Down on Power

[Disky]

Took the new zed out tonight for the first time, what a disappointment

Here's what I noticed,

1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
3: doesn't seem to rev freely
4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction

Any help would be appreciated as I'm not mechanically minded as such ,,,, any beemer specialists in central Scotland that can sort it out ?

 

[Antm72]

The Maf being disconnected wouldn't help have you checked all the inlet pipes after the maf sensor to throttle body these sometimes hole and cause issue.
If it seems really poor I recommend getting yourself a code reader and this may answer the running issues.

 

[FRANKIE]

Took the new zed out tonight for the first time, what a disappointment

Here's what I noticed,

1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
3: doesn't seem to rev freely
4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction

Any help would be appreciated as I'm not mechanically minded as such ,,,, any beemer specialists in central Scotland that can sort it out ?

Most of the boys over in the UK have already hit the sack by now. You'll get better replies in the morning. I haven't done any engine work on my Z3 so I can't answer your questions. However, I do know that some car's throttle cables are not directly connected to the throttle body and are controlled by the computer. I am not sure if this is the case with the Z3. It is probably directly linked. A throttle cable that seems stiff may be the result of a few different problems. The cable could be old or corroded making it difficult to travel through it's sheath. Or it might be kinked or have a bend in it preventing smooth travel. It is often the case that the throttle body it is connected to has a throttle plate that needs to be cleaned due to carbon build up. There are spray cans of throttle body cleaner that can help clean off the carbon. I once had a Ford Pick-up that required me to remove the entire throttle body and give it a good going over, usually with a gum-out spray that contained xylene (dimethylbenzene) whichis a heavy duty cleaner for gummed up parts. Caution must be used with this as it can damage gaskets. Over here, a good product that has this is Gumout 2+2. I am concerned about the Mass Air Flow sensor not being connected as you believe. Perhaps this was done on purpose to deceive you in some way before you bought the car. Sometimes a person may use ether to start up a car that hasn't been running and will spray it through the air cleaner. This means it must go through the MAF sensor which it will destroy. MAFs are not cheap. Hopefully the connection wasn't the MAF and it's really OK. I do feel though that the MAF is invloved by your descriptions of how it runs and idles.
I can't tell about the cracking noise unless I heard it and I'm not familiar with a hardy spicer (is that a Brit thing?) When morning comes, a lot of the other boys will jump in on this and be more helpful, especially @t-tony...........................Frankie.

 

[FRANKIE]

Took the new zed out tonight for the first time, what a disappointment

Here's what I noticed,

1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
3: doesn't seem to rev freely
4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction

Any help would be appreciated as I'm not mechanically minded as such ,,,, any beemer specialists in central Scotland that can sort it out ?

Did you ever get a chance ot speak with @tower who is also from Scotland?....................Frankie

 

[Disky]

Unfortunately not yet, been busy at work, hence why tonight was first chance I've had to drive the zed

 

[FRANKIE]

Unfortunately not yet, been busy at work, hence why tonight was first chance I've had to drive the zed

I was thinking that a good test of the condition of the throttle body would be to disconnect the throttle cable to it and try to actuate or open it by hand. It's an easy and relatively fast test and not complicated.and you can grasp the part the cable was hooked up to and try to rotate it which will open the throttle plate. It should turn easily if it isn't gummed up. Here are some pictures of throttle bodies: Look at the carbon build up on some of them:

HEREare som pics of how they are connected:

Look at the round disc with the cable connected. If you disconnect the cable and turn the wheel by hand, it should turn freely. If it doesn't, it needs to be cleaned. That wheel opens and closed the plate you saw in the eariler pictures..............Frankie

 

[FRANKIE]

Unfortunately not yet, been busy at work, hence why tonight was first chance I've had to drive the zed

The reason you see 2 cables in this picture is that one of them is your throttle cable and the other one that looks like a chain is the cable from your cruise control. They both must be able to acutate the throttle plate. Look back at the diagram of the throttle cable:

The end of the cable with the small cylinder is the only thing you have to disconnect. Take the tension off the cable by rotating the spring loaded wheel by hand. it releases the tention on the cable allowing you to work it free from the wheel. Replacing it is just the opposite.....................Frankie

PS............Sorry for all the posts. I just realized how late it's getting over there and you must want to get to bed. I still have to eat dinner and feed the dogs and walk them so.............good luck with this. It's easy to do. give it a shot............Frankie

 

[colb]

All good advice so far would add that air leaks from slits in the rubber pipes are frequently the cause of bad running. Eliminate that before turning to sensor problems, best get a code reader to see what's being set as faults best money you can spend saves its outlay first time you use it.
Depending on what codes you get will depend on what suspect sensors you need to give attention to. If air leaks are eliminated likely culprits for bad running low power are Maf air flow sensor, which you could try cleaning with electrical cleaning spray do not touch the sensor wire only spray it. If it was already disconnected it may be toast, disconnecting it will make the car run on default settings which may improve running a bit. If it is toast replace with pen make Bosch or Siemens do not buy cheap pattern parts they seldom work or last long been there done that.
With a clean throttle body and a good maf check out and clean the idle control valve good clean with carb cleaner would do the trick it should rattle if you shake it, they can get clogged.
Finally check out exhaust lambda sensors depends what engine you have my 1.9 has 1 pre cat and 1 post cat had to replace both of mine as well as the maf when I had low power and rough running. Diagnostics with live data may show what they are doing with engine running they should be switching and showing rise and fall of voltages if ok. They affect what the ecu is telling the car what to do with the fuel injection, if bad will usually cause rich running and crap mpg.
Maybe a member close to you that can bung a code reader on it for you bit far for me in Wales. Report back with what you find.

 

[BMBabe]

@Stevo7682 @Brian H are you boys near your fellow Scottish Zedder as @Disky sounds like he needs a hand

 

[Gundun]

I hope there is something needing tune-up, but with regards to your point no.2, do not expect from the 6 cyl 2.0 to be nearly as punchy as a (even small) modern diesel common rail.
Years ago I remember preferring the power delivery of the 1.9 4cyl 8v to the 6cyl 2.0, despite 20 horses less, due to the higher torque surge the 4 cylinder had, and driving a z3 equipped with the same engine you have felt incredibly...dull (no offense) to me, as my ride back then was a Polo 1.9TDI...you have to get used to that kind of power output, use it at higher revs, train your ear to higher shifting.
Even with the 2.2 I really have to enjoy keeping the engine high and the progression, rather than the punch (in fact still today I am having troubles making rear skids with those massive 245 at the back)

 

[Brian H]

Took the new zed out tonight for the first time, what a disappointment

Here's what I noticed,

1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
3: doesn't seem to rev freely
4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction

Any help would be appreciated as I'm not mechanically minded as such ,,,, any beemer specialists in central Scotland that can sort it out ?

Hi Disky

I'll try and look at these on a point by point basis.

Q1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
A1: The throttle cables can become stiff over time, you can lubricate these but ultimately replacement is the only real answer.

Q2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
A2: What are you judging this on? you mention this is your first drive what makes you think it is down on power?

Q3: doesn't seem to rev freely
A3: See Q1, I think these are linked.

Q4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
A4: Hmmmm..... If someone has unplugged the MAF there could be an underlying issue with this part, disconnecting puts the ECU in a default state so the car will run, this should not dramatically reduce power.

Q5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction
A5: Have you checked the boot floor for popped spot welds? Z3s have a known issue with the boot floor.

Where did you buy the car, dealer or private?

Brian

 

[Stevo7682]

I am up Glasgow way all the time happy to take a look for you .
Also have a code reader than can plug in to check for faults

 

[Disky]

Hi Disky

I'll try and look at these on a point by point basis.

Q1: Gas pedal very stiff and seems to hold on as revs don't drop of as they should
A1: The throttle cables can become stiff over time, you can lubricate these but ultimately replacement is the only real answer.

Q2: Drastically down on power, I expected more, much more. (My 1500 tdci diesel fiesta has more poke. - Seriously..
A2: What are you judging this on? you mention this is your first drive what makes you think it is down on power?

Q3: doesn't seem to rev freely
A3: See Q1, I think these are linked.

Q4: noticed plug next to air filter wasn't connected, ( MAF) ? Connected it, revs went up and done for a bit then settled out
A4: Hmmmm..... If someone has unplugged the MAF there could be an underlying issue with this part, disconnecting puts the ECU in a default state so the car will run, this should not dramatically reduce power.

Q5: cracking noise from underneath when driving, sounded like a hardy spicer ? Prop connector thingy lol, more noticeable when changing direction
A5: Have you checked the boot floor for popped spot welds? Z3s have a known issue with the boot floor.

Where did you buy the car, dealer or private?

Brian

Hi Brian, thanks for that... Mrs has just called to say she's booked it into local garage who said they can have a look, although not BMW specialists..

I have a mate that's a mechanic and he builds cosworths, he said he will put it on his Würth diagnostic on Saturday to see if there are any faults showing.

Will take a bit time to get it sorted, but will go thru it bit by bit until it's right

Thanks for all the help, bit by bit and it'll get there

 

[Disky]

I am up Glasgow way all the time happy to take a look for you .
Also have a code reader than can plug in to check for faults

Thanx , Stevo, hopefully get it connected on Saturday and see if anything shows, kind offer is much appreciated

 

[Stevo7682]

Thanx , Stevo, hopefully get it connected on Saturday and see if anything shows, much appreciated

If you need a dig out just give me a shout happy to lend a hand if needed.