Weird idle issue after disconnecting battery overnight

[shadowpuck]

ok, slow down - lots of variables going on here. were you buying a turner chip, or is this a used chip?

so, at least now, it sounds like the original DME was swapped out of this car. i'm starting to wonder what else has been "modified."
i wonder if there's still not the right tune in the car - perhaps its just flooded now. still could be issues with fuel pressure, amongst other things.

[madbum90]

ok, slow down - lots of variables going on here. were you buying a turner chip, or is this a used chip?

so, at least now, it sounds like the original DME was swapped out of this car. i'm starting to wonder what else has been "modified."
i wonder if there's still not the right tune in the car - perhaps its just flooded now. still could be issues with fuel pressure, amongst other things.

Yea it driving me crazy, no this is a used turner chip. I have a sssquid chip coming cause I like his better then turner. I'm almost thinking it could be a ews issue for the no start and the rpm needles jumping around?

[shadowpuck]

another thought - do some research on chip orientation. i can't recall now which models/versions sometimes needed the chip flipped from what might appear to be the correct orientation.

[shadowpuck]

beyond that quick thought - you will need to do some of the diagnosis we've been asking. namely, fuel pressure, and verifying that the pump is now getting power and running.

[madbum90]

beyond that quick thought - you will need to do some of the diagnosis we've been asking. namely, fuel pressure, and verifying that the pump is now getting power and running.

I'm getting good pressure from the pump, and I took it to a shop and had them smoke it. No vac leaks. So here's another weird thing. When the car is running with the turner chip like it sometimes does. When I close the door or hood (anything that causes the car to shake) the motor dies. When the stock chip is in, it doesnt do that.

[shadowpuck]

how, exactly, did you check fuel pressure? what numbers did you get?

how long ago was the smoke test performed? i thought the car wouldn't run.....?
keep in mind, you may have a stock chip but you don't have the stock DME. that's a variable here.

there is some interplay between the general module and the EWS. i don't recall exactly what, but the systems definitely talk - and the general module talks to doors and such.

i'm really, really confused.

let's start over.

what exactly is happening today. what issue are you trying to fix right this minute? how did we get here? what's the history of this car - it sounds like you bought it after someone else modified it? did it ever run right/without issue? do we have an ability to read actual codes yet? this could all be a loose connection someplace, it still could be an issue with the fuel pump, bad ground, etc....

[madbum90]

how, exactly, did you check fuel pressure? what numbers did you get?

how long ago was the smoke test performed? i thought the car wouldn't run.....?
keep in mind, you may have a stock chip but you don't have the stock DME. that's a variable here.

there is some interplay between the general module and the EWS. i don't recall exactly what, but the systems definitely talk - and the general module talks to doors and such.

i'm really, really confused.

let's start over.

what exactly is happening today. what issue are you trying to fix right this minute? how did we get here? what's the history of this car - it sounds like you bought it after someone else modified it? did it ever run right/without issue? do we have an ability to read actual codes yet? this could all be a loose connection someplace, it still could be an issue with the fuel pump, bad ground, etc....

I'll start from the beginning. Sorry I know this is hard to understand. I bought the car and the previous owner said he had a chip tune for it but he took it out for smog reasons and lost it in the process. So he told me it had a stock chip in it for the mean time. Car ran great no issues what so ever. After driving around for a week or so my CEL came on. Car still ran great so I didn't think anything was wrong. Out of curiousity I did the stomp test to check codes. Code 1221 came up and keep in kind the car still drove fine and idled fine like this. I wanted to clear the code so I disconnected the battery over night. Upon connecting the battery the next morning it started up just fine no issues. On my drive to work, I got roughly 40 ft from my house to the stop sign, and when I came to a stop the idle came to normal spot and then rised 500 rpms and stayed there for a sec and then dropped. Thought it was odd but I kept driving. And every time I would come to a stop it would do that. After driving it for a little bit I noticed that the rpms would hang when I shifted to the next gear. And sometimes when I come to a stop the idle will rise 500 rpms and drop, then rise, then drop and keep doing that 2-3 times. That's where this thread started because I thought it was weird that the only thing I did to the car was disconnect the battery and that's it. In the meantime since I posted this, the previous owner said he found the old ecu and turner chip. So I picked it up. Another 413 red label ecu. So I took the chip out of the ecu he handed to me and I put it in the ecu that was in the car when I bought it. I turned the key to the on position and the rpms bounce around like crazy, I tried starting and it would crank, stop, crank, stop and never turn over. So I then took the chip out and put it in the other ecu and put that ecu in the car. Rpms didn't bounce around and it started. But it felt like it wanted to die until it got warm then it ran like a champ and sounded great with the proper tune for the cams, 3.5 maf and 24lb injectors. So I wanted to take it for a test drive I close the hood and the car just dies. So I go turn it over and it just cranks and cranks. I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes or so and then I tried again and it started up right away just fine. I hop in the car and when I close the door the car dies again. And that's where I'm at. I can put the ecu that the car came with when I bought the car and stock chip and it runs fine except the idle issue.

[shadowpuck]

only other suggestion - not going to help you fix your car - but, please, can you break this up into paragraphs....man, that was a wall of text....

but, that background does help.

let's wait for bmwdirtracer and 328 Power 04 to read this latest info. i feel like there's now a clue here with the door issue. i know EWS I has some connection with the GM.

also, one othe request - let's do this, build a simple chart:
red label DME #1 with "stock" chip - describe what happens.
red label DME #1 with "Turner" chip - describe what happens.

red label DME #2 with "stock" chip - describe what happens.
red label DME #2 with "Turner" chip - describe what happens.

you did not answer how you confirmed fuel pump operation - namely, pressure.

[bmwdirtracer]

It's late, it's Friday, and I'm not going to go back and re-read every post right now. But the "slamming the hood" thing bugs me. You need to repeat this test a number of times before you should believe that it's really related to the chip. If it's truly related to chip swap, then you need a new chip, probably a bad solder joint......

.....Or, the DME has a similarly bad solder joint or other similar failure.

If we take this another step; then you need to get some WURTH electrical contact cleaner oil, and clean both sides of the DME plug; I call this stuff magic; no kidding.

You've thrown a new main relay at it? Fuel relay? (Sorry, I keep spares of these around, because it's sometimes easier to replace a relay than test it......but I have a relay tester, too. Actually, I have two boxes full of relay testers...Sometimes, a test light is easier....)

Where do you live? "US" doesn't do it...I've lived on Maui, in NYC, LA, the mountains of NC, and the extremely remote desert of Terlingua, TX. I ask, because each situation requires a different solution. (If you live in Terlingua, I'll mail you a couple of relays)

I'll have a look again tomorrow, when I'm not four beers into the weekend....

[shadowpuck]

I'll have a look again tomorrow, when I'm not four beers into the weekend....

wisdom of the ages there, folks....take heed....

[madbum90]

only other suggestion - not going to help you fix your car - but, please, can you break this up into paragraphs....man, that was a wall of text....

but, that background does help.

let's wait for bmwdirtracer and 328 Power 04 to read this latest info. i feel like there's now a clue here with the door issue. i know EWS I has some connection with the GM.

also, one othe request - let's do this, build a simple chart:
red label DME #1 with "stock" chip - describe what happens.
red label DME #1 with "Turner" chip - describe what happens.

red label DME #2 with "stock" chip - describe what happens.
red label DME #2 with "Turner" chip - describe what happens.

you did not answer how you confirmed fuel pump operation - namely, pressure.

I got about 50 psi from the fuel pump.

red label #1 with stock chip - Starts and drives fine, until coming to a stop it has a hanging idle
red label #1 with turner chip - tachometer needle bounces around in the key on position and won't start. cranks, stops, cranks, stops.

red label #2 with stock chip - haven't tried yet
red label #2 with turner chip - starts, wants to die when cold. once warm it idles perfectly. but any movement of the car and the motor will die.

[madbum90]

It's late, it's Friday, and I'm not going to go back and re-read every post right now. But the "slamming the hood" thing bugs me. You need to repeat this test a number of times before you should believe that it's really related to the chip. If it's truly related to chip swap, then you need a new chip, probably a bad solder joint......

.....Or, the DME has a similarly bad solder joint or other similar failure.

If we take this another step; then you need to get some WURTH electrical contact cleaner oil, and clean both sides of the DME plug; I call this stuff magic; no kidding.

You've thrown a new main relay at it? Fuel relay? (Sorry, I keep spares of these around, because it's sometimes easier to replace a relay than test it......but I have a relay tester, too. Actually, I have two boxes full of relay testers...Sometimes, a test light is easier....)

Where do you live? "US" doesn't do it...I've lived on Maui, in NYC, LA, the mountains of NC, and the extremely remote desert of Terlingua, TX. I ask, because each situation requires a different solution. (If you live in Terlingua, I'll mail you a couple of relays)

I'll have a look again tomorrow, when I'm not four beers into the weekend....

I've done it multiple times. its the weirdest thing. when I close the hood normally..... dies. when i close the door normally..... dies. when i close the trunk normally.... dies. if i gently shut the door then it stays at idle but I'm afraid to drive it because a bump in the road may shut the motor down.

I live in northern california.

Couple of things I've done today: I've checked to see if it had ews and i can't find the module behind the glove box and I've checked to make sure that the motor is a s50 by looking at the casting numbers on the block.

I'm thinking i need to buy a 506 ecu since thats what it came with from the factory and buy a chip for the 506 ecu. But then I'm thinking why was the original ecu swapped out.... its a headache.

[bmwdirtracer]

See, I KNEW I'd miss something after a few beers: Is your DME securely bolted in place or otherwise externally grounded? You must start with this, on an early E36.

[shadowpuck]

ok, a few more questions....

50psi, when? under what conditions?

just to satisfy my own curiosity - what happens if the vehicle is locked and all doors/hood/trunk are closed. then, you unlock driver's door, get in, close door, start car? and, is that behavior different with DME 1/2 or stock vs Turner chip?

i'm still not convinced you are looking at an EWS issue here - but, i figure it might be good to eliminate some variables. i mean, at least in 3/4 instances noted above the car is starting and running - albeit not well or "correctly." it may be that EWS was deleted - typically, the module would be behind the glovebox if you wanted to confirm.

[madbum90]

See, I KNEW I'd miss something after a few beers: Is your DME securely bolted in place or otherwise externally grounded? You must start with this, on an early E36.

It's not bolted in. For some reason the little clips that hold it in won't slide over the dme. But after installing a new chip from sssquid everything is now fine!!! So I'm assuming that turner chip was bad Somehow. Car starts and idles perfect! Been driving on it the last few days like this. Only thing now is when I get into higher rpms in 2 gear or higher the car sputters and loses power. I went to pull the spark plug and before even pulling the plug I noticed a pool of oil in the spark plug tunnel. What's weird is I have service records of it having it valve cover gasket being replaced in the last year. Hoping it's not a cracked head!