E36 328i misfire at idle- exhaust pop

[skanders]

Hello,

I have an e36 328i that misfires at idle with an exhaust pop say every 10secs or so, it all started when i changed spark plugs from ngk bkr6ek to some new ngk bkr6ek as the old ones became oil fouled due to a leaking cover gasket and ever since then it started. I then found a few air leaks which i've fixed and still the problem does not go away, it seems to be fine on power and fuel consumption and there are no codes, there were splits in the coil boots but i've taped those up to see if the problem went away, again it didn't and its the same. Icv has been cleaned, maf has been cleaned, definately no more leaks, any ideas please ?

ps:- i've tightened the plugs as much as i could and dare not tighten them any further.

thanks.

[gc325is]

You changed from [COLOR=red !important][COLOR=red !important]ngk[/COLOR][/COLOR] bkr6ek to some new ngk bkr6ek, so same plugs just new? Are they the 2 tip electrodes? I had a similar problem went from Bosh 4 platinum just old, to new NGK copper with 2 electrodes and got the popping exhaust. I ended up installing the old plugs to check, then upgrading to Bosch iridium single, it went away. Thought the coils could be going bad but OK for 3 years now.

[skanders]

You changed from [COLOR=red !important][COLOR=red !important]ngk[/COLOR][/COLOR] bkr6ek to some new ngk bkr6ek, so same plugs just new? Are they the 2 tip electrodes? I had a similar problem went from Bosh 4 platinum just old, to new NGK copper with 2 electrodes and got the popping exhaust. I ended up installing the old plugs to check, then upgrading to Bosch iridium single, it went away. Thought the coils could be going bad but OK for 3 years now.

yes they are the 2 tip ones.

[Eric93se]

I had some popping and gurgling when I got my car, it just needs more tuneup work. The coils need to be replaced, the pop/gurgle comes from a miss fire.

Run a bottle of the new Royal Purple fuel system cleaner and replace the ignition coils, a new set of 6 is right around $100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6PCS-BMW-E46...-/261327882453

[janar08]

I have the EXACT same problem as you do!
Changed the plugs (BKR6EK) and started getting that occasional exhaust pop. Unfortunately I threw the old plugs away and haven't had the chance to try different plugs.
Please keep us updated!

[skanders]

ok ladies and gents, sorted this issue, put in bkr6equp plugs which are high power 4 prong ones and this resolved.

thanks.

[gc325is]

Oh no you have now upset the spark plug GOD who say use copper plugs only. Not to mention the words high power plugs. Glad you found a solution. FYI, I was doing a spark test and found the BKR6EK was sparking near the insulator side ngkbkr6ek.jpgnot near the tip as I would expect or saw on other plug type. It was a noticeably smaller spark too as it ran across the insulator.

[gc325is]

Updates: Due to problems with Bosh iridium.

I found a fault with the NGK BKR6EK design pic enclosed

When carbon builds up, the spark is reduced due to a carbon short along the top of the insulators. It effectively reduces the gap to under ~35 gap

Runs poor when cold and at slow RPMs & Great for failing CA SMOG tests.


PC160553a.jpg




With a few tweeks I could get a better spark (50K volts provided from a stun gun) < 15K miles on this plug

PC160554a.jpg



I have since been using the Bosh Iridium, but now they too are failing at ~25K miles. Looks like they have degraded with a high impedance (11K ohm) on a few of the plugs so the car is running a bit uneven at low RPMs. So....


Went to the single tip NGK BKR6E.
PC160552a.jpg



http://www.partcat.com/ngk

Note: Recommended
NGK BKR6EK only 1995
NGK BKR6EQUP or iridium 1996 up