so my mother borrowed the car.....

[bimmerpeej]

so my mother and i traded cars while i went to the Sugar Bowl for the week..i come back and the check engine light is on, got the codes read..

P0313
Misfire Detected
Low
Fuel Level

P0300
Random/Multiple
Cylinder
Misfire Detected

P1351
Manufacturer Control
Ignition System or Misfire

P0171
System Too Lean
(Bank 1)

P1349
Manufacturer Control
Ignition System or Misfire

P0174
System Too Lean
(Bank 2)

the car runs fine and i havent noticed any difference vs. last week but with the long list i wasn't sure what happened all of a sudden so i ask the gurus....what in the world happened

TIA PJ

GO DAWGS!!

[pphil09]

When were the plugs last changed?

[matthewo]

my guess

she put 87 octane in it

[pphil09]

meh...the system should adjust

[M0nK3y]

my guess

she put 87 octane in it

thats the problem. Its not use to the gas........

[pphil09]

does it really need to get used to it?

[matthewo]

meh...the system should adjust

i think the system did adjust after it threw the codes. thats why he says it still runs fine.

[pphil09]

well then, all he needs to do is get the codes cleared, then they shouldnt come back...

but he never said it ran bad, so I dont see the point where you guys thought it adjusted at. Seems like the anti knock sensors would work before the stuff runs through the engine a lot...

[e46 325cibimmer]

i agree it might be the octane of the gas

[SilverBeam]

The car is designed to retard itself when the wrong gas is used, you should have decreased performance NOT a check engine light and misfire.

[fsmtnbiker]

Sounds like she ran it out of gas to me.

[Burton153]

loose gas cap

[bimmerpeej]

she said she did put 93 in, the plugs havent been changed since i got it, so about 38k mi in a little over a yr @ 98k now, and the gas cap is tight i just checked

[Hallen00]

Yeah, but did she run out of gas, or way low on gas? Even if the car was still running, the fuel pump can have trouble picking up all the fuel if you are down to the dregs.
The gas cap error will take a few days to clear itself if that is what it was.

[bimmerpeej]

she said she didnt but it was kinda low on gas she said, so who knows, the car runs fine but i just wanted to make sure it wasnt gonna explode driving down the road or anything

[e46 325cibimmer]

The car is designed to retard itself when the wrong gas is used, you should have decreased performance NOT a check engine light and misfire.

learn something new everyday

[nathancarter]

The car is designed to retard itself when the wrong gas is used, you should have decreased performance NOT a check engine light and misfire.

The inverse is also true: If you're currently running cheap gas, you may see a relative increase in performance (back to normal levels, that is) by switching to a higher octane.

Cheapskate.

[nathancarter]

P0313 Misfire Detected Low Fuel Level
P0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P1351 Manufacturer Control Ignition System or Misfire
P0171 System Too Lean (Bank 1)
P1349 Manufacturer Control Ignition System or Misfire
P0174 System Too Lean (Bank 2)
GO DAWGS!!

Those are the codes that you'll get with a torn or otherwise leaking intake boot. Common problem, cheap & easy fix... and maybe worth checking even if the light goes away.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=693261

..
Though if you're a Bulldogs fan, might I suggest to start by checking the flux capacitor fluid that's in the reservoir next to the crankshaft. You have to pull out the engine, transmission, and upscale pulley engagements to do so. So, go get started!

[pphil09]

The car is designed to retard itself when the wrong gas is used, you should have decreased performance NOT a check engine light and misfire.
Thank you:alright

[White94RX]

see those fault codes that say "mixture too lean"? that's your problem and is what's causing the misfire. and like you said, you will not notice any difference in performance.

[Critter7r]

Sounds like she ran it out of gas to me.


DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!

Running 87 octane gas won't throw a CEL, but running it OUT of gas will!


All those are codes that get set when the car is run out of (or very low on) gas. See if you can get Autozone to just clear them if you buy some oil or something. If the car was low on gas and then she went up a steep driveway, it could starve the engine and throw those codes.

SilverBeam and Nathan also make good points...

[wasp]

38k in a year? holy moly...............you runnin rock?

[mikeluvdakids]

38k in a year? holy moly...............you runnin rock?

8 months = 20k miles for me :shifty

[parabellum]

The car is designed to retard itself when the wrong gas is used, you should have decreased performance NOT a check engine light and misfire.

:rofl

Gives me this image of you putting in a tank of 87 octane, starting it up, and hearing "DER...DER...DER..." come from the speakers.

Yes, I am indeed going to hell.

:rofl

[pphil09]

:ban:

[parabellum]

:ban:

Me?

Yikes....one little joke of wordplay and we are breaking out the ban hammer?

Is it opposite day or something?

I'll just step back now so the SRS BSNS can take place.

[slowly backs away]

[pphil09]

i was just jokin.

[parabellum]

Oh....whew....I thought maybe this place had gotten an even bigger bug up its arse.

:redspot

[pphil09]

nope.

It is hard to make the transition from OT to e46 though...

nice to see you back :shifty

[parabellum]

nope.

It is hard to make the transition from OT to e46 though...

nice to see you back :shifty

Hehe...I'm around...always lurking.

Truth is, my E46 is so damn reliable, I rarely have to venture in here for help.

I have had my E46 a year, put 10K miles on it, and the only thing I have had to replace is two window regulators (and each was a simple, 20min diy).

:alright

[pphil09]

here we go, jacking threads just like the old days ;)

[parabellum]

Oh noes!

Not my intention....by all means, lets return to the originally scheduled programming.

OP: I'm betting she ran it out of gas, or you got some super crappy gas. Clear the codes, fill it up with good 93 octane (from a Chevron station if possible), and see what codes return.

[pphil09]

Ohnoes :shifty

[krono13]

she didnt tighten the gas cap right

[Burton153]

Already been mentioned jokingly (see above)

[jeffvb9]

Ran out of gas definitely.

I am running 87 octane with no issue at all in my 01 330i.

[meen325]

8 months = 20k miles for me :shifty

In the year 2007 i drove 47K miles on my two cars combined. (my actual drive time), don't ask how much i spent on gas. If i think about it i'll get a bicycle. lol.

sorry to thread jack