HELLLP!!! BMW chug-a-lugg!

Amylovebus · 05-01-2012, 08:27 AM

Hi all!

I sure hope someone can shed some light on an issue.

Yesterday, drove the Z to work (as I do most days), ran errands at lunch, stopped at the P.O. on the way home - ran in, ran out... no problems.
This morning, I hop in and take off. I get a few block from the house and
she starts beeping, the brake light comes on and something that has a little triangle (?) and says EML and she's chug-a-lugging like this is my first time to drive a stick. Mind you, the emergency brake was not up at all and the car was making a clunking sort of noise. I slowed and changed gears, still the same. I made a u-turn and prayed I'd make it back to my garage! I got home OK and as I was coming up my alley, the chugging had basically quit and I was able to get up to a decent speed. I turned her off, sat a moment, turned her back on - no warning lights and she sounded fine. I backed out of the garage - still fine. I pulled back into the garage and left her as I was afraid to make matters worse or to get stranded somewhere.

Has this happened to anyone? My car is an 05 with about 38k miles. IMO, things like this should not be happening. I plan to tell the hubby this evening but I know he's not going to be happy. We didn't buy this car to pour a bunch of money into it. I'm afraid he's going to want me to get rid of it.

Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance for your help!!

EenyBear · 05-01-2012, 12:12 PM

Hi Amy!

By the way, great post. Lot's of detail and clues.

"EML" is an acronym for "Elektronische Motorleistungsregelung". "EML" is BMW's system name for electronic throttle management. Ain't wikipedia grand?

So... the light and your symptoms are connected. So far so good, as far as clues go.

Based on previous posts regarding the same issue, the consensus is that there is an electrical interruption to the throttle control.

This could be as simple as bad battery. If your battery is original with 38,000 miles (~60,000 km), it may have one or more bad cells and a replacement may solve the problem. A good thing to do for many reasons, regardless.

Since it happened while the car was already running, the consensus is that the alternator may be involved. That doesn't necessarily mean your alternator is faulty. It may simply mean that it is being overtaxed as it charges your possibly faulty battery during the first few minutes of driving. The fact that it disappeared after a few minutes of driving makes me suspect the battery even more (once it was charging, the electrical system was happy again).

If you don't want to simply replace the battery and see if all is well... the best thing is to see if the car is throwing any codes. A code reader is required and usually that means a trip to the service department.

Recommendation : if your battery is original, change it. You'll probably never see the problem again. If you already have a new battery, take the plunge and have your codes read and deal with the outcome as you see fit.

Best regards,
Ian

ZStig · 05-01-2012, 12:18 PM

could also be a throttle position sensor. On the M, there is one in front thats easily accessible and one in the back.

EenyBear · 05-01-2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

could also be a throttle position sensor. On the M, there is one in front thats easily accessible and one in the back.

Interesting. My mechanic reset my throttle position sensor as part of a general service some months ago and throttle sensitivity and performance improved dramatically. There's a sequence of things to do but I cannot recall them at the moment.

Do you recall what they are?

gferil · 05-01-2012, 12:33 PM

Yep, sounds like what my car did before I had the TPS replaced. If you can get the error code read using a code reader it will shed some light into what the car think went wrong.

Also, if it is the TPS, get it replaced immediately, my car was actually worse and died while on the freeway and a couple of times in the middle of the street which were very dangerous situations.

ZStig · 05-01-2012, 01:25 PM

[QUOTE=EenyBear;11871740]Interesting. My mechanic reset my throttle position sensor as part of a general service some months ago and throttle sensitivity and performance improved dramatically. There's a sequence of things to do but I cannot recall them at the moment.

Do you recall what they are?[/QUOTE]

don't remember, but a failing sensor is a failing sensor...

05-01-2012, 08:27 AM	#1
Amylovebus Private 5 Rep 68 Posts Drives: 2005 BMW Z4 3.0 Alpine White Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: West Texas iTrader: (0)	HELLLP!!! BMW chug-a-lugg! Hi all! I sure hope someone can shed some light on an issue. Yesterday, drove the Z to work (as I do most days), ran errands at lunch, stopped at the P.O. on the way home - ran in, ran out... no problems. This morning, I hop in and take off. I get a few block from the house and she starts beeping, the brake light comes on and something that has a little triangle (?) and says EML and she's chug-a-lugging like this is my first time to drive a stick. Mind you, the emergency brake was not up at all and the car was making a clunking sort of noise. I slowed and changed gears, still the same. I made a u-turn and prayed I'd make it back to my garage! I got home OK and as I was coming up my alley, the chugging had basically quit and I was able to get up to a decent speed. I turned her off, sat a moment, turned her back on - no warning lights and she sounded fine. I backed out of the garage - still fine. I pulled back into the garage and left her as I was afraid to make matters worse or to get stranded somewhere. Has this happened to anyone? My car is an 05 with about 38k miles. IMO, things like this should not be happening. I plan to tell the hubby this evening but I know he's not going to be happy. We didn't buy this car to pour a bunch of money into it. I'm afraid he's going to want me to get rid of it. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance for your help!! __________________ Thanks, Amy
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05-01-2012, 12:12 PM	#2
EenyBear Accidentally in BMW 15 Rep 221 Posts Drives: Z4MC & R1200S Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Hi Amy! By the way, great post. Lot's of detail and clues. "EML" is an acronym for "Elektronische Motorleistungsregelung". "EML" is BMW's system name for electronic throttle management. Ain't wikipedia grand? So... the light and your symptoms are connected. So far so good, as far as clues go. Based on previous posts regarding the same issue, the consensus is that there is an electrical interruption to the throttle control. This could be as simple as bad battery. If your battery is original with 38,000 miles (~60,000 km), it may have one or more bad cells and a replacement may solve the problem. A good thing to do for many reasons, regardless. Since it happened while the car was already running, the consensus is that the alternator may be involved. That doesn't necessarily mean your alternator is faulty. It may simply mean that it is being overtaxed as it charges your possibly faulty battery during the first few minutes of driving. The fact that it disappeared after a few minutes of driving makes me suspect the battery even more (once it was charging, the electrical system was happy again). If you don't want to simply replace the battery and see if all is well... the best thing is to see if the car is throwing any codes. A code reader is required and usually that means a trip to the service department. Recommendation : if your battery is original, change it. You'll probably never see the problem again. If you already have a new battery, take the plunge and have your codes read and deal with the outcome as you see fit. Best regards, Ian Last edited by EenyBear; 05-01-2012 at 12:18 PM..
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05-01-2012, 12:18 PM	#3
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	could also be a throttle position sensor. On the M, there is one in front thats easily accessible and one in the back. __________________
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05-01-2012, 12:33 PM	#5
gferil Captain 30 Rep 740 Posts Drives: 06 Z4MC Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: San Francisco, CA iTrader: (6)	Yep, sounds like what my car did before I had the TPS replaced. If you can get the error code read using a code reader it will shed some light into what the car think went wrong. Also, if it is the TPS, get it replaced immediately, my car was actually worse and died while on the freeway and a couple of times in the middle of the street which were very dangerous situations.
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05-01-2012, 01:25 PM	#6
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	[QUOTE=EenyBear;11871740]Interesting. My mechanic reset my throttle position sensor as part of a general service some months ago and throttle sensitivity and performance improved dramatically. There's a sequence of things to do but I cannot recall them at the moment. Do you recall what they are?[/QUOTE] don't remember, but a failing sensor is a failing sensor... __________________
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