready after any repair attempt.
I dont really know much about M3s but there is also a possiblity that if your wires are out of the orginal manufactuers loom that the spark going through the wire finds an easy path to ground through a wire that isnt on compression. As my teacher at Dunwoody told me "Voltage is lazy, it takes the easiest path it can"
just a thought.... it could even be just jumping to the block if the wires insulation is slightly worn down
My M3 is currently doing something similar. At about 3-4000 revs you can hold the accelerator down, slowly accelerating and it feels as if something is slipping, and it chugs in 1st/2nd gear.
My brother is a mechanic and he found that the secondary fuel pump fuse had blown, this fixed the majority of the problem, but it still happens every now and then. It seriously handicaps the acceleration of the car, but in higher gears, it doesnt bother it.
I'd also like to see what solution Jesse's coils come up with
I replaced all of the ignition coils with upgraded "Plasma" coils and the studder is gone (even at 10 psi of boost). Also, check your spark plugs out. You may want to replace them also, but make sure the gap is correct.
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