Question

hello,

I have a 2001( e46) 330ci with Dinan stage 3, with a recently rebulit Automatic transmission at around 120K miles, currenlty now a total 132k miles.( The rebulid was done for torque converter malfunction that started setting off the engine light around 115K or so.) After 6 to 7 weeks after the rebulid the car developed intemittent RPM flucuation while coasting (foot off the gas) only in the 1100-1500 RPM range. The RPMs would pulsate up by 200 to 400 RPMs that would occur with a dragging sensation to the driver. Hitting the acceleator it would stop & it does not occur over 2K RPMs on the highway and this prob does not aways happen, come & goes but I can sence a lock-up or drag on the tranmission just before or as the RPMs start bumping.

The tramission people checked it out the tranmission, it was working ok mechanicaly but getting wrong signal from either a fuel or eletrical system prob and causing with what they described as a "duty cycle lock up @ 1350 RPMs" which correlated with what I was intermittenly seeing on my tacometer & feeling with the drag. It did have a leaky valve cover gasket for awhile that I fixed & BMW also replaced the throtal valve when I descibed the problem. Doing so corrected the probs for 7 days but then came back so I had the spark plugs & ignition coil looked at and put back again. The prob went away and came back a week later so I then replaced the plugs and coils & the flucuations did not even go away for a week this time, no grace period and are still occuring. Any thoughts help! Rob

The only other odd occurence which may be coincedental. After I had the transmission rebult It needed a state inspection, it failed intially b/c the computer was not ready yet too soon after reset. However after bring it back to the non BMW dealer for inspection a few more time and about 700 miles later they still could read it as their portable code machine said it was not ready still. So I took it too the BMW stating that the other non bmw deal could pass it b/c of the above issues. The BMW dealer was able to pass it though & i'm wondering if they had to flash the comuter or reset it inoder to pass it. Either way it passed but a week or so later the above RPMs flucations with lockup drag started occuring. NO CODE or Engnie light has yet to go off