Performance in sub zero temprature

anglocanadian · 03-02-2015, 05:34 PM

Having purchased my 2013 135i with ppk in January up here in Canada, the temps have remained at -10C to -20C ever since .
During this period I have been plagued with hesitation and stumbling during acceleration, I called the dealer to make an appointment and was told it was due to the cold weather !
Today the temp rose to -3C and the car did indeed perform better.
Has anyone else had similar problems ?

mackeroni · 03-02-2015, 06:12 PM

You did not say if the problem occurs at startup or after the engine is warmed up. I will assume your problems occur before the engine has warmed.

I think -20 C equals about -4 F. Here in Ohio, I don't drive regularly in temps that low, but when I do, there is no hesitation or stumbling. The only advice I would offer is this...

1. Let the car warm up for 5 or 10 minutes before you drive off.
2. Make sure you are using high-quality premium grade gasoline. The water that is sometimes found in cheap gasoline will freeze in your tank and fuel lines causing problems. Alcohol content makes this worse due to alcohol's affinity to attract atmospheric moisture into your system.
3. I add a fuel stabilizer (Sta-Bil) or fuel injector cleaner (Gumout, STP, Lucas) to minimize the effect of any water in your fuel system.

If you are still having hesitation and stumbling, ask your dealer to please check again.

Good luck!

anglocanadian · 03-02-2015, 10:09 PM

Its worst at start up but it still intermitantly occurs even when the oil temp is at 100C.
Presumably there is a valve directing the air intake for warm air over the exhaust manifold at start up ?
Could it be disconnected ?
I only use Shell V plus and have tried injector cleaner also there is only 14000KM on the car.

fun2drv · 03-03-2015, 06:19 AM

I have driven my car here in OH at -13 F with no issues whatsoever. Make sure that it is not the traction control cutting off the ignition due to loss in traction. A lot of times, you will not even get to see the flashing light in the instrument cluster because the intervention is for a short period of time.

Gray_Panther · 03-03-2015, 06:22 AM

Mackeroni had a solid post.
In the cold my GTI had the same issues you are experiencing OP. CEL would come on because the cylinders were misfiring on my 1.8T engine. Turned out I was using cheap gas even though it was 91/93 octane.
I went to Mobil and like places, problem immediately went away.
Try going to another gas station with a near empty tank to fill up.

MightyMouseTech · 03-03-2015, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anglocanadian

Having purchased my 2013 135i with ppk in January up here in Canada, the temps have remained at -10C to -20C ever since .
During this period I have been plagued with hesitation and stumbling during acceleration, I called the dealer to make an appointment and was told it was due to the cold weather !
Today the temp rose to -3C and the car did indeed perform better.
Has anyone else had similar problems ?

I live here in Ottawa, even colder than Oshawa, and I have the same 2013 M Sport Edition with PPK. With the proper spark plugs in, it runs perfect.

I noticed you have the PPK, do you have the PPK or PPK2? If they installed the plugs that came with the PPK2 kit, you have the N54 plugs installed and they are the wrong ones. I found this out the hard way. Car runs like crap. Misfires and stumbling at start up, worse when cold. Put the proper N55 plugs in and runs perfect again. Did a medium speed cruise (130 km/hr) to MTL and back to clean all the carbon out of the engine.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1087027

Edit: I am not sure if the plugs come with the PPK kit or not. But it is something to check for sure.

Xyloft · 03-03-2015, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anglocanadian

Having purchased my 2013 135i with ppk in January up here in Canada, the temps have remained at -10C to -20C ever since .
During this period I have been plagued with hesitation and stumbling during acceleration, I called the dealer to make an appointment and was told it was due to the cold weather !
Today the temp rose to -3C and the car did indeed perform better.
Has anyone else had similar problems ?

is it throwing a code? my car did that for the first time last week and was after about 15 minutes of highway driving. after 5-10 minutes it went away and hasn't come back. it was about 4-6F.

last year i drove through -18F and had no issues.

MightyMouseTech · 03-03-2015, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyloft

is it throwing a code? my car did that for the first time last week and was after about 15 minutes of highway driving. after 5-10 minutes it went away and hasn't come back. it was about 4-6F.

last year i drove through -18F and had no issues.

It takes a LOT of misfire before you will get a code. It has to be bad enough that it is damaging the cat.

darkrom · 03-03-2015, 09:10 AM

6MT or paddles? In the past I've heard a lot of paddle shifting cars complain about cold weather issues. I don't know enough about 2 pedal cars to actually give any solid info, but it could be something to look into. Various extra pumps/fluids to freeze etc.

anglocanadian · 03-03-2015, 05:45 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions I have tried just about all of them including an "Italian tune up" !
It has a manual transmission and have had no codes.
I will definitely be checking the plugs as soon as I get time.

anglocanadian · 02-21-2016, 06:16 PM

Finally after a year I think I have solved the problem,last year i tried using Sunoco 94 which gave no improvement checked the plugs and took it to the dealler (no fault found).
Normally I always use Shell V Power but last week the gas was low and had to use the local Esso station , I filled up with 94 and since then the hesitation has totally gone

mr.fabulous · 02-21-2016, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackeroni

3. I add a fuel stabilizer (Sta-Bil) or fuel injector cleaner (Gumout, STP, Lucas) to minimize the effect of any water in your fuel system.

Sta-Bil in a car? Really? It's in the gas I use for yard work bits... but in a car? Really?

Stewy_604 · 02-22-2016, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

Sta-Bil in a car? Really? It's in the gas I use for yard work bits... but in a car? Really?

Yep...its a fuel stabilizer, nothing makes it "yard" specific. I've used it in cars and motorcycles for years, never had an issue.

heeblet · 02-24-2016, 08:10 PM

I did sub-zero thru the Nevada desert over new years 2 years ago or so. 90MPH no problem. The window washer nozzles froze closed at about 12F

Good times.

FPSCanada · 02-25-2016, 12:58 AM

I'm from Calgary and drive my car year round. Although I have a 2008 n54, I have some of the same problems when I get a chance to step on it on dry roads in sub zero temps (°< -20C), I find the power delivery to be really unreliable; some days it really gives me a punch in the seat and others the car feels sluggish and there's no punch from the turbos @ 3k RPM.

I also let the car warmup every day and don't drive hard until the oil temperature is rising. As the weather here has gotten warmer (~0°C), the car feels much better.

I may change from 5w30 to 0w30 oil next winter if I don't park the car to see if the lower weight helps.

03-02-2015, 05:34 PM	#1
anglocanadian Private First Class 69 Rep 166 Posts Drives: 2013 135i M Sport Edition Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Oshawa Ontario iTrader: (1)	Performance in sub zero temprature Having purchased my 2013 135i with ppk in January up here in Canada, the temps have remained at -10C to -20C ever since . During this period I have been plagued with hesitation and stumbling during acceleration, I called the dealer to make an appointment and was told it was due to the cold weather ! Today the temp rose to -3C and the car did indeed perform better. Has anyone else had similar problems ?
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03-02-2015, 06:12 PM	#2
mackeroni Former Opel GT Pilot 327 Rep 771 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, AW, CR, 6MT Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Canton, OH USA iTrader: (0)	You did not say if the problem occurs at startup or after the engine is warmed up. I will assume your problems occur before the engine has warmed. I think -20 C equals about -4 F. Here in Ohio, I don't drive regularly in temps that low, but when I do, there is no hesitation or stumbling. The only advice I would offer is this... 1. Let the car warm up for 5 or 10 minutes before you drive off. 2. Make sure you are using high-quality premium grade gasoline. The water that is sometimes found in cheap gasoline will freeze in your tank and fuel lines causing problems. Alcohol content makes this worse due to alcohol's affinity to attract atmospheric moisture into your system. 3. I add a fuel stabilizer (Sta-Bil) or fuel injector cleaner (Gumout, STP, Lucas) to minimize the effect of any water in your fuel system. If you are still having hesitation and stumbling, ask your dealer to please check again. Good luck!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-02-2015, 10:09 PM	#3
anglocanadian Private First Class 69 Rep 166 Posts Drives: 2013 135i M Sport Edition Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Oshawa Ontario iTrader: (1)	Its worst at start up but it still intermitantly occurs even when the oil temp is at 100C. Presumably there is a valve directing the air intake for warm air over the exhaust manifold at start up ? Could it be disconnected ? I only use Shell V plus and have tried injector cleaner also there is only 14000KM on the car.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-03-2015, 06:19 AM	#4
fun2drv Lieutenant 262 Rep 561 Posts Drives: '23 M5 Comp Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Columbia, TN iTrader: (0) Garage List 2023 BMW M5 [10.00] 2023 BMW M5 [0.00]	I have driven my car here in OH at -13 F with no issues whatsoever. Make sure that it is not the traction control cutting off the ignition due to loss in traction. A lot of times, you will not even get to see the flashing light in the instrument cluster because the intervention is for a short period of time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-03-2015, 06:22 AM	#5
Gray_Panther Brigadier General 1555 Rep 3,234 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Upstate NY iTrader: (0)	Mackeroni had a solid post. In the cold my GTI had the same issues you are experiencing OP. CEL would come on because the cylinders were misfiring on my 1.8T engine. Turned out I was using cheap gas even though it was 91/93 octane. I went to Mobil and like places, problem immediately went away. Try going to another gas station with a near empty tank to fill up. __________________ 2012 BMW 128i 6MT Deep Sea Blue Metallic
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03-03-2015, 09:10 AM	#9
darkrom Colonel 188 Rep 2,225 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Rhode Island iTrader: (5)	6MT or paddles? In the past I've heard a lot of paddle shifting cars complain about cold weather issues. I don't know enough about 2 pedal cars to actually give any solid info, but it could be something to look into. Various extra pumps/fluids to freeze etc.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-03-2015, 05:45 PM	#10
anglocanadian Private First Class 69 Rep 166 Posts Drives: 2013 135i M Sport Edition Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Oshawa Ontario iTrader: (1)	Thanks for all the suggestions I have tried just about all of them including an "Italian tune up" ! It has a manual transmission and have had no codes. I will definitely be checking the plugs as soon as I get time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-21-2016, 06:16 PM	#11
anglocanadian Private First Class 69 Rep 166 Posts Drives: 2013 135i M Sport Edition Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Oshawa Ontario iTrader: (1)	Finally after a year I think I have solved the problem,last year i tried using Sunoco 94 which gave no improvement checked the plugs and took it to the dealler (no fault found). Normally I always use Shell V Power but last week the gas was low and had to use the local Esso station , I filled up with 94 and since then the hesitation has totally gone
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-24-2016, 08:10 PM	#14
heeblet Private First Class 26 Rep 136 Posts Drives: 2014 228i xDrive F31 Join Date: May 2014 Location: SF, CA iTrader: (0)	I did sub-zero thru the Nevada desert over new years 2 years ago or so. 90MPH no problem. The window washer nozzles froze closed at about 12F Good times.
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02-25-2016, 12:58 AM	#15
FPSCanada Private First Class 26 Rep 142 Posts Drives: Monaco blue Metallic BMW 135i Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Calgary, AB iTrader: (0)	I'm from Calgary and drive my car year round. Although I have a 2008 n54, I have some of the same problems when I get a chance to step on it on dry roads in sub zero temps (°< -20C), I find the power delivery to be really unreliable; some days it really gives me a punch in the seat and others the car feels sluggish and there's no punch from the turbos @ 3k RPM. I also let the car warmup every day and don't drive hard until the oil temperature is rising. As the weather here has gotten warmer (~0°C), the car feels much better. I may change from 5w30 to 0w30 oil next winter if I don't park the car to see if the lower weight helps. __________________ Monaco Blue 135i
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