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 535i xdrive F10 N55
Car jerks and feels like it’s jumping once i put it in drive without accelerating.
New sparks, fresh oil/filter. Was like this even before the sparks, and oil change.
Any suggestions please ?
Thanks
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Sounds like maybe a ignition coil or a fuel injector is starting to go bad,,,,are there any faults in the system?
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Hello and thanks for replying, no cel or faults, no misfire in the system.
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Ok,,,do you smell any fuel coming out of the exhaust?,,,,,also when you put it in drive also turn on the headlights and a/c system and see if it gets worse,,,,if it does then it is probably a ignition coil going bad.
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Everything seems to work fine, also no fuel smell comes out back. I’ll change the coils and see if gets better.
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Everything seems to work fine, also no fuel smell comes out back. I’ll change the coils and see if gets better.
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I have a 2016 f85. Suddenly while driving the dash lit up with a front right headlight error. The headlight and blink then went out. Got these 3 errors.
Adaptive headlight malfinction
Lighting System: Front right malfunction
Heaadlamp vertical aim control.
So i took the bumper off and swapped the headlights. The issue stayed on the right side (passengers side). Meaning the problem is with a module or the wiring on the right side of the car not anything in or attached to the headlight. Both headlights work perfectly when plugged into the right side. Is there anything i can check to fix this issue? Any part i can replace? I’m at a loss and no one has been able to help.
Fault Code: 8041B6
Fault Explanation: :Headlight range adjustment (LWR): A real system
Fault Code: 8041BA
Fault Explanation: :Adaptive headlights (AHL) system is defective
Fault Code: D90D32
Fault Explanation: :Driver module headlights (TMS) right: Missing LIN slave
Fault Code: D91DE6
Fault Explanation: :CAN message, status light outside front electronics one law (ST LP EX FE 1 RH): Timeout
Fault Code: D91DFD
Fault Explanation: :CAN message, status light outside front electronics 2 law (ST LP EX FE 2 RH): Timeout
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So let me get this straight,,,you said you swapped headlights and the problem stayed on the right side,,,,then you said they both worked perfectly on the right side,,,I think you mean left side,,,,,,ok when you swapped headlight so the left headlight on the right side was not working correct,,,,,and the right side headlight was working on the left side correct,,,,so has the car been in accident on the right side?,,,,see both headlight have a module bolted from the back,,,usually the problem is the headlight module which bolt in from the back of the headlight,,,,we don’t see wiring damage on those cars,,,,maybe the FRM module,,,,,but you should have fault in the FRM which you don’t,,,,do me a favor remove headlight module from right headlight and make sure there is no corrosion on the connectors
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Hi there BMW tech,
Great blog mate!! Thanks a lot!!! Could you please take a look below?
2009 BMW X5 E70 N52 engine.
Two issues here:
1. Every time when I start the car, the car has the whistling sound for 10 seconds then the sound is gone.
2. Almost everytime when I park the car uphill(car head is higher than the car end) for over 1 hour, it will have Very Loud whistling sound when I start the car. Different from the above, the sound won’t go away unless I stop the car/engine and restart it again.
Thanks a lot!!!
Quan
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I think both of the problem are the same issue,,,,what I need you to do is when the whistling noise happens keep the engine running and open the front hood and try and open the oil cap while the engine is running and see if the whistling noise goes away when you open the oil cap,,,if the noise goes away then your problem is the valve cover is bad causing to much engine vacuum,,,I hope this helps
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Andreas. I have a 2014 X1. Just had timing chain replaced. BMW dealer did repair and BMW covered it because the vehicle had only 65K miles. All good. Question for you: Do I hang on to vehicle for long haul? Is the new chain gonna fail? My last BMW 3 series lasted 227k miles!
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You should be good on the timing chain now,,,,I just don’t know about 227k miles,,,I have seen so far 150k lies on a N20 engine,,,,only time will tell
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i also have a 2014 x1 but 102K miles found issue with timing chain guide while replacing valve cover due to crack. performing work myself. Question where does the locking pin get inserted to into dowel hole and secure crankshaft?
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The locking pin get inserted into the flywheel,,,,on the turbo side by the exhaust system,,,you might have to remove a blue colored plug to gain access to the hole for the locking pin.
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Okay thanks.
Now question 102k miles and as I said only found broken chain guides because I was in there. ( no engine damage)
Is it wise or necessary to change crank sprocket or oil pump chain set? My plan was to just change guides and chain as per
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e84-x1-sdrive28i-sav/repair-manuals/11-engine/11-31-camshaft/1VncfMt1GA
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You should also replace the oil pump chain set and crank sprocket at the same time
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Hello. I have a F30 328i from 2012 with auto transmission.
I got to adjust my hand brake since new brake.
So with auto transmission I put N with engine start, and I found that when I jack the car, the wheel is spinning..(not fast and easily stoppable by hand..). I saw this on the left side, but not on the right because I turn off the engine between left and right.
So is it normal? I think maybe torque converter is just reduced but not stopped?
Hard to tell at my level of knowledge. It’s my first automatic.
Other thing happen to me 2 time: I was parked on a little hill, put the car in neutral + handbrake and I got to move the car by inch so I just let it go in the hill, and basically when I try to leave I put in D and the car immediately put P like it’s in default but the car said nothing. The only way to resolve this was to totally stop and restart the engine and it work like a charm again.
I was thinking maybe it’s a protection for the transmission but I don’t know.
Let’s hope these 2 things are “normal” but I cant find anything on forum (i am French and French community is not as big as English..)
Thank you !
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Yes both of these things are normal,,,question you should put the car in P when parking not into neutral,,,when putting car in P that will help the car stay in one place and it also helps the brakes when parking on a hill,,,also the car is supposed to start in park every time not in neutral
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Thank you for your quick answer !
Yeah you’re right I use P in most case (and after stopping ignition the car go in P automatically).
But I just use N when need to lift the car if I need to turn the rear wheel..
what is the official way to do a handbrake adjustment with automatic trans? I search on ISTA but not difference is made between manual and auto..
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There really is no need to adjust the handbrake,,,,it’s not like the old cars,,,the handbrake is self adjusting,,,,you could adjust the rear parking brake shoes,,,,but that also is no need to adjust unless someone drove with the parking brake on.
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Hi there mate!
I’ve got an E83 X3 07 M57TU2…..
Transmission is hanging in first and in other gears especially when cold. Shifts are just a bit clunky from that I would think is normal.
She’s got nearly 80,000km on the clock. What’s your opinion on a trans fluid and filter change?
Make it worse or should i try it?
Thanks!
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Give it a try,,,,see if you can also have someone reset the transmission shift point back to stock
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What is your opinion about the N63TU engine? I m looking at a 2017. Has BMW addressed the issues with this engine?
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Lol,,,,yes and no,,,they still have the valve stem leaking and burning oil,,,still some injector issues,.
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I have a problem, tried almost everything i know, had some help from others to, but nobody know the problem.
I have an F34 froilm 2014 with adaptive bi xeon, i did a retrofit to adaptive led. Changed the wiring, changed the date to 1116, removed 522 and 524 and added 552, then coded the FEM REM and both FLE’s.
The proble the headllights work for 75%, the low beam, high beam, turn signal, and vertical aim are working
The drl dont work, in the car i have drl defect (but the faults constant disapear and comes back immediatlly)
The adaptive function only works for 50%, when you turn to right the left and right headlight go to right, but when you turn left nothing happens
There are 4 faults i get when its read by ista
8059A1 FLE02_L: Classification resistor 3 invalid
8059A7 NTC 3: Line break, temperature sensor
805CBC Daytime driving lights: open circuit
805E3C Daytime driving lights: open circuit
You have any idea what the cause is? Cause i dont have a clue any more
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This is something we do not deal with at the dealer,,,I have seen some people try this but not one person that I know of has had success,,,I see a couple of problems the open circuit faults,,,,do you have a bad connection or bad ground,,,,also the line break for temp sensor also bad connection?,,,,,I’m not very much help,,,,you are getting into unknown territory.
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no cause the ground wire stayed the same as on the adaptive bixenon, i rechecked the wiring 3 times i have ground, lin and 49VL/R that stayed the same as on bi xenon, i only needed to add Left 12v to rear fuse box and right 12V to front fuse box and then KCAN2 H and L witch goes from left head to right and from there to the nbt controller Kcan2 wires.
So everything is connected according to bmw scematics
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Then it might be a programming issue or something in the vehicle order might be wrong
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i removed 522 and 524 from order and added 552 witch i coded to FEM REM and both FLE, dont think that any other mudules have to be coded.
I dont understand why the drl dont work but the high low beam, turn signal, and vertical aim do.
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Have you been able to see if power is being sent down the signal wire for the dry lights,,,,you aren’t missing any special module for the LED headlights are you.
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there is no wire for drl, they are adaptive led light, the signal is send by the kcan2 or lin, but those send the signals for each function of the light?
They are nlot like adaptive bi xenon where you have a wire for drl, high beam, adaptive, …
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You can still see if a signal is being sent
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Hello! I have a 2014 550xi with n63tu engine 103k miles. No fault codes, but I’ve been noticing some slightly poor idle and poor off idle performance (poor response and some shuddering). Also some shuddering when braking for a traffic light. In checking my long term fuel trims at idle, bank 1 is -18% and bank 2 is 0-3%. Both banks LTFT are at or around 0% above 1500-2000 RPM. So far I’ve smoke tested (replaced inlet turbo gaskets as a result), compression tested OK, swapped MAF’s (no change), swapped primary O2’s (no change and they looked normal), swapped coils (no change), pulled and checked all plugs (no fuel on plugs, gaps good, condition good). The only other bit of information I can add is that the measured air is slightly lower in bank 1 than bank 2. I don’t recall the g/s, but I can get it if needed. Bank 1 was about 10-20% lower g/s than bank 2… I imagine fuel injectors could be a problem, but should I be considering carbon buildup or cat issues? Please help point me in the right direction… If injectors are most likely I’ll send it over to the dealer since coverage has been extended on them.
TIA!
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It’s hard to say,,,you might have injector issue or ignition coil starting to go out when hot or when there is a load on the engine.
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Thank you!
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Subject: Freeze Frame Report BMW Base: X5 (E70) Model: Automatic engine recognition 2013 LV 38.1.1 English
Carly for BMW – detailed Fault-Code Log
Found Faults:
–Engine / Motor–
*** 2B2C:High-pressure fuel, plausibility, cold start ***
Fault-Set 1 – ( 77204 mi)
average rail pressure Bank 2: 2.86 psi
Engine speed: 1376.00 rpm
engine temperature: 87.35 °F
Fuel Pressure EFP: 85.89 psi
Fault-Set 2 – ( 77209 mi)
average rail pressure Bank 2: 2.86 psi
Engine speed: 800.00 rpm
engine temperature: 150.80 °F
Fuel Pressure EFP: 90.16 psi
Fault-Set 3 – ( 77209 mi)
average rail pressure Bank 2: 2.86 psi
Engine speed: 1376.00 rpm
engine temperature: 107.60 °F
Fuel Pressure EFP: 88.33 psi
*** 2C3A:Lambda probe upstream of the catalyst 2, dynamics ***
Fault-Set 1 – ( 77209 mi)
Adaptation factor sensor time constant before catalyst Bank 2: 0.00 –
Average of the normalized signal amplitude of the lambda probe upstream of catalytic converter Bank 2: 0.00 –
Ceramic temperature Lambda probe before catalytic converter Bank 2: 1443.20 °F
Voltage Lambda probe before catalytic converter Bank 2: 1.48 V
*** 2B2A:High-pressure fuel, plausibility ***
Fault-Set 1 – ( 77209 mi)
average rail pressure Bank 1: 0.08 psi
average rail pressure Bank 2: 0.30 psi
Fuel Pressure EFP: 92.59 psi
inserted syringe fuel mass: 1.32 gal(US)/h
Fault-Set 2 – ( 77209 mi)
average rail pressure Bank 1: 0.10 psi
average rail pressure Bank 2: 0.14 psi
Fuel Pressure EFP: 85.89 psi
inserted syringe fuel mass: 0.53 gal(US)/h
TIA!
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Thanks for all the info,,,,I would guess this is a N63 engine V8 with twin turbos,,,,question how is the engine running,good,poorly,rough,hard to start?,,,,looking at your fault I would probably replace both High pressure fuel pumps to start,,,,and clear faults and see if the O2 sensor fault comes back.
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Yes, N63. Engine is running good.
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Is the check engine light coming on,,,,if it is then you might have either the high pressure fuel pumps going bad,,,,but also the in tank pump might not suppling enough fuel to the high pressure fuel pumps
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Yes, it comes on. OK, thanks so much for the help.
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If you clear the faults,,,do the same ones come back on?,,,,,the strange thing is that it’s faulting both High pressure fuel pumps,,,,I have that happen only a couple of times,,,,,I’m also wondering about the in tank fuel pump causing the problem for both high pressure fuel pumps
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Correct, same 2 codes come back on after I clear them.
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Hello I have a e84 x1 s28i 2013 that has a bad bank one O2 sensor. Where is that sensor located and how do I get to it.
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I would need more info as per which bank is bad,,,bank 1 or bank 2 and before catalytic converter or after catalytic converter,,,because you have 4 o2 sensor on that car,,,they are easy to find they are screwed into the exhaust system close to the cylinder head.
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It is bank 1 sensor 1 up stream before the catalytic converter The code I have isP0171 and on my code reader live data it show zero voltage on o2Sb1s1. As far as I understand it your o2 sensor should have some short of voltage on them. Besides that for a car rated up to 34 mpg I am getting and average Of 16 mpg driving conservative.
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Yes your problem could be that o2 sensor
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Can you tell me how to get to that O2 sensor. Do I need to take off the engine cover and everything else? I couldn’t fine any diagrams or photos that showed the location of that sensor
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Yes remove the engine cover and you should be able to get to the o2 sensor,,,I use special o2 sensor tool and a swivel and long extension,,,
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Hello, i just came here to say that I LOVE THIS SITE. PLEASE KEEP THESE COMING. 🙂
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Also, does your “Donate” buttons on right top work for you ? 🙂
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Yes the donate button works for me,,,thanks
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Im having level control malfunctions on 09 x6 5.0
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Ok,,,what is your X6 doing,,,is it sagging in the rear or is it leaning to one side the next morning,,,,do you have any fault readings
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My car wobbels and sags in the back.almost down to the ground.
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When you start the car back up does the rear end come back up again,,,,now hears the part that sucks this system sucks when trying to find the problem,,,,to find the problem it’s kind of like replace parts and recheck and see if that fixes the problem,,,have someone check out both rear airbag and see if there is any cracking of rubber on the airbags,,,,because that could be you problem,,,the airbags start to seep air
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Is there on eccentric shaft sensor on the F15 X5 like there is on the E90 because I do not see this part number?
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What engine do you have?
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N55 I6 turbo
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Yes the eccentric shaft sensor is under the top engine cover and is located under the valve cover,,,,the eccentric shaft connector is in the center of the valve cover.
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2014 X5 I6 41K
The problem I am having is that I have one code that I am generating that I cannot clear from the ECU:
133E10 “Valvetronic system: deactivated, adjustment fault too frequent”
I also have a slight tugging sensation when I accelerate (may or may not be related).
Also, things that have been done recently or that are an issue:
– I purchased new 20 inch wheels and tires recently (OEM’s were 19″)
– The front brake pads and rotors need replacing (vibrating at stop)
– The front lower control arm bushings need replacing (I believe)
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Yes the slight tugging sensation is related to the valvetronic issue
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What would be the fix for this the Eccentric Shaft Actuator, Eccentric Shaft Sensor (if fitted) or the Eccentric shaft itself?
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Eccentric shaft actuator should be the fix,,,you do need someone to diagnose the problem.
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Hi there! I need some advice please. Do you have an email address I could contact you on? I would leave the comment here but I cant attach the photos… 😦 car in question is a 2014 BMW 520i with a suspected oil leak.. I got shown some photos of what looks like oil under the car coming through the pan. I am looking to buy this car but now not so sure 😦
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My email,,,,,,andreas5bmw@earthlink.net
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Hi there,
I have a BMW 2009 X3 20d. I believe it has the N47D20C motor (car build date May 2009).
There is a hissing noise coming from the engine bay, it sounds like air hissing to me, like a leak somewhere. When the car is idle you can’t notice it however when you rev over 2000RPM it’s very noticeable and quite loud if I’m indoors like in a carpark.
I have made some videos put them on YouTube if you’d like to take a look https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7gfz0uPRkIQkWf9MWhJpPPkj69duTYS
I recently bought the car used and it had this issue already, I can’t tell if there is a lack of power. However the car does accelerate very well, there is lag, not sure how much there should be.
Is this common, any tips open where to look?
I spent some time today with a torch and telescopic mirror at the front of the motor checking hoses however I have not found anything yet.
Would be very glad for any input, Cheers!!
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I have scanned the car with ISTA and everything is good, just one warning about a glow plug.
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Yea a glow plug would not make that noise
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Can you smoke test the intake system and maybe the EGR system and exhaust system maybe then you can find the air leak
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Thanks for all the videos,,,I’m not familiar with that Diesel engine,,,,we don’t get that engine in the States,,,but that noise sounds like too much air coming out,,,,do you notice to much black diesel soot anywhere which could cause that noise,,,,if you don’t see any black soot anywhere then the problem should be with the intake system somewhere a cracked hose or the air filter damaged,,,I hope this helps
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Thanks for the reply!
Haven’t noticed any soot from the exhaust however I did notice there is a leak from the crank case breather pipe pictured below. However I doubt it’s the source of the sound because I can’t imagine it has enough pressure to be so loud. I replace it anyway as it’s worn out big time.
https://ibb.co/cwBqFpS
https://ibb.co/Hr5bc57
https://ibb.co/K9CXWX7
https://ibb.co/7vXtQNb
I will have a more thorough look during the week and let you know!
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Put you hand near that pipe and see if you feel any air coming out that could be a problem
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Oh god, I double posted. I thought the first one failed
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I replaced that tube, it wasn’t the issue but lucky anyway, the plastic was so brittle it snapped in my hand! And the rubber melted into the tube and halted its diameter.
Photo https://ibb.co/z2Wf6m1
https://ibb.co/CzYmfQw
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Wow that wasn’t good,,,that was lucky
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My BMW X3 2013(N20) x28i gives me intermittent P1339 warning signal, drives good but the warning signal is a big concern. Exhaust camshaft sensor cross connected. What is the remedy for this. It has 97k miles. Timing chain was changed at 68k miles by BMW. Please help me.
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The problem might be the exhaust camshaft sensor which is located at the front of the cylinder head,,,,,if that sensor doesn’t fix the problem then you might have problem with the exhaust vanos unit which is located under the valve cover
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My BMW X3 2013 N20 engine give intermittent P1339 warning. Exhaust camshaft sensor cross connected. Could you please help me diagnose this?
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Hi, great blog sir! I have a 2011 bmw f10 535 that engine bogs down when I start on cold. It starts normal and in the 3000 rpm, but after 2 or 3 seconds the rpm’s go down to like 700 and the engine sounds like it wants to shut off, but after a second it kicks back to higher rpms and everything goes back to normal. No codes, no light on.
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You might have a problem with the valvetronic motor,,,but it’s only a guess without any faults,,,,I would wait until the check engine light comes on to deal with it because right now it’s just a crap shot on what the problem could be.
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Thank you very much. Could be, but I’ll wait till the car shows codes. I also have an issue once in a while. Could be on cold or warm start, once I step on the gas it goes into limp mode and throws misfiring codes. I shut the car off, back on again and it goes back to normal. I replaced the spark plugs and coil packs, but again, it does it every so often. My gut tells me the only other issue could be the injectors, but I’m reluctant to change them due to the fact the car runs normal most of the time. This issue happens like 2 or three times a year.
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It could be a injector,,,but wait until it throws a hard check engine light on.
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Could it be the maf sensor?
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Great site, very helpful, I appreciate what you’re doing here. I’m a Honda technician but I’m a car guy, love driving, so of course I love the handling and feel of a BMW. I actually have an issue with one now that I can’t find any information on. Its a 2012 328i N20, and it’s running horribly now, getting a code P0546 which states on the scan tool that its related to VANOS over retarded. Cleared the code and it immediately comes back (key on engine off), which leads me to believe its maybe a computer or wiring issue. Had good cam position and phaser (don’t know if that’s the correct term in the BMW world) sensors lying around, so i swapped all 4 of those, no change. This leaves me to believe its a computer or wiring issue because the code is appearing before the engine is started, but honestly don’t know how BMW logic works as far as what is read and when, and of course I can’t find any information on this issue, nor a diag procedure. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
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I’m not familiar with P codes,,,,but isn’t P0546 bank 1 exhaust gases,,,,I wish you can give me BMW codes which would give me a better idea of what might be going on with this car.
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I tried to leave a comment several times. Don’t know if it worked or not. But the code is 135808
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That code would be the valvetronic motor.
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So how would I go about testing to determine if it’s the motor, the wiring, or the computer that’s is causing my issue? I can’t find a wiring diagram for this vehicle anywhere. As stated earlier this codes appears after being cleared and before starting the vehicle. It’s also the only code that appears if all cam sensors and valvetronic motor have been unplugged and code cleared, code comes back immediately. Which is why I believe it’s a computer or wiring issue.
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Have you tried disconnecting the valvetronic motor on top of the valve cover a round connector
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Yes I have, then cleared the code and the same single code came back immediately, while its unplugged.
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You could have a bad harness or DME,,,,That a really tuff call to make,,,you could OHM out the harness if you can find a wiring diagram.
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Could not find a wiring diagram anywhere. After a little more research I found the engine is from an X1, on paper it seems to match up, turbo is slightly different but the block itself is the same. Could it possibly be a programming step that was missed after installation? If the wiring harness was damaged I could possible replaced it but without a diagram I’m not 100% sure which harness would cause this code, but I’d guess the harness to the 4 cam position sensors on the front of the engine. I’m about to see if I can find a harness and DME at a local junkyard. Any tips for that process?
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Oh, also if I leave key on engine off for a few minutes eventually I’ll get a code 135B11 as well as the 135808.
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Yes I have, then cleared the code and the same single code came back immediately, while its unplugged.
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