2002 BMW 318

JEN87

MEMBER
2002 BMW 318
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
90,000 MILES

Hello,

I've had major disasters with my car- still love it though.I ran into the back of someone about a year ago-not too much damage and unsure whether this is relevant to my issues.

The issues started very infrequently. First the coolant resovoir broke so we had to replace that. Then the car wouldn't start and would have the 'ABS/traction control mechanical fault light come on and the car wouldn't start- this happened 1 in a month, then once in a fortnight, then once a week and then it did it whilst driving and the car stopped. When I let the car cool down it would start with no lights or problems.

having spent a lot of money already on it I took it to a friend who has one of the computer things and said that the 'crank shaft sensors' are broken and need to be replaced. So I've ordered them and are going to try and put them in tomorrow when they arrive.

I'm just so worried and paranoid that the car is going to brake and cost me too much to fix which I really cannot afford- do I have a lemon? What else is going to brake?

2 Replies

ERNEST CLARK

MECHANIC
1,730 POSTS

You don't necessarily have a lemon. Though there's no telling what kind of damage you did when running into someone!

Having said that, if you have the confidence to replace the CKP sensors, then you should be o.K, as a failing crank sensor will usually cause problems just as you described. Also, as long as the wiring/connectors are good leading to the sensor, your problems should disappear.