Not that I'm some sort of burnout king, but in a straight line launch the car does not break traction with dsc off etc etc. I do not have steptronic so I put it in the "S4" mode. I know it's not as cool as the 3.15 lsd or 6spd, but I should be able to get at least one black mark on the pavement.

My asking is not the fact that I want to make black marks all over the place, but I am obviously losing power somewhere. What would be the most common issues?


Important info:
99 540iA, non-steptronic
dinan trans/stageII software
" " CAI
18x8 w/ 245 rubber

Are you saying that when you stomp the peddle from being dead stopped?
And not using your brake?

If your asking how to peel rubber. LOL
You need to step on your brake peddle,then nail the gas until the tires spin.
Your rear brakes are 15% of your stopping power,so the fronts will hold you still while the rear tires break loose.
Thats kinda like what you would wanna do if your racing also.
Hold the brake.....Get the revs up to the point just below where the tire starts to spin. Then when you get the light,floor the peddle and let off the brake at once.

If your thinking your auto is gonna do burnouts w/out the brake your sadly mistaken....Maybe in low in a circle you can do dohnuts.Or in the dirt/sand/wet
If it was a 540i/6 you could spin the tires in 1st gear all day long.

That answer your question?

fyi the auto trans will drop down to 1st gear if you punch it from a stop....

and mine is an auto as well and i can turn my dsc off and break traction easily....

and thats with the trans in sport mode..

Yeah Danny you are out to lunch amigo. The auto with DSC off should light em up easy. :nono

If it was a 540i/6 you could spin the tires in 1st gear all day long.

:shifty

I have the dinan trans software so when im on S4 mode it is in 1st gear regardless. And FYI autos can spin the tires without using brakes, mine used to when I first got my car.

Any real help/suggestions on what to check as far as power loss?

+2

:shifty

I have the dinan trans software so when im on S4 mode it is in 1st gear regardless. And FYI autos can spin the tires without using brakes, mine used to when I first got my car.

Any real help/suggestions on what to check as far as power loss?

Do you notice the power loss at times other than when you're trying to break traction? Does it run smoothly? Idle smoothly? What's the gas mileage like? Any PM overdue?

It idles a little low recently. When the AC is off it idles at the idle tick on the gauge but when coming to a stop from ~45 it dips below that tick and the car shudders as gets back up to where it should be. I dont think that is related.

Runs smooth, the only real thing is a squeaking noise at about 40% throttle. at WOT and in normal driving it's fine. Sounds like it might be a belt (?)

MPG was at 18 today with a very "spirited" run for a half hour.

not sure what a PM overdue is :o

this thread makes me miss my 71 Buick Riviera.... 455cid. of Buick Big Block = lots of melted rubber..-- the CHEAP WAY... 15 inch tires are a dime a dozen.. if I had to buy 17s due to burning out... good god

I don't have tranny software so I need to get on the kickdown switch to burn out.... but my 1997 will do it just fine. Gotta use the brakes to get the revs up though, otherwise the torque converter slips just enough to get you moving quick, but no burn.

Well some cars run better others and will maybe do some tire spin w/out brakework or help..Depends on the rear/the tire tread/tire size etc.

But getting back to your post.
If your car lost power.
Heres the main reasons it happens

Your plugs will form deposits on the diodes and make the gap verry small or even closed sometimes.

Could have a really wide gapped plug

MAIN>>>> MAf gets dirty,try cleaning it,should show a huge improvement.
But follow directions from a thread,theres plenty if search.

Clogged air filters

Vacume leaks......You can look for visable/or listen for leaks.
You can get a can of carb cleaner and spray it around and on the hoses and vacume areas to see if your idle raises or falls,if it does,youve found the problem

Loose/corruded/wet soaked oil soaked/anti freez soaked wires

Wires cracked dry rotted arching against engine or similiar

Thats pretty much it....Anything else is electronic and monitored by the open/closed loop operations and should show a C/E light if inoperable or at least be in your stored codes data.

Have you had it scanned for stored codes?

The reason The MAF dont show a code is because the C/E light wont come on unless it senses an error in voltage from the MAF/HFM

When its dirty,the car runs like its broken. But the car/pcm dont know.
Thats because the Voltage is still correct.

Also check your other plugs for the air intake temp,on the air inlet tubing and the other plugs around it to make sure they are connected.

Keep us posted.

Dude, you do NOT need to use your brake to do a burnout in the 540i whether it's an autotragic or 6-speed. After I cleaned my MAF, burnouts are TOO F*IN EASY!! Gotta watch my foot and that is in standard auto, not in sport mode or manual steptronic. Even with DSC on, I can chirp the rear wheel. Your 4.4 V8 should be putting out plenty of power to break the rear wheel (no LSD dammit) loose.

You definitely have a performance problem fiziks (no pun intended...LOL)...someone here (if not yourself) will surely help you diagnose it properly.

S**t, just noticed you have a '99. Could it be the dreaded VANOS issue?

its because of all that stereo shit u got in the trunk... makes for better traction heheh :)

Time for a tune up.

Time for a tune up.

Precisely. That's what I meant by PM... Preventive Maintenance.

Plugs
Clean MAF
Fuel Filter
O2 sensors (not likely since the car runs in open loop under WOT anyway).
Air filter

Have you done any of that stuff recently? Or even over the last year or two?

I just read over your post again, BS, I didn't see the PM reference in there.

That's a good place to start...and the cheapest.

I have actually peeled a bit of rubber at times with dsc off and I drive a 525i. Definitely a "performance" issue on your part. Nothing major though. Sure its just clogged stuff here and there.

hahaha! Gumbi burnin rubber in the 525i! yes!

one important question: what kind of tires are you running fiziks?

my 528i will boil one tire if I ask it to. I've done it like twice.

hahaha! Gumbi burnin rubber in the 525i! yes!

one important question: what kind of tires are you running fiziks?

my 528i will boil one tire if I ask it to. I've done it like twice.


LOL and I bet it was just one wheel spinning due to the open diff :buttrock


I try to get my jollies one way or another lol.:D

Get a dyno tune and see what power your engine is putting down.

Get a dyno tune and see what power your engine is putting down.
Isn't that expensive??

I'm gonna go visit autozone today to get codes read (if any) and pickup a MAF cleaner and see if that helps anything.


S**t, just noticed you have a '99. Could it be the dreaded VANOS issue?

What would this mean?

Get a dyno tune and see what power your engine is putting down.

I'm planning on doing that on Dec. 12th, so if it is not fixed by then we will see whats up.

Here is the thread I restarted on the VANOS issue: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=862405

my 540 will break both rear tires (no lsd) with DSC on - for about 1/2 second, then DSC shuts things down. without DSC on...i've burned into 3rd...i don't recommend it for tire life...and that's both rears, in a straight line, without torque braking. i do have the 3.15 diff, and relatively small tires (225/60/16). I can't wait until I wear out the current rubber (which sucks big time), so i can upgrade wheels and tires.

my 540 will break both rear tires (no lsd) with DSC on - for about 1/2 second, then DSC shuts things down. without DSC on...i've burned into 3rd...i don't recommend it for tire life...and that's both rears, in a straight line, without torque braking. i do have the 3.15 diff, and relatively small tires (225/60/16). I can't wait until I wear out the current rubber (which sucks big time), so i can upgrade wheels and tires.
I just returned from a spirited city drive and with DSC off, it burns rubber until I let off the throttle and with DSC on, it chirps every time i stomp on it. I only see smoke coming off one drive wheel though (right rear when burning out) and I have the open 3.15 diff as well (w/steptronic). :buttrock I had no idea you could spin both wheels with an open diff ncsucarjock88 as from my understanding, the power is only going to one wheel...correct? I thought that was the appeal of getting an LSD, the power is transferred to each drive wheel as needed instead of having your main drive wheel in the air when "unweighting" in aggressive right corners...yes? :help I have read many threads discussing the limitations of an open diff and that is my understanding of how the two types of differentials work...please correct me if I'm wrong. :confused

BTW, my average fuel consumption (including this quick spirited run) is 19.9mpg with an average speed of 37.5mph. Is that decent for a 4.4L? Believe me when I tell you my foot is to the metal most of the time too (pisses my wife off and impressed the hell out of my 78yo father)! :redspot

Get a dyno tune and see what power your engine is putting down.


What he said.

Rear tire spin is not a very good barometer of engine tune.

Lots of variables go into how easily and/or whether one can spin tires.

The condition/type of rear shocks/springs, tire size/pressures/wear/age/type, road surface type/condition, ambient temp, tire temp., etc. all go into how easily the tires will spin.

well i put in some new spark plugs today
man is this car 100x more responsive, and it will EAT the street by slammin on that gas pedal

check ur spark plugs

well i put in some new spark plugs today
man is this car 100x more responsive, and it will EAT the street by slammin on that gas pedal

check ur spark plugs

What type of plugs did you go with and how much were they?
I think that mine is due for plugs and MAF cleaning.

TIA

-bluefire

What type of plugs did you go with and how much were they?
I think that mine is due for plugs and MAF cleaning.

TIA

-bluefire

i went to rockauto.com and bought the NGK 2288s that were original on my 97. 2-prong copper resistor.

After new plugs, it still wouldn't peel out (ok, NOT an indicator of engine performance according to MadDog20/20) but after I cleaned the MAF, throttle response was off the chart. BTW, the road conditions today were sunny&dry, 65 degrees, tires are very new (but scrubbed in), 37psi in front/41psi in rear, and I have the factory sport suspension with a staggered 17" Style32 setup (235/45R17 fr. and 255/40R17 rear). Is that enough info to know if my engine is operating well and whether the tires should spin easily?

What make/model tire?

A good summer max-perf 255 tire will hook-up quite well (which is good, right?).

My wagon w/ 60k miles (which comes w/ the 3.15 ratio) has 265 Pirelli Nero's (36 psi) and a fairly soft OE suspension now, and it hooks up really well. It surprised me the other day when I lit-up the rears. I was a bit embarassed. It was the first time it did that since ditching the all-weather 235/55/17's (but I rarely floor-it from a standing start). And the car pulls quite hard (recently stomped an Acura TL type-S from 0-90).:devillook

I just would not use tire-spinning ability as a barometer of engine performance. Just pay $75 for a dyno run and you will have a much better idea of how the motor is doing.

I just would not use tire-spinning ability as a barometer of engine performance. Just pay $75 for a dyno run and you will have a much better idea of how the motor is doing.

I agree completely. However, a 4.4L v8 should have NO trouble at least chirping the tires.. nomatter ther rubber, diff, etc.. I do not even get a chirp unless I torque brake.

I have the same setup as you. And I have never had a problem with laying the rubber down! Even with the 275's. YOu can also before you get to a light or a stoping point, put your tranny in s2. Slow down untill you feel the car shift into first. stop. the put your brake foot to the floor and bring your rpm's to @ 1800 and as you let off the brake floor it and smoke will insue!!!

What make/model tire?

A good summer max-perf 255 tire will hook-up quite well (which is good, right?).

My wagon w/ 60k miles (which comes w/ the 3.15 ratio) has 265 Pirelli Nero's (36 psi) and a fairly soft OE suspension now, and it hooks up really well. It surprised me the other day when I lit-up the rears. I was a bit embarassed. It was the first time it did that since ditching the all-weather 235/55/17's (but I rarely floor-it from a standing start). And the car pulls quite hard (recently stomped an Acura TL type-S from 0-90).:devillook

I just would not use tire-spinning ability as a barometer of engine performance. Just pay $75 for a dyno run and you will have a much better idea of how the motor is doing.

Running Bridgestone Potenzas...I like 'em. First tried Bridgestone on my bike and loved the way they performed. :D

I agree completely. However, a 4.4L v8 should have NO trouble at least chirping the tires.. nomatter ther rubber, diff, etc.. I do not even get a chirp unless I torque brake.

No trouble at all and that is WITH DSC ON and no torque braking! I can smoke 'em from a standstill without DSC! :buttrock

I have the same setup as you. And I have never had a problem with laying the rubber down! Even with the 275's. YOu can also before you get to a light or a stoping point, put your tranny in s2. Slow down untill you feel the car shift into first. stop. the put your brake foot to the floor and bring your rpm's to @ 1800 and as you let off the brake floor it and smoke will insue!!!

Cool...a peel out starting from s2. I've only done burnouts in autotragic mode...:alright. Where are the pix DJ? :D

I'm cleaning the MAF right now... just waiting for it to dry. We'll see if that helps :[

I had no idea you could spin both wheels with an open diff ncsucarjock88 as from my understanding, the power is only going to one wheel...correct?

both wheels are recieving power with an open diff, not just one. if both tires have equal traction it is possible for them to evenly burnout. Ive had it happen a couple of times, two nice blackmarks leaving a stop sign!

Im sure if you search you can find more information on this topic ;)

Thanks jonmcc...the info is much appreciated! I have a LSD on my 280ZX and she always leaves TWO black marks on burnout. You should see the floor of my garage after I changed the fuel filter...YIKES!

Cool...a peel out starting from s2. I've only done burnouts in autotragic mode...:alright. Where are the pix DJ? :D[/QUOTE]

I will try to get some this weekend while Im out on Treasure Island!

After reading all of this, I decided to see if my car had a problem "breaking traction." I turned a corner, stomped on the gas in normal driving mode. Smoked the tires through first and second gear. Wall of smoke, it was my first time to ever see smoke from my tires. Pretty bad ass, but I feel like I put a gillion miles on my tires so I won't do that again.

After reading all of this, I decided to see if my car had a problem "breaking traction." I turned a corner, stomped on the gas in normal driving mode. Smoked the tires through first and second gear. Wall of smoke, it was my first time to ever see smoke from my tires. Pretty bad ass, but I feel like I put a gillion miles on my tires so I won't do that again.

key word is "turned a corner" :]

Just cleaned the MAF and throttle body and no real improvement. Oh well.

I did turn a corner, but I wasn't drifting. The car was going completely straight before I floored it. It was a rolling start in a straight line.

but because of the turn, the weight was not evenly distributed so one wheel slipped out :)

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

bump

My 540iA cannot break traction. I asked this same question when I first got the vehicle and was informed that they cannot because it's not a low end car as it pertains to hp/tourque, which is why I was not able to break traction from a stand-still, but can effortless accelerate to pass traffic at highway speeds because of the tourque curve.

I've just accepted this as it made since, but now I see some with auto's that can effortlessly peel out. . . so I've had a problem that I've just been dealing with from day one. Meaning that I've never experienced the full power of my vehicle. :(

MAF cleaned, ICV cleaned, I do have an issue where if I stop abrutly, the engine stalls, sputters, sometimes it cuts off, but not all the time. I think someone earlier mentioned that they had a similar issue. I only use 93 octane. Maybe my cat's are bad or pre-cat sensors need replacing? I don't see how that would be related to the above issues, but theres nothing else that I can think of.

If Fiziks or anyone else has resolved this issue, please let me know, thanks.

~Ed

Maybe you got an LSD. I have one and I rarely break my wheels lose.

bump

My 540iA cannot break traction. I asked this same question when I first got the vehicle and was informed that they cannot because it's not a low end car as it pertains to hp/tourque, which is why I was not able to break traction from a stand-still, but can effortless accelerate to pass traffic at highway speeds because of the tourque curve.

I've just accepted this as it made since, but now I see some with auto's that can effortlessly peel out. . . so I've had a problem that I've just been dealing with from day one. Meaning that I've never experienced the full power of my vehicle. :(

MAF cleaned, ICV cleaned, I do have an issue where if I stop abrutly, the engine stalls, sputters, sometimes it cuts off, but not all the time. I think someone earlier mentioned that they had a similar issue. I only use 93 octane. Maybe my cat's are bad or pre-cat sensors need replacing? I don't see how that would be related to the above issues, but theres nothing else that I can think of.

If Fiziks or anyone else has resolved this issue, please let me know, thanks.

~Ed

i'm sorry to bring this up but, you did turn off the traction control right...? you should be able to melt the tire off the rim...(if that is something you would want to do)

the best thing to do is learn by practicing. Find your self someplace where no one will be and try everyones suggestions. Hell, bring a bottle of water with you too and put some on your tires! That will get the smoke to spew out of the rear end of your car!

i used to have this happen to me in my e32 750. air temperature had everything to do with it. if it was warmer than 73 outside the car would just plow the front wheels but less than that and it would spin. if it was less than 50 it would lay rubber like no ones business. that was all using the brakes though. if i just punched it nothing would happen. try flooring the brake and gas and then releasing the gas all of a sudden. the engine will already be spooled up a good bit and you should get something.

I have also gotten 2 stripes in my 540 with stock diff. try going dead straight with somebody in the passenger seat that weighs almost the same as you.

both wheels are recieving power with an open diff, not just one. if both tires have equal traction it is possible for them to evenly burnout. Ive had it happen a couple of times, two nice blackmarks leaving a stop sign!

Im sure if you search you can find more information on this topic ;)


+1

I know I have the manual trans, but on even ground mine leaves twin black marks.

i'm sorry to bring this up but, you did turn off the traction control right...? you should be able to melt the tire off the rim...(if that is something you would want to do)

DSC is off.

There was a commercial advertising some tile floor cleaner which featured a family eating dinner from there kitchen floor.

For me it's one of those "Not that you would, but you could..." scenarios.

Of course anyone with a 6spd will be able to light them up, but my "autotragic" should be able, and it is possible according so some earlier in this thread.

I live in central Florida. It's currently 54 degrees outside. I cannot break traction whether its 50 or 90 outside. I dunno. I want to test drive another 540iA now to see if there is a night and day differance. If it's a tranny problem, then I'll be in the market for a newer 540i6

Hmm interesting. Did you do a compression test? As long as your compression is good, the power loss will only have to do with fuel delivery and it's sensor management.

You definitely have bad sensors. Either O2's and/or cats, maf etc etc....

How many miles on your car?

This thread can also serve to make a point of how many 540's out there are not running up to par. 540's are beasts but they can also be so lame and gutless when not running perfectly.

DSC is off.

There was a commercial advertising some tile floor cleaner which featured a family eating dinner from there kitchen floor.

For me it's one of those "Not that you would, but you could..." scenarios.

Of course anyone with a 6spd will be able to light them up, but my "autotragic" should be able, and it is possible according so some earlier in this thread.

I live in central Florida. It's currently 54 degrees outside. I cannot break traction whether its 50 or 90 outside. I dunno. I want to test drive another 540iA now to see if there is a night and day differance. If it's a tranny problem, then I'll be in the market for a newer 540i6

i have the same car, i put it in 4, push the go pedal, turn the wheel and there is rubber that was once on my tires now on the ground...even in D with traction control on i can get them to chirp...something is wrong with your car

Can any of you guys burn rubber from a standing start with 4 people in the car? DSC off of course....

Thats the only time i can't spin em....

I have no trouble spinning my rear tires. I turn of the DSC stomp the accelerator going straight ahead and watch for the smoke in my rearview mirror. (I have an auto). I rarely do this though, tires are expensive :rolleyes

Car has 117k miles. 65 highway miles per day. Average MPG 22.6.

I haven't had a compression test done. Went to the $tealership for an $1100 Inspection II. They said that the cats are bad. I guess/hope that explains the check engine light.

I'll be ordering the cats/sensors this week and if all goes well, they should be installed next weekend.

One other thing that I've noticed, a couple of times on the way home from work recently, lets say I'm going about 80mph, I let off the gas to slow down to about 60, without pressing the brakes, on the off ramp getting off the interstate, and I'll feel like a hesitation in the engine, which I'd assume to be a mis-fire? It's always accompanied by a flashing check engine light, and the *ding* from the OBC-MID. The dealer replaced all the spark plugs and the ignition coils, so I dunno *shrugs*

have it smoke tested for vacuum leaks...