This is a costly problem since the cylinder head has to come off so the gasket can be replaced with an upgraded version. Although using only BMW approved coolant can help slow down the process, it does not prevent the failure.
This was attributed to the sulfur in gasoline, and the only solution is to replace the damaged alloy block. If you suspect you have this issue, have a compression test done. This will occur during the first few hundred miles, characterized by excessive belt noise.
The problem lies in both the cruise control and throttle cables, where the plastic bushing on the cable end can break, allowing the cable sleeve to get stuck.
BMW issued a recall campaign for this, and the solution was to install a spring steel retainer clip on the cable ends to prevent the outer sleeve from dislodging from the bushing.
The ICV was manufactured with incorrect tolerances between the rotary valve and the housing. The newer updated part number is 13 41 1 Symptoms include a check engine light, long cranking times, black smoke from exhaust, and wet spark plugs. Requires disassembly of the gearbox. Though very rare, this problem is expensive and requires a rebuild or replacement altogether.
This problem is commonly referred to as "the money shift". A number of stiffer aftermarket mounts are available at Bimmerworld. If you hear a ticking noise in the rear, have the final drive checked out.
This is due to a non-asbestos lining on the clutch plate. BMW apparently has a new lining available; however some new owners continue to experience this shuddering.
This coupling connects the driveline to the transmission. Characterized by a knocking under the tranny hump or a thunking noise under acceleration. Not overly difficult to replace. This is a sign of a hardware problem with the ABS control module, which will need replacing. If the date code is 80th day of or older, they need to be replaced. The proper torque is 15 Nm. In worst cases, the condition eventually leads to hose failure, resulting in a loss of steering assist. This is commonly mistaken for warped rotors as it has almost the same feel.
The symptoms begin with a dull clunking noise in the rear over bumps or rough roads, indicating that the shock piston rod has separated from the bushing mount.
This can progress into metallic noises as the mount bolts shear off if not replaced in a timely fashion. The broken mounts eventually damage and tear the rear shock towers.
Stronger E46 mounts along with Z3 reinforcement plates are recommended for replacement, and even better aftermarket parts are available from outfits such as Rogue Engineering and Ground Control. A common solution is to use stronger E30 control arms with ball joints preattached, simplifying the installation. All metal ball joints Meyle are another alternative, but at the cost of a slightly harsher ride. Though rare, this typically requires welding reinforcement plates to repair the body. Symptoms of bad trailing arm bushings include side movement of the rear end under acceleration, general looseness of the rear over bumps, and abnormal tire wear.
United Bimmer has a DIY for this item. In a handful of isolated cases, the threaded holes for the console's 3 mounting bolts fatigued, allowing the console portion of the arm to break away from the car body. Internet rumor has it that there are some sort of legal implications to this issue??? Symptoms are hard starting or no start condition after heavy rain or a car wash. BMW issued a service bulletin with an easy fix for the situation. They were replaced with Bosch coils.
If you still have the older brands installed, replace them right away. Cracked coils can seriously damage the ECU. Certain plug connections have a rectangular seal which comes off unnoticed, allowing debris to enter and raise the electrical resistance in the circuit, triggering a false warning. Often these problems are misdiagnosed.
Some tin plated contacts have been replaced with gold by dealerships over the years to alleviate these issues. Contact cleaner works well as a preventative measure. The regulator can be replaced separately.
This is attributed to a magnet on the motor shaft falling out of position. The magnet can be moved back into position to correct this problem. Visually inspect this harness from time to time to be on the safe side. The wire could stretch and break, disconnecting it from the DME, and triggering the check engine light. The lights on the control module will also dim or go out completely. Changing out the alternator and getting the battery fully charged took care of it for me.
I got the alert once or twice, but once it was fully charged it was okay. I've also read that a bad battery cable can cause these problems. If the problem is intermittant I'd check all the connections, and make sure your alternator is working and charging the battery. The problem could be with the transmission computer.
I have friends who had symptoms like your and a used ebay unit fixed it. The speed sensor that the dealer told you there was a fault with is inside the transmission. It monitors potential slippage between gears and clutches inside the trans by applying alogrithms to the input shaft and output shaft speeds. All 4 of your ABS sensor can be disconnected and your trans would still run perfectly.
Thanx for the feedback people.. I don't think its a charge problem as I have a capacitor in the boot and it holds a constant voltage of The car is going for service on Friday 21st Sept 07 and I'll be sure to mention all the points raised here to see if I can rectify it..
Sometimes the light turns on because the TCU computer develops a fault or because the tolerances are too tight for an older transmission. BMW updated the computer via a small chip hard to order unless you have the part. I"m not sure if that is causing your problem though, as it is turning on WHILE you're driving I think the chip only affects it when you first start your car Good luck.
I have good news The car visited a transmission specialist in Hackney, London and it has came back with the following faults. Someone correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't that fault pulse generator a red herring? Not sure about the red herring but I've had the computer changed already so these faults are my next step.. The shaft seal leaks can't be doing the oil presssure any good either, so I'll be trying these fixes before trying the next thing if it doesn't solve it..
Thanks for the input.. It doesn't have to be opened up, but does need to be dropped from the car. The parts themselves are not that expensive so labour costs make up most of it. Diagnostic test shows Solenoid valve, could this be as a result from too little or too old fluid as i have not had it checked yet? Diagnostic test shows solenoid valve, could this be as a result from too little or too old fluid as i only recently bought the car and have not had it checked yet.
IMO for a high mileage car with no history, the safe way to do it is to change only some of the fluid out and do it like 3x over some time period. The last time you do it drain it all out , replace, and replace the filter. Or completely replace the fluid twice in a short interval. The reasoning behind this is that people keep saying that replacing old fluid in an auto tranny can break it.
I did alot of searching about this limp mode issue and some have had luck with replacing that. Good luck and let us know how things turn out. I have now reached the point where I can hear when the light is going to come on, when I then do a kickdown or in peak traffic do a sudden hard brake the light does not come on. Does this shed any new light on the problem? That doesn't sound good at all. I would go for the gradual fluid change.
The workarounds people have used usually have symptoms where the light comes on at STARTUP and goes away, or goes away after multiple restarts.
Did you at least check your fluid level? Okay, the car has returned with the following items repaired: 1. I had to take it back after a few days as the transmission was slipping in and out of gear. The mechanic said this would happen as it was low on fluid as it was all previously drained out. No cog light, shifts are smooth, even the troublesome 2nd to 1st on slowdown.
I will probably do as bmwsmurf suggests and replace oil and filter again in a month or so and I will keep all updated. Merry Christmas.. Make sure to see if there is a tranny fluid leak, as there must be a reason why it was low to begin with. You might have to keep it filled up, hopefully it's not bad. I have bad news. The fault is still occurring, not as often but it's definately still there. The alternator is on the way out so I'm waiting for replacement and hoping that this maybe a partial cause to the problem.
I'm fresh out of idea's and its really depressing because it's a lovely car and I just want to drive it. Now I find I am always anticipating the light coming on and it ruins my drive. I'm open to any idea's on what to check next, before I end up getting a replacement. Maybe, any idea's on prices for getting the transmission rebuilt.. My mechanic said this transmission has a reputation for being unreliable, or "start playing up", as he put it. I'm sad!! Ok, so this is the predicament I find myself.
Do I need the replacement box from bmw to solve this problem? Any suggestions people.. Shall I bite the bullet and upgrade to an E46 or replace my box.. The people shall decide.. I am having a similar problem that I need to solve.
Ok, been a long time but I thought I'd post an update. I ended up leaving the car raodside and purchased a newer model with aircon. I never ended up fully diagnosing and rectifiying the problem. It can be driven as long as when the dreaded change 2nd-1st is expected the lever is moved to the 2 position. Other than that it can be left in D. The change from 1st-2nd is also slightly longer than expected with a slight draw back before dropping into 2nd..
Anyone elaborate?? Why else would it be so popular? If anything, use this as a list of things to keep in consideration while looking for an E36 M3. It's much better going into a used car buying situation when you know what issues to look for. It advances and retards the timing at certain RPMs to give you best gas mileage and power. They just kept replacing the units with seals of the same bad material, only to have them go bad after another 20, miles.
When the seals wear out low-end torque is diminished, fuel consumption goes up, and overall driving pleasure goes down. VANOS rattle is almost a certainty with these engines. From about RPM you will hear what people have come to describe as "marbles in a tin cup.
Fortunately, Beisan Systems and Dr. Beisan Systems also sells an anti-rattle kit to fix the rattle. Some of us are lucky to not have this problem. And the rest of us are stuck checking our oil religiously. It's hard to believe that these cars can consume as much oil as they do, and are still on the road today. A lot of people joke that these cars came from the factory consuming oil; and given how common the problem is it's hard to believe any different.
Most E36 M3 owners are consuming around. For the majority of owners there is confusion because their car doesn't seem to be leaking oil, there is no smoke out the tail pipe, and they are positive they put in the correct amount of oil. But their oil level continues to drop as the miles rack up. The issue is the amount of oil lost at each combustion event is very small, which makes it very difficult to diagnose.
But, a small amount lost over several thousand revolutions adds up to a substantial amount of oil. Also, some brands are more beneficial than others. It then separates the oil and air, sending the air into the intake manifold to be used in the combustion cycle and dispersing the oil back into the oil pan via the dipstick tube. This valve can sometimes clog or malfunction, resulting in oil entering the intake manifold and being consumed in the combustion cycle.
While it's not uncommon for any car to need certain mounts and bushings replaced at a certain time, the E36 M3 is notorious for several bushing and mount failures.
If your car has anything over 80, miles and is still running on stock engine mounts, transmission mounts, rear trailing arm bushings, or rear shock mounts, chances are that they are in need of replacing. In some cases you may not notice that they need replacing because they have been degrading slowly as you drive.
Engine and transmission mounts - Easily checked by getting underneath the car, if they look squished or have any cracks this will warrant a replacement.
Also, the rear end can feel almost detached from the vehicle. Rear Shock Mount - R. Bs and rear shock mounts generally go out in the same mileage. When the bushing wears out, the shock is allowed to move around much more than it should, resulting in a clunking noise. You'll generally hear it when your driving over a bump or driving at high speeds.
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