I've never even HEARD of this problem before...

[poohlikeshunny]

Hi everyone! I am a new M44 owner (318ic actually) and have been lurking for awhile trying to learn about my engine. I was told this may be a better place than bimmerforums since it is more engine specific to what I have, so hopefully someone can help me...I've searched and searched, but I can't find anyone else who has had a similar experience.

I was swapping out my headlights today as the car came with one piece projectors/angel eyes i did not care for. So I pulled them out to install OEM lights, and had to pull apart some of the wires going into the angel eyes. Before I did this though, I unplugged the negative connection from the battery.

After replacing the passenger side light, I hooked it back up to test the light and signal. They worked fine, but when I turned the key to the on position (not starting the car) the fan I normally hear before I start the car is dead.

I hear a faint buzzing from around my throttle cable and when I start the car it idles very rough. The whole car shakes as a result...

I do not know what to do or where to begin. I am fairly new to bimmers and only moderately experienced at doing it myself, but am very open to learning...can anyone help me?

Thanks!

[aceyx]

Check your fuses. May have blown a few reconnecting the battery terminal.

In the future, just pull the fuse on whatever you're area working.

[cooljess76]

Wait a minute, so your fan comes on as soon as you turn the key before you start the car? That's not normal. The electric fan should only come on when your engine reaches a certain temperature(low speed) or when you turn the A/C on(high speed). The buzzing sound that you speak of sounds like the ASC valve checking itself. Is it possible that the fan "sound" that you hear when you start the car is possibly the secondary air pump running? If so, that's only supposed to come on when you start the car on a cold engine. You should inspect it, as they're known to separate and leak. If left unfixed long enough they collect moisture and dirt which can cause it not to work. I could be totally wrong, but I don't see why your fan would come on as soon as you start your car normally.

Also, it might be time to replace your CCV(crank case vent valve).

[M-technik-3]

Jess my fan comes on as well? I thought this was normal but odd it stops after a minute on all starts then only comes on when car is warm which seems to be never.

[poohlikeshunny]

wow....did not know it was not supposed to come on...I thought it was part of some automatic cooling feature or something...what is the secondary air pump and where is it located?

aceyx, I thought it may have been fuses, but I checked the fusebox in the rear right under the hood and they all look fine...unless I am missing another fusebox? Would that be the cause of rough idling as well? Maybe it blew the fuse of something that controls how it idles? I'm worried that while i was removing the one piece headlights, maybe I pulled something apart I shouldnt have while pulling apart the splicing for the angel eyes...

[cooljess76]

Hmm, that's strange. I guess it's possible that mine did too and I just never noticed it. Mine would hardly ever come on as well. For a while, I thought it was broken, but I noticed it once while I was working under the hood with the engine running for about 30 minutes. I wish I could go check it out for you, but my car is missing a motor at the moment

[marko]

I bet my bottom dollar you are hearing the secondary air pump - not the fan.. as Jess mentoned, fan only comes on when the car gets hot.

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Jess my fan comes on as well? I thought this was normal but odd it stops after a minute on all starts then only comes on when car is warm which seems to be never.

[M-technik-3]

I will say I'd rather know that it comes on than not wonder....Overheated my M/S50 E30 and toated the HG last year. lack of enough cooling in fan department.

Smaller electric fan and opps. Poor rat box.


Marko you might be right OBD II to me is new, this is the newest car I have owned besides my Ex wifes, minivans. And tell you what she can keep em.

[marko]

you are correct - my fan only comes on once in a blue moon, too - I actually had to leave it idling for some time to check and see if the fan was not busted, as it almost never came on.

I think they are hearing the SAP...

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Hmm, that's strange. I guess it's possible that mine did too and I just never noticed it. Mine would hardly ever come on as well. For a while, I thought it was broken, but I noticed it once while I was working under the hood with the engine running for about 30 minutes. I wish I could go check it out for you, but my car is missing a motor at the moment

[M-technik-3]

The SAP is to add more air to cut back on emissions?

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

The SAP is to add more air to cut back on emissions?

Pretty much in a round about way. It increases air for the first few moments upon startup to compensate for the rich condition caused by the fuel vapors that accumulate in your charcoal canister while your car sits overnight. Those vapors are purged into the engine and the secondary air pump thins them out to extend the life of your catalytic converter.

[M-technik-3]

Thats what I thought. Need to get a Bentley for this car. Guess I'll start looking for a Pdf online for it.

[cooljess76]

Also FWIW, if your secondary air pump becomes abnormally louder, it may have a leak. This can cause an irregular idle as well as other issues(misfires, fault codes etc). Upon cold startup the pump runs for about 30 seconds. You can stick your hand around the pump and feel for leaks, just watch out for the engine belts and fan while you're feeling around in there.

The pump is held together by 6 aluminum rivets, which commonly break allowing the pump housing to separate and leak air. The fix is to remove the pump, remove the rivets(may require drilling), clean the pump internals(brake cleaner works well), reassemble pump and replace the rivets with bolts/lock nuts. The whole procedure only takes about a half an hour and is relatively easy.

The CCV is another common problem on our cars. It usually becomes clogged and causes your engine to choke(idle funny/misfire). This part cannot be removed without damaging or destroying the plastic internals. They cost around 50 bucks and are pretty easy to replace as well.

However, you should know that if your CCV is clogged, it's more than likely that the vent port on your valve cover is probably clogged as well. It's easy to clean, but requires removal of your valve cover so you may want to pick up a valve cover gasket and a set of spark plug hole seals. Chances are the spark plug holes are full of oil anyway, so it's like killing a few birds with one stone.

All of the parts can be sourced from pelicanparts or mileoneparts for under a hundred bucks. Best of luck to ya!

[marko]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

The pump is held together by 6 aluminum rivets, which commonly break allowing the pump housing to separate and leak air. The fix is to remove the pump, remove the rivets(may require drilling), clean the pump internals(brake cleaner works well), reassemble pump and replace the rivets with bolts/lock nuts. The whole procedure only takes about a half an hour and is relatively easy.

when I got my last SAP (my 3rd!) I went to a local hardware store & purchased 3 thin, long bolts + 6 corresponding nuts... as the rivets on the pump are hollow, all you got to do is insrt the bolts through the rivet holes and tighten the nut from the other end. Works well - no drilling required - and it is un-noticable.

[poohlikeshunny]

i'll check that stuff too, but what gets me is that everything was running fine before i hooked the battery back up. While I am checking for any leaks, should I also check any wiring? I notcied that when I removed the old headlights from the PO, that the angel eyes were spliced into some sort of larger black cable that has many other wires coming from it...I thought I hooked everything back up and taped it off properly, but there are a few wires that are not conncted...would anything there be the source?