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| Message: | ...that something as simple as a "reboot" would have fixed my problems, but I gotta tell you - black magic or not - the "full reset" procedure worked wonders for my car! I pulled the battery cables, - then +, ignition to pos II, 'shorted' the battery cables (using a loooong Craftsman screwdriver and 2 sets of vice-grips - yes, battery posts were well isolated. No arc welding in my back seat!). Ten minutes later, ignition off, reconnect + then -, PPPP on OBC, reset clock. Ran the car 5 minutes, then shut down for 5. I can't find the words to explain the difference. I don't know if this simple act could have made this big of a difference. But first, some anecdotal info: My car always ran well. It had a bit of a lumpy idle, but pulled smoothly and strongly off idle, and had good power. The shifts were another story - at light throttle applications, the shifts would seem to be a bit 'jerky'; with hesitation on downshifts (unless I stepped down hard on the pedal) and a definitely noticable 'light thump' after 1-2 seconds at 50-52 mph (torque converter lockup?). Oh yeah, no stored fault codes via stomp test. Again, nothing unnerving - just aggravating. Trans fluid level good, color and fluid visual quality good. I cleaned the trans selector switch (it wasn't too bad), I had considered a full tranny flush (I've heard all of the banter on the board, pro and con); I had checked the intake system for air leaks (none), and I thought about changing out the oxygen sensors just to see if they were the cause of the lumpy idle... I know that we're all exceptionally sensitive to the daily behavior of our E32s; I attributed a lot of these 'issues' to the fact that it is a 14-year old car, and I forced myself to just enjoy it. It was tough at times; I knew that this car should run exquisitely, not just well. BTW - I changed NOTHING between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, other than the 'reset'. Temp was nearly the same (maybe five degrees F cooler), clear, moderate humidity. Fuel level the same. Back to the 1st drive, post-reset. After an immediate start, the idle seemed to be improved - just a bit. Still a lump or two... but it could be smoother - maybe? Peak-to-peak amplitude of the 'lumps' seemed to be reduced. Selected reverse, waited for the light clunk - none! Ok, this is different... Released the brake, backed out of the garage. Is the throttle more progressive? Seems that the driveline is tighter; am I imagining this? Out into the street; drove my daughter to the high school, four miles down the road. Pulled onto a 4 lane, 50mph section of road and stepped down. Oh, man - what a difference - 1-2 shift was not perceptible, 2-3 shift was silent. 3-4 shift was... did it happen? I guess - the tach was at 1900, speed 52. What shifts? I didn't feel any shifts! I took it easy the rest of the way in to work - mostly city driving with an average speed of 40-45mph. Pulled into the garage at work, selected park, opened the door and stepped out with the engine running... or, was it? Rock solid, smooth idle. No lumps, no bumps. The car downright SOUNDS different at all speeds, including idle! I shut it off and restarted. Instant start, rock solid idle. I mean ROCK SOLID - one of those is-it-running? idles. This car has NEVER done this before. I'm amazed - but I'm also frustrated... As a mechanical engineer working for 20 years in the software business, I appreciate the value of a well-earned reboot - but, is it possible that this simple action could have made this much of a difference in the car's behavior? I understand that the Motronic ECU is adaptive - but, of course, not near as adaptive as today's OBC II+ technologies. What's more interesting is the transmission's behavior. I thought for sure that I was going to be hailing Kurt K soon - and now, my trans has miracuously healed itself (!) - it has never been this smooth in the two years I've owned this car. Is the trans control unit also adaptive? Could this actually be real? Am I still in bed, dreaming? I've had the battery disconnected a dozen times before, often for longer than an hour - but I never did the 'short' thing with the battery cables... Shogun, somebody's on to something - believe it or not! Whatever. Try it. Could be the best 10 minutes you ever spent. I'd love to hear from anyone who can concur as to the efficacy of this simple 'reset'. -Mr. Smooth Idle! Don Strimbu - mailto:dstrimbu@hotmail.com Bartlett, IL USA - BMWCCA #311395 1990 735i - 69,800 miles | ||||
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