Car died while driving ///Fixed!

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Got it...Please keep us posted .
Hope you get it fixed soon...

Originally Posted by heart_doctor

Update?

No progress..I'm having it towed to a shop tomorrow, this isnt something that should be looked at in my back yard anymore haha. ill keep you guys updated. thank you

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by vain_os

No progress..I'm having it towed to a shop tomorrow, this isnt something that should be looked at in my back yard anymore haha. ill keep you guys updated. thank you

That's the best thing , good luck !

[heart_doctor]

Update?

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by heart_doctor

Update?

Hey guys, update so far: I'm not getting any codes whatsoever after towing. None of the 8 injector faults..it's like a dead end. Cant even get the same codes I got 2 times anymore.

we took out the DME and my guy is taking a look at it, will hear back from him on monday hopefully

[heart_doctor]

Originally Posted by vain_os

Hey guys, update so far: I'm not getting any codes whatsoever after towing. None of the 8 injector faults..it's like a dead end. Cant even get the same codes I got 2 times anymore.

we took out the DME and my guy is taking a look at it, will hear back from him on monday hopefully

Update?

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by heart_doctor

Update?

checking out the DME...nothing yet, everything looks normal so far need more time to fully say though

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by vain_os

checking out the DME...nothing yet, everything looks normal so far need more time to fully say though

When there is no black hole => No worries !
Keep us posted ..

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

When there is no black hole => No worries !
Keep us posted ..

im just worried this is going to be some phantom problem that nobody can diagnose, causing me to get a brand new ecu for 2-3,000$ only to find out that it still wont work

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by vain_os

im just worried this is going to be some phantom problem that nobody can diagnose, causing me to get a brand new ecu for 2-3,000$ only to find out that it still wont work

Everything can be repaired , but agreed about sometimes it's $$$$ .
I wish you best of luck....

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Everything can be repaired , but agreed about sometimes it's $$$$ .
I wish you best of luck....

thank you. minor update: DME is clean. I was advised that the ECU is not the culprit in this issue. May be a sensor of some sort. Search begins to find the sensor responsible. I don't know how this will play out

[joneffingvo]

Keep us updated! Wish you the best of luck. Reading these threads scare the shit out of me

[fhaze3]

Hows the gas situation?

[vain_os]

well guys, looks like its a phantom problem. nobody can figure it out. i guess last resort - dealer.

[vain_os]

does anyone know if a used DME/ECU can be programmed to another car? or is that impossible

[Petros]

Originally Posted by vain_os

does anyone know if a used DME/ECU can be programmed to another car? or is that impossible

i think so. but i believe only a dealer can reprogram the proper VIN

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by Petros

i think so. but i believe only a dealer can reprogram the proper VIN

ONLY the dealer huh. damn. fucked up thing is that the ECU was deemed clean and undamaged.

tomorrow im gonna get it checked by one last guy. hopefully a miracle happens. or else theres literally no other choice but to go to dealer and fork over a 500$ diagnostic fee

[TheSnail]

Originally Posted by vain_os

ONLY the dealer huh. damn. fucked up thing is that the ECU was deemed clean and undamaged.

tomorrow im gonna get it checked by one last guy. hopefully a miracle happens. or else theres literally no other choice but to go to dealer and fork over a 500$ diagnostic fee

Here is what I think you ought to look at... But fist, let me tell you about an experience I had fixing my dads car about 4 years back.

He has a 3.5L Altima, which I know is no M3 but it's relevant. So he was complaining that the car would not start sometimes. I picked the car up from him and took it for a spin with a friend running errands. The car seemed fine to me at first, then...

When I got about 10miles from my house, the throttle malfunctioned. Meaning that pressing on the accelerator pedal did nothing, it just stayed at idle. Luckly I was still rolling, so I rolled into a parkinglot and turned off the car. Went to crank it, it started but the throttle pedal still did nothing.

I let the car cool for 5 minutes, started it up, went to drive off, and the throttle took a crap again after a few hundred feet. Luckly I had a friend that was a mechanic at a nissan dealership about a half mile away. So getting there was my goal. So seeing that temperature made some difference, I popped the hood and let the car cool for 30min.

While I was in the parking lot, I looked over the car, checking all fuses. Since the car is drive by wire, I was looking for a fuse for the throttle body, but all fueses looked fine. I did notice however that the battery was leaking battery acid.....

After 30minutes, I cranked up the car and drove off, getting to the nissan dealer a half mile away. I spoke with my friend and he ordered me a new throttle body. I had a friend pick me up to take me home.

The following afternoon, my buddy gave me a call and said the Altima was good to go. I drove up there and checked it out. Per fsm, he had to go through do a 45min calibration on the throttle body as it is drive by wire. He took it for a spin, and said everything is A-OK. Cool, I jumped in the car, and headed home. I got a few thousand feet from the dealership when the throttle body malfunctioned again...

Luckly I was driving up a hill, so I pulled a U turn, and rolled on back to the dealer. I popped the hood as my friend looked it over. He told me to start the car and manipulate the throttle as he inspected something. I did and after about 20 seconds, there was a big BOOOM. I turned off the car to see what happened. The battery exploded, and luckly he did not get doused with battery acid.

So I was like: "Yeah, when I was letting it cool in the parking lot yesterday, I noticed the battery started leaking acid...." He was like "WTF, you should of told me this. There was nothing wrong with your throttle body" as he went to grab the multi-meter.

Despite the fact the battery just exploded, the car would still crank up and run. So I cranked it up and left it at idle as he checked voltage.

Turns out that the alternator was crapped out. However, a faulty alternator does not mean it does not deliver enough voltage, it can also OVERCHARGE. He took readings off of it and found it registered 15+Volts. So once the throttle body was getting voltage out of it's voltage window, it would spaz out and malfunction. I got a new alternator, and everything worked fantastic ever-since (80k miles).


So Looooooong story short, I would not dismiss your new battery install. I am not saying that your alternator is the culprit, I'm saying that without battery registration, your alternator can overcharge or undercharge your battery. If I was a betting man, I would say your alternator is overcharging your battery, causing malfunctions with injectors, throttle bodies etc.. They all have a window of incoming voltage. If you get outside that, things will malfunction. It also highlights the fact you are pulling different codes of different malfunctions. You are out of the voltage range in my opinion due to not registering the battery. If you haven't sent in your OEM battery as a core, drop that in and give it a shot. If you dont have it, at least check the voltage from your current battery.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by vain_os

does anyone know if a used DME/ECU can be programmed to another car? or is that impossible

It's VIN/Locked .
Think BMW/Dealer or tuner can do it .

[BillK]

You mentioned in an earlier post you had a crank sensor code come up. I had the same type problem as you on my old e36 m3. Car wouldn't start. Towed to a well regarded "specialist" in no va. He couldn't figure it out. Changed my fuel pump, then eventually the main computer. After 2500$ I got the car back running. A couple days later my wife calls, car on the side of the highway, dead again. This time, though, the ce light was on, crank sensor. Towed it to my house, bought a sensor from the dealer and a couple hours later it was running like a top. Turned out the sensor cable was frayed. Maybe from rubbing or a mouse chewing it or something. And the problem was intermittent
Moral of the story, the crank sensor didn't set off a code and the mechanic had no clue. Yours might be the crank sensor

[regular guy]

I was going to mention this as well...but Billk beat me to it. You need to have that crank sensor checked ASAP. Knowing how it works...and the role it plays in starting your engine...that failure (or wiring failure) really could explain everything.

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by TheSnail

So Looooooong story short, I would not dismiss your new battery install. I am not saying that your alternator is the culprit, I'm saying that without battery registration, your alternator can overcharge or undercharge your battery. If I was a betting man, I would say your alternator is overcharging your battery, causing malfunctions with injectors, throttle bodies etc.. They all have a window of incoming voltage. If you get outside that, things will malfunction. It also highlights the fact you are pulling different codes of different malfunctions. You are out of the voltage range in my opinion due to not registering the battery. If you haven't sent in your OEM battery as a core, drop that in and give it a shot. If you dont have it, at least check the voltage from your current battery.

heres the thing, part of the reason WHY i got a new battery, (besides the car dying 3 minutes into electronics being on without car being on) is because of this exact problem. cylinders cutting off while driving. this was an intermittent problem before i changed the battery. my old battery was bloated when i took it out. i dont know what that may indicate.

[vain_os]

Originally Posted by BillK

You mentioned in an earlier post you had a crank sensor code come up. I had the same type problem as you on my old e36 m3. Car wouldn't start. Towed to a well regarded "specialist" in no va. He couldn't figure it out. Changed my fuel pump, then eventually the main computer. After 2500$ I got the car back running. A couple days later my wife calls, car on the side of the highway, dead again. This time, though, the ce light was on, crank sensor. Towed it to my house, bought a sensor from the dealer and a couple hours later it was running like a top. Turned out the sensor cable was frayed. Maybe from rubbing or a mouse chewing it or something. And the problem was intermittent
Moral of the story, the crank sensor didn't set off a code and the mechanic had no clue. Yours might be the crank sensor

would a crank sensor be the culprit if i get spark though? previous guy who came ruled out crank sensor after doing some tests