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 .
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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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I thought we were dealing with a 328,,,now you said the engine is from a X1,,,,I really don’t know where to go for a engine harness ,,,,on the engine harness there should be a white tag and a part number on it,,,hope that helps
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It is a 328i F30 N20, but the sticker on the engine block by the bell housing says F84 N20, which is an X1. From my research there’s isn’t a difference in the engine blocks and there isn’t a difference in the valvetronic motor part number either. Tired the motor position relearn and I keep getting an error, but if the motor is the issue it doesn’t explain why the code is still present when the harness is not plugged in. That’s what I need to solve, why is the code there with no wires connected, has to be a DME programming/relearn or damaged DME issue. When this x1 motor was installed, what should have been programmed/relearned/calibrated??
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The injector need to be calibrated and the valvetronic motor should be relearned
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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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I put snow chains on my car last week and one of them broke, resulting in (I think) the EXACT issue posted about here: https://bmwtechnician.com/2016/12/30/x3-snow-chains-damage/
My rear left caliper seized up (even though the broken wire was on the right side) and the car had to be towed. The BMW mechanic quoted $920 just to take apart my trunk and inspect the harness (see email below), so I took the car to a non-BMW mechanic who thinks that the car is fine to drive as long as I don’t mind not having a parking brake.
My questions are:
1) Is it safe to drive?
2) How much would it cost to repair?
Here’s what the BMW technician said: “Upon further inspection we found the passenger side wiring harness that goes from the caliper to the EMF module has been damaged. The holder for the harness is completely broken off and the brake pad sensor bracket is bent. This harness goes from the brake caliper and is routed all the way up to the trunk area where the module is located. We are going to need to take apart the entire trunk area so we can inspect the harness for two things. First, we are looking for a white tag that has the part number located on it so we know which harness needs to be replaced. Second, we are inspecting to make sure that this harness isn’t a part of the main body harness in the vehicle. If it is a part of the body harness then the body harness will need to be replaced.”
Thank you,
Brian
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Ok first you should and try and get this fixed,,,yes I believe it is the whole main body harness which will get out of control on money,,,,so that’s why I have alway repaired the wiring harness,,,,price wise I couldn’t tell you without seeing the damage
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Is there a way I can send you a picture?
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Also, would repairing the wiring harness fix it? Or would it be the whole main body harness? Sorry, I don’t know a ton about cars so I’m not sure what this all means.
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If the wiring is not to bad then someone can fix the harness,,,the whole main body harness is just that all the wiring in the car would be replaced at on time,,,that means the whole interior of the car would be removed to replace the whole main body harness,,,stay away from that,,,,find a good BMW tech to repair the wiring,,,,yes you can send me picture if you like.
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Hi, hope you’re doing well. I own a bmw f10 n55 that is showing codes p 0300, 0301, 0302, 0303, 0304, 0305, 0306 as well as p0171. The car started normal, but when I applied gas pedal the engine would shake and wouldn’t accelerate. I pulled over, shut engine off, start right back on and car runs normal besides a little loss on power. Check engine light is on but if I go in the screen under system check, it shows that all systems are ok. Again, car runs ok but check engine light is on. Plugs, coils and valve cover are new. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you
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Ok the p0300 fault codes are misfires for every cylinders,,,,the p0171 is a lean mixture,,,,so what probably is happening is the the lean mixture is causing the misfires in every cylinder,,,,so your problem should be the lean mixture,,,,now the main problem which could cause the lean mixture is the valve cover has a internal leak,,,,I need you to start the engine and let it idle for about 5 minutes and then while the engine is idling try and open the oil cap and see if there is any vacuum in the engine,,,now if you can not remove the oil cap then that is your problem and you will need a whole new valve cover.
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Ok I’ll try that. Funny you mention the valve cover, it was replaced due to an oil leak a month ago. Thank you for your help
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Was the gasket replaced or the whole valve cover,,,the whole plastic cover,,,the gasket is something different,,,,but since you said the gasket was replaced maybe they pinched the gasket could also cause you lean mixture problem,,,the could have also cracked the valve cover which would cause the same problem.
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Valve cover and gasket was replaced. Maybe they did something wrong?
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I did the test, let it idle for 5 mins and tried to take oil cap off. It did come out but took more effort than usual.
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There should be some vacuum,,,but not where you have to put a lot of strength to remove.,,,did the problem start after the valve cover was replaced
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It’s been an ongoing problem for a few years. Car runs strong, but I’d say twice a year it does this, I lose power, car shakes and misfires, I take it to my mechanic but by the time I’m there check engine light goes out, codes are always the same, misfires on multiple cylinders. I was just driving the car, light went out, car back to normal. It’s an issue I’ve been trying to fix for years. I’m just hesitant to throw that much money to it and find out nothing I replaced works. I’ve replaced valve cover, spark plugs, coils, so honeslty idk what else I could do. Car is 100000 miles with original injectors, that’s my next move I guess, replace them. Thank you very much for your help sir, much appreciated.
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It could be injectors ,,,but those pencil type injectors are pretty good,,,,they don’t run like shit then run ok,,,,either they are good or they are bad,,,maybe have the engine and intake system smoke tested for any leaks,,,,you could have a issue with the high pressure fuel pump but that should throw a fault. Or a fuel issue fault.
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Possibly, but HPFP abd un take fuel pump have been replaced a year ago.
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You think it could be either the MAP or MAF sensors?
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It possible ,,,,it could cause the lean mixture
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good evening. we have a 528i 2012 and had a awful smell a few weeks ago…. we took it in to be serviced and they said the oil gaskets needed changing and possible the cover too… 1600.00…. so we had it changed… a few days later a check engine light came on and took it in and they said the timimg chain needed to be fixed… don’t drive the car because if it breaks it is done… it has 91k miles on it and in pretty perfect condition….
I have heard timimg chains can last 200k miles..
is it possible the person who fixed it could have done something to chain? now it is 4-5k to fix…
prior to the oil gasket getting fixed by this person, 2 other people looked at car and said oil gasket.. as did the person fixing car… find it too weird all of a sudden the timing chain is out??
thoughts as the car sits here collecting dust.
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Yes normally timing chain last a very long time,,,the problem is your engine in your car N20 4 cylinder does have a problem that year,,,now did the person who replaced the valve cover do anything to the timing chain to cause a problem,,,, I don’t know if he did,,,,but yes if someone takes off the valve cover they can cause damage to the timing chain to cause replacement of the timing chain,,,, I hope the mechanic didn’t do anything to the timing chain because that is just dirty,,,I very sorry if this did happen.
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How do I check to see if we definitely have that N20? everything I read said out by 70K and ours has almost 92k
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You should have a N20 engine,,,,you could look on the internet for pictures of N20 engine and compare it to your engine,,,yes BMW had a extended warranty of 7/70 for some makes and models,,,,but we have seen the timing chain fail after 70k miles
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do you recommend replacing the timing chain? or will it have issues since the n20 engine>
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That’s a good question,,,I really don’t know how to answer this due to we don’t see to many high mileage N20 engines,,,,because once the maintenance and warranty is done most people go to a independent garage.,,,The highest I have seen is 120k miles,,,you could replace it for a piece of mind,,,,but that piece of mind won’t be cheap.
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Hey, technician. I’ve bought an F30 328i xDrive MY 2012 last summer. I’m the 3rd owner and the car has quite a history. The odo showed 56K kilometers(now it sais 64K) but I don’t believe that number. The previous owner said that the first owner tried to do some kind of chip tuning, failed and sold the car to him. And he had to order a new ECU from Germany and replace it. Well back then I had no idea what that means and I really liked the car, so I bought it without a second thought.
I brought it to my city and showed it to the local BMW service, they replaced the oil, oil filter, air filter, transfer case fluid, Also they said that the timing chain is currently ok, but it wouldn’t be bad to replace the chain tensioner, so I’ve ordered one and they have replaced it as well. There were also a noise when I was turning the steering wheel to the right while driving – they’ve said that it’s from the left wheel bearing and replaced it as well. The noise was gone.
Now to the point. First is that the iDrive displayed me “Drivetrain fault” and “Drivetrain mulfunction” messages 6-7 times during this 7-8 months. The car was just fine and the error was gone after 10-15 seconds. Nobody can say what caused that errors, even at BMW service. The last time I’ve seen that error was in September I think, so I don’t think about it much. But the second issue really annoys me, and I would like to know the reason. I know that N20s are noisy engines and the “diesel noise” is pretty much normal for them, but my car has a VERY loud and annoying sound. There are several 328is with N20 in our parking and none of them makes that much noise as mine. And I can feel vibrations wen I switch gear from N/P to D/R (they disappear after driving off or I just get used to them I don’t really know). Usually they are just barely noticeable(especially when the music is turned on :D) but twice the vibrations were so strong that the passenger closed door was vibrating very hard. I’ve shown my car to several mechanics, BMW service said that everything is fine, one guy said that it’s from one(or more) pistons and that he needs to open the engine and replace them. The other guy said that the noise is from the pistons and he needs to replace all 4 of them and the vibrations are from the engine mounts and that I need to replace them as well. The problem is that there are plenty of E-generation BMWs here, but for my city(country) the F-series are still a “new” thing and there are no trusted mechanics that have at least some experience with BMW turbo engines(or with N20B20 in particular) and I would prefer to not trust them to disassemble the engine.
I have uploaded cold start video recordings from outside and inside(windows and doors closed, when I switch to D/R you can hear the vibrations) and Bimmerlink diagnostic reports Info and Error memories(the permanent error memory is empty, that’s the only diagnostic tool I have right now) to OneDrive. I would really appreciate any guesses on the reasons causing the engine high noise and the vibrations. Big thanks in advance.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aq9d5CxltzX4ohymE-PGeNwkHcTt?e=tPCEmB
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If you are experiencing a vibration from inside the car at idle and when you shift from drive to reverse of drive to park,,,,the most common thing is the motor mount is collapsed,,,I have some pictures in my blog,,,motor mount,,,,take a look and compare it to your car
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Thanks a lot for your answer. I’ve already ordered both mounts and will get them replaced in next month. Can the engine vibrations also cause the increased noise that I can hear when the car is idling? It goes away when I add some revs(900-1000) but on idle it really sounds much noisy then other N20s that I saw.
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Yes the motor mounts can cause that increased noise at idle
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do you work in the atlanta area? I would like to get rid of our 528i with the N20 engine… the timing chain is not broken but stretch and error message popped up….. don[‘t want to fix it for the cost of the quote and BMW customer services Sucks and frankly does not care about their cars or their customers…. do you know of anyone that wants to purchase the car? mechanic… they can fix and sell car?
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Sorry I don’t,,,I’m in California
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Hi, I have a 2011 535 n55 that has a humming sound when engine is warm. It’s coming from the back of the engine, drivers side. No faults, no errors. Would you have an idea what that could be?
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It could be the valve cover,,,when it starts to make that noise,,try and open the oil cap and see if the noise goes away.,,if it does then it the complete valve cover needs to be replaced.
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I just had my back tire air bags and compressor pump replaced.now the car smokes and a dynamic drive malfunction comes on 09 5.0 x6.
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Question what type of car and engine are we talking about,,,,also do you mean the rear suspension air bags and the air compressor for the airbags were replaced correct
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Yes the rear bags and air compressor was replaced. Its a 09 bmw x5 5.o v8
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Ok the smoke is from the valve stem seals leaking oil,,,the dynamic drive fault is hard to say what it is without any fault codes.
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Dam that to exspensive to fix . I love the car but i cant see putting any more $ into it.i will take it in on Sat for oil change.Thanks
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Ok.so my x6 has been at the dealer for diagnostic. I have the n63 engine which i believe tge valve stems are going as you stated. Im not sure if i should continue to.let the diagnosr as they are telling my it could be 1k before even figuring it out.im pissed.I LOVE MY CAR.Is it time to move on. And cut my loss.
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Sorry to say ,,,but I think it’s time to move on.
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I’m getting 164041 – exhaust camshaft Installatio defective error after reseting the vanos adaptations on ISTA. Could you please help me on how to fix this?
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Question what type of car and engine are we talking about,,,,and what type of work was just done to the engine
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Its BMW X3, N20 2.0Lengine. Was getting 130F20 often( exhaust camshaft offset outside tolerance error) in the process of diagnosing this, I deleted/reset the vanos timing adaptations. Now I’m not sure how to fix the adapatations. Getting 164041 exhaust camshaft installation defective error.
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Ok,,,you might have a problem with the exhaust vanos unit,,,or there could be a issue with the timing chain and timing chain rail could be coming apart causing the timing to be incorrect ,,,,you need to have some check the timing chain and the engine timing is off.
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Hello Andreas,
I am hoping your years of experience can help me out on this one. We’re going back to 2007. e93, n54 stock engine. Drivability issue.
I did my own walnut blasting and after putting everything back together (valve cover gasket changed as well) I got code 2d2e: “Throttle-valve angle – intake-manifold vacuum, correlation, pressure high”. Codes also appear for multiple misfires.
It shows itself by not being able to push past 1500 rpm while slowly giving it gas in park. The longer you hold the pedal (steady) the worse the stumbling/misfires get- the whole car shakes and rpms drop to 1200. Attempts at slightly more throttle only makes things worse as it raises rpm slightly and then bogs again to about 1200 rpm. Problem seems to get worse as temperature increases.
On the road, starting from a stop on initial pedal input there is a delay in throttle response and then the car leaps ahead. At steady cruise, 60-70 mph, the car jerks and doesn’t want to accelerate until i drop a gear (auto) and get it out of the rev range. Overall, it seems down on power. Fuel consumption is up probably more than 20 percent. Idle is perfect.
All vacuum lines and sensors are plugged in, plugs and coils are new. Injectors check out okay through ista d. MAP sensor changed and wiring verified okay between MAP sensor and dme. Freeze frame data shows MAP reading 22.2 inHg.
I’d welcome any thoughts you might have. Thanks in advance.
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Ok,,,,I hope I can help,,,first are you sure the throttle body plug is pushed in until you here a click,,,also make sure that vacuum line is connected on both sides not that’s broken,,,,also can you calibration the throttle body,,,,if this doesn’t work can you smoke test the intake system and valve cover to make sure you don’t have any air leaks.
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Thank you very much for responding. Recalibrating the throttle body is resetting adaptations? I’ve tried that but if it’s something else, how is this accessed in ista d? I will hopefully get to the rest today!
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I have a 2009 550i with the N62 V8 engine. A number of months ago, I had an issue where occasionally the car would simply die or drop into a limp mode indicating a transmission fault. I had a few shops (including dealer) look at the car without success. Scanned codes showed various misfires but didn’t really point to the source of the problem. Doing some online research led me to a faulty crankshaft position sensor. I had it replaced, along with 8 new coils and plugs, and all seemed well for a while. I had one or two glitches since then, but it ran well. In the past few days, the old flakiness has returned. I haven’t re-scanned for codes, but suspect the original problem was not fully solved. Any thoughts?
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You might have a problem with the IVM module,,,the IVM module is cheap and easy to replace and no programming needed,,,,the IVM is a major relay box it can cause a lot of problems
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You are quite likely correct. The symptoms described by others who have replaced the IVM very closely match mine. Thanks so much!
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So far, so good. The IVM was replaced last week and it’s been running perfectly since. Keeping fingers crossed.
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Hello Andreas,
Hoping you can help. I have a 2013 BMW 328i XDrive. I had the dreaded Drive train Malfunction light come on my car. Car has 108k miles.
I am pulling the following error codes:
– CDA904
– 10A208
– 130F11
– 120408
– 1C0102
– 131501
– 131401
Any insight would be appreciate. My mechanic is scratching his head!!
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Question which engine do you have
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it is a N26 sir. N26B20A to be exact.
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Ok thanks,,,you have several different faults,,,from radiator temp sensor,exhaust and intake vanos issues, also oil pressure faults-and turbo charge faults,,,the turbo charge faults is because of the vanos units,,,,the temp sensor should be replaced,,,,and have your mechanic check out the timing chain and timing chain rail for breakage and the vanos units
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Hello Andreas,
I have quite an issue right now and was looking for an experienced BMW mechanic to give me some advise/insight and I’m hoping you may be able to help me.
I have a 2014 BMW x3 which I was recently notified has engine failure which needs replacement due to failure in the rod bearing after my wife was driving the road the vehicle suddenly just shut down. The vehicle currently has 132,000 km and I have extended warranty but I still have to pay $7500 out of pocket because the costs exceed the value of the vehicle. The total cost to replace the engine (as well as 12 hours of diagnostics) came out to $27,000 CDN. Interestingly enough, when I originally brought the X3 into BMW for maintenance at 12,000km, I reported to them that there was a loud clicking sound in the engine, especially when starting up the vehicle. It was actually documented on the service report and they told me everything was normal. After doing some reading recently, it sounds like a timing chain issue that was making that noise. So I have two questions. #1, Is that noise that I’ve been hearing due to the timing chain and, if so, could that lead to the engine failure I have now experienced? and #2.. because I reported it to BMW and nothing was done while under warranty, is there anything I can do to avoid paying the $7500 extra. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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First yes the timing chain failure caused the engine failure,,,second it would be a fight but you can tell them since they missed diagnosed it the first when there was a problem that they should wave the $7500 for screwing up the first time.,,,my question is the 12 hours of diagnostic to tell you need a engine,,,,it can not take that long to figure out the engine is bad,,,that is a ripoff
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Thanks…. the interesting thing about the 12 hours of diagnostics is that I asked if the dealership could waive those fees due to the extent of the costs already and they wouldn’t even knock a penny off the price. Should I be contacting BMW Canada directly regarding the possible discount?
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Yes you could contact BMW of Canada
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Hey Andreas!
Mate I’ve got an E83 X3 3.0SD that has about 90,000km on it.
I just had the rear tyres replaced and now, there is this massive jolts in the drivetrain (it feels like) where the car, when you lightly accelerate, it hesitates and then goes “clunk” and then accelerates….. it is starting to do this quite a few times in more than just first gear. It’s become drastically worse since I’ve had the rear tyres replaced.
Any ideas mate? I’m wondering about transfer case or a rear diff…. feels like there’s lots of play in the diff that suddenly is taken up…. real weird man!
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Hello
Im the owner of a bmw 320i 2012 (german specs) n20 engine
I have a knocking noise coming from the bottom of the engine only on idle and specially when the car is warmed up
The knocking affects nothing , the car drives smoothly with 0 problems
You can check this video its the same exact knock
Thank u
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Thanks for the video,,,that knocking noise doesn’t sound good,,,it could be something with the lower engine possible rod knocking?
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Thank for ur reply
The car has alsmost 100000 km so the engine still new
This knock has heen here since 800000 km and no problems at at all
The car runs like new
The knock is only when warmed and on idle
When cold no knock
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Hello:
I just find your site. You are so amazing! Here is my issue.
Car: 2012 X3 35i with 50k miles.
Car parked for two weeks. Started it up and drove about 30 miles. Car runs fine with no check engine light. Stopped to get a quick meal for 10 mins.
Pressed the start button, it cranked but no start. And Drivetrain malfunction message pop up. After a few more tries without success, I let it sit for a couple hours. And still no start. Although it still have the original battery, voltage is good. It cranks very strong.
I have bimmerlink, I scanned it and it said
” Code 113027, Relay ignition and injectors, supply voltageinjection: line break”
and
” code 801C06 VcmErrorSvtGeneration-SVT Is Generation: SVT- Could Not Be Generated “
I am thinking the Z11 Integrated Supply Module is bad. What do you think?
Thanks in advance
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Sorry I have busy,,,,I just replied to your older post,,,now about the integrated supply module could be the problem,,,maybe unplug and plug it back in,,,,also maybe tap on the module to unlock the relay.
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No worries, Thank you for replying. I did order a new module. Will report back. Btw, Thank you so much for sharing all your valuable repair knowledge !! It is very nice of you !
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No problem,,,let us know what happens
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My X3 Started right up after replaced the ISM. I also found Fuse #65 was blown. I replaced it along with a new ISM. I wonder if it is just a blown fuse. Any idea why 65 would blown?
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Sometime fuse 65 might of gotten a back feed from the module,,,or a high resistance from a module because the module is going bad and it will blow a fuse
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Hello sir
I have a bmw 320i 2012 has 100k km (60k miles)
The car is driven in lebanon so in summer we hit 30 Celsius
Im wondering if i should change the transmission fluid ??
And I’m having a problem while the car is sitting for more than 24 hours , at strartup the car threw a bluish puff of smoke that goes awal after 15 sec i saw on your page that the oil feed line was updated, it it the only problem or the turbo might be blown
Btw the car has no problems or any hesitation and the turbo works great
And i would appreciate if you give me a list of things to do (maintanance) on 60k miles
Thank u for helping me
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Yes your main problem is the turbo oil feed line,,,the turbo should be ok,,,if bad it will make a noise or blow oil all the time,,,,no need to change the transmission fluid is good to 100k miles,,,60k service oil and filter,micro filter,,air filter and spark plugs,,,brake fluid flush.
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Thank u for ur reply
I bought this car recently and the car was serviced at a dealership till 50k km after that the car was serviced at a indy non bmw professional, he wasn’t knowing what he was doing with this car the car was wrong
He was putting 10w40 semi synthetic instead of 5w40 full Synthetic for at least 50000 km
When I bought it i flushed the engine using wurth and i put fresh oil and filter 5w40 and a bottle of superior engine protector (wurth)
I looked into the engine through the cap the engine looks very dirty
Do you recommend me anything to do with the car ??
Appreciated!!
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Does the wrong oil 10w40 semi synthetic can severely damage the engine ?
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