MyE28.com

i was just at the store and when i pulled out of the parking lot i quickly lost all power to the gas pedal after driving about 20 yards ~0 Luckily i was a few blocks from home so i had to coast at 5 mph all the way. I guess i am going to get it towed tomorrow to the shop. In the past week i've noticed a faint gas smell inside and outside the car.. i'm sure it has something to do with it. Anyway, any help is appreciated.

anyone have an idea?

I assume the car still creates a spark and cranks, just no fuel? If so, you could check the fuel pump and associated relays, the fuel lines (due to the smell you described) Also the injectors, FPR, CSV. I'll read my Bentley to see anything more specific.

the car starts fine and everything just no gas at all.. is it possible like a cable or something broke to the throttle? just want to gather a little info before i take it to the shop tomorrow so i might have an idea.

[QUOTE="88 535is south florida"]the car starts fine and everything just no gas at all.. is it possible like a cable or something broke to the throttle? just want to gather a little info before i take it to the shop tomorrow so i might have an idea.[/QUOTE]

If the car starts and idles fine, but the accelerator pedal yields no response, then I would suspect the throttle cable components. First check for proper operation of the throttle by doing this: pulling on the spring loaded assembley on top of the throttle body. If the car revs, then check to see if the cable is attached there, or if the cable has too much slack or play. It should connect there, and it also connects under neath the steering column behind the knee bolster trim to a linkage behind the clutch and brake pedals.

I think pdx 528e has made an excellent working diagnosis of your problem. The e28s are an age when the accelerator cable can unravel and eventually break due to fatigue.

When this happened to me, the site of the break was obvious when I opened the hood. I was lucky enough to have a pair of hemostats in my tool box, and I just clamped the frayed ends together temporarily to get home.

As I recall, replacing the cable was an easy job. This might be something to consider doing prophylactically as your e28 reaches its 20th birthday.

Or at least order a replacement cable and add it to the supplies you keep in your trunk..

By the way - what supplies do you all keep in your trunks besides the jack, lug wrench, spare tire, and tools in the trunklid-liner kit?

I have:
1 gallon BMW antifreeze - already diluted 50:50 with distilled H2O
a set of 9 new replacement coolant hoses
1 quart motor oil
a spare rebuilt ECU
a meter of fuel hose
oil cap
spare OBC
main relay - 5 prong
fuel, etc, relay - 4 prong
assortment of new fuses
a new main fuel pump
a new water pump
a new thermostat
alternator belt
PS belt
AC belt
tool I designed to open the hood if the hood cable breaks.
a Bentley manual and notebook of downloads about various repairs, including a complete ETK
a foam fire extinguisher
an emergency battery - starter pack
spare brake and taillight bulbs
electrical tape
electrical wire
vise grips
WD40
6 WR9LS sparkplugs
a backup instrument cluster
a speed/reference sensor
an idle control valve
a fuel pressure regulator
DME relay
OBC relay
Wurth flex driver for hose clamps

i have a spare tire and a jack.. lol.