Car broke down...

[jszar]

i was driving about 60mph down the highway, and I completely lost all horse power. the engine still ran, until it dropped to idle rpm's, then it choked and died. I think its electrical, but maybe the fuel pump?
i'm not sure what else it could be, the O2 sensor was changed in january, the spark plugs were changed in april, and i cant think of what else would cause this.
i cant work on it myself, because i am at college. but i'd like to get an idea of what it is, so i can take it to a shop. there arent any BMW dealers anywhere near here, but there is an MB dealer about an hour away. there is also a european car shop nearby that i wanted to check out.

thoughts?

 

[southpaw]

Sounds like you ran out of fuel. E36 fuel sending units have been known to give erroneous gauge readings....
Bad tank of fuel?... had you just stopped to gas up prior to the problem.

 

[jszar]

no i have 3/4 of a tank, and i know there is plenty in there, my friend borrowed the car and filled it up for me, and i havent driven more than 100 miles since then.

 

[Kirby]

Check the Mass Air Flow unit - inspect the wiring to it, or perhaps it failed.

The failure mode of a MAF is exactly what you described. The car will idle rough and won't rev past 1500 - 2000 rpm.

 

[SKycity_BMW]

Fuel pump relay . . . . .

bad coils . . . . . .

 

[jszar]

alright thanks guys. i called my mechanic back home that did the major work on my car so far, and his speculation was the MAF as well. so i will call a shop or two this wekk and try and get it checked out and hopefully fixed. the MAF is about $400, plus labor.

thanks again.

Jared

 

[jszar]

the shop said crankshaft sensor, and o2 sensor. the o2 was replaced in january, so he was going to see if he forgot to clear the code...but the crankshaft would be the one that wont let it start.

let me know...i dont know anything about this area, never done any work at least. he quoted $250 for the crank sensor.

 

[m5runner]

mine did the same. changed crank sensors and back to life.

 

[jszar]

now i need a fuel pump....he says he can start it, but has to pump fuel manuanly. it didnt need one 5 days ago. but i think i might be able to blame it on the idiot tow truck driver. he tried starting it, even though i told him it wouldnt. and he tried pumping/starting it for 15 seconds before i told him to stop. it would start before he tried, but it would die almost immediatly.

 

[wood_e]

Did you mechanic check your fuel pressure?

 

[m5runner]

even with 3/4 tank the fuel pressure would hold somewhat. i still say crank sensor. i also went the route you are thinking and thought it was the fuel pump and changed it out but it wasnt it. check the crank sensors

 

[jszar]

sorry fior the misunderstanding, its both. sensor and pump. he can start it with the new sensor, but he has to pump the fuel manually. he hooked it up to the machine again this morning and the fuel pump is out now. they went out simultaneously.