[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Unless my resources are incorrect that is too tight of a gap. I have here .044 as being OEM spec for being N55. Feel free to correct me if my source is wrong.

While we are on the subject which spark plugs are you using specifically? Part Number? Manufacturer?

BMW oem plugs.

The old plugs gapped around .030 with 63k on them.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

I'm assuming my source of .044 gap is just incorrect at this point. I've actualy googled mutliple sources and for the OEM plugs they won't even list the gap. For other aftermarket options like NGK and Denso they come up with .031 and .044.

I found one site that listed the gap for the Bosch ZGR6STE2 and it says .7MM which is .027 which would be spot on. Sigh.

I guess nobody knows at this point. Perhaps it's not the gap.

[WhiteFury]

BMW shows that I have shadow codes for ValvaTronic what is that?

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

BMW shows that I have shadow codes for ValvaTronic what is that?

It's the vanos. Could be dirty or faulty. That could easily be the culprit as well.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

It's the vanos. Could be dirty or faulty. That could easily be the culprit as well.

Could it have been when I removed them to clean?

I guy on Bimmerfest had said something about one of the lever arms under the valve cover could've popped off

What does that mean?

Also I noticed that my temperature gauge gets up to about 230 to 240°F, is this normal?

The reason I ask is because I'm in a loaner car right now it's a 2013 335i which is the N55 engine just like mine and it stuck at 180?

On a side note:
I just got the DME update done at the BMW dealership and the exhaust got quieter for sure in fact I have the secondary cats removed at the shop the other day and basically negated most of the sound. I'm really upset about that.

The sputter got a little worse also.

[WhiteFury]

I I did a compression check to make sure the cylinders were all equal and here's the results.

Compression results:

Cylinder #1 - 139 psi

Cylinder #2 - 138 psi

Cylinder #3 - 138 psi

Cylinder #4 - 141 psi

Cylinder # 5 - 139 psi

Cylinder # 6 - 140 psi

[WhiteFury]

Cylinder number five misfire came back. I have no idea why but here's a picture of the Vanos system.

[WhiteFury]

My issue finally is resolved. Thanks for the help Jeff!

[Glowin]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

My issue finally is resolved. Thanks for the help Jeff!

Glad to hear, but after all that, would have been helpful if you'd post some more info in case it helps others...

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

My issue finally is resolved. Thanks for the help Jeff!

Originally Posted by Glowin

Glad to hear, but after all that, would have been helpful if you'd post some more info in case it helps others...

It turned out to be a combination of spark plugs and a leak at the intake manifold. The intake manifold needed to be tightened down (because it was removed previously) and the theory on the spark plugs was since they were removed a few times they got "banged up" and were shot. My gut feeling was something was up with the spark plugs. That's why I was basically insisting something had to be the problem with them. Glad I was partially right.

I assumed the intake manifold was torqued to spec cause he said it was but it turns out the original spec was off and it required more torque.

On a side note this proves again how useless those smoke tests are. Unless they pressurize that system to atleast 20 PSI they are bogus. They only find huge leaks.

[blisstik]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

It's the vanos. Could be dirty or faulty. That could easily be the culprit as well.

I have about 90K on vanos solenoids. No codes or anything. Should they be replaced or simply clean them out?

[N54POWR]

I just wanted to add my experience to this thread for posterity sake.
I was having consistent misfires after installing Cobb.
These misfires eventually began to occur when the cobb was uninstalled as well.
It began to be a real pain in the ass because the dealer techs couldn't get the car to misfire on command like I could.
After a couple of dealer visits and them not being able to find the problem, they finally found something. Valve spring was the culprit.
Hope it helps anyone else with similar issues.

I would also like to add that I installed, un-installed, and re-installed my Cobb flash several times over the course of trying to figure this out and the dealer never mentioned anything about having a tune.

[Jim9]

Curious if we can switch injectors with a different cylinder to see if misfire follow? Would coding the injector be necessary? I'm tempting to buy a new injector but would like to make sure. Misfire cylinder 4 and just replaced plugs with oem. Thanks



-I also switch Coils with same cylinder code on wot only.

[SM335i]

I need some help guys, I have a misfire code P0301, cylinder 1, I have new plugs, like 10,000 miles on them, I also tried swapping coil packs between other cylinders and the code is still the same P0301, I cleared the code and it came back like a month later. I also noticed bad gas mileage, like 14-15 mpgs... any ideas???

[entrepreneur177]

Hi all!

I've read all of the thread and others on this forum, however, my issue is a little odd....

I don't have any misfires... I don't have any check engine signs (other than de-cat issue)
But everytime i go WOT, car suddenly looses power... I've seen some guys here had same issues, but it was always paired with misfire...
What would you think i should do? Since i don't know the cylinder that's causing problem, swapping coils wouldn't work to diagnose...

had my HPFP replaced under warranty 10.000 miles ago. Changed all plugs ± 6.000 miles ago.
Currently i have only 20.000 miles on my car, but it's '09 - i barely drive it (could it be the reason for those failures?)
I'm pretty sure my z4 has all the same components as you guys have....its n54 with jb4, full exhaust, dci, DCT... no meth

Would appreciate any valuable input.

[BeauSeFBMW]

Just wanted to chime in real quick...This is an awesome thread! Thanks everyone who has posted, it has helped me understand my car that much more!

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by BeauSeFBMW

Just wanted to chime in real quick...This is an awesome thread! Thanks everyone who has posted, it has helped me understand my car that much more!

Originally Posted by entrepreneur177

Hi all!

I've read all of the thread and others on this forum, however, my issue is a little odd....

I don't have any misfires... I don't have any check engine signs (other than de-cat issue)
But everytime i go WOT, car suddenly looses power... I've seen some guys here had same issues, but it was always paired with misfire...
What would you think i should do? Since i don't know the cylinder that's causing problem, swapping coils wouldn't work to diagnose...

had my HPFP replaced under warranty 10.000 miles ago. Changed all plugs ± 6.000 miles ago.
Currently i have only 20.000 miles on my car, but it's '09 - i barely drive it (could it be the reason for those failures?)
I'm pretty sure my z4 has all the same components as you guys have....its n54 with jb4, full exhaust, dci, DCT... no meth

Would appreciate any valuable input.

First step is to read the codes. Some retail auto stores locally read codes for free or you can find an independent shop who may do it.

[Sunny31]

Had the SES light come this past week. Dealership narrowed it down to cylinder 2 misfire. Was told they need to replace all 6 injectors because they only have the new version of the injector available? PT# 13538616079.

They said I could try to source the old injector if I wanted. Can anyone confirm this? What is the older injector part #, would it be the one in the DIY (# 13537585261)?

Planning on following the DIY and changing them out myself. Wondering if I should bother changing all 6 with the new part# or get the older injector and just replace the one misfiring.

There was a recall performed on my car back in 2011, my car fell between the build dates of the SIB 10-13-14, but the injectors didn't match the problem injectors so were never changed out by dealership.

[Sunny31]

Was doing some more digging and looks like Vassillalov answered my question. There is a new Generation of injectors that aren't compatible with gen 1. So my question would be what is recommended, do all 6 with gen 2 or just 1 with gen 1 . Car is has 60000 miles.

Originally Posted by vasillalov

Your misfire troubleshooting steps are spot on. Plugs, swap coils with another cylinder, then do the injector last.

There is a new generation 2 of injectors that BMW released. The rumor is that they are not compatible with the old injectors and that they need to be all the same on each bank. This means you can replace 3 at a time. In your case it would be injectors 1, 2 and 3 as they are in bank 1.

I have not see anyone actually trying to replace only one injector from the new gen 2 on any of the boards. It might be possible, it might not.

BTW, the last part number for gen1 injectors ends on 261. If you can still get those from your dealer or online, then you can replace just one injector.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Sunny31

Was doing some more digging and looks like Vassillalov answered my question. There is a new Generation of injectors that aren't compatible with gen 1. So my question would be what is recommended, do all 6 with gen 2 or just 1 with gen 1 . Car is has 60000 miles.

It's your call. Keep in mind the all the Gen 1 will likely fail a lot sooner then the Gen 2.

Pay now or pay later.

[vasillalov]

Actually,

I've been running gen2 mixed with gen1 injectors in my car just fine. I have replaced injector number 4 in my car with gen2 injector. The part number ends on 261-11 which stands for integration level 11. The coding procedure is exactly the same. The car runs fine.

So, you absolutely CAN mix injectors even in the same bank of cylinders.

[Maniac0908]

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