need help with 535i water problem

[joeyjr]

My 88 535i loves to stall out and "pop", or loose gas power whenever it rains or water gets up from below. Almost everything has been checked relating to the fuel regulation- distributor, fuel pump etc. There may be some sensor that tells the antiquated computer to cut out when it is wet, but neither my mechanic nor myself really know what is the problem, other than I know the car cuts out, and can hardly be driven when it is wet out.
I hope someone else may have had this problem and found out what it may be, before i have to end up replacing the entire engine.....

 

[m5runner]

The first thing I would do is check where my air intake is and how prone it is to being wet when it rains, etc. I would be very careful because if you get water into the chamber, you are looking at a new motor. I think you're actually fortunate that the car cuts out when water hits it. I hope this helps a little, if any.

 

[joeyjr]

You may be right about the intake becasue it sounds like the engine is not getting the proper air and/or gas when this happens- I do spray starter fluid into the top air chamber and that helps keeep the engine on so I can get the gas power to open it back up, but it is very difficult to drive when this happens and the car jerks and stalls all over the place.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[m5runner]

I just thought of something. Why don't you buy a K&N cone filter for your car? That way the cone is sitting very high and not connected to the air box or any adjacent parts, not to mention it being a good investment.

 

[joeyjr]

I will give that a try- That filter looks completely different that the cylinder type one on the car now.
I cant figure how moisture is effecting the filter or intake though- but i l give anything a try. The car is in excellent condition otherwise.
thanks

 

[classic"5"]

WAIT!!!!! dont rush right out and buy a cone filter! if your car does not run properly when it rains THEN THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT! any modification that you make will only do one of two things.........................mask the core problem or make it worse! NEWS FLASH!!!! ................... It rains in germany! this would lead me to believe that the wonderful engineers that designed and refined your amazing BMW automobile "ENGINEERED" it to run in the rain. so guess what that means............. if it is not doing what it was "ENGINEERED" to do then it can only mean one of two things............. A: it was not properly engineered , or B: There is something wrong with it.............. my guess as i alreday said is "B"

now you will probably want to know what to do about it............. inspect any wiring that is low enough or may be prone to getting wet by road splash or any other means, and I mean every inch of every wire, and all of their associated plugs, connectors , terminals and components. bad connections in electrical systems can cause thousands of problems that will masquerade as non electrical problems. also check under the car, under the hood, under and behind the front bumper and rear wheel wells, make sure there are no splash sheilds or body seals missing or damaged that might be allowing water to get where it is not supposed to be. you might also want to make sure that moisture is not entering the car through the ventilation system, both the ventilation system and much of the vehicles wiring share very intimate quarters under the dash.

wait to make ANY modifications until the vehicle runs as it was engineered to, then your hard earned money will enhance or focus your vehicles purpose, not be wasted on masking an overlooked problem.......... i will keep thinking about this problem and do some investigating.............. for now good luck, and for later i will get back to you if only to check on your progress.


dont do this................................................

do this........................................................

and soon you will be doing this..................... [driving2]


happy motoring

 

[joeyjr]

I hear Classic 5- Actually many of the areas you suggested we have checked- except one and I may be doing that real soon. Apparently there is a control ventilation flap that is behing the dash low, that is supposed to close when you run the AC. Mine doesnt because when I run the Ac in the summer, you can not only hear the street noise and engine from below, but you get hot air mixed with the chilled ac at thye same time. The flap is supposed to prevent that hot air from re-entring the car when the ac is on. It may be possible that is where the water is getting in- but wil this cut out any eletrical that controls the fuel cut out Im getting?? But worth a try to fix Im thinking. My mechanic had told me many of these control flaps eventually fail and you get the hot/cold feel and noise from our older series. Good to see your old school also.
thanks

 

[joeyjr]

finally we think we found the problem w/ the car cutting out when it gets wet- my car had the exhaust re directed w/ headers put on the engine. The Oxygen sensor is not correctly balancing the intake air and becasue of its position, water was a problem for it. I will have to have the exhaust at the motor corrected, w/ a new ox. sensor replaced.

joeyjr

 

[m5runner]

I'm happy you guys figured it out.