car starts lagging as soon as it reaches operating temperature - United Bimmer Community

**falak sher** · 03-21-2009, 11:37 PM

hey guys i have a 316i e36 and recently my cars been experiencing some power problems.

my cars starts lagging the moment it reaches operating temperature. when the car is cold it runs amazing but as soon as it reaches normal temperature it looses its acceleration,power and starts bogging and lagging it feels like its been tied to something. so the only time i can enjoy some power is when the car is cold and thats only for five mins

oh and the top speed it catches with operating temperature is only 110kmh and doesnt go beyond even while im fully accelerating it!!

please help is needed

regards
falak

Big Evil · 03-22-2009, 02:11 AM

check your o2 sensor, sounds like when your car goes into closed loop is when the prob happens

**falak sher** · 03-22-2009, 09:51 AM

bro thanks for the reply.

actually my car doesnt have an 02 sensor. my car is one of the several 316is which were known as the south african models..so what else might the problem be if its not the o2 sensor?

hope to hear from you soon man

Big Evil · 03-22-2009, 01:47 PM

If your car does not have an o2 sensor then how does the computer control the fuel trim? You don't have carbs do you?

**3050rpm** · 03-22-2009, 01:50 PM

I don't mean to doubt your word, but it's been my impression that catalyic converters with O2 sensors have been a near-worldwide industry (excepting the Lada) standard for quite some time now. South Africa seems to be a rather sophisticated market, so I find it rather hard to believe it would be exempted from modern pollution control. Are you saying your car does not have an O2 sensor through design, or simply because it's missing?

**falak sher** · 03-22-2009, 02:21 PM

hey guys i know this is strange. no one believes me when they hear that my car does not have an 02 sensor. its a fact that by design its not there. and i never used to have this problem of my car loosing power when it reaches normal temperature. its only recently that my car is having such weird problems and i fail to understand why this is happening. im sure my car doesnt have an 02 sensor i checked near the exhaust..

do u guys know why this is happening?

Big Evil · 03-22-2009, 03:31 PM

Ok, Normally when a car has problems at op. temp, it has something to do with fuel trims etc when the vehicle goes into closed loop operation. That means the computer is recognizing the read from an o2 sensor, this is required on fuel injected vehicles. Sometimes it's referred to as a LAMBDA sensor (same thing). On a car with carburetors, there's no real need for that sensor unless its a efbc (electronic feedback). So, does your car have carburetors? If its fuel injected, is it maybe k-jetronic which may or may not use a LAMBDA. And WHAT was the last thing that happened to the vehicle right before the problem started happening? Hit a big bump in the road, drove through a huge puddle etc.?

**kandasx301** · 03-22-2009, 04:37 PM

hey i`m actually South African and i do believe u about the o 2 sensor.... i think it had some thing to do with the temp back home....

i would check for a miss fire i had a similar problem with my 325i it turned out to be the coils thy had gotten moisture in and as soon as it wormed up i had a lag it would stall out ... try that hope it helps i changed mine out after checking all kinds of other thing and now she go`s grate again... o and make sure your plugs are tight bmw`s are bad 4 blowing them out...

**falak sher** · 03-23-2009, 12:05 PM

hey big evil kandsx also agrees with me. the 1992 models were built for the south african countries.. yes my car has fuel injectors. its like every other e36 316i except this is one is without an o2 sensor..dude nothing happened to my car it used to run fine but one fine morning it started doing this at operating temperature.. i think kandxs is right maybe i should check my ignition coil, since a week ive been having doubts abt it..but do u guys think it maybe because my head has become weak or my lifters need setting???

i have tried everything so far, checked for vaccum leaks, changed spark plugs, put injector cleaners,cleaned the icv and what not but i still cant get this thing fixed please guys tell me where u guys think the problem lies?

thanks

Big Evil · 03-23-2009, 06:39 PM

I wasn't disagreeing that your vehicle is not equipped w/an o2, I'm just a bit confused as to how that kind of system would work (confused as to WHY a manufacturer would do that). That leaves only one kind of injection system I know of that has can have no o2 sensor, K-jetronic injection (which is a mechanical system). All I can say is apparently you have something I'm just not familiar with so give Kandasx's idea a shot. If your head was weak or your lifters needed to be set you'd have the problem all the time, not just when warm.

**falak sher** · 03-28-2009, 07:12 AM

hey big evil thanks man atleast now i know that my lifters and head is fine. i was really worried abt them not being fine otherwise i would have to spent shit loads of money getting them fixed..oh and kandaxz idea did not work on my car.

do you think i should put an o2 sensor myself? if yes than how and whr do i put it??

oh and i forgot to mention that recently i had to change my mass air flow sensor because it had gone bad and after the replacement the car had started doing this. sorry for not telling u guys earlier. do u think you guys can figure out my problem now?? and i did not change the whole mass air flow sensor i only put replaced the ic (element). because such stuff is not available here in my country so i replaced the element only with the whole ic and that also of a 318i and not a 316i but the throttle body is the same..

hope u guys can help me out
thanks guys

Big Evil · 03-28-2009, 10:37 AM

With a car that's not equipped you can't just put one on as the computer has no place to plug in, nor the programming to recognize the sensor. You'd have to replace the computer and get it programmed. But from what you said about the MAF I'd guess that's your problem. Try an online source and see if you can get one shipped for your specific application. The 318 uses an O2, yours does not. That may mean the MAF on yours may have a slightly different operating wavelength and is sending erroneous info to the pcm when warm causing the problem. When you replaced the element did you soldier it back into place? Other cause may be when the car gets warm the contacts heat up, spread apart and make intermittent contact. Bottom line you may just be best off to try to find a fully functioning replacement from, or for, a 316

**falak sher** · 03-30-2009, 10:33 AM

dude thanks for the help man. really appreciate it. okay so i'll try getting a 316i maf sensor and if that does not work out then you will have to come up with a plan b for my car haha..yeah did soldier the element back into place but i'll still have another look at it and let you knw..thanks bro

Big Evil · 03-30-2009, 07:54 PM

Good luck I hope it works out for you

**Kistoni** · 04-16-2009, 08:20 AM

I also have a 316i but from '95 and does have just one O2 sensor up near the gear box. It's almost impossible to spot without jacking the car up.

To be sure you could check on
http://www.realoem.com
enter your vin and it will list all the parts on your car.