sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2008 I am posting this for the 'guru's to try their fixes. This is a story from the past and actually happened. We were driving from Reading (UK) to Grenoble (France) a distance of over 750 miles. A senior colleague was in his BMW 2800 and I in my Escort 1300, both carburettor.Things started normally. At some point in France the BMW lost performance. It would not accelerate, and refused to go much over 70mph. Also, it was smoking a bit. I ended up baby sitting the BMW for about 300+ miles, and we got to Grenoble. There was no obvious fault under the bonnet, all plugs etc. were Ok, and on idle the engine would rev nicely. Any ideas about the fault? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zavo 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2008 :O:O:O SHOCK HORROR:O:O:O:O A BMW AND NOT A SKODA!!!!!WOW.. can't wait for the replies to this one... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
octane_100 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2008 I am posting this for the 'guru's to try their fixes. This is a story from the past and actually happened. We were driving from Reading (UK) to Grenoble (France) a distance of over 750 miles. A senior colleague was in his BMW 2800 and I in my Escort 1300' date=' both carburettor.Things started normally. At some point in France the BMW lost performance. It would not accelerate, and refused to go much over 70mph. Also, it was smoking a bit. I ended up baby sitting the BMW for about 300+ miles, and we got to Grenoble. There was no obvious fault under the bonnet, all plugs etc. were Ok, and on idle the engine would rev nicely. Any ideas about the fault?[/quote'] Was it anything to do with the altitude? because of low pressure at higher altitudes your colleague's Beemer must be running a rich mixture (correct me if i am wrong) with too little air... hence this problem??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2008 @octane_100. No. Nothing to do with altitude. Incidentally by the mid 60's Weber had carbs which compensated for altitude and one can safely expect high end brands to have this feature. We went up in the Alps with that BMW many times at other times with no bother. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thermalpaste 0 Report post Posted March 27, 2008 I know I'm wrong, but probably could it be something to do with the fuel pump diaphragm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 27, 2008 Sorry thermalpaste. This was not the cause either. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thermalpaste 0 Report post Posted March 27, 2008 Well, since you said that the engine would rev normally at idle, was it something to do with jammed brake pads or a locked wheel? I'm pretty sure that it had nothing to do with the altitude. I'm very curious Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FuelRunGod 200 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 Thread Cleaned. FRG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FuelRunGod 200 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 What sort of smoke was it? Just a shot in the dark, was there a problem with the cooling system? FRG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
octane_100 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 @sgiitk If you don't want to reveal the answer to every one just as yet, kindly PM me the issue(or rather the solution)... I'm really very curious Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 The smoke was most noticeable whenever he tried to accelerate. Since I was leading the way, blocking the road for him to overtake, etc. I cannot have very detailed information. Nothing with the cooling system. No locked wheels / btrakes etc. remember 300+ miles at up to 70 mph on Autoroutes. The wheels would have been in flames before we reached Grenoble. Also, this started between Paris and Lyon so the Alps did not come into the picture. Just remember he isa highly knowledgeable car owner (previous cars XK120, E-type). Subsequently, BMW730, 730CSi, 735, etc. and now Jaguar XJ(or is it K)R. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FuelRunGod 200 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 If the smoke was present only on acceleration, it could mean that the engine was being starved of air. FRG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 OK Folks. Let is keep the suspense going for another day. Just remember we are dealing with the car of an Auto Guru, who also happened to be my Guru (in Physics) and is a close friend . All will be revealed tomorrow, or does the Capo want it today? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zavo 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 CAPO de TUTI CAPO SAYS HOLD ON FOR ANOTHER DAY!! Or else... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdityaM 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2008 I can't wait!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2008 THE ANSWER, as promised! and why I posted this one The evidence of smoke did suggest the engine running rich, which some of you caught. But Why .... Remember the car belonged to an auto expert who had owned and maintained XK120, E-type, etc. In our travail we had all looked under the bonnet at least thrice! We reached Grenoble and went to the BMW dealership. The mechanic was back within five minutes. The culprit - something we can buy for under a rupee even today! Apparently the BMW had a complex system of tubes linking the carburettor, air filter, (and may be the manifold). These links were all with thin (3mm) PVC tubing. This plumbing served for automatic choke, barometric adjustment, etc. etc. One end had come off so the car was running on partial choke! He had snipped about 15mm off the 15cm tube and plugged it back. WHY I STARTED THIS High end cars are complex, and the advice not to fiddle with the vehicle makeseven more sense here.That time the complexity was mechanical. Now a lot of it has gone into the electronics, but the mechanics has also evolved. So any fiddling with the plumbing (electrical or mechanical) in the high end vehicles is best avoided. This should be a warning/ lesson to those who may think about making apparently harmless mods. Make sure what you are doing is kosher! Reminds me of a poster, dealing with safety, which I saw as a student in France. It had a mouse trap (guillotine type) with a piece of cheese on it. There was a mouse nearby getting interested in the cheese. Thewarning essentially stated, 'Do not meddle with mechanisms you do not understand'. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rssh 59 Report post Posted March 29, 2008 Yeah! if ones wants to jazz up a high end car then do a factory fitted one and small car can but understood easily with some experience . Good work sgiitk. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zavo 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2008 BUMP... SG.. seems your last reply's shut a lot of people up.. Or maybe they've forgotten about this thread.. Anyway.. just bringing it back to the top of the heap so to speak Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdityaM 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2008 Was the final solution a bit of a letdown or what?!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgiitk 0 Report post Posted April 3, 2008 Not really. We were relieved that it did not cost us a bomb (in fact if I remember correctly, BMW did not charge anything). It just taught us how complex high end cars can be. There were about four of these thin tubes below the air cleaner! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdityaM 0 Report post Posted April 3, 2008 Just joking. This was one thread I was regularly checking to see when you would come up with the answer!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kinshuk 1 Report post Posted May 27, 2008 My Accord also had same problem in UK...it was a prob wit the CAT...my accord would rev properly but had no pickup after a certain point! The mechanics just cleand the CAT and charged me 500 Euros I hate the french! But as in this situation the cars were carburetted !!!???!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kinshuk 1 Report post Posted May 27, 2008 ...and as usual I posted a response without checking the last page!! LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
