88 degree t-stat in cold weather issue?

[DIEGOBMW]

Hey All,

So i experienced something odd this morning. My '01 M-Sport sits outside and it is currently below zero here with wind chills at -20ish. Anyway, I went to start it to go to work and it started and stalled immediately, it did this half a dozen times or so before I actually manually ran the throttle and then it barely ran, shook like mad and even I heard some popping through the intake a few times. After a minute or two of feathering the throttle it would idle but rough but NO SES or fault codes generated. So I decided to see what would happen when I tried to move it. I dropped it into reverse and it immediately smoothed out and ran beautiful like always, WEIRD! Do you thing having the 88 degree t-stat has anything to do with it? Ideas?

[hmmurdock]

Mine did this recently when I was on a work trip in Memphis and it got below freezing. Turned out to be a vacuum leak (PCV) and my indie is working on it as we speak. It did eventually throw a code but I don't recall what it was off the top of my head. (I want to say it was a P0157 but don't hold me to that)

[Timm]

Certainly a vacuum leak - it won't throw a fault code until adaptations reach the limit. In this weather the manifold gaskets are usually the cause.