I tried to drive my 740i today and it started without any problems and as I took it out of the garage, the engine stalled. I tried again and it started and stalled. I thought it must be cold so I tried again and started and revved the engine and drove off. As I drove off it stalled and would not start. I find the battery is dead too and because the pixels are so bad, I could not read the readout. I thought it said something about a lock but not sure. Now come to think of it, it looks like that there is no fuel being supplied.
I drove it last on Saturday and kept it garaged till today. I use the same key( I have only one).
Any advice would be appreciated. The closest dealership is over 4 hours drive.

Thanks.

Turn the ignition on (engine off) and you'll be able to hear the fuel pump engage if it's working properly. Keep your radio off and your door open and listen for the pump toward the back of the car. If you here nothing, your fuel pump is likely out.

Similarily, gently but firmly tap your gas tank with a rubber mallet a few times. If it's your fuel pump, sometimes the jolt will make it work briefly. If this is the case, it also points to a faulty fuel pump.

Thanks, I will try it once I get the battery charged up again. I thought that there may have been a funny smell the last time it stalled. I am not too sure though.

Would this be classified as pump assembly(tank) as I have seen in advertised as such?

I have checked as you said and I could hear the pump. My biggest worry is that a new readout is coming on and it looks like a lock or something. My pixels are so bad that I cannot read it. So I am going to try and remove them this week-end and try and clean them to see if it gets better.

If your fuel pump is working, and the car starts and then dies, you are most probably looking at the MAF. Common symptoms of a bad MAF are: 1) Car will not start, or 2) Car will start but wants to die until the car is warmed up. On two cars, one a Nissan (car would not start at all) and the second, a '91 e30....the car died at stop lights, would light off and keep running as long as the throttle was feathered. In the morning, the car did not want to light off but could be kept running with judicious use of the throttle. Once warmed, the car would continue to run.

You do not need to take your car to a dealership, but it would help if you knew a local independent with experience with German automobiles. Starting problems are fairly simple, either you are not getting gas, or air, or either/both in the correct proportions.

My bet is on your MAF. Get your codes read, even if you have to buy a scanner, or have them read for you, which will narrow down your search. My money is on the MAF. Do not buy a BMW MAF, get one from Land/Range Rover. Rover used BMW engines for a number of years, and the MAF is cheaper through Rover. It's plug and play.

Just for grins, take the cover off of your air filter and take a look at it. Make sure no critters have taken up residence in there, and that the filter is clean. Only takes a moment but it something you can check off very quickly.

jake

Thanks guys. I will get a code reader and see what happens. I cannot take it to a dealership anyway as it is too far away.

I can almost gaurantee it's not your maf. I've run without a maf even installed before numerous times, and in my experience, it had no trouble starting or running. Of course, the cel was always on. If you can run without it installed, you can certainly run with a bad one. Remember, I'm speaking from experience here, not just speculating.

Look for vacuum leaks around (behind) the maf, though, as that WOULD cause these problems.

I have found the problems. It is P0340 camshaft position sensor;
P0133- 02 signal slowbank #1 sensor #1.
I do not know what they mean.

The CEL is always emissions related. Sometimes it is related to the MAF and if it related to the MAF, you will know by the way your car acts. Most malfunctioning MAFs will either not allow your car to run, or will run very poorly. The MAF is the modern day equivalent of the old automatic choke (cars require more fuel than air when cold, more air when warm, rich versus lean).

If it is related to the cam position sensor, the car will generally run well although the light is lit, and is not normally a cause for concern. If however, the car is not running well, the sensor should be changed out immediately. If I remember correctly, the sensor will be on the left bank and you can change it yourself.

jake

I had the same problem that snowballed into a series of issues (considering my '98 740i has 180k+).

My intial issue was the Camshaft Position Sensor (CPS). DEFINATELY start there and get it from the DEALER ONLY (it will cost you $120-$130). The aftermarket CPS(s) don't have the same configuration etc.

You can install the CPS yourself. It takes five minutes and your car will start immediately.


Oh, and there is a thread on here about BMW willing to cover the cost of a new instrument cluster if your pixels are effed-up or something like that. Do a search.

Thanks Guys. What is the P0133, 02 Signal slowbank #1 sensor #1 means?
The car is not running at all. It starts and then stalls.

Thanks Guys. What is the P0133, 02 Signal slowbank #1 sensor #1 means?
The car is not running at all. It starts and then stalls.

Understand this, it's not going to start until you get a NEW Camshaft Position Sensor (CPS-it is a wire the length of your forearm). Go to e38 and see how simple it is to do yourself.

As far as the other code, maybe it is your bank #1 o2 sensor signal (I forgot which side is bank #1). Or it could be refering to the bad signal from the CPS. Replace the CPS and then go get the code read again (at Autozone or Advanced Auto-it's free), maybe the other code will go away. Some additional codes relate to the initial fault code.

Do I have to get the sensor from the dealer or is an after market alright?

Do I have to get the sensor from the dealer or is an after market alright?

Would you rather drive your car today or wait a week for the CPS to arrive in the mail?

I had the same problem that snowballed into a series of issues (considering my '98 740i has 180k+).

My intial issue was the Camshaft Position Sensor (CPS). DEFINATELY start there and get it from the DEALER ONLY (it will cost you $120-$130). The aftermarket CPS(s) don't have the same configuration etc.

You can install the CPS yourself. It takes five minutes and your car will start immediately.


Oh, and there is a thread on here about BMW willing to cover the cost of a new instrument cluster if your pixels are effed-up or something like that. Do a search.

;)

Anyway its going to take a while as I do not have a dealer in the Province, where I live. They would all have to send it by mail. Furthermore, the weather here right now is about Minus 20C. and not very attractive to drive my BMW.
I would buy from the dealer if it is the only option available as it is $149.00 for the part and they would add $20 to send it to me. However, if an aftermarket is going to work as the same, I would go for it as it is only $68. and the postage would be the same.

If it's electronic, go OEM. Bite the bullet, as it's the least costly way to start. Besides, as you say, the weather is horrible and the car's not going anywhere. If you have a heated garage, or can heat an existing garage, it's an easy replacement. Some have even taken out the existing sensor and cleaned them, and had them work.

jake

jake

Thanks. Its not heated but I can heat it. I think I will try that first as time is of no importance right now. I do not need it to drive now.