Stupid check engine light!!!!

[Dugas.mike]

I was wondering if anyone here knows if the box after the air intake boot on a 1992 318IS is a MAF? also if it is it it possible to deconstruct it and clean it out? if its not the MAF what is it and where is the MAF? also if anyone has any idea why my car would run rough (kind of like a deisel....... putt putt purrrrr putt putt purr .........) and the service engine light would be on please give me your suggestions. I have just replaced the whole cooling system and the car is not over heating anymore, and i have heat inside, I also got new plug wires and checked the coil packs, i checked the exhaust and there is a leak in the gasket after the cat by the resignator. When I first start the car the rpms are kinda up and down then even out. The check engine light comes on when the car reaches normal operating temeperature, if i rev it up to about 2000 rpm and then hamer it and let it completely out right away it puts it out for a few but then it comes back on.

I tried to be as descriptive as possible but if u need more information let me know please and thank you

Thanks all help appreciated

[77vetteguy]

there is a possibility that your icv needs to be cleaned out. i would start there anyway its free and easy. just take it off and spray some carb cleaner in it. the icv is locate just under the intake near the firewall on the drivers side.

[Dugas.mike]

is there any way i can jump the connections for the scan tool to make the check engine light blink out the code for whats wrong. for example you can do this with fords it makes the light blink (blinks once for 1 then has a 3 second pause and blinks twice for code 13 then u look that up and it could be EGR) is this possible with the 1992 318IS? if i can manage to do this i can very quickly and easily diagnose the problem with out buying an expensive diagnosis scan tool.

[Dugas.mike]

also the other thing is tonight i tried starting it and it started then kept trying to stall. would almost stall and then get back then try and stall again. when i reved it up it was good.

[77vetteguy]

you can check the codes by pressing the gas pedal 4 times or something. someone else will have to explain that. i dont remember and cant find the how to.

[Dugas.mike]

Ok i managed to figure out the pedal trick. So i counted the blinks of the service engine light and got my codes. But now i have no clue what these codes mean! if anyone can help me out what the codes i have mean i would be amazingly happy!

0128- ?
6012- ?
7601- ?
2860- ?
1286- ?

[Adam318is]

Wow, that's quite a few codes. 1286 is knock control test pulse, which I had on mine which turned out to be a vac leak. I'm thinking you have a pretty sizeable vac leak, a bad O2 sensor, or even more possibly a combination of both. Check every hose around your intake for cracks/cuts/leaks. Also, that "intake boot" you speak of is known to cause problems so check that extra carefully for cracks/dry rotting.

And our 318's don't have MAF's, but AFM's (air flow meter). If yours is square shaped and flat it's an AFM.

[E36 Phantom]

Ok i managed to figure out the pedal trick. So i counted the blinks of the service engine light and got my codes. But now i have no clue what these codes mean! if anyone can help me out what the codes i have mean i would be amazingly happy!

0128- ?
6012- ?
7601- ?
2860- ?
1286- ?

:bustingup

That, my friend, is an awesome code list, because only one of them actually exists. :rofl:

Let me straighten it up for you:
Drop the first 0. Now you have 1286.
The 6 moved up. Drop the 0. Now you have 1276
The 7 and 6 moved up. Drop the 0. Move the down a line.
Drop the last 0, insert the 1 from above. Now you have 1286.
And, 1286.

1286 is a knock sensor. 1276 is Cylinder 6 ignition coil. Chances are you've got a bad ignition coil. Try clearing your codes, swapping it with cylinder 5, and see if you get the same thing but with a code for cylinder 5 (1275). If so, the coil was your problem - replace it.

[77vetteguy]

i think these are the rite ones but it doesnt specify what car they are for. all codes for bmw might be the same. http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/bmw/

[E36 Phantom]

i think these are the rite ones but it doesnt specify what car they are for. all codes for bmw might be the same. http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/bmw/

Those are OBDII codes. They're generic to all cars.

If you can do the pedal trick, you have OBDI, not OBDII, and those codes are NOT the same.

OBDI codes are listed in the Bentley.

[77vetteguy]

how bout this http://www.extreme-check-engine-light-codes.com/BMW%20OBD1%20Decoder.htm not all are listed. there are alot more

[Adam318is]

:bustingup

That, my friend, is an awesome code list, because only one of them actually exists. :rofl:

Let me straighten it up for you:
Drop the first 0. Now you have 1286.
The 6 moved up. Drop the 0. Now you have 1276
The 7 and 6 moved up. Drop the 0. Move the down a line.
Drop the last 0, insert the 1 from above. Now you have 1286.
And, 1286.

1286 is a knock sensor. 1276 is Cylinder 6 ignition coil. Chances are you've got a bad ignition coil. Try clearing your codes, swapping it with cylinder 5, and see if you get the same thing but with a code for cylinder 5 (1275). If so, the coil was your problem - replace it.

Lol Chad that's awesome. I didn't think I recognized any one of them except for the last one which I was all too familiar with. Now that you've deciphered that mess, disregard mine and go with Chad on the ignition coil. Checking for leaks and replacing an old O2 sensor certainly wouldn't hurt, though, not on these cars... :)

[Dugas.mike]

thank you for straightening up the codes for me guys. LOL im used to fords and domestic cars still getting used to the whole BMW thing (Although so far i like). The only problem i have here is everyone is saying cylinder 5 coil pack? I have a 1.8 L DOHC Inline 4??

Also the afm's* As i now know what they are called..... can these be removed and cleaned like traditional MAFs?

How can i check for a vaccum leak? is there something i can spray on it that will show signs of a leak? ive hear of TB cleaner but i dont know what tb is (throttle body possibly?)

and i show the car off and disconnected neagative battery cable and reset system. it was considerably warmer the next day when i started again and let it run, but after doing so the only code returned was 1286- Knock sensor. Is it possible this is all?

For the knock sensors how do i know which on it is. like cam or crank?

[E36 Phantom]

Code 1276 is for Cylinder 6 coil pack, so I said to switch it with Cylinder 5 coil pack. Didn't realize you only had 4 cylinders. :rofl: What that means is that you made a mistake counting the blinks, and it was probably another 1286. :p So, that brings up back to the knock sensor. Could be the sensor, bad O2, vac leaks, etc.

Also, Dugas, you have PM.

[Dugas.mike]

ok thank you

[Dugas.mike]

Bought a new O2 Sensor, Air Intake Boot, exhaust gasket and spring kit today installing it all tuesday 2 day wait on the air intake boot. I will let everyone know how it works out.