Here’s a little back ground about me,,,I’ve been a German car technician now for 31 years now.I had a family owned German car repair shop for 17 years,,We worked on Mercedes,Porsche and BMW .back in the 1980’s it was kind of normal to work on 3 type of cars,,,,all the German cars we very closely built the same,,,,they all had Bosch fuel injection and ignition systems,,,,but over the years that all started to change,,,,, I then removed myself from the family business and moved on to the R/V business.,,,where I was promised the world by a friend if I came to work for him,,,,Big mistake in my life,,,but learned a lot about the diesel R/V motor homes.,,,,During the R/V years I never stopped working on German cars for old customers or old friends cars.,,,,I was always playing around with German cars,,,,,and I personally drove a old 1984 528e 5 speed trans that I put over 300k miles on before the odometer stopped working,,,,,it still had the original engine and transmission and rear differential in the car,,,,the engine finally was burning to much oil to fix,,,,,I loved that car,,,,good gas mileage and a solid car on the road,,,,After 4yrs working and being shop foreman at the R/V shop.,,,,,I got a call from a friend at my local BMW dealership,,,,they wanted me to work for them,,,,,so I moved back to the BMW dealership,,,, .Where my heart belonged with German cars.,,,,,Where I became a BMW master technician.,,,,I’ve decided to show you the life and the different types of jobs we do and see everyday working on BMW .
2011 328i N51 – Whistling Noise, oil cap difficult to remove but also fault code 2A7C – Front of engine noisy. Replaced Valve Cover. I inspected Vanos Bolts when valve cover was removed and appeared to be OK. No more whistling noise. Runs much better however Fault 2A7C still present. Removed, cleaned, swapped Vanos Solenoids, Vanos Filters, oil filter and oil changed. Fault 2A7C still present. Any suggestions? Love this site and thanks in advance
LikeLike
That code 2a7c what else did the fault say
LikeLike
Hi technichian.i have a bmw x6 and i need to change acouple of coolant lines.i was wuoted $1100.
LikeLike
Which coolant lines,,,,coolant hoses from the radiator,,,,or coolant hoses for the turbo
LikeLike
From coolant turbo.i can see the leak from the hose.
LikeLike
$1000 is about right for all 4 factory hoses with the steel lines and labor
LikeLike
Ok i thought it was a easy fix,beacause it only looks like its leaking from two spots .
LikeLike
It looks easy,,,,but the new hose comes with new steel line also,,,,and the steel lines bolt on the turbos
LikeLike
Why cant i just replace the hose.i just recently got a new alternator and battery so trying to save some $.can i put bmw coolant in that small coolant reseviour for the turbo.or is that a diffrent bmw coolant.im also getting a light smoke from under hood.is tgat from coolant leak burn off.sorry to be a pain.
LikeLike
I guess you could just replace the hose,,,,I have seen it done before,,,,Yes the small coolant tank is for the turbos,,,,,,and I don’t know where their smoke is coming from.
LikeLike
To remove the front crank seal without a tool you said you put two screws through the seal and pull using pliers? Are we talking wood screws and what do you use to get the seal back in. Is that all you need to do besides remove belt and pulley?
LikeLike
Yes some wood screws not long one about 3/4 inch long and then use pliers to pull it out
LikeLike
Would I also need a special tool for the installing of the seal or does a regular autozone tool suffice?
LikeLike
Sorry I don’t know what the autozone tool looks like or if it will work,,,,I have put crank seal in with just a hammer and a small socket if your really careful ,,,,so I would think if the autozone tool is made to put seals in then it should work.
LikeLike
I tried the screw method but the front crank seal wouldn’t come out, was anything left out?
LikeLike
You put the screw into the seal,,,then you grab the screw with some pliers and try and pull out the seal,,,the seal is in very tight,,,,it’s not easy to pull out
LikeLike
Not trying to be a bother but I put the screws between the seal and the crank and three people pulled and it wouldn’t come out. Not even budge, is there any other way?
LikeLike
You said you put the screw between the seal and rank,,,,you need to put the screw into the seal,,,,,put a small hole though the seal and put a screw in the hole and then pull,,,,you could buy a seal puller tool
LikeLike
So it’s been a couple hours and I got the seal out, I got the seal 80% in but I can’t hit it in anymore wih a hammer and oil filter the same size as the seal. Any ideas on the install?
LikeLike
I have used a small deep socket,,,,maybe a 10mm not sure on the size,,,and then just go around the seal just tapping it in trying not to damage or dent the seal
LikeLike
Great Blog ! Vielen Dank!
MfG
lukafoto
LikeLike
Danke
LikeLike
Hi,
I have a female friend with a 2102 Z4 (N20 engine) who is at the mercy of her local BMW dealer. Here is what they are quoting to replace the turbo waste gate. Does this seem reasonable?
REPLACE TURBO WASTE GATE ON TURBO AND CLEAR
ADAPTATIONS. COMPLETE DRIVE CYCLE (TURBO
WASTEGATE FAILURE)
Fail $3,953.91
LikeLike
That’s seems to high,,,,the N20 came with either a electric wastegate or vacuum wastegate,,,,I don’t know the prices of the parts,,,,but I can tell you the labor for the electric wastegate is 3 hours and the vacuum wastegate is 2 hours,,,,are you sure they didn’t quote her to replace the whole turbo with the wastegate,,,,to replace the whole turbo with wastegate is 5 hours labor
LikeLike
2012
LikeLike
I think they quoted her to replace the whole turbo
LikeLike
Yes, you are probably right. Thank you for your prompt reply!
LikeLike
Hi Bmwtech, we are a shop in Ontario Canada and have a 535Gt (F07/N55 154800mls)with a puzzling shudder feel will driving in Grandma mode. Actually feels much like a misfire and more so in 3rd and 4th gears I believe. Zero fault codes. When driving in moderate or sport modes the trans works great. have you had any experience with this? Will a trans fluid and filter change remedy the issue? have you heard of a product (magic gu) call shudder fix in red tube?
LikeLike
No I haven’t heard of the magic gu,,,,lol,,,,if you have a shudder in the trans I think it’s to late to change the trans fluid and filter,,,,the damage is already done inside the trans
LikeLike
Pomdering what to do with my 2014 F30 328i xDrive (n20). Im at 145,000km (90,000m).. so far no timimg chain noise.. no smoke on startup.. but.. i know im due to do all the fluids. Diffs, tcase, tranny… trade aint worth much.. but the idea of the chance of the timing chain & turbo have me doubting my luck. Opinions? Dealer says fluids are “lifetime” but.. whats that even mean?
LikeLike
That life time fluid I hate when the dealer says that,,,,life time is good until 100k miles.
LikeLike
is it good to change the transmission oil on f01 i am very aggressive driver. Transmission was replaced at 30K now im at 85K?
LikeLike
No you should be ok on trans fluid
LikeLike
Hi Andreas,
Not sure if this is the right spot to ask a question regarding my 2012 Bmw X1 N20 (Canada).
At idle, when outside the vehicle, you can hear a…. hard to explain….kind of a ‘rotational thumping’ or ‘soft knocking’ noise that seems to be coming from underneath the car. The thumping happens maybe 2 times a second and isn’t perfectly consistent in intervals.
I had the BMW foreman listen to it and he wasn’t overly concerned but I feel it has gotten louder since seeing him and it’s just driving me nuts even if it’s not a serious problem.
Any ideas?
LikeLike
I would have someone lift up the car and listen from under the car while it is idling and see exactly where the noise is coming from.
LikeLike
Dear Andreas,
maybe you can give me a short estimate from your point of view:
My F13 /650ix with 77.000miles makes a squeaky clunking noise by low speed over bumps or bad roads from the front left side. It can be also repruduced when the cars is pushed down in the front. Then it can be heard in the engine bay in the area of the strut bearing when the car rebounds.
This nois can also be heard sometimes directly after i stoped the car on a trafic light. Then it makes two times “clunk clunk” from the left front side.
We have allready changed:
Wishbones
Trailingarms
Sway Bar Links
Track rods
My workshop suspects the EDC Damper. This is for the front very exepensive (2000 Euros) 😦
My question is, Do you know about such problems with the EDC Damper or do you have another Idea what can be checked to a avoid this high cost for only a suspicion.
Thank you very much!
BR
Simmerl
LikeLike
It sound like you have replace everything on the left front of scepter the EDC damper,,,,,yes we have seen the EDC damper make some weird noises,,,,you said you can hear the noise coming from the left side of the engine compartment from the top of the EDC damper,,,,I sound like that is your problem,,,,I know it’s a very expensive repair,,,,good luck
LikeLike
Thank you! It is very hard to detect the direction from the noise. It could also possible that it comes from the space between the strut and the engine. from deeper. Do you think that also the engine mount from the n63 can be a problem in my case?
LikeLike
It could be the mount,,,,have someone rock the engine and see if it makes that noise,,,can you get some chassis ears so you can listen from where the noise is coming from,,,,chassis ears clip on to any parts of the car and you can listen to see where the noise is coming from.
LikeLike
Did you unplug the Left front EDC damper and see if the noise goes away
LikeLike
Dear Andreas, the noise was also to hear when we had rocked the engine instead of the chassis.
Unfortunately chassis ears are not available in Germany.
To unplug the damper is a very good idea! We will try this!! Thank you for your effort!
LikeLike
Dear Andreas, after some weeks of searching and frustration I found today the possible cause. It looks like a broken engine mount, do you agree?
Again, thanks a lot!
LikeLike
Thanks for the video,,,,it hard to tell from the video if the motor mount is bad,,,,you have to see if the motor mount is collapsed,,,,,see if the rubber part of the motor mount is cracked or damaged,,,,also see if the engine mount bracket is resting on top of the mount mount,,,,there should be a gap between the two.
LikeLike
Hi there BMW tech,
Great blog mate!! Please help if you can!
I have a 2014 F11 LCI 530d
I have just replaced the front pads, the job was simple and fun but now after finishing the job, one side of the car is sitting 1.5cm higher than the other.
When I did the pads, I jacked up the front of the car using the subframe and then i placed jack stands at the jack points under the door sills….
Have i possibly bent the subframe or something? Any advice would help?
LikeLike
This doesn’t make any sense,,,,I don’t think you bent the subframe,,,,are you sure you didn’t jack the car up on one of the front suspension arms?,,,,,also take a look at where you jacked up the car on the subframe,,,,look and see if you put a dent in the subframe,,,,,question for you did you loosen the front shocks by any chance.
LikeLike
No dents on the subframe where I used the jack. I jacked up using the point of the subframe that pokes out underneath the car with the hole in it….. I did a fair bit of reading around and this was identified as the place to jack the front up from.
100% sure I didn’t jack up on any arms or suspension components.
I used a trolley jack under the middle of the front, then placed jack stands under the left and right jacking points.
When it came time to take out the jack stands, one side was able to come off after about two pumps of the jack, the other side took quite a few more, say 5-6…. that’s why I’m worried. Yes both jack stands we’re set at the same height. I was on level ground (as far as I can tell, it was on a concrete slab in my barn) and yeah, it was only after I took the car outside I thought “Jeez that’s weird”
After closer inspection one side (front and back) is sitting higher.
Any ideas?
LikeLike
Sorry no ideas,,,,it sounds like you did everything correctly
LikeLike
Oh and sorry, no I didn’t do anything on the car apart from change the front brake pads and sensor!
LikeLike
You know you could check the front shocks,,,,make sure that both sides are all the way down inside the steering knuckle,,,,not that one side slipped out alittle causing the car to ride higher on one side.
LikeLike
That could totally be it I hope. Maybe when I was pulling on the caliper to create room for the pad to clear the rotor this had happened and it’s popped out, 1.5cm or so would probably be the amount it would be out maybe….
I can’t do it myself now, I have to go away for two weeks. I’ll get the mrs to take it to the stealership 😂 and ask them to have a look.
Thanks a bunch for replying!
LikeLiked by 1 person
HI Andreas,
I was wondering if you could take a look this video of my control arm bushings. Just in the last month a clunky sound has started, and gotten progressively worse fast. I’ve inspected the usual suspension components but I can’t jack the car up high enough to get a proper pry bar in there.
The control arm bushings are the only components I can see that might have unusual play in them.
Thanks in advance
LikeLike
Thanks for the video,,,but it’s hard to tell if they are bad by prying on them,,,,even the new bushing will move around when prying on them,,,,,what you have to do is look at the bushing and see if any black staining is on the bottom of the bushing,,,,them you need to look at the side of the bushing where the rubber is,,,get a flashlight and shine it at the rubber part of the bushing and see if there are any cracks in the rubber,,,you can use your pry bar at the same time to get a better look,,,,if they are cracked or broken or fluid stains on the arm then they are bad.
LikeLike
Dear Andreas,
I am driving a F13 650i xdrive and have to change the starter. Can you please tell me if the engine must be mandatory lifted up to get access from below?
Thank you very much!
LikeLike
No you don’t have to lift the engine to replace the starter
LikeLike
Thank you I am asking because BMW writes in IST* that the right engine support arm must be removed (after securing the engine in installation position) to get access to the starter. But I know that you technicans are normally better then the documentation. So I can access it from below with no need to remove the engine support arm? Thank you very much again!
LikeLike
Hi Andreas, maybe you can confirm? Thank you for your time!
LikeLike
Sorry it took so long,,,,yes the repair instructions say to remove the motor mount support arm,,,,it pays me 2.5hr labor
LikeLike
Greetings from Australia. I have 2006 BMW X5 3.0D, 230,000Kms. Car went into limp mode, engine running evenly, no misfires at idle, but no power. I can hear the turbo spinning up, so probably OK. Lifted the engine cover and found 20mm hole burned through the intake manifold, just by the firewall. Car starts and idles OK! Have removed EGR which was clogged and have just purchased another intake manifold. No signals on the dashboard of error. BUT I would really like to know what has caused this. Any ideas would be most appreciated.
LikeLike
I have never seen a hole in the intake manifold,,,,I would think a bad EGR could cause that,,,,also if you have bad fuel injector and too much fuel
LikeLike
Hi again, can that be caused by a blocked catalytic converter please?
LikeLike
I don’t know if that can cause the problem ,,,,I guess it can with to much back pressure will just back up into the head and intake manifold,,,that can cause a lot of different problems.
LikeLike
Hoping you can point me in the right direction. 2011 E70 Diesel w/ adaptive suspension. About a month ago, I drained and refilled the Power Steering reservoir. About two weeks later, it got very cold here (I’m in Minnesota) and on cold start one morning, iDrive showed a steering warning for low hydraulic fluid. I popped the hood, and the top of the reservoir was covered in fluid. I assumed the gasket on the cap failed. Replaced the cap, problem persisted.
This has been going on for a while, to the tune of a bottle of CHF a week.
I first tried the old fashioned “jack it up and turn the wheel a bunch” method, assuming it was just air in the lines. Lock to lock for several minutes with engine off, until no more bubbling was present. Cycled engine a few seconds, and repeated several times. No cavitation and no leakage. Drove it for a few minutes, and CHF clearly leaking out the bleed on the cap.
Swung by the shop to see my Indy one morning. We learned two things: On startup, flow from the return into the reservoir is VERY aggressive. If you start the system uncapped, it will spray everywhere. If you start it, let it run for a bit, you can remove the cap, but it’s very turbulent in the reservoir. We looked at a 7 series with adaptive suspenion, and there is almost no fluid movement in the reservoir when running, even on a cold start.
I have tried vacuuming down the system repeatedly, even applying vacuum while running. It generally gets to the point where there are very few bubbles, but once I take it for a drive, the leak returns.
I ran the recalibration for the system in ISTA. It seemed to eliminate the aggressive return, and when I checked the reservoir, all looked good. Upon driving it, the problem persists, and the excessive flow back into the reservoir is back. I vacuumed down the system again, got the fluid level set, and then ran the calibration again. Same result.
Next thought is to change the reservoir: it could be the filter is clogged, so the system is starved for fluid, trying to compensate by boosting return flow, or that something which is to regulate the return flow in the reservoir has failed. The system is not storing any meaningful codes, just the code for low fluid. The proper procedure for start-up calibration is to run the vehicle w/ the harness disconnected from the valve block, turning the wheel lock to lock for several minutes, then running the recalibration. I have yet to disconnect the valve block harness. I’ll be doing that this go-round when I replace the reservoir.
Any other thoughts or things you think I should have my Indy take a look at?
LikeLike
Ok is the CHF fluid flowing out the top of the reservoir cap almost like a volcano and is the CHF fluid foaming?,,,,if it is and what it sounds like your power steering pump is cavitation internally which will cause this problem.,,,,,the only other problem we have seen only one time was a power steering hose at the steering rack collapse inside causing a blockage but what happen usually the hose will split open causing a major leak from the bad hose,,,,so I don’t think that is your problem,,,,,I would think your problem is more like the power steering pump
LikeLike
Re: the problem is the a/c compressor and expansion valve http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho…d.php?t=679219 Post #6…
Can you elaborate? I took my car in to the dealer with your limited description above and they were reluctant to replace parts without knowing exactly which parts to replace as the car refused to cooperate and make the noise when they had it. I didn’t see anything on your blog about this. I want to get this sorted before the warranty runs out…
THANKS!!!!!
LikeLike
I would love to elaborate but I can not open the bimmerfest post,,,,please remind me what the problem is with your car again,,,thanks
LikeLike
It’s a cyclic sound that happens about every 6 seconds. I uploaded a clip to youtube. It’s titled “BMW F10 engine noise” by Michael Hall.
LikeLike
Does this work?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=679219
LikeLike
Ok thanks for the video,,,,ok what’s going on is the a/c pressure is changing and when the expansion valve opens or closes this noise sounds likes it’s coming from behind the dash area,,,,ok on the 3 series it was common problem and BMW had a fix which was to add another expansion valve which was electronic controlled,,,,BMW made a special bulletin about this problem,,,,,I don’t have the bulletin with me,,,,well that never fixed the problem,,,,the only way to fix it was to replace the a/c compressor and expansion valve,,,,I hope this helps
LikeLike
THANK YOU!!!!! I’ll pass this on to my dealer so they can fix it under warranty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just received these 2 codes at idle…. car went into limp mode, drive moderately
1. HIGH PRESSURE FUEL, plausibility;
Pressure too low
11A002
2.Rail Pressure Signal: Solid Lying
119404
I restarted the car and it drove like normal…I get a rough idle every now and than on cold starts… always thought that was just normal. Is the beginnging of fuel pump problems??
LikeLike
Yes it could be a start of fuel pump issue,,,what type of car and engine are we talking about
LikeLike
N55…2012 Bmw 535i
LikeLike
Ok,,,,it’s a good chance your high pressure fuel pump is going bad,,,,have it checked out
LikeLike
Hello, i have an issue with the N20 turbo oil line (you have a few blog entries about it). Im after the updated version with a valve. I just went to the BMW service and they dont find this updated version in the system, just the normal one without valve. I have this issue with my F30 328i where the more the car is parked, the more smoke i get when i turn the car on.
Is the updated turbo oil line an original BMW piece? Will i have anyissue if i install it on my F30 328i?
In case i dont find this piece, could i buy it from you? (if so, how can i contact you?)
LikeLike
Yes the updated oil line is a BMW part,,,here’s the part number 11 42 8 678 840,,,,,here a bulletin 11 11 16 which cover N20 engine 10 years 120k miles
LikeLike
Hey I have a F30 328 which threw some erro “Valvetronic motor adjustment too frequent” and i was told to replace the valvetronic motor. I went ahead and puchased the motor and had it changed. On my way home the error popped up again “Drivetrain Malfunction” with the same reading. The mechanic said he did the whole relearn process and everything. What should i do next because im very frustrated with the this stupid valvetronic issue everyone is having. Also, will driving with this error destroy the new valvetronic motor?
Thanks
LikeLike
First did the mechanic put a BMW part in your car not a BMW replacement because I have seen those cause problems,,,,next you need someone to look at the intake camshaft bearings and make sure they are not scorn or damaged because that could be your problem,,,,,if that is ok you probably have to replace the eccentric shaft and bearings
LikeLike
I bought a brand called VDO Continental which they said is the same brand in the Genuine package. He told me he would try again to retrain the motor and see what happens but I will ask him to recheck the the bearings and stuff. I been doing plenty reading about the 328 and 528 and it seems there is a massive issue with the design of these valvetronic system. So do you think i should just go ahead and purchase the shaft and bearings along with another motor to just have him do a complete change? He also showed me that the motor is wired to the ECU and it could also be an ECU issue. What do you think on this?
Another issue im facing with the vehicle is the fan. The fan isnt spinning how it should. There are times it spin but most of the times it doesnt spin. I ended up buying a fan and we are having the same issue. When we checked the fan harness the live and grounds gives a reading however the small activation/signal wire is reading up and down (mostly 0.2 and and rarely goes up to 1.2 then back down). We checked another 328 in the shop and its activation/signal wire reading is constant (1.2) so we are thinking there is a problem with wherever this wire comes from. Any thoughts?
LikeLike
Before you buy the eccentric shaft I would check out the camshaft bearing first,,,,,on the fan not working I would have to look at the wiring diagram and figure out where that wire comes from
LikeLike
Thanks…Appreciate it
LikeLike
Hey any luck on the diagram?
LikeLike
Sorry I have been very busy at work.
LikeLike
Ok no problem.
LikeLike