Rought idle and poping sound
 

I been having issues getting the car to start . I had a dead battery so I figured it was the issue . the car would start rev up and immediately shut down no matter what I do . after changing the battery and adding coolant because it was low . it starts and runs very ruff . the car shakes and there is a loud popping sound from under the hood . think its from the intake . if I put my foot on the gas it slowly goes up into the rpm and once I read 4K it revs normally without sputtering or pooping . anyone experienced this?

check to see if all the plugs in engine bay are connected, check for vacuum leaks, like torn boots in the airways... check to see if the MAF is connected properly, if the oil dipstick is fully inserted, the oil cap is tight... check the airfilter, see if it is clogged up... next thing in order would be to see if the all spark plugs are firing and the coils are good... then, fuel rail, fuel pump, fuel filter...

with rough idle, you should see something on the INPA - is there anything?

I got three codes one said for coolant thermostat turns out there was low coolant so I added that . before I added coolant it didn't want to start . and when it finally did . the coolant error was still there and I got p0011 and p0021 for cam sensors . any lines to look for in particular in term of vacuum leaks? I keep reading that I might need a new maf but I don't want to keep throwing parts at it for no reason. Also is there any other things I can do with inpa to pin point the problem? thanks

give us a brief history of your problem - was it like that when you bought the car and you are trying to sort things out, or your car was running fine and then, all of a sudden, things happened? was there any work done in the engine bay? engine power wash? did you replace a gasket? did you drop a wrench into the bay?... This might be useful in pinpointing the issue...

also, it might be usefull to try to video tape the starting process, so we can hear the struggles that engine is going through...

in INPA, once you added the coolant, you can erase that error (you already saved the screenshots of it), and see if that error will come back or not...

The INPA is capable of helping you so much, but it is not an ALMIGHTY tool that knows it all, you need to use it in conjunction with the symptoms for proper diagnosis...

The collective knowledge on this forum is enormous but most folks will not jump in unless they have something to say, and they will not have much to say if they can't draw a better picture of the issue... I am throwing in ideas, just shooting in the dark - we need more folks to get involved, and that is where your insight helps...

Also, create a permanent signature that will list the year (year/month), engine, mileage of your car, maybe define the options it came with or any upgrade you did - this way people will not be asking same questions of what ride you have, as different engines have different issues (like the ICV for the I-6 with similar symptoms, but that does not apply to your engine)...

If you have enough patience to troubleshoot the car, we have enough patience to guide you through...

as far as the MAF - when the engine is already running, try to disconnect the plug going to MAF - if the running characteristics have not changed, the MAF is dead, as its presense or absense has no effect on the engine... if the characteristics have changed, the MAF is alive but still might be "sick", and you need to dig further...


keep us posted

When I bought the car it was ok I had the p0011 and p0021 already on the dash . but the battery was gone I would need to jump the battery before I would start the car. till now I have no plates on the car so I didn't even drive it yet. I would just turn the car on to warm it up so it didn't sit there. At one point this weekend I tried to warm it up with a jump . it would start rev up and then shut down automatically. even if I held down the gas . I got a new battery for it yesterday and added coolant because it was low . then when I started it it would rev up and stay on but rev very hard to the point where the car would shake . If I let it idle it goes down from 200 rpm to 700 rpm and if I leave it be at one point It basically gives up and loses rev's and shuts down . but if I hold down the gas pedal all the way the revs go up slowly till around 3500 rpms and then it revs like normal . but if I let the gas go and it goes down below 3500 rpms it starts to sputter and shake and there is a loud pooping sound from under the hood. I am almost 100% sure its from the intake because the intake and filter start to jump. I will update my profile right now thank you for the heads up . I have a 2001 4.4 x5 e53. btw you been a lot of help thank you for you input. I will also upload a video of what's going on with the car once I get home tonight.

I would do the suggested troubleshooting of the MAF first as a 'sick' or bad MAF can cause all of your symptoms.

Also easy to clean with MAF spray if is only 'sick.'

P0011 BMW 'A' Camshaft Position Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com

P0021 BMW 'A' Camshaft Position Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com

I would check the Vanos and timing. Was there any previous work done to the Vanos by the PO? Could be that they screwed up putting it back together.

Possible causes
- Engine mechanical problems

I would have a compression test done to verify that he compression in all the cylinders are pretty much the same. If the timing was off they could have tagged a couple of valves since this is an interference engine.

no previous vanos work done from previous Owner. I am going to get maf cleaner and clean it out see if that works.

Be sure to clean both the very visible wires and the those that are almost hidden.