E46 330 Sport Convertible - Not A Great Drive - Fixable ?

[V8RX7]

nixon1 said:

I did this to mine (myself too, was easy when the bushes are supplied in the metal lollipops), and the drive was much improved.
the remap could be causing all sorts of issues, but I guess we wont really know unless you change this.

2 things you can try for free- there is a procedure to reset the throttle response and you do this by pressing the throttle and turning the key to a set position. I can't remember exactly but if you google it you should find it.
the 2nd idea is to turn off the ESP. If you press it down you'll first get the amber esp warning, but if you keep holding it you will get the handbrake warning up too. Now have a drive and see if it improves things for you.

It was a Superchips remap - no idea if they are well regarded or not.

Thanks I've found the reset - haven't had time to try it yet (driving a van daily ATM)

I always turn off ESP etc - it does seem better but I thought I was imagining it.

[V8RX7]

AV12 said:

For any kind of modification the coupe is much better.

Well the first mod I'd do, would be to cut off the roof !

I've had convertibles for 15+ yrs - I'm not stopping now

[j44esd]

Superliminal said:

V8RX7 said:

There is a hiccup when pulling away
It feels like it has less power than my old E36 328 low down - power comes it a bit better up top - it might be deceptive as the speedo indicates limits are reached quickly.

Is this normal or could it be due to the remap ?

I've got a similar thing on mine (2003 330ci Clubsport 6-speed manual)- when pulling away it feels like it loses power and sometimes kangaroos a bit. Makes it very hard to pull away smoothly. Mine also starts misfiring during the warmup cycle (perfect when hot though) and I think it's related.

From my research it could be:

• ICV
• DISA Valve
• VANOS

The vanos issue (worn/perished seals) causes simiar behaviour in 328/528 (M52?) cars of a similar vintage but isn't supposed to affect the M54 engine. Changing the seals should give a gain in mid-range grunt though, so I'm going to give it a go when I get a moment.

V8RX7 said:

There is little feel to the steering and none through the throttle nor seat

Basically it seems to be more of a cruiser than my wife's Mazda6 Sport, which surprises me.

This seems normal. It's no sports car I'm afraid, despite the big wheels, rock hard suspension and stupid spoiler (on mine at least).

Info for both OP and yourself, hiccup on pull away is likely to be one of the two cam position sensors. Had the same issue on a 51 plate 330i, certainly worth a try but a) the aftermarket sensors are rubbish (first two didn't work) and b) can't remember if it flagged a fault code, but someone else may remember.

[V8RX7]

j44esd said:

Info for both OP and yourself, hiccup on pull away is likely to be one of the two cam position sensors. Had the same issue on a 51 plate 330i, certainly worth a try but a) the aftermarket sensors are rubbish (first two didn't work) and b) can't remember if it flagged a fault code, but someone else may remember.

Thanks I'll take a look

[s m]

j44esd said:

Info for both OP and yourself, hiccup on pull away is likely to be one of the two cam position sensors. Had the same issue on a 51 plate 330i, certainly worth a try but a) the aftermarket sensors are rubbish (first two didn't work) and b) can't remember if it flagged a fault code, but someone else may remember.

Yes, I suggested that may be worth a look - inlet cam sensor can mean low weak down power. My old 330i had a duff one and felt much better after changing

[V8RX7]

UPDATE -

Scanned it with a mate's Snap On - no codes

Resetting the throttle definitely made a difference and it only takes 20 secs

Having read up on the hiccup - I disconnected the MAF - HUGE difference.

95% of the hiccup has gone, bottom end power is improved and mpg has increased slightly - I'll clean then reconnect it tomorrow but others have said it may not be the MAF itself as when it's disconnected the car goes to a safe map which also ignores other sensors.

I was surprised that disconnecting the MAF didn't put the management light on.

Still at least I know it's fixable.

Cheers