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General E46 Forum
This is the place to get answers, opinions and everything you need related to your E46 (sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon) BMW! |
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#1 |
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Registered User
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Power steering out, red oil light, and battery light on while driving
Hey everyone, hoping I could get some insight into this. While driving home at around 20-30 mph I noticed I lost power steering and looked down to see the red oil and battery indicators were on. I immediately coasted to the side of the road and checked to see if I had lost a belt. Serpentine was still there and oil level was a little low but not horribly so. Turned the car back on and lights went away but after driving for a few minutes same thing happened. Double checked battery connection in trunk and noticed the red terminal was slightly loose but not at all off the battery post. Tried one more time to turn it on and was able to drive the remaining mile home without incident. I watched the temp gauge like a hawk and it didnt go past 12 o'clock at all.
What could cause this? Alternator? I just looked again and it seems like my serpentine has been eaten to 2/3 the width it should be so that's obviously getting replaced but I believe it's been like that a while since I always figured it was a thinner belt than the AC belt and never really inspected the edges. Car has 130k and also is running lean on both banks causing some misfires Thanks for any help. |
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#2 |
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OEM ///Member
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sounds like the belt is done, but you could have a bad tensionr or pulley wheel thats making the belt drag.
If it was the alternator, assuming its still spinning fine, it wouldnt affect ps. bad belt, slipping, alternator not charging properly as well as ps pulley not getting enough juice. hence the symptoms. throw a new belpt on it, and when you take the old one off, check all the pulleys make sure theyre spinning freely, and check the tensioner...if those are bad you should get a clue that they are as soon as you crank them away to relieve tension to remove the old belt.
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Last edited by Snik; 01-10-2013 at 06:55 PM. |
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#3 |
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Registered User
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Yeah I shouldn't really have even risked the mile drive home but the pulleys and belt were all spinning fine. Definitely going to replace it tonight just wondering if I should be looking out for anything else.
Thanks |
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#4 |
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OEM ///Member
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i edited my response.
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#5 |
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Registered User
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Alright I'll check the pulleys out. Thanks man
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