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Thread: Check Engine - Fuel filter?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    California, USA
    Posts
    7

    Default Check Engine - Fuel filter?

    My car:
    1995 BMW 530i
    78,000 miles
    Automatic
    E34

    When I drive the check engine light will come on occasionally. I have noticed that it really only comes on if I am idling. It doesn't come on every time I am idling, but, almost each time I come to an idle, within 20-30 seconds of beginning an idle the car vibrates, the check engine light comes on and about 5% of the time, the car will actually stall and turn off. Once this has happened, if I come to another light where I am idling, the car idles rough (shakes and some slight knocking noise). The problem almost always goes away if I maintain a constant level of acceleration (ie. up a hill, speeding up to get on a freeway, etc.). The light goes off.

    I have noticed that the easiest way to prevent this is to continue applying gas while idling. So, I come to a stop and two-foot idle while waiting. I bring the car to between 600 - 900 RPM's (ie. .60-.90) while idling and the car seems to avoid the check engine light problem and also the rough idling.

    Based on the fact that the problem is "avoided" by continually applying more than "idling" levels of gas, and that the symptoms are alleviated by accelerating (which requires a higher RPM and more gas), I suspect that I may have a clogged fuel line or a bad fuel pump. However, I wanted to see if there were any opinions from the forum members.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Great Britain
    Posts
    446

    Default

    If you can get to motorway speeds then it doesn't seem likely to be a fuel line/pump problem as motorway speeds use far more fuel than mere idling.

    Have you done a search for "idle control valve"?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Eastern Tennessee USi
    Posts
    14,839

    Default

    http://www.google.com/search?q=m60+i...ww.bimmer.info

    Quote Originally Posted by REtzler
    My car:
    1995 BMW 530i
    78,000 miles
    Automatic
    E34

    When I drive the check engine light will come on occasionally. I have noticed that it really only comes on if I am idling. It doesn't come on every time I am idling, but, almost each time I come to an idle, within 20-30 seconds of beginning an idle the car vibrates, the check engine light comes on and about 5% of the time, the car will actually stall and turn off. Once this has happened, if I come to another light where I am idling, the car idles rough (shakes and some slight knocking noise). The problem almost always goes away if I maintain a constant level of acceleration (ie. up a hill, speeding up to get on a freeway, etc.). The light goes off.

    I have noticed that the easiest way to prevent this is to continue applying gas while idling. So, I come to a stop and two-foot idle while waiting. I bring the car to between 600 - 900 RPM's (ie. .60-.90) while idling and the car seems to avoid the check engine light problem and also the rough idling.

    Based on the fact that the problem is "avoided" by continually applying more than "idling" levels of gas, and that the symptoms are alleviated by accelerating (which requires a higher RPM and more gas), I suspect that I may have a clogged fuel line or a bad fuel pump. However, I wanted to see if there were any opinions from the forum members.
    95 E34 530I V2.37
    ===========
    Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

    John F. Kennedy

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