leprechaun suggested i make a new post since the one i addressed was fairly old - thanks lep!

quoting myself:

the past few weeks my monte has been running like crap. farting and belching, rough idle, sputtering, lousy acceleration, and really low temperature.

its like it is not able to warm up in 20 degree (f) temperatures.

so today it got up to like 50 and finally the temp guage got to around 170 or 180 and it started to idle and run right.

think my thermostat is stuck open?

auto zone stuck it on their handheld thing and i got:

C1236
C1245
P0126
P0300
P0303

its a 2004 3800 n/a with 50,000 miles on it.

doesnt each code = $1000.00 to fix?

THANKS

 

after deliberately running the gas tank as low as i dared and refilling, along with warmer but wetter weather (we are getting soaked in ky) the silly car seems to be starting to run better.

gonna replace the thermostat for the hell of it.

if this clears up i think im looking at wheel bearings and a motor mount that isnt on the top side. i swear looking at it yesterday the engine looks like it might not be sitting in there where it belongs. its like it has tilted over to the passenger side.

 

i have an 03 3800. never had a problem like this but i change the plugs and wires once a year and have also done the thermostat. hope it helps

 

the rough running could be possibly bad plugs or wires, you stated you have been getting wet weather so they could go hand in hand. Also your P0300 and P0303 codes are missfires especially on cylinder number 3

 

thanks for taking time to help.

if it dries out enough today im going to drive it around a bit to see of new gasoline makes any kind of difference.

also going to put a bottle of injector cleaner in for good measure.

 

this car is trying its best to say what is wrong with it... so here's the chain of events after the last time it ran better:

February 12 - oil and filter change at valvoline - noticed valvoline girl spilled oil around the filler. got home, popped the hood and wiped the little dab of oil off.

February 16 - snow from hell started - got 12 inches.

February 17 - dug out driveway and drove around the neighborhood thinking what a great car this is that does so well in snow. tore the valence off the bottom on one side. traction control came on a bit and did a decent job keeping the car from getting stuck until i got to my house. then it started running like crap.

im thinking i tore something up underneath that the car cant figure out.

so i drive it back and forth to work (2 mile round trip) planning a trip to the shop since i dont have a place i can work on it myself.

March 2nd i get the idea to take it to advance autoparts and get the codes read.

C1236 - Brake problem or left rear wheel speed sensor
C1245 - ABS outlet coil left rear shorted to ground
P0126 - Unreasonable temperature control
P0300 - Random misfire due to plugs or wires
P0303 - Cylinder 3 bad spark plug

It works out for me to put it in the shop next week. Im goign to make sure they have a real disgnostic computer so we dont play guessing games on whats wrong.

i have come to terms with it getting worse and i should stop driving it until it gets fixed.

The thing that doesnt fit is it will run like a top as long as its not accelerating.
tweak the gas pedal and it seems like the engine is going to jump out of the car. That makes sense since its screaming plug 3 is screwed up.

in reading other discussions about similar behavior, the engine will screw up with traction controller problems, abs problems and even wheel bearings because the same sensors are used for abs, traction, speed detection and ultimately respond to noisey wheels, gravel, mud etc.

so im thinking at least one coil, a set of plug wires and at least one spark plug is resonable to see if it will run right. luckily plug 3 is in the middle up front.

 

dramatic resolution:

i closed my eyes and caved in and took the car to the shop expecting a huge repair estimate and i got what i asked for.

spark plug 3 cracked and had a visible arc path from the connector to the fitting.

it ate the #3 plug wire too.

shop wants 1500 to replace intake manifold gasket and of course says there is oil all over the place and a risk of getting radiator fluid in the oil or in the engine where it doesnt belong or oil in the radiator.

all i had asked for was run a obdii scan which they claim they did but didnt tell them anything.

so i go to advance and get a cheap set of plugs and wires and they went ahead and replaced #3 plug and wire.

so now i have a new item to add to :

clean / replace the rest of the sensors

front wheel bearings / abs / speed sensor issues

rear trailing arms bushings and bearings

front bushings

new front and rear sway bars bushings and column braces

new struts

magnaflow downpipe with converter

fix driver side seat belt so it retracts properly

take dash out and try to re attach the hazard bezel and put a new button in there since it doesnt do turn signals very well. jiggle thump bang

this will be a joy to try and manage getting done in time on a schedule i can afford.

any advice or sharing of expeeriences with these things would be gratefully accepted.

thanks all of you mcf people!!!

joe monty money pit

 

My P0300 code 2 years ago was my fuel pump.

 

Your abs code could be related to the heavy snowfall you got, I would check the wires on the back wheel speed sensors and see if you pulled them apart when you ripped the valance off the car, you may be able to just solder the wire back together and solve that problem. Worth a morning of jacking the car up in the driveway and crawling under with a flashlight and following the wires, it could even be moisture in the connector clip

You can order a new intake gasket from zzperformance or rockauto fairly cheaply and hopefully find a mechanic that will charge you a decent rate to replace, if you didn't live so far away I would even give you a hand but most stealerships charge an extremely pricey shop rate, so there has to be someone cheaper around

The drivers seatbelt is probably that it has twisted inside the B pillar (the plastic piece it retracts into) which is what is causing it to not retract properly, there is a write up on the forum here, I think it may include a video, of how to tear it apart and fix it, I will see if I can find the thread and put the link in here for you.

When you decide to get the new struts, it is best to buy the pre assembled strut assemblies as it will just make life easier for you and cheaper for installation if you can't do it yourself.

zzperformance also has some good prices on upgraded bushings for our cars so definitely check their site out and see if you can save some coin

I found this link for a possible seat belt fix

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...%20BMW%20Forum

Here's a couple more links that may be of assistance




I also saw you are looking at a magnaflow downpipe, I highly recommend the zzperformance downpipe, they are a great price and work very nicely, but keep in mind it may throw a CEL in your car so you may need to have it tuned out of the pcm, or they sell an angled extender that is supposed to stop the CEL from coming on.

 

and this link will give you a good idea of how much all the suspension parts will cost that you are looking for, keep in mind most of these are upgrades and you can also find the oem at rockauto for a great price as well, but I figure if you are going to go through all the trouble of changing everything, you may as well get the best parts you can afford. There may be other alternative places and better parts that I am unaware of and hopefully other members will chime in but with my experiences with zzperformance they have been great to deal with and the part I have received have been top notch

Ecotec Performance Suspension | Grand Prix Brakes and Handling Parts