Starting the car

It seems that each morning whenever I start the car, it trembles for a few seconds (front part of the car) like there was something wrong and then it goes away. But after that, the car runs smoothly throughout the day with no problems. It's been happening for 2 weeks now. I don't know what the problem is. Help! ANY suggestions (is it the fuel, air leak, etc.)????

It's not the cold weather, it has been around 50 to 65 degrees here.

You might not initially be getting enough fuel, or getting too much, there might be oil or water getting into the combustion chamber, which would need a second or two to clear. 'hope it's not either of the latter.
Stephen

Thanks!

Speedbm21, let me know if you find a fix. I have this problem intermittently on my 2003 325i. Thanks.

Speedbm21, let me know if you find a fix. I have this problem intermittently on my 2003 325i. Thanks.

My friend told me to use a different brand of gasoline. (don't know if this is going to make a difference). I filled up my tank today and I will see what happens tomorrow and the day after.

By the way, this is my e-mail in case u need to reach me

[email protected]

We got the Bmer back from the service dept and they said it was bad gas. I don't think that was the problem but we'll see. They want us to run a tank full through and after that if it comes back we bring it back. Maybe we did get a bad batch at our last fill up. I'll keep you updated.

It's been two days now (filled the tank with new gas) and it seems like the problem went away (knock on wood).

It's been two days now (filled the tank with new gas) and it seems like the problem went away (knock on wood).

I have the same problem on my 2003 325i. I use a very popular brand of gas in the Northeast (BP AMOCO - Premium) but still get that problem. Suggest any other brands?

I recommend MOBIL or EXXON.

We have gone through at least two tanks of gas and the morning grumble still exists. It seems to be a common problem on the various BMW message forums. But no one has a fix yet.

Is it just me or are the service people at the dealership totally clueless. They could never seem to find any problems . . . at least now when the car is still under warranty.

I'm still rattling in the morning.

It seems that each morning whenever I start the car, it trembles for a few seconds (front part of the car) like there was something wrong and then it goes away. But after that, the car runs smoothly throughout the day with no problems. It's been happening for 2 weeks now. I don't know what the problem is. Help! ANY suggestions (is it the fuel, air leak, etc.)????

It's not the cold weather, it has been around 50 to 65 degrees here.

I drive a 2003 325I and I seem to have the same problem, and it only occurs in the mornings. This morning the engine actually stalled and I had to restart the car and immediately apply gas while starting it. If anybody has a fix for this please advise.

hey guys [and ladies]. a couple of notes. The reason many of you have problems with dealership service dept's is that they and BMW don't pay for the time it takes to diagnose 'new' problems or firgure out a 're-engineering' fix for them. "pull it into the shop, hope the symptom isn't there or fudge it if it is, then on to the next paying job!" it's rare to find a shop where someone still has enough interest in the challange of the diagnosis. this is why dealerships are having a harder and harder time filling the positions left by excellent technicians who can no longer afford the system and move on to independent shops like i did....Anyway, the rough runing you describe can be troublsome in analysis since it isn't bad enough to cause a 'dead' cylinder misfire. Since '98, the DME would recognize this, log a code[s], and give them some direction where to go for a fix by seeing the parameters when the fault occurred. poor fuel can be an issue [i recommend Chevron in the NW] NOTE, all gasolines up here come from the same storage tank, the difference is how the additives are blended when the driver fills his/her tanker with each grade. a couple of you might try a 'fuel injection service' where the enigine is run on a machine that cleans the engine's part of the system with a special solvent. this was part of a 'summer srvice campaign' we did at the dealers back in '87-'88. it along with walnut shell blasting of the intake valves was very effective in improving idle quality.....fuels have improved GREATLY since then,...but.. hope this helps you.

2 interesting possibilities....

1) Cold start injector.
2) Fuel pressure drop overnight due to slow leak

Try this. Turn the ignition to ON, but don't start it yet. Let the fuel pump run for a few seconds to see if it just needs to build up pressure. If the car starts fine after that, I would suggest a fuel pressure leak somewhere.

If it still doesn't work, you might pull the cold start injector to see if it's working. Also check to see if it's getting voltage when the car is cold.

Good luck.

great tips 'drwambo' for pre-'88 BMW's ! a couple notes, DME 1.1 and later [+'87] no longer use a 'cold start valve' [better fuel managment]. fuel rail pressure drop is usually symptomatic of a 'hot soak' restart problem where the drop in rail pressure allows the fuel in it to 'boil' in the fuel injestor rail and engine hoses [hence 'vapor lock'] on hot restarts.

drwambo, a couple of us have tried the delay in start to let fuel pressure build and have the same results, rough start.
Thanks for the help to both of you! I am out of the country and can't troubleshoot until I return in July. I'll keep you posted.

Is anyone still experiencing this problem? Mine seems to have gone away all on its own . . . I'm holding my breath.

I am now getting a sort of metallic "squink" (imagine running a stick over a string of beads-sounds like something engaging) after the car starts from cold.

Any ideas as to what this could be. It only occurs for about a second then all is well, but . . . you know . . .