Idle reving problem please help

tthai4 · 12-13-2009, 01:08 PM

Hey guys, since the snow started to fall and the temp is dropping every morning before school, my e46 rev high and low on idle as i wait for the car temp to raise.
It starts off at 1000rpm then it drops to 500 then back to 1000. This morning it droped so low the car stalled.

Any ideas?

I did some research and people said something like the coolant level is low. I checked and it is... Is there certain type of coolant i should use?

And is that the only problem

Thanks

propr'one · 12-13-2009, 04:22 PM

uhh. I dont really see coolant causing this. My guess would be that its most likely a vaccum leak, or your coolant temp sensor is ****ed.

Any nitrate & silicate free coolant will work in the bmw.

MiroE36 · 12-14-2009, 08:53 AM

first, top up the coolant and see if that clears your problem (also, try to find out if your coolant is leaking or not, if its not leaking you may be burning it)

second, check for vaccum leaks, some can be hard to find but you gotta do it.

third, im thinking heat sensor in the MAF as I had that issue.

try the first two as they are much cheaper... good luck

meanm3 · 12-17-2009, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiroE36

first, top up the coolant and see if that clears your problem (also, try to find out if your coolant is leaking or not, if its not leaking you may be burning it)

second, check for vaccum leaks, some can be hard to find but you gotta do it.

third, im thinking heat sensor in the MAF as I had that issue.

try the first two as they are much cheaper... good luck

I'd probably point to the MAF as well, that happened in my old e39. I think the sensor got a little dirty when I put my cold air in, so I took the MAF out, put it in a clean ziplock bag, filled it with 99% isopropyl alcohol and gave it a good shake for 15 mins, let it completely dry, put it back in, no more problems

tthai4 · 12-17-2009, 10:45 AM

hmm thanks for the suggestions
I topped off the coolent and it was leaking all over the garage over night, Got the leak fixed and it hasnt been doing what it did (for the last few days) so hopefully problem solve.

Thanks