97 BMW Z3 1.9 bogs down. looking for common issues!!

Hi. I need help with my bimmer its 97 z3 1.9L with 200,000 miles. Idles good but it seemes its slow on take off and bogs down when driving cold or hot. I had p0340 code and it went off after I replaced the CSP sensor. Also replaced the fuel filter. Oil/filte. Spark plugs. Put cleaner in the tank. No vacumm leaks. No obd codes. New cat converter. And new battrey. All that didn't help. The car starts right up idles good but when I accelarate its easy to notice the car is slow. I drove 70mph so it goes if u give it a time but again still slow. What else could it be? Any thing common with these cars/engines? I have actrun obd scanner reads live data anything I should look for? The car was setting for 2 months and had to put new battrey would it cuz the car to go in limo mode? Does this sound like limp mode? If so how to rest it? I dissconnacted the battrey for like 1 hour and didn't help. Thanks for all the advices

It's not a "beemer", it's a bimmer (hence the name "Bimmerfest").

Model-specific questions are best asked in the forum for that model. In your case it would be the E36/7 Z3 forum.

Oh really man I never would of guessed. Wow you are so F@@#ing smart. You're answer really fixed the problem. It will be great if ppl have no answer stop writting sh@%&

Originally Posted by iamazhr

Oh really man I never would of guessed. Wow you are so F@@#ing smart. You're answer really fixed the problem. It will be great if ppl have no answer stop writting sh@%&

If you want help from the community you need to learn what is important to members here. I moved this over to the right forum for you as well, that will help you get in front of other Z3 owners.

Tim

Thank you very much Tim330i. I posted questions on yahoo answers and it seems lots of ppl just joking around about high miles and telling me this is the end of the engine life and I know its not true. And asking me to replace parts I already did!! And said I replaced in my question. Like fule filter. I thought I might have a better shot in BIMMER forum and there was the first guy teaching me about how to spell Bimmer instead of just keep to himself if he had nothing good to say. Anyways thanks again Tim330i.

The members here are into the BMW brand, I don't think it was meant to be an insult.

Tim

Might be time for a new fuel pump.

I'm assuming you have a 1.9L.

When my car was bogging down a bit, I had a rip/hole on the air tube. See pic #3. Take a look at yours.

1.9L. The car does not have that tube at all!! Number 3 is missing!! All other parts are there, all the plastic covers/guids are there. Well I hope that's the case. I'm checking the part stors if not I might get lucky on ebay or pick n pull. I was planing on taking the MAF a parts and clean all of it inside out. But I'm gonna try with the hose/tube first. Man I hope its the problem cuz its easy fix I really don't wanna deal with big issues cuz I'm moving out in 3 days and baby girl on the way in March so I love my car but don't have much time nor money to guess on expanssive parts. IgotBMW thank you very much for the help

Originally Posted by tonywintn

Might be time for a new fuel pump.

The fuel pump would be the last opition cuz of the price and it's location, it might be weak but I think it's not fuel pump at least I hope it's not. Air flow seems more like it and when I first took it on test drive after the work I thought for sure sounds like vacumm leak but checked carefully for that and all hoses look good no vacumm leak. Now after IgotBMW menitioned hose/tube #3 I think he just helped me find the problem. I'll sure report sometime tomorrow with the good news hopfully. Thank you tho

So do you have an aftermarket intake or just the stock airbox? If it's the latter, you may not be getting enough air into the manifold.

I have the stock airbox, verything stock on the car. Like the pics shows here.

Can you take a pick of yours. So you must be missing the black piece on top of the radiator that's how you know the #3 isn't there. Because #3 is underneath that.

That allow air to travel from the right side opening (next to passenger headlights) to your air box. So your airbox isn't getting proper amount of air then.

I took all the plastics in the front of the radiator there are 2 pieces mounted to gather nothing in between!! I can see where the tube should of been. I don't remember seen the tube when we got the car cuz some parts were in the trunk!! The tube is missing for sure, I see it should go from the Airbox to the hook up next to the passenger headlight. I'm trying to figuer out something for it I'll report back when I get tge tube and install

Originally Posted by IgotBMW

... That allow air to travel from the right side opening (next to passenger headlights) to your air box. So your airbox isn't getting proper amount of air then.

The tube just moves the intake point from the side of the airbox to the far side of the radiator. The lack of the tube increases the amount of air.

The tube is a snorkel that protects against water entry, but it restricts air flow compared to no tube, and pre-heats the air with heat from the radiator. "Fogging" the air box -- removing the tube and making another direct opening -- is a popular mod:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...hlight=fogging
http://mz3.net/1-9-fogged-airbox-modification.html
http://ackthud.com/shawnfogg/1_9airbox.htm

I went to the yared and bought good tube no rips or holes and installes it. It did not change how the car drives at all. I still think it has to do with the air system!!

Ok so now it's confirmed the issue is not the tube because the car is idling and driving the same but I'm sure the car needed it for other reasons!! A guy looked at it today and said it will be timing chain off or the car in limp mode. anybody knows of ways to get it out of the limp mode? Or how to confirm the car in fact is in limp mode other then lack of power? What happens is the car always start up from the first cilck and idles good. Also it drives good when you're driving like 70 year old man but if u try to go fast and eccelrate all the way the car won't go as fast as it should. When I'm on the road going about 50mph and push the gas padle all the way in the car still down shift but it will not go as fast as it should. Again the car is fine if yiy drive slow and pick the speed one by one, I went to change the trans oil and the my friend/mechanic says can't it's life time trans oil. can't service it!! Lol really BMW? Nothing is life time it's freaking oil and has to be changed sometime. When I first got the car I was very happy but know I think I should of bought Grand prix GTP they are good cars and easier to work on

Originally Posted by iamazhr

... it drives good when you're driving like 70 year old man but if u try to go fast and eccelrate all the way the car won't go as fast as it should...

This 70 year old man has the same car you do except with a Supersprint axle-back, and he accelerates to redline and it goes plenty fast.

I was thinking about the spark plugs I put on the car, they were utolite Platinum/Spark Plug as showing in the pic, I wanted to get the best for the car and the girl at Autozone told me those are the OME ones that BMW recomended for my Z3, well the ones I took off from the car looked diff at the end of the plugs. The old ones have 2 ending unlike those one I got now

Originally Posted by vintage42

This 70 year old man has the same car you do except with a Supersprint axle-back, and he accelerates to redline and it goes plenty fast.

I'd like to see 70 year old man get it in redline, he'll get the most hits on youtube

Originally Posted by iamazhr

... I went to change the trans oil and the my friend/mechanic says can't it's life time trans oil. can't service it!!

Your friend/mechanic is not very knowledgeable about Z3s - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...n+fluid+change

Originally Posted by iamazhr

... the girl at Autozone told me those are the OME ones that BMW recomended for my Z3, ...

In the past, BMW recommended either the BOSCH FGR7DQ or the NGK BKR6EQUP (for what its worth, my preference) spark plugs. Currently BMW recommends BMW part no. 12120037607, a Bosch plug. BMW has never recommended Autolite plugs. She also is not very knowledgeable about Z3s.

Originally Posted by iamazhr

When I first got the car I was very happy but know I think I should of bought Grand prix GTP they are good cars and easier to work on

If I remember your story correctly, you bought a 200k miles, 15 year old car, that had been parked for a couple of months after overheating and blowing the head gasket. I'm willing to bet the car did not have any service records.

What did you expect?

Originally Posted by iamazhr

I'd like to see 70 year old man get it in redline, he'll get the most hits on youtube

You don't have to be 70 to redline it. You can do it, too.

Originally Posted by iamazhr

I was thinking about the spark plugs I put on the car, they were utolite Platinum/Spark Plug as showing in the pic... the ones I took off from the car looked diff at the end of the plugs. The old ones have 2 ending unlike those one I got now

Those AutoLite plugs are not for the BMW Z3 M44. The engine and ignition was designed for two-ground plugs of a certain resistance. The OE was Bosch F7LDC. NGK has specifically made their BKR6EK plug to match the OE Bosch.
Here is what NGK said about using another plug that was wrong:

From: Info
Subject: RE: NGK Form Mail
Date: November 29, 2012 5:02:39 PM EST
To: _________ <_______@insightbb.com>
The BKR6EK has a 6.0mm firing position with two ground electrodes and a 1K ohm internal resistor. The BKR6EIX has a 3.5mm firing position, with a single ground electrode and a 5K ohm resistor. The firing position might create some engine response lag, but the real concern in the 1K ohm resistor. The ignition in the Z3 is setup for a 1K Ohm resistor and the 5K resistor may cause random misfires...

Great info Vintage42. The idea when I took the spark plugs out is to see how bad they might be and get the exact ones new. When I went to autozone and the lady should me what they got on the computer I said mine dosn't look like that. It has to ends not 1. And I bought what she told me that was OME and thar is what I should use. Also I looked on thier website for 97 z3 spark plugs and shows nothing with 2 ends. Well today I cleaned the old ones and put them back the car drives much better. I'll put new soon!!. Although the car still have a little lack of power when accelerating. Not to much tho just a little. Heres what I found out today. The car has switch A and M auto and manual. So when I switch to M and drive manual from 1-2-3-D the car seemsto have way more power!!! Strange. Is it set up this way auto D a little slower then M? I'm talking full power when using M and do 1-2-3-D. Any idea? Thank you all for the great usefull info

Originally Posted by iamazhr

... Heres what I found out today. The car has switch A and M auto and manual. So when I switch to M and drive manual from 1-2-3-D the car seemsto have way more power!!! Strange. Is it set up this way auto D a little slower then M? I'm talking full power when using M and do 1-2-3-D. Any idea? ...

This is the first mention that you have an automatic. I had no idea the automatic had a manual mode. Perhaps the engine is programmed to perform better in manual mode, like a sport mode.

Ok,

I don't know anything about the 1.9's auto transmission. But I'm not afraid to use the search:

Originally Posted by Belgirb

No problems, just operating questions -

The car is designed to default to E (Economy). The owner's manual says for M (manual) "This program is for driving conditions under which the selected gear is to be retained."
....

Originally Posted by amancuso

The thing is that if you select any lower gear while in the A mode, you will get all gears up to that one ie: if it's in 2, it will shift from a stop from 1 into 2, then 2 into 1 as you stop. it will still be automatic, but only shift up and down from the selected gear automatically. If you select a lower gear while in the M mode it will select and hold that gear, therefore if im driving in "3" in the M mode, it will stay in 3 even when I come to a stop... when I press the gas to start again, it will be dog slow because it's still holding the 3rd gear.
...

Originally Posted by Monolith

The easiest mod for more power is to sell the 1.9 auto and buy a 2.8. It's also the cheapest mod. Most of the modifications you'll find for the 1.9 are for top end breathing (Fogging the air box, etc.). With the automatic, you won't be hitting those high RPMs like a manual will. In case you don't know, the GM 4L30E transmission can be placed into "3" which is sport mode. It will hold shifts longer to allow you to get more performance out of it. However, it will not shift into overdrive until you shift it back into "D."
...

I think your power "increase" is coming from revving the engine higher.