Ever have this problem??......

[Cerrano]

I Live in Sarasota and was driving to work on the east coast this morning. My car (01 325i Touring Wagon) started losing power then once I pressed the pedal it seemed to pick up and it would go for awhile. It did it again and I continued on. The third time it happen I had to pull off to the breakdown lane because the car completely cut off, Headlights, warning lights, radio stayed on.

I turned the car off waited a couple of minutes and started the car. It started up with no problem, I turn on the headlights, no stereo, and continued to work without it happening again.

My first thought is fuel pump, 2nd is altenator. Can anyone help. I am in an area where I don't know shops, can't afford to take it to a Dealership right now.

Thanks, Mike

[GCR]

I Live in Sarasota and was driving to work on the east coast this morning. My car (01 325i Touring Wagon) started losing power then once I pressed the pedal it seemed to pick up and it would go for awhile. It did it again and I continued on. The third time it happen I had to pull off to the breakdown lane because the car completely cut off, Headlights, warning lights, radio stayed on.

I turned the car off waited a couple of minutes and started the car. It started up with no problem, I turn on the headlights, no stereo, and continued to work without it happening again.

My first thought is fuel pump, 2nd is altenator. Can anyone help. I am in an area where I don't know shops, can't afford to take it to a Dealership right now.

Thanks, Mike

Did the ASC/DSC light come on before the engine quit? Possible ASC throttle housing servo problem or cable binding which will shut off airflow to the engine.

[Philip]

Did the ASC/DSC light come on before the engine quit? Possible ASC throttle housing servo problem or cable binding which will shut off airflow to the engine.

It would have to be cable binding. The ASC's secondary throttle is spring-loaded to stay fully open if it loses tension or breaks. All that would happen is that he'd lose ASC function, which he probably wouldn't notice until he needed it! lol

[Jdudley13]

I would have said fuel pump as well, good to have experts on the site..haha

[GCR]

It would have to be cable binding. The ASC's secondary throttle is spring-loaded to stay fully open if it loses tension or breaks. All that would happen is that he'd lose ASC function, which he probably wouldn't notice until he needed it! lol

Seen the servos jam internally too keeping the cable tight........

[Philip]

Seen the servos jam internally too keeping the cable tight........

Ahhhhh... Interesting. :scratches chin:

[Cerrano]

I found a reputable mechanic here in Lauderdale. He took my car for a ride, drove it for about an hour and could not repeat the problem. He then checked my fuel filter and said that it was so clogged as if it had never been changed.

Just to let you know I purchased this car from a dealer. Well I got dealt. It seems that the brakes are on the verge of depletion, my drivers side control arm is on the verge of breaking.

I am very disappointed in myself for not throughly, throughly checking out the car before purchasing!!

What gets me even more, the car that I traded in for it was placed on the lot with a price tag worth 5000.00 more than he gave me.

To make my long sob story short, hopefully it was the fuel filter that caused my problem.

[GCR]

Wow. How many miles on your car? We change fuel filters on every Inspection II service. Its no longer a required item on the service schedule, but I'm old fashioned:):)

Alan

[Catmint]

I found a reputable mechanic here in Lauderdale. He took my car for a ride, drove it for about an hour and could not repeat the problem. He then checked my fuel filter and said that it was so clogged as if it had never been changed.

Just to let you know I purchased this car from a dealer. Well I got dealt. It seems that the brakes are on the verge of depletion, my drivers side control arm is on the verge of breaking.

I am very disappointed in myself for not throughly, throughly checking out the car before purchasing!!

What gets me even more, the car that I traded in for it was placed on the lot with a price tag worth 5000.00 more than he gave me.

To make my long sob story short, hopefully it was the fuel filter that caused my problem.

Don't beat yourself up! I just bought a '99 wagon and it's needed to have several things done as well, including the control arms and the brakes and the tires. My Inspection II service is also overdue.

I think you find a lot of cars at this point in their lives where things are starting to need attention, and lots of people who would rather trade in for a new one rather than spend the money. The difference, though, for a quality car like a BMW is that after this little bump in the road (albeit a pricey bump) the car is good as new and will last another 125k miles without much more than oil changes. Oh, and mods. :)

Anyway, that's just my opinion and what I've learned so far since buying my BMW. Good luck!