[deeebo8452]

Hi hoping one of you kind souls can advise me on my 2007 BMW 320D M SPORT COUPE E92 95K MILEAGE which is causing me all sorts of headache and stress. I believe it may be linked possibly with DPF, EGR, Swirl Flaps, MAF, or some kind or perhaps a vacuum leak somewhere, after doing some research of my own, however I would rather seek your advice to narrow it down:

1. There is a constant weird metallic clanking sort of noise from the engine area which goes in line with the engine as you rev the car (please refer to youtube video for a better idea especially 0:28 to 0:41). When driving like above 30mph you cannot hear the noise as it is drowned out. Also when you start the engine it doesnt fire immediately - perhaps glow plugs issue?

2. DPF light came on a week ago, tried going for a long motorway drive and used DPF cleaner however stayed on and there was an unusual whining hissing noise from the exhaust at times, but I don’t think this was a regeneration as there was no smoke. A friend cleared the codes using basic hand help device the size of a mobile phone and DPF light has since stayed off.

3. The same day I cleared DPF codes the car began to experience momentary flat spots (not that the rpm goes down, rather stays constant) whereby as you put your foot down there is little or no response in terms of acceleration. This mainly happens whilst in 4th gear at 2000rpm but also happens at slower speeds. Its important to note it doesn’t happen all the time rather it may happen randomly say a couple times a day each time lasting anywhere between 5 seconds to 30 seconds.

4. When I experience these flat spots I cannot feel the turbo kicking in nor hear that normal whooshing sounds from the exhaust.

5. When driving above 70mph there is a clicking kind of noise that comes from the passenger side air vent (where the heat or AC comes out of) – happens both when AC is on or off.

6. Earlier today I remove the MAF sensor (the electric plug) as someone suggested and the car ran fine. However 15 minutes in I went to the petrol station and when I turned the car on again the Engine Management Light came up on the dashboard – this light has not come on before.

7. Later today after the car had been left off for a few hours I turned it on as usual however it started to shudder left to right and struggled to keep its rpm and stalled. I then tried again whilst revving the car, it held for 10 seconds or so and soon as I left it idle it stalled again. I then started the car once again and this time kept the car revving and put it into reverse however I saw very heavy white smoke and a nasty smell coming from the exhaust and it stalled again whilst reversing not even a meter distance. This happened a good 5 times until I kept the revs really high and literally forced the car to pull away in 1st gear although it was struggling at first. However once I did 20 meters or so it was fine and didn’t even cut out when left idle at the traffic lights. When I turn the car off, the engine isn’t as smooth when shutting down, rather it shudders a little even whilst its turning off for that second or so. This is the first time it actually has stalled on me and the first time I saw any type of smoke coming from the back.

8. Its worth noting the area around my EGR looks really dirty with what seems to be black oil or something (please refer to picture).


I know the first thing is for me to obtain the faults codes. I have purchase a DIS INPA diagnostic online and am waiting for it to arrive – should this be sufficient or do I need to take it to a garage? In the meantime before I get the fault codes, any advice or suggestions on where the problem may lie and what do you recommend I do? Are there any tests of some kind? Should I try to do a DIY or is it better to hand it in?

Thanks in advance guys would really appreciate any help

[Controller]

Hi

No.1 sounds like some serious problem, i don't know if u've heard about timing chain problems, i think 2.0 diesels have this problem since '07, i've never exactly heard the sound of that but it's described as a metal noise from the engine compartment. I hope it's not that, for your sake

No.3 my mechanic told me about the problem with the intake manifold with flap control, flaps stop working. So u can experience flat spots as u described it. My '05 320d also has similar problem, although my mechanic fixed them in "full open" position. That should prevent engine damage in case the flaps r broken off.

Hope this will help,

regards

[deeebo8452]

Ran a diagnostic on the car and came back with loads of fault codes:

Please help - i am guessing the DPF, Air Mass Flow sensor and Glow Plus are the noteworthy fault codes that are giving me my poor idling, lack of power etc?

I am assuming this is not a DIY job right? And roughly how much do you think I am looking at? Im getting a little stressed out thinking about the cost. With a heavy DPF blockage as the fault code says - will i need to buy a new dpf or could it be possibly salvaged?

Thanks

[deeebo8452]

Originally Posted by Controller

Hi

No.1 sounds like some serious problem, i don't know if u've heard about timing chain problems, i think 2.0 diesels have this problem since '07, i've never exactly heard the sound of that but it's described as a metal noise from the engine compartment. I hope it's not that, for your sake

No.3 my mechanic told me about the problem with the intake manifold with flap control, flaps stop working. So u can experience flat spots as u described it. My '05 320d also has similar problem, although my mechanic fixed them in "full open" position. That should prevent engine damage in case the flaps r broken off.

Hope this will help,

regards

Thanks for reply Controller

no1. yes someone else suggested timing chains...are those expensive...i saw them between £30-70 on eurocarparts - does that sound right?

no3. Can this be done myself or is it wiser to take to the mechanic?

Do you think I should not drive the car at all and get it checked immenditely - will driving make it worse?

Thanks

ps. i uploaded the fault codes in the post above, not sure if you can advise on those?

[rick100]

At this point, take it down to a mechanic and have a profesional look at it. You may be doing more damage by running it or trying to fix it yourself.

Im sure a lot of members here are going to throw a lot of suggestions , and you may end up throwing a lot of parts in the car for nothing ...

Go to an indy shop and have it check out....

I had a similar problem with my mazda3 , maybe not as bad , and I was trying to get answers on the internet ... I tried a lot of things , nothing worked. Finally I decided to drop the car to my mechanic . By the end of that day he called back and told me to pick up the car , he had fix my problem. I asked him how much was it going to cost me and he said nothing , yes I got it fix for free.
Im not saying you are going to get it fix for free but maybe its not as bad as you think and they can always diagnosed and tell you how much it would cost , its up to you if you want to pay to have it fix

good luck

[deeebo8452]

Can anyone reccomend a good indy shop in northwest or west london or roundabouts? Thx

[Controller]

deebo,

as far as i know, timing chain isn't too expensive, but to change it u have to take out the whole package, engine and gearbox, cause the chain is on the back of the engine. driving the car with that problem could probably kill your engine for good. (i'm no expert, just passing info i've collected in a few years of driving and servicing my bimmer).

intake manifold problem, it's less dificult to change it, but if your not the mechanic it's better not to play around it. It's on the top of the engine, basically you unscrew some screws, but as i said, too deep for me

good luck!

[deeebo8452]

So I did a more detailed diagnostic on the DDE Diesel Electronics, output is as in the pictures below.

1. Am I right in reading that the dpf regen has not taken place in 29k miles and is this normal?

2. After how many miles on avg should it regen?

3. The exhaust backpressure 35mbar...is this really high? My brothers 520d only showed up as 11mbar!

4. Also how about the other measurements, are any of the item exceptionally high/low in relation to what it normally should be?

Help please