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1999 E46 318i, 1.9 lack of power

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19 bmw lack power
13K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  dawsosl  
#1 ·
Hi all i am new to this site and to bmw's ... i have recently bought a 1999 e46 318i se
i have been driving it for few weeks now but seems to be low on power ..
Had a shot of my friends 1.9 e36 and there is alot of difference in power his seems alot quicker and responsive than mine
anyone have any ideas on what i could check?
 
#6 ·
There is no eml or engine management light on .. i have never had a bmw before but when the ignition lights are on the eml and engine manage light dont come on? They have never came on while i have hd the car is this just the way the bmw's work? or should they come on when the ignition lights are on?
 
#8 ·
I was told by my mechanic that some garages blow the bulbs on the EML when they cant fix it. this could also apply to a seller if they were unscrupulous, sounds like you could have a blown bulb. My car had the MAF plug dislodged but looking like it was on when I bought the car, I discovered the MAF was broken a few days later and had it replaced. My EML comes on after 20 miles with new MAF in it and I cant find any air leaks but it runs smooth as anything and has plenty of power. Mine is a 2000 E46 318i.

hope this helps, I am a newby to the BMW scene but love my BMW so far.
 
#9 ·
Don't worry about the EML not coming on with the ignition mate, very common for some of the early E46 318i' to not have them lit on startup (mine included). Nor does it light if you do things like unplug the MAF sensor, however the later / larger engined varients do. :eek You can confirm that the light is working, by doing a cluster test in the hidden menu within the clocks.

In response to your power, do you notice more when hot or cold?
How does the car idle both cold \ warm?
What is the fuel consumption like?
Is there a particular RMP range that you start to notice lack of power?

Thanks
Adam
 
#14 ·
is there a knock sensor in these models ? ? Had a car before and the power that should have been there wasnt and it drove perfect and was getting the proper mpg. Spent ages changing over sensors,maf's you name. Turned out to be knock sensor gone which was pulling back the timing giving a lack of power but drove completely normal