New Daily - Manual 130i

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Yeah tell me about it, had it for all of 4 days after finally getting the PCV and MAF fixed before it started playing up. 

It lost power on the motorway, accelerator wasn't responding, no codes thrown. Pulled over and turned it off then started again, accelerator worked so carried on. Same thing happened the next day, so figured it wasn't a glitch and still no codes so something was up so parked it up. 

Day after that I pulled it out of the driveway to see if it would do it again and it died outside the house, had to push it back into the driveway. Was running really rough and wouldn't hold idle. So checked it wasn't maf or intake related and nothing so got it towed to AVS who had done the pre-purchase check and subsequent work on it. 

[Jacko 2158]

Weird, doesnt sound like the chain to me, be curious to see what it is. That sucks...

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Yeah I probably should have added that it got worse and worse as I kept trying to start the car and keep it running , eventually it wouldn't even start at all. 

Going to give them a ring and get an update on it, they've had it a few days now. 

[M3AN 4016]

VANOS solenoid... taking bets...

[qube 3570]

Definitely something vanos related. 
valvetronic shaft damage and the ecu cutting out the engine to prevent further damage or something. 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Googled valvetronic and that sounds extremely similar to what I experienced. Going back to mechanic to see what they've come up with. 

[Jacko 2158]

Any updates? 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Spoke to the receptionist yesterday, was expecting a call back from the owner but haven't heard. She said the engine was being put back together and it was a timing issue they'd reset it with special tools.

[qube 3570]

so.. they are almost done fixing it without telling you what the diagnosis was and how much its going to cost?

um...o..k..

[M3AN 4016]

2 hours ago, NZ_InFerno said:

...it was a timing issue they'd reset it with special tools.

I realise you're probably paraphrasing but just... in... case...

You may be able to reset timing with special tools but timing won't go out in the first place unless something is broke and if something is broke it needs to be repaired or replaced. You should (read: must) discuss how timing was out in the first place before you drive away.

[NZ_InFerno 371]

4 hours ago, M3AN said:

 

 

4 hours ago, qube said:

so.. they are almost done fixing it without telling you what the diagnosis was and how much its going to cost?

um...o..k..

Yeah, thought it was strange that they had "diagnosed/fixed the problem" and hadn't heard from them but as they promised a call later in the day I wasn't too concerned. I've got a lot going on atm so this hasn't been the highest priority. 

4 hours ago, M3AN said:

I realise you're probably paraphrasing but just... in... case...

You may be able to reset timing with special tools but timing won't go out in the first place unless something is broke and if something is broke it needs to be repaired or replaced. You should (read: must) discuss how timing was out in the first place before you drive away.

Not paraphrasing, was verbatim from receptionist. I do know that, see above for explanation just got a lot on. 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Spoke to the guy working on it, motor is back together and running and now is actually showing a code for vanos/valvetronic. Hurray for Internet sleuthing ?

Cam chain and everything else looked good so no worries on that part. Reset lifter/cans as engine was showing poor compression and oil pressure which both came back. He suspects eccentric cam sensor as valvetronic motor has been done recently. 

 

[qube 3570]

one of the reasons for this type of failure is due to long oil change intervals. i wouldnt go past 10k kms at most and make sure to use good quality oil and filter everytime.

 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Finally got the car back today from the mechanics, been 6 weeks since it was towed to them. 

Was a cam sensor that was the culprit, driving home car was running mint. I'd been driving my auto 130i in the meantime and it was surprising how different this is. So much better. 

Have a few things I'd ordered turn up in the meantime so will chuck them at the car tomorrow. 

[KwS 2429]

I think you want to swap the auto E87 for my Saab 93 wagon

Yes, you do... 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

I'm kinda intrigued... 

[NZ_InFerno 371]

Lavished some bits and care on the car today, now that it is back in my possession from the mechanics.

For the record it was the variable cam shaft sensor that caused the issue, so that was replaced and the rocker cover gasket as well. Since the car wouldn't start when it was towed to the mechanics they suspected timing chain so checked that out, timing was out so was reset back to stock and all the guides/chain were checked and no issues. Had a lot of labour time spent on the car, diagnosing/testing and fixing.  Was charged a fair bit, but could have been a lot more. 

First thing I tried out was @M3ANs old aerial, car didn't have one when purchased. Fitted on perfectly but looked very odd with the existing aerial base so started unscrewing it off and the screw thread from the aerial broke off inside the base. Managed to remove it from the aerial base on the car with some pliers. So will have a look online for another aerial, currently looks a bit weird ?

Also had a good look at the missing tab where I took the roof racks off, think I'll leave it on the backburner for a while as its not doing any harm and I have to purchase the whole strip anyway as you can't buy the tabs for some reason.  

 

Next up was something I expected to cost a whole lot more than it did, new plates. Previous ones had damage on the front from being reversed into, and no idea what happened to the rear plate. Anyway cost me $23 for a replacement set, looks much better and nearly hides the front bumper damage from being reversed into. I also had a new set of the euro surrounds lying around so put them on at the same time.  

Damaged Front Bumper plate above and the fresh plate below

 

 

Rear plate replacement below also looks much better

 

 

Next task was something I'd wanted ever since I saw the car, can you spot the difference? ?

Luckily I got the colour match spot on, decided to go with the raised centre cap and they look really good.  They're also *cough* replicas at 1/5th of the price as genuine Work centre caps are ridiculously expensive. 

 

Lastly my Bluetooth USB to 3.5mm receiver was plugged in, connected straight away with my phone and works a treat.  Had some assistance for this very difficult install. 

 

Also discovered that there has been some headlight upgrades from previous owner, both the daytime running lights aka "Angel Eyes" and the normal beams.

 

 

She's looking much better now with a lot of the cosmetic stuff taken care of:

- roof rack removed

- eyebrows removed

- new plates

- Wheel caps installed

- a couple of small missing plastic pieces in the engine bay

 

I still have some things planned out to do to the car. Unfortunately the unexpected mechanical repairs have blown out the car budget, which had a pretty generous allowance for things to go wrong, so will be curtailing future car spending in the mean time while my credit card recovers ?

Next step is removing the SuperSprint Exhaust off my black "parts" car, and getting that fitted. Will also be getting an alignment and the wheels touched up, will make a big difference too as it looks like the wheels have curbing on them atm but its stone chips from rocks as the wheels stick out slightly from the guards. These will be happening shortly and dependent on others free time. 

Two things that were on the car when I purchased it in Dec that I wanted to fix will be on hold. The front bumper, impact damage is much less noticeable with the new plates on and is a relatively minor crack that isn't structural. The head lining is something I want to do but isn't bothering me yet. Its only over the boot space and is not in the way at present. Both can wait. 

 

Looking forward to spending a lot more time driving this round, puts a smile on my face. And please no more tows to the mechanic ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by NZ_InFerno

[KwS 2429]

Would a cam sensor issue not throw a code? Seems like they spent a lot of time checking things that maybe they didnt need to touch? Like why was the timing "out", if it was only a cam sensor issue?

Either way im glad you got it back and you can finally get in and trash the pants off it, like you should've been able to from day one.

[NZ_InFerno 371]

47 minutes ago, KwS said:

Would a cam sensor issue not throw a code? Seems like they spent a lot of time checking things that maybe they didnt need to touch? Like why was the timing "out", if it was only a cam sensor issue?

Either way im glad you got it back and you can finally get in and trash the pants off it, like you should've been able to from day one.

Car was dead and wouldn't start. It didn't throw a sensor code until after they'd done the timing and other things and had it running fine for a week. They knew something was faulty but there were no obvious indicators from what they told me, they suspected cam sensor but didn't want to do it without a code showing. Then it popped up. 

Definitely agree it was weird them doing the timing, but I honestly don't know a lot about cams/timing etc to judge if that was the issue that was causing it not to start or original fault. 

They also did other work on it, cleaning and inspecting plus going through the electrical loom. So it's had a fair amount of diagnosing/testing done while no codes were being thrown, that wasn't charged for. 

[M3AN 4016]

Timing simply can't be out if the chain is intact unless there's a VANOS problem. That's the only other moving part in the equation.

I suspect the root cause is a faulty VANOS solenoid... cam sensor was probably fine (out of range sure, but working fine). Timing was manually reset so of course the symptoms went away. They'll likely come back.

Really need to complete a full range VANOS test multiple times with perfect results to rule out the solenoids. Did they do this?

I had exactly the same problem with my M3... exhaust solenoid was faulty, eventually car wouldn't start, fixed the solenoid and the first (stored) error that came up was cam sensor "implausible value" which makes sense because the cam was out of expected range. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by M3AN

[KwS 2429]

30 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Timing simply can't be out if the chain is intact unless there's a VANOS problem. That's the only other moving part in the equation.

This is why im suspicious of their work. Unless the car has had timing chain work recently and it wasnt done properly (chain refitted a tooth out), or the tensioners failed (which they havent), there isnt really any other way for the timing to be out without it being Vanos related.

Good thing you still have a couple of N52s there with new vanos solenoids for future testing eh?

Also, the roof rail flap you're missing, can they be removed and refitted without breaking them? same as E9x? Im wondering if you could take one from a car at pickapart or something instead of doing the whole strip?

[NZ_InFerno 371]

56 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Timing simply can't be out if the chain is intact unless there's a VANOS problem. That's the only other moving part in the equation.

I suspect the root cause is a faulty VANOS solenoid... cam sensor was probably fine (out of range sure, but working fine). Timing was manually reset so of course the symptoms went away. They'll likely come back.

Really need to complete a full range VANOS test multiple times with perfect results to rule out the solenoids. Did they do this?

I had exactly the same problem with my M3... exhaust solenoid was faulty, eventually car wouldn't start, fixed the solenoid and the first (stored) error that came up was cam sensor "implausible value" which makes sense because the cam was out of expected range. 

Well that's depressing news, guess I'm ordering Solenoids. 

I don't think they tested vanos, I don't have a sheet on it. 

Talked to the garage owner a fair bit and if it goes again they'll be fixing it on their dime.

[NZ_InFerno 371]

29 minutes ago, KwS said:

This is why im suspicious of their work. Unless the car has had timing chain work recently and it wasnt done properly (chain refitted a tooth out), or the tensioners failed (which they havent), there isnt really any other way for the timing to be out without it being Vanos related.

Good thing you still have a couple of N52s there with new vanos solenoids for future testing eh?

Also, the roof rail flap you're missing, can they be removed and refitted without breaking them? same as E9x? Im wondering if you could take one from a car at pickapart or something instead of doing the whole strip?

Well the black 4 door does have new Solenoids, guess I can pillage from that lol. 

Nah they can't be removed. All one piece in that rail. 

[M3AN 4016]

35 minutes ago, NZ_InFerno said:

Well that's depressing news, guess I'm ordering Solenoids. 

It's only a theory at the moment, and although I'd bet on it, doesn't mean you should. Don't spend any more money just yet.

I'm pretty sure there are members here from Wellington that have the correct BMW software to run a VANOS test for you, and probably look at 'shadow codes' in case there's relevant information there. Unfortunately a dealer or independent will charge you an arm and a leg for that.

Yell for help in the Wellington section perhaps, you might get rescued?

Swapping the 'noids over is easy... don't change the seals for testing but if you isolate the problem then replace the o-rings on final install. 

Edit: if you do this, make sure you clean the exterior surfaces thoroughly before you remove the solenoids, unlike in the video.

Edited March 4, 2020 by M3AN

[NZ_InFerno 371]

I've swapped Solenoids over before so it's not a big deal, pretty easy to access.