DASC installed...Now stalling at idle...

[inlacal]

Group,

Got my DASC installed today and am very happy with the experience so far as well as the shop that installed it.

That being said, I have an intermittent problem by which the car will be idling normally and then suddenly stall. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it will momentarily sputter and then stall.

And it is random at idle OR when I'm coming to a stop.

Any suggestions?

Chris

P.S. This is on my 97 5 speed.

[DustenT]

Group,

Got my DASC installed today and am very happy with the experience so far as well as the shop that installed it.

That being said, I have an intermittent problem by which the car will be idling normally and then suddenly stall. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it will momentarily sputter and then stall.

And it is random at idle OR when I'm coming to a stop.

Any suggestions?

Chris

P.S. This is on my 97 5 speed.



Did it do this before you installed the DASC? If not, take it back to the shop and tell them to fix the damn thing! I assume you are getting a CEL too, what codes are you throwing?

[Tyler]

Did it do this before you installed the DASC? If not, take it back to the shop and tell them to fix the damn thing!

+1

[Mendi3]

Group,

Got my DASC installed today and am very happy with the experience so far as well as the shop that installed it.

That being said, I have an intermittent problem by which the car will be idling normally and then suddenly stall. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it will momentarily sputter and then stall.

And it is random at idle OR when I'm coming to a stop.

Any suggestions?

Chris

P.S. This is on my 97 5 speed.

When I had my installed I had a couple of problems:

1. The car did not have a smooth iddle and sometimes it'll stall. We fixed the problem by cleaning the iddle valve.

2. At certain RPMs, the car will choke. The crank sensor was not positioned in the correct spot.

This may help.

[inlacal]

Did it do this before you installed the DASC? If not, take it back to the shop and tell them to fix the damn thing! I assume you are getting a CEL too, what codes are you throwing?

Dusten: No CEL light sir. The shop actually did a really good install.

It happened while I was at the shop and the suggestion that was made was the the Motornic unit needed some time for 'adaption' in fuel/mixture values.

This isn't my only post-DASC woe...

I'm experiencing another problem that was there (albeit very slightly) before the DASC install. At that time, the throttle was a little sticky right as you touched it (gentle accelerator application). Now it is still there and it is more pronounced under harder accelerator applications.

I'm begginning to talk myself into a throttle cable issue, but I want to see if others have had sticky throttles and what they have done?

Chris

[inlacal]

When I had my installed I had a couple of problems:

1. The car did not have a smooth iddle and sometimes it'll stall. We fixed the problem by cleaning the iddle valve.

2. At certain RPMs, the car will choke. The crank sensor was not positioned in the correct spot.

This may help.

Before I had the DASC done, I had some slight idle surging. I assumed this to be the ICV and that it needed (spray-cleaning) to be done.

At that time, before the DASC install, I wasn't experiencing any stalls though.

I asked the shop to clean the ICV...But even if they didn't, I wasn't stalling before the DASC install.

And remember: It is only intermitten stalling now.

Advise?

[FATHER]

i think you have a vacuum leak...check the hoses

[inlacal]

i think you have a vacuum leak...check the hoses

No leaks.

I checked everything. I expended a lot of brake cleaner in the process. The system is tight.

The only thing I keep coming back to is the idle control valve...What kind of load does the DASC put on the ICV? Mine is 138,000 miles old. Cleaned out, or not, is it up to the task at its age?

My stalling problems are occuring as I come to a stop (while the car is warm). The engine will drop to about 200rpm...Struggle to raise itself back up and then stall. There is no 'hunting/surging'. It goes to 200rpm, briefly tries to pull out and then stalls.

Anyone?

Chris

[saintly]

I had a simular problem with the idle while the car was moving.
i.e. stop on a hill (pointing down) with the car out of gear and idling normaly (aircond off). let the car start rolling down the hill. does the idle start bouncing down to allmost stall and up to about 1,000 revs?
if yes then that's what mine did too. a simple adjustment of the idle screw (on the throttle body) to bring my idle from about 500rpm to about 600-700 rpm fixed it.

[HuGo]

Hmm that sucks. Hopefully i dont have of these problems in my car. Should be ready to run on Saturday.

Pics!!

[inlacal]

I had a simular problem with the idle while the car was moving.
i.e. stop on a hill (pointing down) with the car out of gear and idling normaly (aircond off). let the car start rolling down the hill. does the idle start bouncing down to allmost stall and up to about 1,000 revs?
if yes then that's what mine did too. a simple adjustment of the idle screw (on the throttle body) to bring my idle from about 500rpm to about 600-700 rpm fixed it.

Saintly: This would definitely be something I could do...That being said, I was unaware of an idle screw (or adjustment) for the M44 motor...Whereabouts is it sir?

Chris

[FATHER]

Hey i have the same problem, my mechanic said is the air flow meter because i disconected it and the problem persist, i buy one use on ebay the past week,

[FATHER]

ALso my car run very rich and have idle problems at 5,000 rpm , i'm very sure about the air flow meter because i remove it from the engine and the car star and run!!!! and the air flow meter are in the trunk!!!

[inlacal]

ALso my car run very rich and have idle problems at 5,000 rpm , i'm very sure about the air flow meter because i remove it from the engine and the car star and run!!!! and the air flow meter are in the trunk!!!

My car doesn't have an AFM Father. It has a MAF. That being said, I'm certain it isn't the MAF. Why am I certain? Because it is too coincidental. There were no idle problems before the DASC install...And now there are?

Can someone comment on an idle adjustment screw?

Chris

[FATHER]

if you not have the problem before the problem is not the engine or the idle screw is on the dasc or in the installation. PCV valve, are ok?. fuel presure? Oxigen sensors? remember that the cilicone glue Fu!@# the oxigen sensor super fast...the by pass valve on the blower are ok? in my setup mine have adjustment screw...spark plug wires are ok? sparks gap also...

[inlacal]

O.k...While this isn't scientific, I noticed the following today: At idle (when my car stays there) if I suddenly/quickly pump the brake pedal, the idle burbles and comes close to stalling...

This would seem like a vaccum leak, correct?

I then proceeded to spray down every hose with WD40 to see if I can detect a vaccum leak.

Nothing.

Either WD40 is the wrong aerosol to test with or there isn't a leak...I could have sworn I sprayed every single hose down.

Anyone?

Chris

[mohaughn]

It is possible that when they put the intake manifold back on it was not sealed properly. That would also look like a leak. You should also check the valve cover gasket, the oil cap seal, the oil dipstick. I've found a few articles that also recommend checking the vacuum hose, the throttle, intake manifold, crankcase vent hose, ICV elbow hose and the intake belows. But I don't think you are using the stock intake belows any more..

I still think you need to take the car back to the people that installed it and have them fix the problem. Any good shop should have a pressure tester where they could quickly determine if it is a vacuum leak or something else.

I've also always read that you should use FI safe carb cleaner, not sure if wd40 would work or not.. But if you did suck wd40 into your intake you could really foul things up..

[inlacal]

It is possible that when they put the intake manifold back on it was not sealed properly. That would also look like a leak. You should also check the valve cover gasket, the oil cap seal, the oil dipstick. I've found a few articles that also recommend checking the vacuum hose, the throttle, intake manifold, crankcase vent hose, ICV elbow hose and the intake belows. But I don't think you are using the stock intake belows any more..

I still think you need to take the car back to the people that installed it and have them fix the problem. Any good shop should have a pressure tester where they could quickly determine if it is a vacuum leak or something else.

I've also always read that you should use FI safe carb cleaner, not sure if wd40 would work or not.. But if you did suck wd40 into your intake you could really foul things up..

Mohaughn,

Thanks for the suggestions sir. Inevitably, I may take it back. I feel the shop was very reputable, but I'm also aware some things can get missed.

That being said, the only reason why I haven't taken it back immediately is due to the logistics of where I'm at/where the shop is and, my schedule.

Subsequently, I'm trying to identify the problem on my own. I'm sure it is something easy to remedy.

That being said, when you say you are afraid of WD40 getting into my intake, are you concerned with it getting in pre-filter or post filter? It's combustible, so my feeling is that if it is ingested, it will just ignite/combust, right?

I'll check, again, every hose that I can come across tomorrow. I'll also check the oil cap/dipstick. I plan on taking the intake elbow out and cleaning the throttle housing as it is slightly sticking under gentle accelerator tapping. My guess is that there are some deposits inhibiting throttle-gate movement. But I really do not believe this would be the culprit for my idle-stall issue.

Chris

[mohaughn]

I just wouldn't use WD40. I can't say for sure that it would cause problems, but I don't think it would burn completely. Other, more experienced, members have commented that using a non-FI safe carb cleaner can ruin O2 sensors, I would think WD40 is harsher than carb cleaner..

On a FI car with all the electronics our cars have I would only use something like Syntec Intake cleaner or a comparable product.

[saintly]

Hi,
I havn't got a good pic of the idle adjustment screw position on my web site so i can show you a pic of where it is but it's just a simple screw (with a locking nut) positioned to adjust the throttle butterfly. have a look.
before you adjust it, just adjust the throttle cable to rais the idle a few hundred (you will see the butterfly move a little and hear the raise in revs). then go to a hill and test as per before.
i'll take a pic tonight if i get home in time (and remember)

[Budget M3]

Hi,
I havn't got a good pic of the idle adjustment screw position on my web site so i can show you a pic of where it is but it's just a simple screw (with a locking nut) positioned to adjust the throttle butterfly. have a look.
before you adjust it, just adjust the throttle cable to rais the idle a few hundred (you will see the butterfly move a little and hear the raise in revs). then go to a hill and test as per before.
i'll take a pic tonight if i get home in time (and remember)

Sounds like you are describing the throttle cable adjustment, not idle adjustment. There may be a way to adjust the idle itself, but I am not aware of any way to easily do this on our computer controlled cars. Adjusting the throttle cable may temporarily fix the symptoms, but it will not fix the problem and will have a (minor) detrimental effect on gas mileage.

That said... I've had the same issue with my DASC since it was installed 3+ years ago. It's especially noticable when running the A/C. I never did fix it, because I always suspected it is the ICV. Even though you can clean them, the valve itself still wears out and needs to eventually be replaced. In my case, after cleaning it thoroughly, the ICV ended up being re-installed UNDERNEATH all the other crap that gets bolted on with the DASC. I might be able to reach it through some contortionist moves, but it looks like I would have to remove the DASC to get at it--way too much hassle for me). I've learned to live with it, and just use a heel and toe technique to blip the throttle and prevent stalls.

There was another problem I could never crack the code on though. Upon installation of the DASC, my ASC+T ceased working correctly. Under vacuum load (i.e. deceleration), the dash light would come on and the car would stall. It acts like ASC+T is closing off the intake and shutting down the flow of fuel. When I disconnnect the ASC+T cable to the intake butterfly, the problem goes away. Strange, huh?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113782&highlight=dasc+asc

Other than these two minor annoyances, I could not be more pleased with my DASC'd ti...I still get 26-30 mpg and have had no major problems...

[inlacal]

As it turns out, I figured out what the problem was. Note the picture below.

http://www.inlacal.com/white318ti/DASCproblem.jpg

Note the course of the blue & yellow vaccum lines going from the fuel rail and the FPR.

Note the path of the white hose (which I am not sure of its function).

Well the yellow & blue hoses in this picture went over the top of the white hose and both were getting pinched due to the pressure of the white hose.

Remedy: Ran both the yellow & blue hoses from underneath the white hose.

Lines unpinched.

No more stalling.

Problem solved.

Let the games begin

Chris

[inlacal]

Just a follow up on this thread.

While I 'thought' I solved the problem, I didn't.

I still stall.

Only when warm.

Only when coming to a stop or if I'm idling (while warm) and blip the throttle...As it comes back down to where it should idle, it just dies.

Any suggestions?

Chris

[ChItalian1027]

maybe you should go back the to the shop that did the install and see if they can help!! sorry i'm not much help b/c i don't have a dasc on my ti just yet but reading this thread will help if i have this problem!!

[inlacal]

maybe you should go back the to the shop that did the install and see if they can help!! sorry i'm not much help b/c i don't have a dasc on my ti just yet but reading this thread will help if i have this problem!!

It's at the shop. In fact, it's been there for about a month now. The shop has had constant communication with Jim Goodroe at DASC, but nobody really seems to know.

My mechanic is thorough. He has went back over everything. Jim suggested he shorten the hoses going to the ICV (which he did) and the problem persists.

It's a cold-running only problem.

Could the spark plug gap make a difference?

I'm grasping at straws at this point.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Chris

[DustenT]

It's at the shop. In fact, it's been there for about a month now. The shop has had constant communication with Jim Goodroe at DASC, but nobody really seems to know.

My mechanic is thorough. He has went back over everything. Jim suggested he shorten the hoses going to the ICV (which he did) and the problem persists.

It's a cold-running only problem.

Could the spark plug gap make a difference?

I'm grasping at straws at this point.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Chris

Mine runs that way when I have crappy gas. Try adding a 1/4 tank of race gas (110-116 octane) and running it.

[FATHER]

i persist... is the exigen sensor, BELIEVME, in the past i have the same problem with a bad sensor and not check engine ligth, clean the sensor and run it

[GhostRyder]

how much does a DASC run for?

[HuGo]

how much does a DASC run for?

3450 but i got mine for 2850 brand new.

[DustenT]

i persist... is the exigen sensor, BELIEVME, in the past i have the same problem with a bad sensor and not check engine ligth, clean the sensor and run it

I had the symptoms:

Difficult cold start - needed to give it gas to start it
Very bad cold idle
Bad gas mileage

Car runs perfect now after replacing the front O2 sensor. Give it a try. I would randomly get o2 error codes, along with Fuel trim - Multiplicative, and Mass Air flow sensor.

[HuGo]

you know what...sometimes my car does that too.

In the morning when i start it up, i cant just turn the ignition and thats it like i used to. It only happens sometimes where the engine cranks and if i leave it to start alone sometime it will die out. Why is this? So i kinda rev it just a little so it wont die.