B3 Cold Start Problem

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 8:04 pm

Hi everybody. I'm new to the forum having just purchased a 2000 B3. I have only had the car 2 weeks - one of which was spent on holiday. On my return with the car having been stood idle in the garage I fired the car up only to be met with a rough and hunting idle, misfire and oily smoke from the exhaust

I switched straight off and returned later after several fags and tried again. This time it fired up no problem. When warm the engine runs sweet but it has since had another cold start moment after being left overnight. Anybody experienced anything similar or could shed light on the problem??

Post by **neil** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:34 pm

Hi chris

Welcome to the forum - look forward to seeing your car on the register ( see Here)

As for the characteristics my B10 3.3 used to back fire when it was cold. Actually when I saw it at Sytner I was quite attracted to it for that reason. There was a TVR in the showroom which they had to move so the B10 could get out for my test drive. Obviously a TVR in a showroom sounds great - but to my suprise and delight so too did the B10.

Don't think the characteristics you describe are the same - where did you buy the car ? from a BMW dealer ? If so I'd whiz it back for a check up - or if not, may be worth doing to be on safe side.

Cheers

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:19 pm

Neil, cheers for the reply - perhaps not too much to worry about as the car runs fine otherwise

. I'm going to drop it round to the specialist who looked after our M3 to plug it in and see if anything shows up. The car is a coupe, no. 70 (does anybody know how many were produced RHD or otherwise

and was bought from a trader in Knutsford. I'll be posting the details on the register as soon as I can wrestle the keys from the missus and get some piccies.

cheers

Chris

sward · Post by **sward** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:41 pm

Hi Chris
I have found that if you leave your car if you have shut down without it being warmed up, and then attempt to start it cold, it will behave as yours has done. This is not peculiar to Alpinas, as I have had this in a couple of BMWs I have previously owned. A couple of years ago I read in The Telegraph motoring column of a chap who had this trouble in a Jaguar, and the advice was never move your car a short distance, say to pull it out of the garage to wash it, and then leave it alone, because (a) the engine wear if you do this is disproportionate, and (b) the unburnt fuel disagrees with the ECU and it won't start. So now I never move a car a short distance, and always warm it up. It doesn't take long to warm up my B10 3.3, and I'm sure you wont need an excuse to warm up your B3 for 5 or 10 minutes. After following this advice, never a problem since. First time I encountered this problem, I had an E34 535 sport, and I thought the car had died on me! I hope you solve it soon.
All the best
Simon

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:52 pm

Simon, thanks for the advice I'll bear it mind for the future. I don't think this was the cause as the first time it occured the car had been stood for a week whilst we were on our hols (unless the sister in law had a sneaky drive while we were away

) The second time was after it had been stood all night. I've got it booked in at the local specialist as the short warranty we got from the trader is about to run out. I don't think its major as the car is perfect otherwise and I started it up this morning and it was fine.

cheers

Chris

Post by **Charles** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:04 pm

Just a thought, but it might be the oil is a bit old and needs changing. Sludgy oil will sink to the bottom of the sump and will also get into the cylinders - particularly as Alpina use clever piston rings.

I could be miles off beam here, but a dipstick inspection - that is have a look at the dipstick and not "oh no another silly suggestion from Charles" - might be in order.

Hope you get to the bottom of it and welcome to the group

Charles

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:08 pm

Thanks for the input Charles. The car is due a service in around 6k so is midway between services. I checked the oil after the drive up from Cheshire and it needed about a litre and a half to get back to the max level which was a bit of a worry because it obviously hadn't been checked by the garage beforehand but what was on the dipstick looked fairly clean and there was no sludge apparent. My initial thought the day after when the problem first occured was that I had maybe put too much in but i've checked twice since and the level remains at the max marker. I rang Sytners workshop and was told that most Alpinas tend to sound a bit rough from cold (can anybody confirm this

) and that it probably wasn't a problem. Anyway its in the local specialist over the weekend so I should know something by Monday.

cheers

Chris

Post by **neil** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:16 pm

chrisb3 wrote: I rang Sytners workshop and was told that most Alpinas tend to sound a bit rough from cold (can anybody confirm this )

Yip my B10 3.3 was a rough old girl when she was cold - even backfired a bit if you revved her.

nsxman · Post by **nsxman** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:48 pm

neil wrote:
chrisb3 wrote: I rang Sytners workshop and was told that most Alpinas tend to sound a bit rough from cold (can anybody confirm this )
Yip my B10 3.3 was a rough old girl when she was cold - even backfired a bit if you revved her.

I picked a B3S Touring 10 days ago from Sytner and was not that they do run rough when cold and not to worry - just check oil level since they do use more oil than a stock BMW.

Post by **Charles** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:05 pm

Hi nsxman,

Welcome to an extremely select group - B3S Touring owners.

If my sums are correct, yours is only the 6th one in the UK (assuming it is brand new).

I would love to find out more - do drop me a line (either on post or via the Private Message board).

Enjoy it - I certainly am.

Take care

Charles

PS Have a look at the threads regarding oil useage - mine doesn't use any more oil than you would expect to get from a big capacity straight 6 from BMW.

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:28 pm

Hi all, not good news on the motor front

Weekend diagnostic at the local specialist has revealed completely knackered plugs of the wrong variety and an air filter that hasn't been changed since Adam was a lad - despite full BMWSH (cheers Halliwell Jones)

More depressingly the general consensus at the garage is that the burning oil at start up is very likely one or more valve stem oil seals kaput and a call to the dealer who carried out the last service revealed that the car was booked in in November 2003 to investigate excessive oil use - 1L every 300 miles

The good news is that the trader from whom we bought the car is willing to carry out whatever work is needed under warranty - although this requires a three hundred mile round trip to take it down and probably no Alpina for a week or so

. Most definately a lesson learned - be wary of even reputable trader/dealers and get a professional inspection before you hand over your wedge. Good job I've got the Fireblade to play with otherwise I'd be reaching for gun cabinet

Post by **neil** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:13 am

OK the excessive oil usage is not really a suprise I am afraid to say - what is the production month ?

We have had 2 other 3.3 engine cars (both in B10's that were built in June and July 2000) that have had excessive oil usage and have both had new engines fitted.

the owners of these 2 cars are: Sean(dr_technical) and Nick Bicknell

It's probably worth talking to these guys before you go any further....

(I've sent Sean an email pointing him to the post).

Post by **Charles** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 1:38 pm

Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear that things are a bit of a mess in the engine department.

May I make a suggestion :

Do email Kris Odwarka, who is the Operations & Sales Director at Alpina HQ in Buchloe, and bring him up to speed with the problems you are faced with. My experience of Alpina is that they are passionate about their cars and are always keen to make sure that owners get the best experience possible. They are as much enthusiasts as they are business people and you should get as supportive a response as possible.

His email address is: k.odwarka@alpina.de

I hope that this helps.

Good luck

Charles

chrisb3 · Post by **chrisb3** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 6:03 pm

Neil/Charles, thanks for the input. In answer to your question Neil the car was PDI'd at Buchloe in May 2000. Is there any indication of the build date within the chassis/engine numbers or will only Alpina themselves be able to confim build date? I'm in a bit of a dilema as the car is due to be delivered back down to Cheshire on Saturday and I am reluctant to strip the motor for what could well be a quirk of the car.

Charles - thanks for the e-mail address I'll drop him a line and see if I can glean a bit of info.

cheers all

Chris

Post by **neil** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 9:15 pm

chrisb3 wrote: I'm in a bit of a dilema as the car is due to be delivered back down to Cheshire on Saturday and I am reluctant to strip the motor for what could well be a quirk of the car.

2 cars needing engine replacements is by no means conclusive but it isn't a much of a 'quirk' either.

The fact the timeline is similar does point to a generic pattern though ?

Definitely worth talking to someone about - I'd rather get a new engine than go through the pain of an engine rebuild and perhaps still having an issue.

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