bmw 323ci engine help

[be3mer]

hey there all, im new here and need some help. have been advised to get my engine re mapped but dont want to rush into it cause it might be a waste of money. basically i have a dual gearbox, and no matter if its auto or manual mode, the car doesnt pick up speed at all. i have a exhaust system fitted and a air filter, but the cars performance saw me beaten by a vw transporter off the lights the other day. 1st its shameful, and 2nd im thinking it needs burning... please help anyone

 

[turbonutter69]

Hello and Welcome to Torquecars.:bigsmile:
Hope you enjoy your time with us.

When was it last serviced?

 

[be3mer]

hey there, thank you. it was last serviced 3 weeks ago, but still seems to lack all power. i asked a mechanic and he said it could do with re mapping, but i dont want to do that due to the cost possibly being a waste of money

 

[turbonutter69]

Is it actually down on power? Have you had a dyno run to check this?
If it is actually down on power then a re-map may hurt it more as you may well have a problem.

 

[be3mer]

not had any checks done on it, but the power lack seems to be when the engine is warm, dont get me wrong i can get 115 easily from it but when the engine warms up, it seems to be very sluggish pulling away from anywhere, not sure if this is due to the auto clutch or whether the car is a sack of spanners

 

[turbonutter69]

Have you tried a bit of Carb and Choke cleaner in the throttle body?
Might be a bit dirty in there.
Your cars top speed is a quoted 128mph so at 115 your not that far off it.
I'd say it's prob down to wear and tear and things getting a bit clogged up maybe.

 

[be3mer]

havent tried that, where could i get some of that from do you know? i could give it a blast cause its worth a shot eh? thank you for your help!

 

[turbonutter69]

Well it'll be your cheapest first option.
Any car parts shop should have it Halfords stock it if you have one near.
If that doesn't improve things then i'd suggest getting it hooked to up to a computer to see if any fault codes show.

 

[be3mer]

will have a pop down Halfords tomorrow and see if they have any. will post back and let you know how it does. thank you for your help

 

[HDi fun]

Vanos ?

 

[jarrus]

Don't think the 323's had it,
2.5L with 170 hp standard, Also how many miles has it done? If it hasn't been to the moon and back then sea foam could also help, but as stated before use some carb cleaner in the TB and also a diagnostic check should be done, then crack out the can of sea foam.

A remap won't yield much gains but you should seen an improvement in the midrange though, plus auto boxes were made for there smoothness rather than quickness on your kind of car, Superchargers might be worth a look also, if you have the cash.

 

[HDi fun]

The 170bhp 2.5 has single the VANOS - intake cam only and it's two discreet settings, not continuous adjustment of valve timing across both cams which double VANOS offers.

M52 engine, not the TU (technical update) one which includes double VANOS.

Even the standard auto box is very good off the line; the steptronic one which I have in my car is extremely swift to pick up drive, even in D, in DS it's sharper still.

BMW engines will go to the moon and back if properly serviced.

 

[jarrus]

True that, and also I didn't know that about the VANOS, thanks for clearing that up.

Using seafoam on high milage engines can disturb some carbon buildup that's keeping the engine in working order. So it's not for everyone.

 

[HDi fun]

Mine has the double VANOS setup, apparently more prone to failure than the single VANOS setup. Thankfully mine's still working.

Don't remap a naturally aspirated car, especially if there appears to be a problem elsewhere.

It is well worth getting it hooked up to a diagnostic device. A 323Ci should depart the line pretty swiftly and maintain strong acceleration through the gears. They are revvy engines, as are all of BMW's petrol sixes but they should also pull firmly at low revs.

In automatic form you shoudn't need to worry, nor even be aware of what gear is currently engaged.