1987 BMW 325e goes into "limp home mode" in snow and rain
(this was written some time ago but placing it here for posterity) I had acquired a 1987 325e in the summer of 1999 with 73k miles, fairly low mileage for a car of that vintage. It had been fairly well maintained with a few outstanding issues. The first indication of this problem was the first snowstorm of the winter of 1999-2000.While driving home during a late night snowstorm, the car went into a strange mode where it would not stall, but it would only produce 1000 rpm even if the accelerator pedal was pressed to the floor. The car would make progress at 5 to 10 mph, even going up gentle hills.I parked the car just glad to have made it home. The next morning it started up and drove fine. The problem was quite unusual and I planned to speak to my mechanic about it. When I did have the conversation,the mechanic was not able to shed any light on the problem. Over the next 3 years the situation repeated itself, something like 10 or so times. Most dramatically, it would happen ...