Possible Fuel Problems

70 MILES • 2WD • MANUAL
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LTMJAPAN
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  • 3 POSTS
My 1996 BMW 316i (compact) began to sputter every once in a while….sporadically over the past month. Today, it started fine, and then when I went to drive away, it began to lose power. As I put the car in neutral and pressed the gas in high RPS to warm up the car; the car began to act normally. Once I started driving again, it continued to sputter, and then the problem went away. Upon driving around 40-60 miles per hour, the car began to lose power again, but quickly regained speed. It now seems as though, I have to warm up the car for 10-15 minutes before I drive, then it will act normal. However, when I go to accelerate and change gears…..the car sputters for a second then catches up again.
Jan 3, 2011 at 10:46 AM
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DOCHAGERTY
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 9,606 POSTS
Send the last 7 of the VIN so I can ID the car.
Jan 3, 2011 at 1:04 PM
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LTMJAPAN
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  • 3 POSTS
617404D
Jan 3, 2011 at 1:09 PM
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DOCHAGERTY
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 9,606 POSTS
The last 7 of the VIN will be 2 letters followed by 5 numbers
Jan 3, 2011 at 1:19 PM
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LTMJAPAN
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Sir, sorry....it is FR74074 and it is a 1999 BMW 316i
Jan 3, 2011 at 1:34 PM
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DOCHAGERTY
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 9,606 POSTS
The M43 motor was not sold in the US market and I dont have experience with them. Your mechanic should start with the easy stuff like fuel pressure and delivery, fuel contamination, stored fault codes and so on.
Jan 3, 2011 at 2:49 PM
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