SES Flashed briefly and then stayed lit. UPDATE
 

Hi there.. I have a 2001 4.4I. Today on the way home from work the SES light came on and flashed while on the freeway and then stayed on. (It is 92F here today.) The car seems to run fine and alll other systems were functional. I am guessing I need to have it scanned or buy a scanner?

BTW, it has 68K miles on it.

Yes, that is exactly what you need to do. Without knowing the codes, there's not much that can be done to guide you to a resolution.

:xoutpost:

Thanks, kind of figured that was the scoop from my search.. More
 

I checked the gas cap just in case and it was pretty tight, but not the tightest. I guess I get to try out my extended warranty as it covers all emissions, drive train etc except the Catalysts. I'll report back.

By the way, this forum is great.

Ok, I borrowed the ODB-II scanner from my local Kragens, thsnks guys, and scanned the codes. Here is the list:

P1341
P1351
P1349
P1353
P1355
P1345

Does anyone know where there is a list of what these mean?

I also noticed it is not as quick to interprit a throttle input that would have typically caused a downshift, does this make sense?

I found that these codes are typically associated with a vacumm leak, just curious if smoke test is the best place to start / what people tend to find wrong.

P1341 Multiple Cylinder Misfire With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1342 Misfire During Start Cylinder 1 (BMW)
P1343 Misfire Cylinder 1 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1344 Misfire During Start Cylinder 2 (BMW)
P1345 Misfire Cylinder 2 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1346 Misfire During Start Cylinder 3 (BMW)
P1347 Misfire Cylinder 3 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1348 Misfire During Start Cylinder 4 (BMW)
P1349 Misfire Cylinder 4 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1350 Misfire During Start Cylinder 5 (BMW)
P1350 Ignition Control System
P1351 Misfire Cylinder 5 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1351 Ignition Coil Control Circuit High Voltage (GM)
P1352 Misfire During Start Cylinder 6 (BMW)
P1352 Ignition Bypass Circuit High Voltage (GM)
P1353 Misfire Cylinder 6 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)
P1354 Misfire During Start Cylinder 7 (BMW)
P1354 Modulating Piston Displacement Sensor Electrial Circuit Malfunction (Volkswagen)
P1355 Misfire Cylinder 7 With Fuel Cut-off (BMW)

Thanks Zulu95, any idea what a Misfire with Fuel Cut-Off indicates? My first thought is a vacumm leak, but I am thrown off a bit by the "Fuel Cut-Off" side of things.

It maybe just the sensor - My SES was the camshaft sensor - but if your car is showing "secondary" indications of something wrong, you may need to consult with your dealer or independent BMW mechanic

I had the same problem about 3 weeks ago - after clearing the code I have driven 500 miles without a problem - still no clue what happened - the only thing I did that day was fill it up with gas - so I think it was bad gas

Thanks to everyone... I pulled the engine cover and can see that the valley pan has been seeping and the rear hoses have the consistancy of modeling clay. That said it's time to try out my extended warranty since it covers gaskets. I guess if I am lucky I just get to buy the rear hoses.