1997 z3 2.8
5 speed
no engine mods
157xxx miles
Hey guys so two days ago I went to put gas in the Z, after, I had to make a phone call, so being the good Christian boy I am I decided to park my car while I made my phone call. After a brief 5 min conversation, I was ready to start her up and drive away when I heard something that sounded like a vacuum cleaner running, someone was in fact vacuum cleaning my engine, I was sure of it. So I open the hood and I notice the sound, very loud, coming from the pass side, the secondary air pump had been running since I parked the car for my conversation.
I decide to try to start the car and it just cranks but there is no ignition. I try again, same thing, meanwhile I can still hear the pump. After about a minute of crank, ignition off, crank, ignition off, crank, the car finally starts. Idles fine, no problems. I hesitantly shut off the car but now I don't hear the pump running anymore. Try to start the car and I comes to life like normal.
Fast forward to today, as I'm coming to a red light, I slow down and throw her in neutral, RPMS crash and the car dies. I try to start her back up and she just cranks and cranks away. This time I don't hear the pump running. Throw my hazards on, and just keep cranking, ignition off, crank ignition off and so on. After about 60 seconds of this, she starts. Made it home with no further mishaps. She had died on me once before over a month ago when I was coming to a stop but started right up and I kinda forgot about it.
Question time, could the secondary air pump be causing the car to die and not want to start. As far as I know it's only for emission purposes and should not affect driveability. Are these two issues not related. I have to tested anything yet, what's the best place to start.
Cheers guys.
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
When it doesn't want to start, do you even have the check engine light come on? Sounds a bit like a power supply issue, or a short.
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
No check engine light, no battery light, just normal cranking then starts and idles and drives just fine.
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
Abel was looking for if the MIL comes in before and while cranking. If it truly does not, you have a computer problem.
Check the ground point on the rear of the right strut tower.
Honestly I have not noticed, I assumed it did, I will check if the CEL lights up when ignition is switched to "on". It just rained torrential-like here in LA for 24hours, the roadie has a couple of leaks and the interior got wet, to what extent I don't know.
Is that ground point a known failure point?
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
The check needs to be done while it's broken.
Ground point is only a problem when it's been disturbed at some previous point.
I see, I will remember to check next time she acts up again.
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
My SAP on my 2.8 sounds like a vacuum cleaner as well...figured I'd replace it when it dies, but it won't die. It's never affected startup.
Nathan in Denver
1999 M Roadster, VFE V3 S/C, Randy Forbes Reinforced, Hardtop, H&R/Bilstein, Apex PS-7, Supersprint
1999 Z3 2.8 Coupe, Headers, 3.46, Manual Swap, H&R/Koni, M Geometry/Brakes, M54B30 Manifold, Style 42
So I went out this morning, turn the key to on and these are all the lights I get. No CEL under regular conditions, car started up just fine
Sent from my SM-J327T using Tapatalk
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
Update, I believe this is gonna be something really dumb, it feels like a loose connection somewhere. I was driving to get some parts for another car I'm working on and I forgot to swerve around two back to back manholes, about 30 feet apart from each other. There was a sudden and abrupt jerk, as if the car lost all power for half a second, and it did it twice as I hit each manhole.
The car has brand new(less than 3 months old) Bilsteins and H&Rs and LA roads have taken a toll. Checking the battery connections first, will report back.
Sent from my SM-J327T using Tapatalk
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
Update, because of my hooning, the battery was loose since the battery has "some" space to move around, the copper wires were being pulled from the terminal because of the weight of the battery. I really hope that is the end of that...
however, anything I can do to test the secondary air pump since it's showing signs of going out... ?
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
The air pump stuck on either because the relay failed and miraculously fixed itself, or because the DME crashed because of a power surge and stuck holding the relay engaged. In other words the pump was a symptom, not a fault.
I have a problem with a battery connection that is supposedly bad enough to take out the DME but is good enough to support a solid minute of cranking. But whatever.
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
From Wikipedia -
Hoon is a term primarily used in Australia and New Zealand to describe the act of driving a vehicle at high speed and pulling manoeuvres likely to cause excitement and cheers from onlookers. Hoon activities can include speeding, burnouts, doughnuts or screeching tyres.
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
You might want to replace that battery pigtail if the wire is able to pull out if your current one. Intermittents can be a bitch they always fail when you're least prepared
I looked at the wiring diagrams and now have a handle on it. There are two wires in the positive post clamp. The DME and friends are on the smaller. The starter and most of the car is on the larger. You likely had the connection problem on the smaller lead.
Your battery should have a way to be secured so it doesn't move - not sure how that looks in that year of roadster, on a non-M 2.8 coupe it has a little "wedge" that rests against the bottom lip of the battery and gets bolted down from the top. It seems like a stupid pointless thing, until this happens
Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!
PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
Offering the best prices on the best quality reproduction fabrics!
The wedge is there and the battery doesn't move for the most part, but there are fractions of an inch of play, and that was enough to over time pull at the positive terminal. I will have to wedge something next to the battery to eliminate 100% of movement.
Join the SoCal E38 owners group on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/officialdistrict7
... and on Instagram @district7_socal
Subscribe to my YouTube for E38 content--> https://www.youtube.com/c/ARPerez
Bookmarks