Misfire detected random or unknown cylinder

[bnemmers]

Hi,

I have a 1997 318ti and I bought the Bavarian Fault Code Reader/Reset tool
I keep on getting these three faults; “3E” Misfire detected, random or unknown cylinder,
“33” Misfire detected, Cyl#2 (I also got code 34 Misfire detected, Cyl#3) last time, and this one comes on all by its self 5E EVAP large leak.
Question, are these critical errors if so what can I do to fix them?

Thanks
Bill

[DustenT]

Hi,

I have a 1997 318ti and I bought the Bavarian Fault Code Reader/Reset tool
I keep on getting these three faults; “3E” Misfire detected, random or unknown cylinder,
“33” Misfire detected, Cyl#2 (I also got code 34 Misfire detected, Cyl#3) last time, and this one comes on all by its self 5E EVAP large leak.
Question, are these critical errors if so what can I do to fix them?

Thanks
Bill

Sounds like a leak in your intake tract. Check your connections and the rubber boots. Spray a light mist of water or carb/choke cleaner around the joints, when the car stalls you found your problem.

[DeadpaN]

I was getting random misfire codes, as well as for cylinders 2&4. My car had about 90k miles at the time. Replaced spark-plug wires. Fixed.

[adempster1]

same with me, I was getting random misfire codes, as well. I changed the spark plugs (NGK) and problem gone. I just had the car inspected 10/13/06 and it passed, no codes at all. I changed the plugs like 7 months ago.

[jacob.325is]

Two things to check:

1. As noted before, check ignition system componets. If you haven't replaced the plugs in awhile, they should be replaced anyways. Also check the condition of your plug wires, if they show signs of cracking and have never been replaced this could be a source of the misfires.

2. The large leak in EVAP is most likely caused by a loose or missing gas cap, but the fault could also be set by cracked or broken hose on the intake tract as noted in a previous post.

cheers

[bnemmers]

Thanks Guys for the tips. I will try new wires and plugs.
And double check the intake tract. I'll keep you posted.

Bill.

[gldfshkpr]

Is there any resolve to this issue?

[bnemmers]

Sorry I took so long to reply I wanted to make sure the problem was fixed.

First let me run through what I’ve done.

I was getting the “Check Engine” light and I would read the codes, it stated that I had misfire on some of my cylinders and it would also report that I had random misfires. So I checked my ignition components, decided to replace the sparkplug wires and the Coil, about mid November. Well just last week the light came back on, so I check the codes again and this time I got the same codes plus a bunch more. Well I’ve been having trouble starting the car on very cold mornings, about 5-10 degrees F, so between both problems I replaced the battery last weekend with the correct size (Type 91 “Batteries Plus” carries the correct size). Now I’ll wait and see if the engine light comes back on.

I’ll keep you posted.

Regards

Bill

[Cheeesman]

heres a question. i have a 97 318ti and love it, but it has a misfire. i have replaced the plugs, wires, and coil. i have also had my injectors cleaned, i sent them to linder fuel injectors and they tested them and everything. they said they are ok. i still have the misfire. i seams to be worst when it is cold out. it misses hard core for like 1-3 min than runs fine! i can still feel it a little when it is warm but not that much. any ideas?

[cooljess76]

dry and cracked intake boot.

[bnemmers]

Hi Cheeesman,

I haven't found the problem yet. I did the same as you but I didn't have my injectors cleaned, I thinking it might be a computer issue, I still have the same cold weater issues. I'm thinking about taking it into a BMW dealer and see if they have any ideas. I keep you posted.

Bill

[hotmilk400]

what is the easiest way to fix a cracked intake boot? replacing it seems like a pain, is there something i can spray on it or somethign? gheto, i know.. .. but by no means is my car a show car.. :tongue:

[tiFreak]

duct tape, that's what I used before I replaced the hose

[hotmilk400]

haha... awesome.. i was thinking of like a spray on glue really.. but hell.. my car is ready to fall apart at 120k miles.. ill do anything to keep it going.. maybe ill post pictures when im done with my "mod" :cool:

[tiFreak]

if the rubber is brittle enough, gluing the two pieces together won't help since the boot could just rip again right next to where you glued it, take it from a Vermonter, we use duct tape for everything, lol :biggrin:

[hotmilk400]

yo, maybe i should just pay u to come up and fix my car.. haha.. "joking but not really" also.. i dont know if u would like it or not, but i was looking at your pictures.. for your trunk, mounting the amp on the back of your rear seats look REALLY nice, just dont use long screaws.. and get self tap ones since its all metal right behind that carpet..

*check out my photos*

[tiFreak]

I was thinking of doing that but I decided not to and just screwed it to the back of the box, but, since the amp is blown or the wiring is bad or something, I don't have a sub ATM

I'm liking that 15 :eek: is it a sub or just a regular woofer?

[hotmilk400]

haha.. if that 15 in speaker was a sub, it would blow that fiberglass apart.. its basicly just a normal PA speaker at 4 ohms.. it was loud as hell tho.. (was as in the heat killed it) but you could really hear that thing.. along with that black box, which is really a 10 inch sub.. but i just replaced it with an alpine type r sub, 10 in.. just as good.. .. anyway.. if you dont know if the speaker or teh amp is the problem. test them.. first, if u can, test the amp, just connect any old speaker to it, a computer speaker, a book shelf speaker, something.. or even a voltmeter should give u some kinda reading.. if u are getting a reading, test the speaker. to test a sub like that, just touch a 9 volt battery on the inputs. it the speaker pops or jumps, its fine.. it should push in or out .. if it does not do anything, that is your problem.

[tiFreak]

I did screw around with the sub and connected it to my home theater system and it worked, plus I have a Memphis sub and amp I got for free that doesn't work either when it's hooked up in my car, so I'm thinking it's my wiring, but I don't have any friends with a system in their car so I can't check

[hotmilk400]

yo.. easy fix.. im all about electronics and stuff.. i just dont know much about my motor.. haha.. hit me up on AIM .. hotmilk400

ill try to explain how to easily hook up an amp, and test your amps wiring and stuff..

[tiFreak]

I don't have AIM anymore, uninstalled it a while ago

[hotmilk400]

THIS IS FOR TIFREAK--- and is unrelated to the topic of this post =/

Okay. Did u do the install yourself?
has it worked in the past?
blown any fuses?

did u say that the amp works but the speakers just don’t work? Or arnt u sure about anything when it is installed in your car?

first thing to do is find out if the speaker is just bad. This is probably the problem. Like I said before, test it with a 9 volt battery. Remove the 2 speaker wires off from your amp, and touch a 9 volt battery on them. Your speaker should make noise, and move. If it did not, then you just found a huge problem. Remove the speaker from your box, and look at the connects. Lets hope that the connector just fell off the speaker, or a wire got pinched somewhere. Check the speakers connection to the wires. Are the wires on tight? If you can, touch the 9 volt wire on the speakers inputs themselves. (u might need to use a piece of wire depending on the speaker) if your speaker still does not pop or make noise, then your subwoofer is bad. And its your voice coil, which is not replaceable, and u just need a new speaker… if it pops, then its your wires, either find the bad connection, or just buy/make new wires. For about 500 watts, use atleast 12 awg stranded wire, (give or take around there, alittle more wont hurt) get all new connections, and that should fix your problem. Reconnect your wires, and enjoy

If your speaker works fine, then we need to test the amp and the connections.

test the amp first because the amp is the 2nd biggest reason your system might not be working. U can either just put a mutli-meter on he output, and u should be getting a reading that is jumping around. You should use a small speaker, I normally use a book shelf speaker, and test your amp with it. Just connect the wires, you should hear some music. If you do, again, it is your speaker. If you don’t, it may be your amp that is broken, or a bad connection going to your amp. Start by testing connections.

replace all your fuses on yoru amp, and make sure any light or fan on your amp is running.
Basically, the easiest way to test out your system is to start testing things with a multi-meter. Test the power at the sub,

Do u get a constant supply of power at the 12 volt input on your amp?
Do u get a constant supply of power at the other 12 volt input that is only on when your car is on?
When your car is on, do both inputs get power?
When your car is off, does one connection still get power? Do both? One connection, the larger wire should have a constant supply of power.
Is your ground working?
Where is it connected to? Follow the wire, and see where it is connected to. It is possible that your ground is weak or no good. It should be connected to your cars body within about 5 foot (normally perfect around 3 feet) .
How is it connected? Is the paint removed around the connection (assuming it is connected to the body of your car) it should also be either bolted down, or somehow fastened where u can NOT move the wire at all. If you can move the wire, your connection is horrible, and you will destroy your amp. A popular spot to install your ground in a 318ti BMW is behind the left trunk panel. The old BMW amp ground is connected there, and also, it’s a perfect spot to drill out a new spot. Like I said, make sure that the paint is always removed.

where are you getting power from for your amp? The “hot” power should be coming right off your battery, and the 2nd hot power that controls when the amp is on should be coming off your radio, or anything that only has power when your car is running. the hot that comes off your battery should have an inline fuse or breaker, which may need to be reset or replaced. if it does not have this, INSTALL ONE RIGHT AWAY. if you nick your wire, your car will start on fire.. thats no joke.

if everything at your amp is getting power, the next thing to test are the RCA cables.

the RCA cables provide the amp with the music... Basically, these wires are very small, and can easily be cut or broken. There are a few ways to test these, but the easy way can also the hard way. You should first try to find something like a CD player or anything else that is portable. If you don’t already, go out and buy a headphone – RCA jack cable. Then you can use any portable devices to test your amp. Plug the rca cables into the input rca jacks on your amp, and turn on your device. If your amp kicks out some music, then it is your RCA cables coming off your radio, or some problem with your radio. If nothing happened, then, well, your amp is just dead.

if you can get some music out of it. Then you need to find the problem relating to the RCA cables.
start by turning on your radio and make sure that your sub is turned ON and that the vol. for the sub is all the way up. It is possible u bumped it and turned off the sub. If everything looks okay, then remove your car radio, and find the 2 RCA cables coming off the back of it. Are they connected well? If you have any way of testing them, they do so. The easy way is just to find a 12 foot RCA cable and hook it into your amp. If it works, then u need a new RCA cable that runs to your amp.

Normally about 16ft is needed for a new cable. More doesn’t matter, but less will be a pain. You should probably get a 20 – 25 foot to be safe. Just, replace the cable, and u should be fine.

if you can not get any sound out of your RCA jacks from your radio, it is possible you need a new radio. You might have to play around with it a lot, but its likely that your RCA cables shorted out and wrecked your output for your radio’s subs. If that is the case, make sure u replace your RCA cables. You might be able to cheat and plug them into a different RCA output if you have them. Normally that will work, but will reduce bass.

[tiFreak]

^ wow that's a long read :eek: I guess I'll check that once I get around to it, my boss has a multimeter, so I just need to stop being lazy, lol