Can you read these spark plugs?

[cat007 0]

Hi all,

2008 323i E90 with 70k's on the clock.
I can't see in the service records if the plugs have ever been changed as it's a Jap import and it's all in japanese so I thought I'd throw some new plugs in for good measure.
I was having a small amount of surging at very low RPM when I take off and have cleaned the VANOS solenoids, which appear to be operating ok.

I also have pretty bad fuel efficiency - 12L/100km with there being a lot of peak out Auckland traffic on motorways being where it's mostly used.

Is there much to tell from these? I thought #6 looks like it's had a lot of mis-fires?

Cheers!
Hunt

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by cat007
remove image double-up

[BM WORLD 1286]

91 oct fuel ?

[325_driver 422]

@cat007 my 325i (130,000) was showing some very subtle idle issues, every now and then low power at low RPM's, and it eventually threw a CEL every 1,000-3,000km

Petrol mileage was really poor like 12l/100km

Took out the vanos solenoids, cleaned them, checked resistances (which were within specifications) hard to say whether any improvement.

Anyway long story short, I swapped out some known working vanos solenoids in there, and my fuel mileage is back to averaging 9l/100km (mixed usage) 7-8l/100 open road, no strange idling issues, noticeable continual power restoration.

So i guess the solenoids were to blame and tracking it at times was elusive, cleaning them didn't really rectify the performance issues.

It might be worth your while grabbing a set of these off amazon since they are cheap, to try your luck to see if anything changes (they may last, they may not, a few members on here have purchased sets like that with no issues)

https://www.amazon.com/Vanos-Camshaft-Solenoid-128i-135i/dp/B06XKPJH39/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=n52+solenoid&qid=1583271891&sr=8-4

 

[cat007 0]

1 hour ago, BM WORLD said:

91 oct fuel ?

I've only ever ran 95 or 98.

[cat007 0]

1 hour ago, 325_driver said:

@cat007 my 325i (130,000) was showing some very subtle idle issues, every now and then low power at low RPM's, and it eventually threw a CEL every 1,000-3,000km

Petrol mileage was really poor like 12l/100km

Took out the vanos solenoids, cleaned them, checked resistances (which were within specifications) hard to say whether any improvement.

Anyway long story short, I swapped out some known working vanos solenoids in there, and my fuel mileage is back to averaging 9l/100km (mixed usage) 7-8l/100 open road, no strange idling issues, noticeable continual power restoration.

So i guess the solenoids were to blame and tracking it at times was elusive, cleaning them didn't really rectify the performance issues.

It might be worth your while grabbing a set of these off amazon since they are cheap, to try your luck to see if anything changes (they may last, they may not, a few members on here have purchased sets like that with no issues)

https://www.amazon.com/Vanos-Camshaft-Solenoid-128i-135i/dp/B06XKPJH39/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=n52+solenoid&qid=1583271891&sr=8-4

 

 

Thanks for the advice mate. Yeah - I might try and replace them. Not keen on those Amazon ones - their reviews are pretty awful and appear to fail a lot. Will look around for ones with better reviews.

[325_driver 422]

@cat007 take it as a <$100 diagnostic test

since OEM are north of $300 each

[cat007 0]

2 minutes ago, 325_driver said:

@cat007 take it as a <$100 diagnostic test

since OEM are north of $300 each

Yeah that's what I was thinking. They seem ridiculously expensive for OEM ones.

[325_driver 422]

@cat007 yup, 

even @Jacko is living on the wild side right now with some Amazon Vanos solenoids in his 330 with no troubles.

[cat007 0]

2 minutes ago, 325_driver said:

@cat007 yup, 

even @Jacko is living on the wild side right now with some Amazon Vanos solenoids in his 330 with no troubles.

Nice. Thanks!

 

Apparently there are a few different versions with different sized holes in the end etc and there's very few, if any, that mention the 323. I'm assuming that the N52 and their solenoids are the same across? So that link you sent which says " for 128i 135i 328i 335i 525i X3 Z4 N51 N52 N54 3.0L "  should be ok for a 323i N52?

[325_driver 422]

If your paranoid, go to https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select

find your car, then find the engine component links with vanos solenoids, grab the OEM number, cross reference that number

[KwS 2429]

Iirc the 323i wasn't a model sold in the states, so probably why it's not on that list despite being similar. 

[cat007 0]

Ah ok.

Part number does match so will get them

Thanks!