[flagman5]

Hey All

So today in the crappy streets of JC where I have to move my car almost everyday cuz of the retarded street cleaning, I started the car and it begin to shake/vibrate violently and I have had similar experience before and I just quickly start driving the car and it would subside. unfortunately today was a bad day and i start driving and the Service Engine Soon (SES) light goes on. Also the car feels really sluggish and seems like something is stuck.

I park it on the side of the road, maybe have travelled about 100 feet, and shut off and restarted the car. Upon restart everything seems normal but the SES light stayed on.

I park the car on the appropriate side of the road and then I came back to check this forum and saw that alot of issues are related gas cap not tight enough. Sure enough I go back out there and found the gas cap loose. Why NJ has to force Full Service gas station is just unbelievable. Anyways, I tighten it and restart the car, sounds normal, no vibrations, but the SES light is still there. I understand that I should get the fault codes read to be 100% sure but I was just wondering if anyone experienced something similar and how did you get the SES light go away.

Just more info, i got the gas last Friday...it took 1 week to have this issue? is that normal?

 

[jfoj]

My guess is a Vanos issue, you mention you are in NJ now, so assume it is in the 40's in the morning when you started the car??

Have had the exact same thing happen before, start car, runs VERY rough, Check Engine light comes on. Turn car off, restart, runs smooth as usual, however, CEL is still on. Check codes, find cylinder misfire code, clear it. Problem has not reappeared for over 1 year.

Waiting for it to get cold again around here to see if the problem comes back.

Hope you are finding the same issue.

If the problem only happens randomly and not often, plan on Vanos rebuild in the Spring when the weather is nicer.

 

[flagman5]

but my light is SES tho, Service Engine Soon...

 

[sam5357]

I get this sometimes, along with an angry gremlin sound from the engine bay, but they usually subside after a minute or so. I am not too worried about it, as it seems like everybody's got something similar.

 

[Peake Research]

Hi -

As you mentioned, without the fault codes, you're just taking guesses. There are plenty of issues that may or may not be related to your loose gas cap.

Regarding the light, SES (Service Engine Soon) is the same as CEL (Check Engine Light) - some of the older E46s have the check engine symbol, and newer ones have the SES light. These terms are technically interchangeable as they indicate the same thing - there are fault codes being reported.

As you probably found in your digging on the message board, having factory codes is the most accurate place to start. Generic OBDII (like those read at auto parts stores) can be misleading, or entirely 'missing', when compared to the BMW factory codes.

Our products ignore the generic OBDII system and connect directly to BMW's diagnostic system that reports fault codes that are specific to your car. For more information on the differences, have a look at the article in my signature titled "Peake Tool Crash Course".

Do not hesitate to contact us, or any of our authorized retailers, with any questions about the tools.

Thanks, and best of luck.

Ken

 

[flagman5]

OK, i got to Autozone and it came back the P0300, cylinder misfire, and also a few more codes indicating cylinder 1 and 6 misfire. ****.

the thing is, my car drives fine right now, sounds fine too. just that freak occurrence. I tried calling a few bmw dealerships and it seems like its 500 to do the job at a dealership. quiet a bargain (sarcasm)

i would do it myself but i dont have any tools, sigh, what should i do? it doesnt seem like any place is open today (unless i go to sears/pepboys kind of places) but the car really drives fine.

isnt there alot of people from NJ here? what do you guys do? where do you guys take the car to for repairs? I searched and found http://www.motorworkswest.com/ to have good reviews but last time i checked for some other service it was costing the same at a dealership. is there another one?

thanks

 

[flagman5]

k, not sure if anyone cares but heres an update

today after driving out for some time and parking under the sun, also I had refilled my gas with a suburban gas station rather the ghettoness of JC that might have induced bad gas and poor station attendant, the light went away. and it stayed off for this entire day. i am going to go out first thing in the morning tomorrow of course to see, but assume its still off, should i still spend on changing out coils?

 

[dmax]

k, not sure if anyone cares but heres an update

today after driving out for some time and parking under the sun, also I had refilled my gas with a suburban gas station rather the ghettoness of JC that might have induced bad gas and poor station attendant, the light went away. and it stayed off for this entire day. i am going to go out first thing in the morning tomorrow of course to see, but assume its still off, should i still spend on changing out coils?

No, of course not.

The light prolly went off, because after signaling a code, the car will wait for a while to make sure things are right before turning light off again. Sounds like it was just the cap. BTW, in the future for something like this, if you think you found the fault and fixed it and light stays on, I believe that disconnecting the battery for about a half an hour will reset the light.

Also, I was wondering about JC and your 'socal' address...but guess you meant Jersey City...which, btw, has some awesome spots, and is my son's favorite skateboarding city...after NYC...so step off! :rofl:

And finally, if you're around JC and ever want a code read and appropriately diagnosed, PM me...got friend with garage and autologic--he's always glad to help...he might not always have the time, but he's good at making it when needed. And, he doesn't charge for looking or scanning--I have to talk with him about this!

Doug