Headbanging FC !!!!!!!!!!!

[vman]

model : e36 stock 325i (A) 16" rimownership : 2 months +problem : wallet busting FC !!!description :hi sifu's,need some major help on my e36 325(A) FC. its burning a whole on my wallet. currently i only get 310-330km per full tank. this is beyond reserve light comes on. OBC shows 30km left.from my last visit to the mechanic , cucuk the diagnostic tool and check 3 items popped up, 02 sensor, some ventilation thing and cant recall the 3rd one. he then deleted all fault codes and ask me to drive 1st. on next visit if same fault codes found the culpritla my question is can the 02 sensor cause this damage to the FC. as i was told standard city driving fc is about 450km pertank and 600km++ highway. basically i'm losing approx 100km per tank.:20::20::20::20::20:he asked me whether the car felt heavy, i said not sure as i just got the car for 2 months and been driving a 1.3car before the power is hell of alot different.if so its the 02 sensor , how much $ am i looking at in replacing it or can the current 1 be serviced or sumthing ?? what else am i to look for in order for me to improve my FC. HELP HELP HELP !!!!!!!!really appreciate your opinions. can belanja TT aso if ur around shah alam area !!! tq sifu's .....

 

[alipon@bmw]

IMHO o2 sensor will be the main culprit.. It will cause you the abt Rm400++ for a new unit..

 

[V-Man]

O2 sensor could be the culprit. My 328i has not done O2 replacement yet but still getting circa ~450km for RM100. If its not damaged and if your mechanic is willing to, they can be cleaned using the AFM/MAF cleaner. You may want to browse the E36 parts & maintenance thread for prices. Many useful discussions in E36 Sub-forums as well. Good Luck.

 

[pussy]

are you sure it's your O2 sensor ?

usually, some other faults will trigger the O2 fault code, usually, its not it that is spoilt....my V8 gives me 360km per 100km/h on RON95..B30 engine cc
Yours would average a 460km based on RON97 max depends on the age, blah...


want to know more, join us for today's tt at 10pm onwards....

 

[vman]

thanx guys for your opinion.

alipon & pardypeople: will try to get it serviced and drive for a week or 2 then get it replaced. need to get it solved asap as i drive quite a fair bit every month. any particular 02 sensor brand to look for ?? or just stick BOSCH ??

pussy : thanx for the invite but don't think can make it today la. anyway you mention it could be other reasons that the 02 fault code to pop up. could enlighten me abit more the cause of it.


additional info: catalytic converter has been removed. muffler standard with chromed tips.

cheers guys

 

[ICEMAN 68]

ahh auto and running without catalytic converter would be the cause of high FC ....

 

[vman]

new info:
1)noticed sometimes irregular idling. like out of 10 stops , 2 stops idling fluctuated from 800-600rpm. could it be the idling valve or the sulprit 02 sensor also ??? 2)my friend called up AB and was quoted rm500 for 02 sensor . reasonable ???
3)car mileage also 250000km redi. wear and tear parts has been changed.

idle very similar to this video [video=youtube;ztku5R0cG34]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztku5R0cG34[/video]

iceman: removal of converter could cause high FC a? not increase flow increase efficiency meh?? just a tought in my head could be wrong. because from what i saw wen jack up the car the piping is still stock just c,converter has been removed. if so the catalytic converter is of of the reason possible to find used item to pasang balik ??? coz i know new 1st cost a bomb !!!! off topic saw your previous post on you conversion, may i know est how much was the manual conversion cost ??? was looking for a manual 325i but settle of an auto sebab susah mau cari a good 1.

so now i can list up things to check:-
1) 02 sensor
2) catalytic converter
3)

anything to add to the list. other than car seems to be running good. ..... more advise needed , hope to hear from more sifu's !!!!

 

[John_Smith]

there are also pre and post O2 sensor. plug in the diagnostic to check which O2 sensor is giving the error. However, one should not just rely on the diagnostic. A fully functional O2 sensor gives out a certain voltage reading (which I can't remember, but can be referred upon in Haynes Service Manual).

 

[pussy]

there are also pre and post O2 sensor. plug in the diagnostic to check which O2 sensor is giving the error. However, one should not just rely on the diagnostic. A fully functional O2 sensor gives out a certain voltage reading (which I can't remember, but can be referred upon in Haynes Service Manual).

bro, his car doesn't come with 2 O2 sensors , better not confuse this poor brother...

 

[yat325]

bro vman i would like to sell my c cnveter 325 if u intrested...do call me or sms 0111 2272609

 

[vman]

pussy: i think you are right. mine is m50 i think oni got 1 sensor compared to later m52 with 2 or 4 sensors. According to Ab also mentioned that m50 sensor is slightly bigger then m52 double unit.

john_smith: thanx for the input. i was browsing and found this link on the testing of the 02 sensor voltage http://www.bmwe36blog.com/2007/07/02/everything-you-need-to-know-about-oxygen-sensor/

yat325 : thanx for the offer. for now i need to diagnose 1 by 1, see whats wrong with the car. but anyhow can you PM me your price and pix if you have any. thanx

overall i have a long journey up head to get my e36 to mint condition. and then if right and left foot gatal manual conversion haha.

 

[ICEMAN 68]

for the RPM flactuates cause could be from a tiny air leak OR to a clogged throttle body ,icv, maf etc etc ...but all i could think right now is that it's due to your non catalylic converter which had some how reduce the back pressure....well you may not need a C.V unit but instead get a so called " bullet" to replace the C.V ...if the pipe is just a straight weld hence cause you're loosing some back pressure and bare in mind you're running on auto and not manual ...

i've been running with a straight pipe without a C.V hence cause me to loose some backpressure upon a sudden acceleration...and worse still my engine started to develop some sort of knocking sound at times which likely to be a faulty knock sensor ....

as for the manual conversion cost : well depends on how much you buy those manual box as some can fetch as high as 5K to a low mid 2K ...sold off mine at mid 2K...and as for the installation it will be around rm500 ~ 1K ...

 

[vman]

for the RPM flactuates cause could be from a tiny air leak OR to a clogged throttle body ,icv, maf etc etc ...but all i could think right now is that it's due to your non catalylic converter which had some how reduce the back pressure....well you may not need a C.V unit but instead get a so called " bullet" to replace the C.V ...if the pipe is just a straight weld hence cause you're loosing some back pressure and bare in mind you're running on auto and not manual ...

i've been running with a straight pipe without a C.V hence cause me to loose some backpressure upon a sudden acceleration...and worse still my engine started to develop some sort of knocking sound at times which likely to be a faulty knock sensor ....

as for the manual conversion cost : well depends on how much you buy those manual box as some can fetch as high as 5K to a low mid 2K ...sold off mine at mid 2K...and as for the installation it will be around rm500 ~ 1K ...

will get the fluctuation issue addressed on my next visit to mechanic to check whether there is a leak or need servicing. and also i'm aware or standard and straight flow exhaust systems. As you mentioned i just need to create the back the back pressure to the system. by doing this i realize that you will get back you low and mid range power where straight flow is for high end power. by improving my low end power am i gonna achieve better fuel consumption ?? also you are saying i dont need a catalytic converter to create the backpressure/restrictions , just need a bullet/centerbox as substitute.

as per price comparison , exhaust bullets/ centerbox would it be a better option as i saw the prices for catalytic converter prices are UP THERE !!!. that is if emission is not an issue to you ( please advise on this )

the manual conversion i'm assuming a complete set is it? gearbox, clutch pedal, clutch pump, final drive , drive shaft and soon for $2-5k or just the gearbox alone ?? whats the reason you sold it if i may know ... converting to M3 a?? ahaha

anyway thanx for the update and knowledge Sifu ICEMAN !!!!

 

[ICEMAN 68]

some things as you read may be true,but as for some things when you do it you'll know or learn ...

i'm not sure for others out there ...as i was told that by removing out the CV and go for a straight flow it would be good for high end power but it was otherwise ...i'm loosing top end/high end power by doing so but instead getting a good mid range ....and as for FC ...it guzzles when running above 160 KMH

as for price of a new CV VS bullet ...bullet would be cheaper and as for emission i rather not care much as it's just a mere fraction compared to the bigger diesel machines out there.

as for the manual box i sold mine without the clutch pedal and final drive ...reason of selling ...just a slight itch i had ...

 

[vman]

reason of selling ...just a slight itch i had ...[/QUOTE]

haha, the solution for the itch might be and m3 item. hahhaa


as for the CV i need to agree with you. i could feel the nice pulls from 3500rpm- 5000rpm. but before 3000rpm low end power is like crap.

will experiment with the bullets after the change the O2 sensor and see how it goes after that . any particular design to look for ???

exhaust bullet configurations
option 1: use Y piping connect 1 big bullet and split again to 2 pipes ( just a thought )
option 2: use 2 separate bullets to original piping


exhaust bullet type
option 1: twister or swirling type
option 2: straight type.

exhaust bullet sizing
option : small diameter long bullet
option : big diameter short bullet

Hole: 2",2.2",2.5",3"
Length: 9",12",15"

my logic setup would be with 2units X 2.2" d with 9" length . minimal back pressure to give the low end power and at the same time does not restrict high flow.(IMO)



need to check my wheel bearings also to see how much resistance it has.

 

[slyder]

Vman, not sure if this will help, but for m52 the o2 sensor is rm380 +-. not sure if the m50 one is more expensive.

cheers

 

[ICEMAN 68]

your logic set-up seems to be OK ....

 

[vman]

Vman, not sure if this will help, but for m52 the o2 sensor is rm380 +-. not sure if the m50 one is more expensive.

cheers

wah, quite big diff compared to the 1 quote by AB. they quoted my fren rm 450 for M50 and rm900 for 2 units for M52. where did you get yours from?? got diff brand a??

 

[ICEMAN 68]

vman ...you may want to opt innerpower for those 02 sensor ...

 

[vman]

vman ...you may want to opt innerpower for those 02 sensor ...

yup got a quote from inner power rm400 for the 02 sensor.