jon dee

Umm... don't suppose you got that on video at all ? Asking for a friend... Cheers...

Just a random thought... I was looking at one part of your log where there was a spate of small ignition trims across all six cylinders when the car was cruising just out of boost at 2500rpm/120kph in 6th gear. There is nothing unusual reported in the log at that moment so it is extremely unlikely that you could get detonation under those load conditions. It reminded me of the situation when I was seeing knock in my logs (other car) on the overrun when the engine was in fuel cut ???? Not possible bro !!! It was false knock from mechanical engine noise. So I was wondering if you might be getting the same ? If you have anything about the engine that rattles metal on metal that could transmit noise to the block, then it might be getting picked up by the knock sensors. For example, if your downpipes were super close together they might vibrate at a certain engine rpm enough to rattle against each other. Since they don't appear to have any gaskets that would insulate against sound transmission, that might reach the ears of the knock sensors. So if you happen to have a persistent rattle that always occurs under the same driving conditions, it would be worth investigating. Cheers...

Yeah... what the Ninja said LPFP always around 70psi... jiggles up and down a bit but that is normal and to be expected. HPFP pretty much stays above 2000psi under load with the odd spike down to 1700-1800psi. Again that is fine and you don't have any leaning out as both banks are solid on 11.4 AFR when balls out In fact everything I can see looks to be pretty much in order, so the random ignition trims are a bit of a mystery. I had a look at the low load/low rpm ignition trims and there doesn't seem to be any obvious reason for them. Unfortunately your logs are not showing any knock counts or actual ignition timing, and those are the readings most relevant for seeing if you are getting det or a little bit too much timing in a few places. I'm not a tuna so there may be factors at play that I don't know about. If you have a stumble / ignition breakdown / misfire that can't be explained, the best thing would be (provided you can replicate the issue) to get the car on a dyno and have a real tuna check it out. I had an engine that had so much mechanical noise (false knock) in the same frequency as the knock sensor monitored, that knock detection was useless. It took me a long time chasing ignition issues before I realised I actually had a bit of real knock !!! Cheers...

Intake air temperature (IAT) has a direct effect on combustion chamber temperature. And as you can see from this screenshot, there is a rise in the IAT that coincides with the DME starting to pull timing. Seems the OEM intercooler can't cope with the combined effects of continuous WOT/ high boost operation and the MHD tune. Looks like ambient on the day was around 25deg so the OEM cooler was doing OK until you hit it with that long stretch of continuous high boost. Interestingly enough, I see ignition timing being pulled in quite a few places, and in one spot at around 2500rpm when out of boost and not pedaling hard. That is obviously a different issue and may or may not be significant I'll take a look tonight and see if I can find any clues. Cheers...

Had a look at one of your logs because.... interesting Here is a pic of a section towards the end of log 3. Everything looks good... pressures, temps, AFR etc until around the 650 second mark. You have been cranking on it pretty hard and then the DME starts pulling timing... pulls it and then ramps back up as expected. If I was in the guessing game (and of course I am) I would say that the DME was picking up a bit of det and likely you had hot spots in those cylinders. Did you change to colder plugs before that track day ? Cheers... PS: Added a screenshot from Datazap to give you a better idea of what I was seeing...

Having to do a major re-think on this little project. The pressure vs engine load characteristics of the N54 combined with the huge hysteresis of mechanical pressure switches make setting a 45 ~50psi alarm point problematic. Therefore I am thinking that I shall have to do some old fashioned trial and error experimentation with an electric pressure sensor and a gauge with an adjustable low alarm set-point. @Ninjaspartan How easy is it to access 12V constant and 12V key switched around the engine bay ? Virtually no current involved so vampire clips would work for the purposes of experimentation. Cheers...

Got this little adpater that looks as so it will work. M12 x 1.5 either end and 3 x 1/8"NPT tappings. Two plugs provided to block off the tappings that are not used. Got to thinking while waiting for this, that a water temperature warning might also be a good idea. The N54 has a reputation for water pump failures and blown head gaskets / warped head if you don't pick up the overheating quickly enough. So I will be taking a look at either a gauge with alarm function or a temperature switch for the cooling system while collecting parts. Cheers...

There seem to be a couple of wireless adapters out there (MHD and THOR) but I have not seen them for sale in NZ. Both are for sale in the USA for around the US$70 mark and the MHD version is reputed to be the better (faster) of the two. Originally developed to work with Android devices, I read that MHD at least appear to have a version that works with IOS. Check before ordering. I'm a bit interested in that myself as I have an iphone that doesn't phone any more, but the wifi still works which would make it perfect for a gauges and logging Currently when I need to contact the DME I just use a D-Can cable, OTG cable and an Android tablet. Works fine but having the cable connected is mildly annoying. Cheers...

Thanks for chipping in That setup of yours for the sensors would be like a Plan B for me if I can't get a suitable adjustable pressure switch. I'm hoping that Plan A will actually do away with the need for a gauge, as I'm not really planning to hotrod my car or track it (unless someone twists my arm). Given that when I am concentrating on my driving I don't like to take my eyes off the road, I am actually thinking that a little piezo "buzzer" might be better than a light. Nothing gets my attention faster than a strange/unexpected noise in the car !!! Having your gauges up where you can see them without looking down is the only way to go for racing. I put some down in front of the shifter on my last car and they were not particularly useful. I had to get a passenger to tell me what they were reading Cheers...

I'm guessing that the BMW Special Tools for your car will be along the same lines as the tools shown in Bentley for the e92. Looks like they clip under the outer flange left and right to pull and twist at the same time. Pic shows what appears to be slot in the top of the channel and applying the tools either side of that slot would twist the arm at its least rigid section. Offhand I can't think of any normal toolbox items that could be used to duplicate the action of the special tools ? Cheers...

Easy enough to make a angle gauge out of a piece of cardboard if you have a protractor lying about... you could even print a 360deg timing wheel out and use that to get the angle. Arm attachment looks solid !!! Does that wind deflector gadget make any difference to anything if you take it off ? Cheers...

Just thinking out loud... but the chattering is likely some kind of slip-stick action, and that could be caused by slop in the attachment of the wiper arm to the spindle. If the arm is on a spline that could happen, but if it is held by some other form of rigid (no slop) fixing, then unlikely unless the whole driving mechanism was loose. On a different tack, I was browsing Bentley for the 3-Series e90 and noticed that there was a section covering how to set the wipers up including instructions on bending the blade/arm/whatever. Might be worth checking that out. Cheers...

Thanks for the response As far as I can ascertain, oil pressure at idle for the n54 at operating temperature is 22-30psi rising to a maximum between 60 and 90psi at higher loads and rpm's. The pump output volume varies with engine demand to avoid pumping more oil than is required. This will cause the pressure to also vary in a non-linear way, but it could be expected that oil pressure in everyday driving conditions would be somewhere between 55-75psi. Cold engine pressures will be higher. Therefore I am considering the use of an adjustable pressure switch that can be set around 45psi. The actual pressure setting can be reached by a bit of trial and error to find a pressure where the switch does not trigger a light under normal driving, and only lights up at idle. Having the light turn on at idle is unnecessary, and the easiest way to inhibit that would be to tap a pressure switch into the charge pipe. If the pressure switch changes state at 100kPa(abs) the "engine protection" system would only be active when the engine was actually operating in boost. And that's a good suggestion about interrupting the MAP signal to trigger limp mode. These functions can easily be set up with a couple of miniature relays and do not require any interfacing with the DME itself. Sounds like a plan With an aftermarket ECU the engine protection settings have access to all operating parameters and can be set up to cut fuel, ignition or boost in any combination of parameters in the event of losing oil pressure. I don't want or need that level of sophistication. All I want is some basic engine protection in the event of a pump failure or sudden oil loss while driving. Let me know if you see any problems with what I am suggesting. Cheers... EDIT: Pic shows OEM switch. This will move 25-30mm rearwards. There is room to fit a sensor providing the adapter is clocked correctly. But clearance for the OEM switch over the #1 intake runner will be minimal. I will pull the clip and do a bit of measuring.

Started looking to see what hardware I would need to make this all work. The idea is to keep the installation as simple as possible... up where it is easy to access to check for leaks and make any adjustments. The plan is to introduce a fitting with a 1/8"NPT female thread between the OEM oil pressure switch and whatever it currently screws into. This will move the OEM switch directly rearward a short distance and not require any changes to the factory wiring. The new adjustable pressure switch would screw straight into the new 1/8"NPT fitting and other than the wiring... job done. That was the plan Pic of the OEM switch location to come. A couple of potential problems have revealed themselves. 1. There is not a lot of space !! 2. Suitable adapters are thin on the ground. 3. the new switch will need to be a slimline design to fit in the available space. There is one really nice application specific swivel adapter available in Europe but a bit spendy at GBP188 plus shipping. However, I am on the track of an Aeroflow adapter with a hexagon barrel and three 1/8"NPT tappings at 120 degrees apart. So if it fits, it should be possible to clock the output where it has to be with a bit of finessing If it becomes difficult to fit a suitable switch beside the oil filter housing, I may have to resort to using a pressure sensor and gauge with adjustable alarm output. Cheers...

Wouldn't this car go faster if it kept the wheels on the ground ?

That's a coincidence... I was atually watching that video a couple of days ago. It was what started me off on this quest. That guy is the best source of 335i DIY information on the web, and makes a lot of really helpful videos. That's a great gauge that he used, only way over the top for what I need. Thinking it thru I don't even really need a gauge. I could get by with a light that turns ON when the pressure drops using a basic adjustable pressure switch like the one in the pic below. Just do the same thing as the OEM switch but at a higher pressure. If I set it a little above hot idle pressure when the engine is fully warmed it should not be too annoying. Probably get an adapter and give that a trial. Easy enough to add a gauge later on if I decide that I need one. Funny how BMW decided they didn't need an oil pressure gauge in the 335i. They must have a lot of faith in the quality of their oil pumps if they figure the oil pump will be the last thing to wear out in the engine Cheers...

Search function was not helpful, so apologies if these questions have been answered elsewhere (2008 335i N54). 1. The OEM oil pressure sensor (switch) sets a warning light (but does not latch) if pressure drops approx below 8psi. Correct ? 2. Operation of the oil pressure switch does not cause a "Reduce power" warning or limp mode, but may set other codes. Correct ? 3. Oil pressure is not monitored by the DME and cannot be logged. Correct ? If the above is true, then I am not entirely happy that in the event of suddenly losing oil pressure at high rpm I have to wait until it drops to 8psi before I get any warning. Even having the engine running at reduced oil pressure (but still above 8psi) could be fatal for the engine. So I am looking at ways of monitoring oil pressure and getting some early warning if the pressure drops to a dangerous level. First thoughts are for a gauge with an adjustable alarm output, or even a gauge sensor that has a fixed alarm output at 30 or 35psi. The gauge can be concealed as I am not that paranoid But I would like a nice bright LED out somewhere visible so that I can pick it up in my peripheral vision without taking my eyes off the road. The gauge is more for general condition monitoring and diagnostic purposes, as I find watching gauges while driving rather distracting. If anyone has got any suggestions on how to set this up/what to use I'd be happy to hear about it. Better still if you have figured a way to implement/trigger the automatic DME "Reduce Power"/Limp Mode engine protection function in the event of the loss of oil pressure.... that would be awesome Cheers...