My car starts and runs perfectly fine when its the first ...


My car starts and runs perfectly fine when its the first time I turn it over that day. After I drive it for maybe a quarter mile to a gas station, I turn it off, pump gas, and get back in. After I turn the car on again and put it ...

My car starts and runs perfectly fine when its the first time I turn it over that day. After I drive it for maybe a quarter mile to a gas station, I turn it off, pump gas, and get back in. After I turn the car on again and put it in gear, it'll stall out. Then I try to kick it over again, and this time if it doesn't stall again, it goes to a very low idle, almost stalling, and then it jumps. Then it fixes itself Mechanic's Assistant: Is the check [engine](/topics-engine/) light on? Does the car stall at idle or when driving? It doesn't stall in idle or when driving. Only when i said that it stalled. No, the CEL is not on. Mechanic's Assistant: What is the make/model/year of your car? 1995 BMW 540i Mechanic's Assistant: Are you fixing your 540i yourself? What have you tried so far? Replaced the intake air temp sensor Mechanic's Assistant: Anything else you want the Mechanic to know before I connect you? If I drive it down the road and it starts to warm up, about a 1/4 of the way on the temp gauge, if I come to a stop, it'll start to jump and idle really low, but if I wait at the light for 20 seconds, the idle will fix itself and i won't have the problem anymore. But if I turn the car off and let it sit for an hour or so and try to turn the engine over again, it doesn't turn over until the third time I try and it starts really low and hesitates.


How long will I be waiting?
Automotive Expert
Hello and welcome. Have you checked the system for fault codes? If no faults are present you need to smoke test the intake for air leaks or vacuum leaks. Sounds like you may have a small vacuum leak

How would I smoke test the intake?
Automotive Expert
They sell smoke machines that produce smoke to fill the intake. There is no real other way to check for vacuum leaks except for visually inspecting all the hoses or cracks. Check the intake boot for cracks as well.

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