Hi all. I'm new here and I've searched the forums for information on the issue I'm experiencing, but no one else seems to have had the same problem. I wonder if anyone can advise me on the following please:

My 1997 E36 328i auto convertible is stalling with increasing frequency. It happens when the engine is warm. It only stalls when the car is stationary or moving very slowly and the gas pedal not being pressed. It doesn't stall slowly (with "coughing and spluttering" etc.) it just stalls suddenly. However it does feel a bit rough in the minute preceding the stall, so I generally know it's coming, but not always. It can be restarted straight away (but splutters slightly when restarting and takes an extra second or so to start). When the car is being driven with the gas pedal pressed, it doesn't actually stall, but it does sometimes suddenly lose power for a second.

Also after it has stalled / lost power for a second, it is then hesitant for the rest of the journey. Although it's not noticeable at engine RPM about 2 or 3 thousand, but it is hesitant to pull away from rest. Amazingly, turning off the engine and restarting will often alleviate this problem and it will continue normally for a while.

In addition, when the car is stationary, the engine will occasionally briefly rev up a bit and then drop back to idle. I'm assuming all this is related and is caused by the same thing.


This starting happening about 3 months ago. I took the car to my independent BMW specialist for troubleshooting about 2 months ago. They couldn't find the problem back then, but told me to "let it develop" and then bring it back for free re-testing. Before I take it back to them, I was hoping to get some ideas from this forum about what it could be and what to check. If anyone can think of anything, all information will be very much appreciated!

Thank you! :)

You might look into the Idle Air Contol Valve, or IAC. I think you should be able find posts regarding this and they might sound similar to your problem. You checked the basics like fuel filter, fuel pump, gas quality(no water) and things like that, correct?

Hi. Thanks for your quick reply!

I have personally checked the air filter and the oil and water levels. I haven't checked the fuel pump / filter or whether there is water in the fuel tank. I will be taking it back for a re-test at the garage so I will ask them to check those things. When I first described the problem to my garage they initially told me that it sounded like the crankcase sensor.

Thanks

My indy mechanic tells me that these are common problems with our cars:

- loss of power
- no low end torque when car is warm

When this happened to me he replaced the cam sensor. I got my low end power back, no stalling.

Thanks for that. In that case, I will definitely be discussing the cam sensor with my mechanic.

take a look and see if there is a vaccuum leak somewhere. I had the same problem, but my car would stall out only on start-ups.

If there is a pressure leak, or a hissing sound coming from the right/rear side of the engine. It could mean your valve gasket may need to be replaced. This happened to me. My mechanic demonstrated that the old gasket lost it's elasticity and it would not expand to prevent leaking.

You may learn something by reading the DME fault memory.

Hi

Hope you don't mind me asking but did you find out what your stalling problem was. Been searching a few forums and your post sound exactly like the problem I'm having with my 5 series which the garage haven't been able to sort out yet.

Thanks in advance

Mick Packer

Maybe a crack in the intake bellows or the ICV?