r/Cartalk • u/chungobungofunzo • Nov 08 '23

I need help fixing something Was given a car with tons of problems. Where should i start?

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2009 BMW 128i.

Im going to put a new battery in today and see what that fixes.

The car does not react to any throttle. I press the gas pedal down but the RPM’s dont go up. The car moves at a very slow idle speed though.

Any ideas on where to start? Thanks.

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u/Heelntow Nov 08 '23

As others have said, install a new battery first, clear the codes with an OBD reader with clearing capability, and then see what still comes up.

The low battery voltage can cause other systems to register their own fault codes.

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u/redrecaro Nov 08 '23

Disconnecting the battery for more than 10 minutes should be the same as clearing codes.

2

u/HotRodHomebody Nov 08 '23

Have not found this true with most German cars. Code readers are pretty cheap these days and useful across all brands, so a good investment imho. A fresh battery, clear codes and see what you get. Don't put another nickel into it until you see the extent of $$$ needed to make it driveable and reliable, OP.

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u/redrecaro Nov 08 '23

Agreed definitely gotta have an OBD2 scanner even the cheap ones are pretty good.