shawnst

The car was driving fine yesterday when I got home. When I tried to start the engine again 2 hours later, I couldn't get the engine started. The "engine starter" seemed working fine as I could hear it working. And every time when it seemed to work, after I release the ignition, the engine was still off. So I let the car sit in the garage over night.
When I tried to start the car this morning, it fired right up and everything seemed normal. I let it idle for a few minutes and turned the engine off. When I tried to start the engine again, same problem happened!
It's happened a few times before, but the engine always got started after a few tries. But this time it seems to get worse .. I can't get the engine started after 5 or 10 attempts.
I am just wondering, has anyone had similar problems and what was the cause?
And another thing (I am not sure it's related) is, I noticed the coolant level has dropped significantly. I topped it off to the High mark about 6 months ago and today it was at the Low mark.
Thanks guys!

tcheung87

The next time this happens, give the throttle a few pumps and see if that stablizes your engine. If so, this will probably end up being the common IACV problem.

gazi001

Hi,
It happened to me few months ago. What i did was cleaning the throtle body with the throtle body spray few times. Now i have no problems.

shawnst

Thanks for the replies. When it happened last time, the engine eventually started after I gave it some throttle. But not this time. I guess the problem got worse??

salimshah

Search on IACV (idle air control valve).

If you are not DIY type, I guess you have to hold the acc to keep the engine running or have it towed to a shop.

All indications are IACV ... if you have to hold the throttle to keep running .. else it can be theft deterrent ... try the other master key.

Salim

tcheung87

Sounds like an IACV problem. Salim is right you should do a search and there is a write-up somewhere. The problem is easy as long as you have some patience and if you need help just ask.

shawnst

Thanks for the suggestion. I did read those posts about IACV. But in my case, the engine will not start even if I use the throttle. Does this still sound like a IACV problem? from my understanding, when you have problem with IACV, you can still get the engine running by holding the throttle, correct?
Thanks again!

tcheung87

Yes, it still sounds like an IACV problem, during the early stages just giving a little throttle is enough to stablize the engine. If your IACV is really dirty (happens to collect a lot of carbon/dirt deposits) then the problem becomes more severe and giving throttle during start ups becomes less and less effective.

I know because I used to hold the throttle for MINUTES on end before it would finally stablize. Clean the IACV thoroughly and you'll be fine. I can do a picture write-up if you need.

shawnst

Ok, I will try IACV cleaning first. Do you already have the picture write-up somewhere? If it already exists, do you mind sending it to me? Thanks.

tcheung87

If you haven't started already let me know, I'll do one today.

shawnst

Thanks for the excellent write-up. I was able to follow the instructions and cleaned the IACV (at least I think I did). After the cleaning, it did take a while to start up the car, but at least the engine got started. I turned it off and tried again, this time it took less effort. But the engine fired right up at the third attempt.
So I guess it seems the dirty IACV was the culprit. Thanks again!

Red335i

My wife's car was having all of the symptoms of the IACV issue but then Thursday the car would not start at all and the power in the car seemed to be waning... meaning the dash was all lit up but then when I went into start mode with the key it started getting dimmer and dimmer until the gauges were no longer lit. Did anyone with the IACV issue have an interior lighting issue?

I have tested the battery and it is fully charged and I had replaced the starter yesterday but still same issue. Could this still be IACV?

Thanks for any help

bob2200

How did you test the battery? Depending on how you tested the battery, it could still be the battery. Otherwise, it could be connections from the battery to ground or connections from battery to the car electrical system (i.e., +12v). In my opinion, it is not normal for the lights to dim to an extreme (as you described it) when the battery is working properly and the battery is charged.

Red335i

I connected the battery to my battery charger and when I connected it the battery charger showed it as fully charged.

bob2200

It could still be the battery, in my opinion. That's not a reliable test.