330i 2006 long crank

330istocknot · 09-03-2016, 03:32 AM

Hi All,

Left my 335i, and got me a 330i, was running great, but its starting to get chilli out, about 55-60, i tried turning on the car, and it gave me a 5 second crank, then rpms went up and down from 500-2k, then went normal.

Car started driving fine after. Turned on fine when warmed up.

No check engine, doesn't look like it might be the starter. or can it? Maybe just a weak battery? anyone experienced this before.

I left my 335i because of HPFP probs, dont tell me i got myself into another problem with the fuel pump on this car too?

Im strting to dislike BMW now, and no its not about the money, its how easily something can break. We have a 12 year old Camry that only needs oil changes and spark plug, ran great for 12 years and still is...

Any advice on the problem? No check engine light, so i cant get any codes with my OB2.

Any help?

ctuna · 09-03-2016, 04:02 AM

Battery would be first thing to check.
You could also try leaving it on a charger
overnight to see if it eliminates the problem .

Efthreeoh · 09-03-2016, 08:04 AM

In August 2014 I had a one and only instance of my car a 2006 325i (same engine as yours) when it had a long crank and failed to start on the first attempt. A second attempt to start had it fire and idle very roughly for about 20 seconds, pretty much as you described yours did, and I had no SES light. A few weeks later I scanned the car with my BT scan tool and found a BMW-specific (i.e. not an OBDII code) camshaft timing code registered at the mileage the fail-to-start occurred. I assumed it was related to the eccentric shaft sensor (ESS). The car had 258,000 miles on it at the time. And from August 2014 to July 2016 (305,000 miles) the ESS code never reappeared and the car never had an issue starting. In July 2016 I replaced the leaking valve cover gasket and ESS because of the mileage on it.

Based on all the above blather, I suggest you scan the car with a BMW scan tool to see if there are any cam timing codes. I also suggest that one instance of an odd starting event does not necessarily mean there is a problem in need of immediate repair. The engine idle is controlled by the Valvetronic system and is quite complex in operation and dependent upon various sensors and a control motor to operate correctly. It hiccuped on you is my opinion. BMWs (I've owned them for 28+ years now) will hiccup on you from time to time; long-time owners come to realize this and tolerate it. It's just the ghost in the machine that gives BMWs their charm (to us enthusiasts at least

).

Now, comparing a BMW to a Toyota is a mistake. No BMW will run error-free as most Toyotas do. This is a phenomenon I run into all the time when people ask my advice about buying BMWs. People who are Toyota owners looking to up their automotive ownership status see that BMWs cost much more than Toyotas and rationally think BMWs must be more reliable because they cost more. Nothing is further from the truth. If you are looking at BMW for reliability, look elsewhere because the two are mutually exclusive.

Give your car time to "talk" to you some more before you go off on a hunting expedition to try and solve a problem that may not exist.

Wilt · 09-03-2016, 01:23 PM

You left a newer 335i for an older 330i, and complain when the older car has an issue develop?! Your N54 had more than its share of teething issues, not inherent to N55 335i.

My wife's 2007 Avalon needed a rebuilt transmission installed at 5 years and 70K miles, it needed several hundred dollars to replace the center brake light LED unit one year earlier! No car is without its issues.

09-03-2016, 03:32 AM	#1
330istocknot First Lieutenant 185 Rep 394 Posts Drives: 330chino Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: chino iTrader: (0)	330i 2006 long crank Hi All, Left my 335i, and got me a 330i, was running great, but its starting to get chilli out, about 55-60, i tried turning on the car, and it gave me a 5 second crank, then rpms went up and down from 500-2k, then went normal. Car started driving fine after. Turned on fine when warmed up. No check engine, doesn't look like it might be the starter. or can it? Maybe just a weak battery? anyone experienced this before. I left my 335i because of HPFP probs, dont tell me i got myself into another problem with the fuel pump on this car too? Im strting to dislike BMW now, and no its not about the money, its how easily something can break. We have a 12 year old Camry that only needs oil changes and spark plug, ran great for 12 years and still is... Any advice on the problem? No check engine light, so i cant get any codes with my OB2. Any help?
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09-03-2016, 04:02 AM	#2
ctuna Lieutenant General 1918 Rep 13,117 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Battery would be first thing to check Battery would be first thing to check. You could also try leaving it on a charger overnight to see if it eliminates the problem .
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09-03-2016, 08:04 AM	#3
Efthreeoh General 17367 Rep 18,769 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	In August 2014 I had a one and only instance of my car a 2006 325i (same engine as yours) when it had a long crank and failed to start on the first attempt. A second attempt to start had it fire and idle very roughly for about 20 seconds, pretty much as you described yours did, and I had no SES light. A few weeks later I scanned the car with my BT scan tool and found a BMW-specific (i.e. not an OBDII code) camshaft timing code registered at the mileage the fail-to-start occurred. I assumed it was related to the eccentric shaft sensor (ESS). The car had 258,000 miles on it at the time. And from August 2014 to July 2016 (305,000 miles) the ESS code never reappeared and the car never had an issue starting. In July 2016 I replaced the leaking valve cover gasket and ESS because of the mileage on it. Based on all the above blather, I suggest you scan the car with a BMW scan tool to see if there are any cam timing codes. I also suggest that one instance of an odd starting event does not necessarily mean there is a problem in need of immediate repair. The engine idle is controlled by the Valvetronic system and is quite complex in operation and dependent upon various sensors and a control motor to operate correctly. It hiccuped on you is my opinion. BMWs (I've owned them for 28+ years now) will hiccup on you from time to time; long-time owners come to realize this and tolerate it. It's just the ghost in the machine that gives BMWs their charm (to us enthusiasts at least ). Now, comparing a BMW to a Toyota is a mistake. No BMW will run error-free as most Toyotas do. This is a phenomenon I run into all the time when people ask my advice about buying BMWs. People who are Toyota owners looking to up their automotive ownership status see that BMWs cost much more than Toyotas and rationally think BMWs must be more reliable because they cost more. Nothing is further from the truth. If you are looking at BMW for reliability, look elsewhere because the two are mutually exclusive. Give your car time to "talk" to you some more before you go off on a hunting expedition to try and solve a problem that may not exist. __________________ A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission." Last edited by Efthreeoh; 09-03-2016 at 08:11 AM..
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09-03-2016, 01:23 PM	#4
Wilt Major 228 Rep 1,046 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: SF Bay area iTrader: (0)	You left a newer 335i for an older 330i, and complain when the older car has an issue develop?! Your N54 had more than its share of teething issues, not inherent to N55 335i. My wife's 2007 Avalon needed a rebuilt transmission installed at 5 years and 70K miles, it needed several hundred dollars to replace the center brake light LED unit one year earlier! No car is without its issues.
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