[Three_thirty_I]

Look, this car has been driving me nuts for ages now, with all kinds of annoying issues, pinging noise, or pinging like noise, especially when the weather is warmer than usual, intermittent flat spots or stumbles at low rpm when accelerating, the annoying 3000 rpm dip, impossible to fix overcooling issue, intermittent battery drain issue. It really is time for me to call it a day, but I had to take the silly car out for a drive just now, and the first thing that greeted me was a headlight out error of all things, left headlight bulb failed, no big deal, and it has lasted fairly well, but like I really need more irritation from this car.

So I am driving for a while and the roads are absolutely clear, I decide to give the throttle some heavy foot treatment. Well, she pulls fine until 6500 rpm, after that she just stumbles and not really interested in accelerating much more, next gear, same story, so definitely not a traction issue. What on earth could be causing this? Eccentric Shaft sensor faulty (have checked the plug many times over the years and no traces of oil)? Some years back a so called BMW specialist over here picked up a fault with the Valvetronic motor and had me get that replaced (he didn't even calibrate it correctly). And interestingly, when I fetched the car, it was terrible to drive and also wouldn't rev past 6000 rpm. I am really at my wits end, and I think it is time for me to close end this chapter...

[W37V]

Do check your eccentric shaft sensor. Lower redline, rough running and increased consumption are all symptoms of it failing.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by W37V

Do check your eccentric shaft sensor. Lower redline, rough running and increased consumption are all symptoms of it failing.

Haven't checked it in the last few months, but every time when I have checked the connector in the past it is absolutely dry and free of oil, and no oil around the gasket. But I gather this doesn't necessarily mean the sensor isn't failing. It just annoys me that so called specialists have you replace the easy to replace parts first when they are less likely to be the cause of the problem. In all the years, no error codes generally, and nothing that specifically says Eccentric Shaft sensor, although, I suspect that the error or limp mode that the "specialist" observed was incorrectly diagnosed as the Valvetronic motor. After the new part was fitted, and I let it perform its self calibration which they neglected to do, it ran fine, but no different to how the car was before they fitted the new part. So essentially I have a perfectly good old Valvetronic motor packed away in a box somewhere.

Random issues from many years ago till now: One day very early on in the ownership of this car, I pulled away as normal from cold, and it felt as if the engine briefly lost all power, and then very abruptly jerked back to life - was not a pleasant thing to experience, but hasn't ever done that again. It has happened sometimes (actually did it earlier when I left) where as I am reversing out of my garage onto the downward sloping driveway, foot off throttle, in neutral, the revs randomly climbs a few hundred RPM for a second or so, then returns back to normal (not a bouncing throttle, it's as if you press and hold the throttle lightly). On very hot days, the idle speed is noticeably higher than normal - instead of the 600 rpm idle, it's around 900 rpm. About a year ago I was driving one night, and the idle all of a sudden dropped to around 500 rpm, then settled again, and hasn't done that since. I must say, the whole time that I drove the car tonight, the idle speed did seem a bit higher, as if it was still in warm up cycle. So I have no idea, and really am not willing to just throw parts at this car anymore. I am going to take it in to have the battery draining issue looked at, and maybe they will see an error code, and if it is really indicative of a failed or failing sensor, I might replace it and see, but if not, I think it's time for me to get rid of it - 5 years of battling with this car, that's 5 years too long!

[scanspeak]

Poor quality / low octane fuel ?

[JuniorB]

These cars are pretty much bulletproof if taken care of, as long as your maintenance is done, oil, plugs, etc, these cars are extremely reliable. Unless you have mechanical background you need a great Indy not good, or so so, a great one. Someone who has worked on these cars and are familiar with is characteicts, but anyway. If your not pushing codes, do not start buying parts for it till you know what's wrong. Have you even done a software update for the dealer? How old is the battery, and make sure your 13.5 on the charge side. If you don't have perfect power and ground, these cars can trigger codes that conflict each other. Besides the software, when was your last maintenance done? Plugs, maf cleaned, air filter? Your current software will tell you what your rpm limit is. Hope this helps, besides being mad, read some of the tread in here.

[Three_thirty_I]

Okay, please don't take this the wrong way, but I am not using cheap low quality fuel, or skimping on maintenance. This car was bought 7 years ago almost to the day as a low mileage one owner car, and it was still under BMW Motorplan. I paid a premium for this car with the hopes that I was buying a good sensible and reliable car, not an ///M car or 335i with all the known issues. The initial pining issue started back in early 2012 and I tasked BMW to sort this out - they in fact suggested that the engine was pinging, and not a chattering dual mass flywheel which some here thought might be the source of the noise (I have heard the same noise on a family member's 2009 X3 2.5i X-Drive automatic, so no dual mass flywheel there). They updated the software again (was done just a few month earlier at it's final Motorplan covered service) and reset the adaptations, oh, and they sprayed some penetrating lubricant on the serpentine belt tensioner suspecting that it was causing the noise. Eventually time ran out and I was out of Motorplan with the problem persisting. I took the car to the first BMW specialist that picked up a few things from, I gather, live data logging. There was a smooth running issue, which they said could be an injector, plug, coil, valves or rings on that particular cylinder - a later visit to another BMW specialist revealed the same problem, and it was found to be some dirt in the fuel rail affecting the no.1 injector - injectors and fuel rail cleaned in an ultrasonic bath and the smooth running was fine, that was when the Valvetronic motor fault was spotted. The first specialist also noted that the engine was running too cool and that the Valvetronic system was out of spec by 10%, could be corrected with software. Later on, this same specialist then suggested that the overcooling may be a temperature sensor problem rather than the thermostat. Then the noise was diagnosed as noise DISA flaps, like you would get with the E46 M54 engines. So I decided to DIY the replacement of the temperature sensors and DISA actuators. No difference. Later on I replaced the thermostat, and again, no difference, engine coolant temperature still mostly sits around 80 degrees C, never seems to go over 97 degrees, and certainly doesn't run at the normal 105 degrees "eco-mode" range. And while all of these issues were being diagnosed, no actual error codes. Very early on, I did replace the spark plugs with the Bosch parts, and did check that they were properly gapped, and again, it made no difference. And, this was done when the car still had around 65k km or so, at present, the car has just over 82k km on the clock, so not a worn out high mileage car, but at the same time, it is not subjected to short trips. The battery issue started around 2013 when it was clear that the original battery was getting weaker and weaker each winter, so I had a new BMW supplied battery fitted of the same type and capacity, and had it registered. It never really felt like the new battery was all that much better than the old battery, and within a year I started to experience issues with the battery going flat if the car has stood parked and alarm set in my garage for a week. Used my Ctek charger each time to get it back to life, and then in 2015 when this happened again, I took the car to have various tests run. No parasitic draw, charge rate from the alternator was fine, even the battery seemed fine, but it was still suspected, and when I gave them permission to remove the seal so that they could test each cell, it was found that one of the cells was weak and causing internal resistance. Luckily, I was able to get BMW to replace that battery with another new battery, and had them fit it and register it. Not 4 months later, same thing, a week of standing, and I noticed that the alarm LED light was not blinking! Had to again unlock the driver's door manually in order to open the bonnet to charge the battery. From then on, I have kept the bonnet open when parked with the alarm not set, and have been monitoring battery voltage - it seems to be intermittent, and no, my car does not have comfort access, so it's not the key fob being too close to the car. It seems to be something that is randomly (although it's now getting more and more regular) preventing the electronics from entering full sleep mode, or waking the electronics. The start button goes out after a few minutes after parking the car, but it does sometimes briefly light up, and you can hear the electronics wake, it then either settles again, or you can see the voltage dropping off slowly. Even when charging, and when the charger has run through the charging cycle and is just maintaining the voltage, it will go from supplying power to the battery off and then back on again every minute or so, very very quick rate of discharge (from 13,67v down to 13,25v).

In terms of maintenance. The last service was done beginning of last year, and basically 4k km ago. I fitted a new MAF sensor a few years ago thinking that it might be a MAF issue somehow, that made no difference. Honestly, maintenance is perfectly up to date, and apart from not having oil changed annually (which I generally prefer), I cannot justify draining oil that has done so little mileage. Air filter was also replaced at the last service. A little more than 2 years ago, I even had the car's ECU tested and reprogrammed at an ECU specialist that BMW and many other brands sold locally use for the more complicated work.

And don't get me wrong, I am not doubting that these engines are bulletproof, it's the electronics that's letting everything down! There are too many sensors, too many electronic devices that are replacing trusty old mechanical parts, and they just don't last.

Take a look at my join date to the forum, I have been through most of the threads and have posted a fair amount, I am not new to the N52 and it's common ailment, but at this point, I have reached the end of what I am willing to put up with.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

Okay, please don't take this the wrong way, but I am not using cheap low quality fuel, or skimping on maintenance. This car was bought 7 years ago almost to the day as a low mileage one owner car, and it was still under BMW Motorplan. I paid a premium for this car with the hopes that I was buying a good sensible and reliable car, not an ///M car or 335i with all the known issues. The initial pining issue started back in early 2012 and I tasked BMW to sort this out - they in fact suggested that the engine was pinging, and not a chattering dual mass flywheel which some here thought might be the source of the noise (I have heard the same noise on a family member's 2009 X3 2.5i X-Drive automatic, so no dual mass flywheel there). They updated the software again (was done just a few month earlier at it's final Motorplan covered service) and reset the adaptations, oh, and they sprayed some penetrating lubricant on the serpentine belt tensioner suspecting that it was causing the noise. Eventually time ran out and I was out of Motorplan with the problem persisting. I took the car to the first BMW specialist that picked up a few things from, I gather, live data logging. There was a smooth running issue, which they said could be an injector, plug, coil, valves or rings on that particular cylinder - a later visit to another BMW specialist revealed the same problem, and it was found to be some dirt in the fuel rail affecting the no.1 injector - injectors and fuel rail cleaned in an ultrasonic bath and the smooth running was fine, that was when the Valvetronic motor fault was spotted. The first specialist also noted that the engine was running too cool and that the Valvetronic system was out of spec by 10%, could be corrected with software. Later on, this same specialist then suggested that the overcooling may be a temperature sensor problem rather than the thermostat. Then the noise was diagnosed as noise DISA flaps, like you would get with the E46 M54 engines. So I decided to DIY the replacement of the temperature sensors and DISA actuators. No difference. Later on I replaced the thermostat, and again, no difference, engine coolant temperature still mostly sits around 80 degrees C, never seems to go over 97 degrees, and certainly doesn't run at the normal 105 degrees "eco-mode" range. And while all of these issues were being diagnosed, no actual error codes. Very early on, I did replace the spark plugs with the Bosch parts, and did check that they were properly gapped, and again, it made no difference. And, this was done when the car still had around 65k km or so, at present, the car has just over 82k km on the clock, so not a worn out high mileage car, but at the same time, it is not subjected to short trips. The battery issue started around 2013 when it was clear that the original battery was getting weaker and weaker each winter, so I had a new BMW supplied battery fitted of the same type and capacity, and had it registered. It never really felt like the new battery was all that much better than the old battery, and within a year I started to experience issues with the battery going flat if the car has stood parked and alarm set in my garage for a week. Used my Ctek charger each time to get it back to life, and then in 2015 when this happened again, I took the car to have various tests run. No parasitic draw, charge rate from the alternator was fine, even the battery seemed fine, but it was still suspected, and when I gave them permission to remove the seal so that they could test each cell, it was found that one of the cells was weak and causing internal resistance. Luckily, I was able to get BMW to replace that battery with another new battery, and had them fit it and register it. Not 4 months later, same thing, a week of standing, and I noticed that the alarm LED light was not blinking! Had to again unlock the driver's door manually in order to open the bonnet to charge the battery. From then on, I have kept the bonnet open when parked with the alarm not set, and have been monitoring battery voltage - it seems to be intermittent, and no, my car does not have comfort access, so it's not the key fob being too close to the car. It seems to be something that is randomly (although it's now getting more and more regular) preventing the electronics from entering full sleep mode, or waking the electronics. The start button goes out after a few minutes after parking the car, but it does sometimes briefly light up, and you can hear the electronics wake, it then either settles again, or you can see the voltage dropping off slowly. Even when charging, and when the charger has run through the charging cycle and is just maintaining the voltage, it will go from supplying power to the battery off and then back on again every minute or so, very very quick rate of discharge (from 13,67v down to 13,25v).

In terms of maintenance. The last service was done beginning of last year, and basically 4k km ago. I fitted a new MAF sensor a few years ago thinking that it might be a MAF issue somehow, that made no difference. Honestly, maintenance is perfectly up to date, and apart from not having oil changed annually (which I generally prefer), I cannot justify draining oil that has done so little mileage. Air filter was also replaced at the last service. A little more than 2 years ago, I even had the car's ECU tested and reprogrammed at an ECU specialist that BMW and many other brands sold locally use for the more complicated work.

And don't get me wrong, I am not doubting that these engines are bulletproof, it's the electronics that's letting everything down! There are too many sensors, too many electronic devices that are replacing trusty old mechanical parts, and they just don't last.

Take a look at my join date to the forum, I have been through most of the threads and have posted a fair amount, I am not new to the N52 and it's common ailment, but at this point, I have reached the end of what I am willing to put up with.

I would just ditch the car if your at ropes end.....happiness can happen with new or reliable car....life's too short to deal with BMW garbage....so trash that FCK'R like Christmas wrapping.
GL op

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

I would just ditch the car if your at ropes end.....happiness can happen with new or reliable car....life's too short to deal with BMW garbage....so trash that FCK'R like Christmas wrapping.
GL op

Well, I have to get the battery issue sorted out at least - can't sell the car with that issue persisting. And maybe the Valvetronic issue from last night will have thrown a code. I haven't driven the car since, but I am pretty sure that it will behave, but if not, then that is also a good thing, it means that there is a reproducible fault that one can work with. I have hung on to this car because despite all of these annoying issues, I know the car's history, it has been very well looked after, and if everything worked as it's supposed to, then it is an awesome car. But fact is, I reckon I only had 1 year pleasure out of it in reality. The rest has been a nightmare.

[rick100]

U dont have to fix a thing if you trade it in. May be your best option. Unless of course you take it to a really good mechanic .
Life to short to deal with this silly problems.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by rick100

U dont have to fix a thing if you trade it in. May be your best option. Unless of course you take it to a really good mechanic .
Life to short to deal with this silly problems.

Well, I have to investigate my options, but that may well be my route to follow.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

Well, I have to get the battery issue sorted out at least - can't sell the car with that issue persisting. And maybe the Valvetronic issue from last night will have thrown a code. I haven't driven the car since, but I am pretty sure that it will behave, but if not, then that is also a good thing, it means that there is a reproducible fault that one can work with. I have hung on to this car because despite all of these annoying issues, I know the car's history, it has been very well looked after, and if everything worked as it's supposed to, then it is an awesome car. But fact is, I reckon I only had 1 year pleasure out of it in reality. The rest has been a nightmare.

Awe man....time to cut her loose,Stockholm syndrome has set in.
Get rid of her at all cost....she will destroy you

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Awe man....time to cut her loose,Stockholm syndrome has set in.
Get rid of her at all cost....she will destroy you

LOL, it feels like she already has!

[W37V]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Awe man....time to cut her loose,Stockholm syndrome has set in.
Get rid of her at all cost....she will destroy you

You mean Helsinki syndrome

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by W37V

You mean Helsinki syndrome

True! Good spot that! ?

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by W37V

You mean Helsinki syndrome

[JuniorB]

Well hell, if all you wanted was to dump it, well..pass it on. Btw, is it a n52 the year says 05 but it a e90? Anyway I thought I would throw out there the first things that came to mind with little info provided as far dianostics done. When electrical glitches start, it's a sign to look into the charging system. When you have engine issues without codes/cel, software updates come to mind. The pinging does sound like low quality fuel, but can lead to engine damage. Hope it goes well.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by JuniorB

Well hell, if all you wanted was to dump it, well..pass it on. Btw, is it a n52 the year says 05 but it a e90? Anyway I thought I would throw out there the first things that came to mind with little info provided as far dianostics done. When electrical glitches start, it's a sign to look into the charging system. When you have engine issues without codes/cel, software updates come to mind. The pinging does sound like low quality fuel, but can lead to engine damage. Hope it goes well.

No worries. But to be fair, if you check my profile for posts and threads, everything about the various problems with my car over the years is quite well documented. And yes, it is an E90 with the N52 motor that was already sold in South Africa in 2005, so I have one of the very first of these cars made. So for instance, the coil packs on mine are also different to all N52 engined E90's that were made from early 2006 onwards. For whatever reason, they used a different coil that has a slightly different tab on the connector, whereas the later models use exactly the same part as used on the older M54 motors, weird. But it's apparently just the plug that is different in terms of the tab location, so one could remove that tab and otherwise the coil packs are the same, at least so I hear. I have driven a number of N52 engined cars over the years to compare with mine. The pinging issue is somewhat present in most of them, so that could point to our fuel not being ideal, but I also am not so convinced that it is a pinging noise, it's more like a rattle or valvetrain noise, but the biggest issue has been the characteristics of the throttle, the jerkiness at times, the stutters or dips at certain engine speeds under load. And it really doesn't feel like all the ponies are working at full steam. If I was just hell bent on ditching this car, then I think 5 years of persistence and hanging on to it is a bit odd. But eventually one has to draw the line. BTW, the pinging is not a constant thing, it's now and again, and very dependant on weather and other conditions. If I drive with my window open, I can hear it only at specific instances, and even then, it's not every single time, and what makes me doubt that it is pinging, it doesn't sometimes on gear change, if a bit more abrupt (I always aim to drive smoothly, but it does happen that you get a less than perfect gear change here and there), or when closing throttle quickly. All the problems seemed to start just after BMW had it for its last Motorplan covered service. They had to update the software, there was a CAS fault with the steering lock, and apparently they had replaced the driver's door lock (had no idea there was anything wrong with that, maybe preventative). But the very intermittent rattle that I always assumed was the exhaust flap at lower speeds opening and closing, became more pronounce, and obviously that then wasn't what I thought I was hearing. And that was one of the tests that I also did some time ago, I disabled the exhaust flap to see if that was what I was hearing, wasn't obviously. So let's just say, I have done a heck of a lot to figure this problem out.

[JuniorB]

Years of cars in different countries sometimes falls in that category of were to begin. I baby my car, run nitrous, an e85 blend, on a stock car, and never ran into any issues you mention. These engines do run a higher comp than your typical, so I run premium, and to oil and plugs rather frequently. I've never ran into any issues since I bought her 3 yrs ago. I love the car and wound trade it for anything, got big plans, but hope you figure yours out.

[PhaseP]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

No worries. But to be fair, if you check my profile for posts and threads, everything about the various problems with my car over the years is quite well documented. And yes, it is an E90 with the N52 motor that was already sold in South Africa in 2005, so I have one of the very first of these cars made. So for instance, the coil packs on mine are also different to all N52 engined E90's that were made from early 2006 onwards. For whatever reason, they used a different coil that has a slightly different tab on the connector, whereas the later models use exactly the same part as used on the older M54 motors, weird. But it's apparently just the plug that is different in terms of the tab location, so one could remove that tab and otherwise the coil packs are the same, at least so I hear. I have driven a number of N52 engined cars over the years to compare with mine. The pinging issue is somewhat present in most of them, so that could point to our fuel not being ideal, but I also am not so convinced that it is a pinging noise, it's more like a rattle or valvetrain noise, but the biggest issue has been the characteristics of the throttle, the jerkiness at times, the stutters or dips at certain engine speeds under load. And it really doesn't feel like all the ponies are working at full steam. If I was just hell bent on ditching this car, then I think 5 years of persistence and hanging on to it is a bit odd. But eventually one has to draw the line. BTW, the pinging is not a constant thing, it's now and again, and very dependant on weather and other conditions. If I drive with my window open, I can hear it only at specific instances, and even then, it's not every single time, and what makes me doubt that it is pinging, it doesn't sometimes on gear change, if a bit more abrupt (I always aim to drive smoothly, but it does happen that you get a less than perfect gear change here and there), or when closing throttle quickly. All the problems seemed to start just after BMW had it for its last Motorplan covered service. They had to update the software, there was a CAS fault with the steering lock, and apparently they had replaced the driver's door lock (had no idea there was anything wrong with that, maybe preventative). But the very intermittent rattle that I always assumed was the exhaust flap at lower speeds opening and closing, became more pronounce, and obviously that then wasn't what I thought I was hearing. And that was one of the tests that I also did some time ago, I disabled the exhaust flap to see if that was what I was hearing, wasn't obviously. So let's just say, I have done a heck of a lot to figure this problem out.

Try cleaning the pins on the Maf connector, especially the pins on the cable side. It may help with some of your symptoms

[hassmaschine]

have you ever looked at the CPS? A bad base timing value could cause pretty much every single issue you have. The timing wheel is part of the crank, on cars where it was mounted to the hub it sometimes fell apart but I think that's unlikely here.

Even something like having too much gap between the CPS and timing wheel can cause a false RPM limit. It could be damaged, dirty, or just loose..

[tlow98]

You're not missing out on much above 6500...

[Three_thirty_I]

Well, this has been probably the longest that my car has not moved in a long time, but I decided to tackle some things earlier this evening before taking her out.

So I removed the air box and replaced the blown headlight bulb with a spare one of the same type, so same brand and type etc. With that being done, I inspected the contacts for the MAF sensor plus, and blew some air into both the sensor and plug contacts. After putting all of that back together, I carefully lifted and removed the plastic engine cover to inspect the Eccentric Shaft sensor plug, and as usual, absolutely dry, just a bit of grit around the plug. Put the cover back on and closed the bonnet.

I turned the ignition on and left it to hear if the Valvetronic wanted to do an end stop calibration, but nothing (was just a hunch), and then started her up. No drama, started as normal, so I drove off. And on the warm up she was driving fine, so I waited until she was warm enough for a while, then gave her a WOT in second gear - no problems getting to redline now. Continued driving more sedately and then a bit later on a quiet stretch, I gave her some hard pulls from 1st through to 4th gear, no issues.

So I have no idea what was up with her when she was misbehaving, and even the wonky idle that I had that night was gone. I wonder if the light bulb caused this, LOL (jokes). Actually, I wonder if the Eccentric Shaft sensor was giving stupid readings and the ECU went into some sort of fail-safe mode using the throttle body instead of the Valvetronic - but no errors or messages on the cluster other than the bulb failure... Weird.

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

have you ever looked at the CPS? A bad base timing value could cause pretty much every single issue you have. The timing wheel is part of the crank, on cars where it was mounted to the hub it sometimes fell apart but I think that's unlikely here.

Even something like having too much gap between the CPS and timing wheel can cause a false RPM limit. It could be damaged, dirty, or just loose..

I have long had my suspicions about this, but nothing diagnostics-wise has indicated that there is an issue, although, I am not sure if it would detect this since it is relying on these timing wheels to be correctly aligned. But whatever is going on, it seems a bit changeable or intermittent. If I am going to go to the trouble of having the valve cover removed for any reason, my intention is to have both the Eccentric Shaft sensor replaced (regardless of whether it is fine or not, simply because of age), and have these timing wheels checked and adjusted if necessary. But for that, you need the timing tool, which I don't have, so this won't be a DIY which, as always, worries me (don't really trust typical mechs, not here anyway). As for the cam position sensors, I suppose the best would be to get some new O-rings or whatever seals they have, remove them and inspect - not sure if swapping them around would do anything, but could do that. Maybe there is some dirt or some residue from age that is intermittently causing an issue with these sensors.