sputtering and stuttering

i started up my 735 the other day and it ran like a diesel. it shut off after a few seconds, i restarted, gave it some gas, it hesitated then reved up, then dropped back to normal idle. all while on the gas. i decided to put it in drive, it idled fine, no odd sounds or anything, and started to go, it didnt have any power. my guess is electrical. since i just replaced my heater core, i had the dash apart. its still apart, and maybe there is something in there that isnt connected right. but it drove for a day or two before it started running like this. ive heard main relay mentioned a few times, some say a inline resistor under the dash, some say vacuum. i checked the vacuum, dont know where either of the two electrical components are.

any suggestions?

thanks,
paul

Zdude have the same symptom but more severe. My 735il sounds lile a diesel also but ran great until today. the engine started to rumble and lost tourqe anyway did not replace anything infact had an old change this past weekend. I feel helpless I somewhat feel your dilema.

My 733 does this sputtering as well....It mainly does it when it is cold and First thing in the morning. I have changed the fuel filter and engines as well but every now and then it still does it....I will keep you guys posted on how I am solving my problems with old faithfull.

There's a number of sensors that control the air/fuel mixture and one of them measures the temperature at the intake manifold, so might be something there.

Below is a link that tells you (among many other things) how to do what is known as the "Stomp Test", i.e., read your own fault codes, which may help to diagnose the problem. The link is here: http://tridem.han-solo.net/auto/erich/auto.htm

Also, try the E32 section of www.roadfly.org., which has a large archive and excellent help as well for what seems like a common problem.