Rough Running in cold weather

Hey I recently moved from San Diego to Breckenridge, CO and I have been having some trouble with how my car runs right after starting up. It starts fine, but when i put it in gear and press on the gas the car doesn't accelerate at all when i press on the gas. After idling forward about 10-15 yards the gas peddle starts working but its a very sudden jerk of power. This is true both in drive and in reverse. My theory is that it is just the oil being the wrong weight because this doesn't happen when its warm outside and the temperature at night has been about 10 degrees and temperatures will get down to about -20 later. Does anyone know what the issue is here and if you think it is the oil, what replacement oil would you recommend? I currently have mobil-1 10w-30 euro blend. Thanks in advance!

You may have a sticky or defective idle control valve.

BTW, have you checked for stored codes?

Might want to consider M1 0W40.

I have no idea if it would be the oil or not (it could be, but I'm no expert). I'm using Mobil 1 5W-30 in my 540 right now and haven't had any problems in temps down to about 25° F. Haven't had any EXTREME cold yet this year, so I have yet to see how it performs in those conditions.

I didn't catch whether this happens only after cold starts. Does it run normally after the engine is at normal operating temperature? If so, it very well could be your oil.

Edit: after re-reading your description, it doesn't seem like your oil is the likely culprit here. So just take what I said with a grain of salt.

^ Guys, why are you running 5w-30 and 10-30 Mobil? It's supposed to be LL-01 approved 0w-40 M1 oil. Just saying.

The weight of the oil should not make a difference if you are running a full synthetic. Not like the Dino oils of yesteryear. Your issue is elsewhere.

And oil is oil. Do a search for why.

So if it's not the oil, what do you guys think the problem is? It starts fine and only has the issue with no throttle response on cold starts. After it gets warmed up it runs fine. One thing I will note is that it has been sitting in the shop not running for the last 2 months...do you think that could be causing any of this? There was no problem before it went in (body work on rear quarter panel)

Please re-read my post.

I will check if its the ICV. I haven't checked for codes since this problem arose but I checked about 6 months ago and had no problems

think your best bet is to see if it is showing codes now

Or even a CCV diaphragm.

Originally Posted by FLE39

^ Guys, why are you running 5w-30 and 10-30 Mobil? It's supposed to be LL-01 approved 0w-40 M1 oil. Just saying.

5W-30 Full synthetic is perfectly fine. Do a little more research. It even says 5-30 is one of the appropriate weights in the owners manual. (I don't have it right next to me atm, but I'm 98% positive that I remember reading that in the manual)

Originally Posted by Fudman

The weight of the oil should not make a difference

Even BMW says the same thing.

Originally Posted by kross1300

I haven't checked for codes since ... about 6 months ago

Ummm... if you're having a problem today, then you need to check your codes today. The tester only costs about $25 so it's crazy to even own a bimmer without having one in your glovebox.

- Cheapest CAN OBDII scanner on the net that reads DTCs, pending codes, & clears codes

Originally Posted by isaac540

I'm 98% positive that I remember reading that in the manual)

The viscosity of the oil will have absolutely nothing to do with this the OP's problem but the altitude might, for example (depending on how the engine adapts).

BTW, as a quick test, let's just ask the OP one question:

@OP: Does the problem occur when the engine is warm?

The problem only occurs when the car is cold. After driving around and getting it up to temp I can turn it off, put it in gear and drive with no problems. When I press on the gas the tachometer doesn't go up at all....just stays at idle RPMs for a few seconds and then after idling down the street for a few yards it all of a sudden kicks in (roughly) and works fine. The temperature is dropping to 0 degrees in a couple days so I guess I will see if much colder weather makes a difference.

Also, I had a code checker but lent it out to a friend and never got it back...been meaning to get a new one but obviously haven't yet. It really is a must for any car but especially an e39.

Originally Posted by kross1300

The problem only occurs when the car is cold. After driving around and getting it up to temp I can turn it off, put it in gear and drive with no problems. When I press on the gas the tachometer doesn't go up at all....just stays at idle RPMs for a few seconds and then after idling down the street for a few yards it all of a sudden kicks in (roughly) and works fine.

Stuff deleted

The green highlight: could be shot Vanos seals
The purple highlight: clogged ICV.

0.02

A car that's been sitting in the shop for 2 months is likely to have fuel problems. Try something inexpensive -- run a can of Techron thru the gas tank and see if it makes any difference at all. If you notice an appreciable change.....you're probably looking at a fuel issue.

Then try pulling the plugs. See if they're burning lean or rich......do you smell a lot of unburned gas as it warms up ??

To the experienced E39 folks:

What effect would altitude have on the bimmer?

I know when I go to Tahoe (about 6,000 feet) from the Silicon Valley (about sea level), that my car runs differently.

How does the car adapt to altitude anyway?

(If this is not related to the OP's problem in Colorado, I can move to another thread.)

EDIT: So as not to derail this thread, I opened up a separate thread on that topic alone:
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > How does the BMW E39 adapt to high altitudes when you go from sea level to 6000 feet?