1999 BMW 528i just passing through Kansas City….

What do you do if you are travelling cross country and when you are in Kansas City your 1999 BMW 528i starts making a horrible engine noise?  Find a good independent shop to take care of you.

The owner thought the front of the motor was coming apart and at first it sounded like he could be right but dropping the serpentine belt made the noise stop, much better news.

The PS reservoir was dumping into the alternator so a couple new clamps…

and this never helps…

There was a lot more junk in there but I didn’t think to take a pic until I was half through digging the stuff out.

Never heard an alternator make that kind of noise before but with a new one in the engine is nice and quiet.

That’s done but there is an obvious fuel metering problem and too many DTCs to be any help.  After looking for vacuum  leaks in all the usual BMW places I decided it is the AFM, looking closely you can see for sure:

You should be able to see small wires between these posts.  Without those there is nothing to sense the airflow.

So add a new MAF and now she purrs.

The gentleman had all sorts of contingency plans made but instead he gets to continue on his way home.