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Thread: stomp test no longer works

  1. #26
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Posts
    1,100
    My Cars
    09/90 E34 525i (M50)
    I know my aux push fan works now!
    I've done my ign only mod for my thermofan and had a few short test drives since, but today was my first long drive with lots of stop starts, traffic lights and crawling on the freeway at 20-60km/hr peak hour traffic. When I got home I had to unload some shopping and then when I went to move the car I noticed an extra loud roar of fans when I turned the key. The temp gauge was way above 1/2 (it was halfway between 1/2 and 3/4) and the aux fan as well as the thermofan was running. Never seen that before, but good to know the aux fan works - I've always tested it at the relay and at the switch but never seen it self operate.

    It may be related to air in the system because I've done a heater o ring replacement. On Monday I bled it and topped it up to the cold mark after it cooled down. There shouldn't have been a problem as I've test run the heater heaps and added 1L of coolant mix but today was definitely a suprise because it's only a 18C (64F) day.
    Today the rad was hotter than it had ever been which is why the aux fan was running, expansion tank coolant level near the top because it was hot, I couldn't bled anything out of the bleed screw for some reason -E: didn't want to turn it until it came out!
    Better to bleed when not so hot? I might try again tomorrow. Heat gain after switching these engines off sure is a thing I haven't ever experienced before with my direct battery connected thermofan.

    Late edit: HaHa the fan came with a blue and a black wire to a plug, and the PO conveniently used blue and black wires to the relay, so when I reconnected everything blue goes to blue and black goes to black right? My bad, I should have checked and noted on disconnection. Of course the fan was spinning backwards and that's why my car was running hotter and the aux fan came on. Still nice to know that the aux fan works, but the fans were fighting each other and my car was running hotter. All sorted now and the fan hardly runs.
    Last edited by fo3; 06-20-2019 at 09:20 AM.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    I haven't managed to get around to changing my system over from it's current direct battery connection yet. I had an annoying exhaust rattle that just started over the last two weeks that I finally got around to checking into. Ruined my day! My rear muffler, which looked to be in excellent condition when I was last under there, is now a bunch of loose, rattling chunks of metal. I pressed lightly against the side of it and it just fell apart. So finding a new one just jumped to the top of my repair list. I'm wondering if it would make passing my smog test easier now, since most of the exhaust gases are coming out the side of it! Thus far, the best option I've found is an Eberspaecher for $180, though I need to do some more research before buying. I'm tempted to try something that makes it just a tad louder than stock, since it is easier to get your revs right when downshifting when you can hear what you are doing. I really hadn't budgeted for this right now, I may just eliminate the rear muffler and run straight pipes temporarily.

    I unfortunately ran for at least a year with air in my system, though my issue was I could never get it up to temperature. I attributed it to a bad thermostat, or no thermostat at all, given my PO's approach to mechanical matters. My bad, but fortunately I don't seem to have damaged it in the process. I'll have to tackle my heater core o rings one day. The PO messed with them, or something under there, once upon a time. He broke off a bunch of things, and left out several parts when it was put back together, haphazardly. I've been afraid to find out how big of a mess he left me with under there, so I've put off attending to it, since there is at most a tiny bit of weeping from those o rings.

    Still no joy with the stomp test. I had some slim hope that getting rid of my short would cure it.



  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    Well, that's interesting. I had a few moments while doing laundry, so I stomped, then stomped some more. I was halfway through wearing out my left leg when it started flashing. I'm not sure if this constitutes having solved the problem yet, but at least I did get it to work once. It gave me a 1221, o2 sensor code. Which is rather annoying, since I replaced mine less than 5k miles ago. I'll have to figure out how to test one of them, and to recheck to be certain I got the correct one when I get done with my chores. I used a Bosch 13108, which autozone says is correct for the car. I'll figure it out later.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Posts
    753
    My Cars
    '73 E9, '94 E34, '02 E46
    You can remove and bench test an 02 sensor with a multimeter and propane flame, see this youtube vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKsS6AELPuM
    Last edited by Honolulu; 06-19-2019 at 02:39 PM.
    Charlie

    Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    I tried the stomp test several times over the course of the day, and out of around 50 attempts, it worked twice more. Both times with the same code. So, while I wouldn't quite call that a problem solved, it at least is functional now, if I just have the patience. Prior to fixing my parasitic draw, hundreds of attempts on dozens of occasions got me nowhere, but working occasionally like it does makes me hesitant to say that was the cause. Not one to argue with success, even if it is partial, I'm going to call the stomp test good, for now, since I have to attend to an o2 sensor and a muffler instead. And I believe I've read a number of threads that said that 1221 can be caused by things other than the o2 sensor.... It never ends.

    Thanks for the link. The internet is an amazing resource. It's hard to believe how hard it once was to get any kind of information about anything back in the day. I first had to learn how to work on Opels when mine ate it's transmission right after I moved to LA, starting the year after they were orphaned by GM. The manuals sucked, and I'd never done anything more advanced than changing spark plugs. There was one Buick dealer in LA, on the other side of the city, who still had any parts, and if you were really lucky, the one mechanic in the dealership who had a clue about Opels had a few minutes to talk to you. Otherwise, ya had to wing it. After I did the tranny install the second time, it worked, just in time for the head gasket to blow, so I got to know him quite well. Fortunately he was patient with my stupid, in retrospect, questions. The Google, YouTube, and places like this will hopefully never cease to amaze me for the incredible tool they are for anyone doing anything. ANYTHING!

    I'd have thrown the towel in several times on the Touring were it not for Bimmerforums. I still have it close by, though!
    Last edited by xcastaway; 06-19-2019 at 07:17 PM. Reason: Typos

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Realville
    Posts
    1,216
    My Cars
    93 525iT,91 318i
    Start by looking for a vacuum leak, many many 1221 codes are initiated by some obscure failure in the vacuum system. Also, you do know you will need to get at least 2 consecutive successful stomp tests in order to be able to clear the CEL??

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Beaverton, Oregon
    Posts
    336
    My Cars
    1992 525it
    I just read thru a bunch of threads that said vacuum leaks would be a possible culprit, but I'll check to make sure nothing happened to the wiring and that it's plugged in first. I wasn't aware you needed to do that to clear the codes. I'm not sure it has ever worked twice in a row, even when I first bought the car. I'll figure out the cause of the code first. I thought I'd cured all my vacuum leaks with the new hoses, fittings, and o rings. Of course, it might still be a bad sensor. I've never seen a listing of all the possible vacuum leaks on an m50, I looked before I sent off my last parts order. Some of the threads I went thru looking into this 1221 issue mentioned a couple I hadn't thought of. though probably should have.

    I should have time tomorrow to look into it further.

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