[moonsin]

I started my car after getting out of work. It started normally with no issues. but the catch was it died immediately after. RPM went up and down once or twice and it cut off. Tried starting again and same thing happens. Took out my OBD II scanner to see what was up since i didnt see any error messages on my idrive. I got a P1017 error from the reading.

P1017
- Valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor circuit is open or shorted
- Valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor poor electrical connection
- Missing reluctor on valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor
- Faulty valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor

Greatttttt...so i called AAA to tow it to the local independent shop that i know and before truck got to me i tried starting the car for the hell of it again and it fired up but with check engine light. Regardless i wasn't gonna risk driving 25 miles on the highway during rush hour with a car that can potentially cut out at any minute. I tow it to the shop and checked for the codes again it cleared on its own and car fired with zero issues.

Now the question is do i still get it checked out? or do i just assume it was one time hiccup?? Wish i knew about this when i took my car in for service last saturday

[Meeni]

You probably have the very common and very easy to fix dirty VANOS solenoids. Look in the DIY section, its a 2/3 hours job accessible for the most modest wrenching skills.

[hugus311]

Originally Posted by Meeni

You probably have the very common and very easy to fix dirty VANOS solenoids. Look in the DIY section, its a 2/3 hours job accessible for the most modest wrenching skills.

vanos would give you ses light but would still run. most likely eccentric shaft sensor. might be oil in connector





here is a diy and photos from above Thank you MrQuickR1
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697252

if this is the culprit parts and labor are 1500-1600 on average

[moonsin]

It was the malfunctioning sensor...i just got my car back this afternoon. Thank god i didn't have to pay anywhere CLOSE to that labor rate...regardless it was an expensive fix

[hugus311]

indy should be around 900 considering part alone is 450.
glad it all worked out

[Three_thirty_I]

So I gather valve cover off to get to the sensor and replace?

Glad that you got it sorted out!!

[moonsin]

No problems since i got the car back from the shop...(i do pray for a smooth start before i push the button now )

[Meeni]

Was the sensor flooded with oil, or just silently defective ? Any other symptoms before it failed ?

[moonsin]

Originally Posted by Meeni

Was the sensor flooded with oil, or just silently defective ? Any other symptoms before it failed ?

I'm not sure if it was flooded or not with oil....The night before it failed, my car was jerking ever so slightly every time i let off the gas pedal...like it was caught in between shifts..thats about the only abnormal thing i could think of before it failed.

[Handsomecore]

Originally Posted by moonsin

I'm not sure if it was flooded or not with oil....The night before it failed, my car was jerking ever so slightly every time i let off the gas pedal...like it was caught in between shifts..thats about the only abnormal thing i could think of before it failed.

Hey bro my car is doing the samething the mechanic said I have to replace the ecentric shaft sensor and the valtronic motor smh how much was the sensor ????

[moonsin]

Originally Posted by Handsomecore

Hey bro my car is doing the samething the mechanic said I have to replace the ecentric shaft sensor and the valtronic motor smh how much was the sensor ????

I think it was around $400...i can't remember off top of my head

[Handsomecore]

Originally Posted by moonsin

I think it was around $400...i can't remember off top of my head

My car has been like this for a year & half I'm wondering why it isn't making the engine come on .they tech did tell me the car can eventually not start I thought he was lying but I see he wasn't .so once you replaced the sensor the car was good no more problems

[moonsin]

Originally Posted by Handsomecore

My car has been like this for a year & half I'm wondering why it isn't making the engine come on .they tech did tell me the car can eventually not start I thought he was lying but I see he wasn't .so once you replaced the sensor the car was good no more problems

I have had no problems since i got the sensor replaced. It also got rid of occasional rough idling where the revs were jumping up and down between 500 and 700 rpms when idle

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by moonsin

I think it was around $400...i can't remember off top of my head

You can get it around $310 to $340 if you look around.
Tichner got it for $338
http://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/200...icleid=1433812

[moonsin]

I'm sure you can get it for cheaper online. i just needed it fixed right away which is why i paid premium for parts

[dwreckp]

I had the same code and symptoms when trying to start. It was the eccentric valvetronic camshaft sensor. $400 for parts. With labor turned out to be around $1100. Runs perfectly now.

[dassub]

Yup, when my eccentric shaft sensor went, I just couldn't start my car anymore. If I got lucky, maybe once out of every 10 tries the car would start (which is when I was able to drive it to the dealer).

[tigermack]

Just replaced the sensor. Took about 3 hours to do this all. Car runs great again but code is still there? Cleared it numerals times...

[PasionM]

I've seen a couple of cars that get the oil in the connector and they push there way into the DME. I'd double check at the DME and see if there is oil in there if the codes are still present.

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by PasionM

I've seen a couple of cars that get the oil in the connector and they push there way into the DME. I'd double check at the DME and see if there is oil in there if the codes are still present.

It won't damage my new sensor, right?

[nrugg25]

My car is in for the same exact issue at BMW Seattle. I emailed my SA about the eccentric shaft sensor tonight, and relay that back to the tech....Cross your fingers. Will update to what they found.

[nrugg25]

Originally Posted by nrugg25

My car is in for the same exact issue at BMW Seattle. I emailed my SA about the eccentric shaft sensor tonight, and relay that back to the tech....Cross your fingers. Will update to what they found.

BMW Seattle after seeing the pics above inspected the sensor and did find oil leakage. They cleaned all oil out, and replaced the seal that was letting the oil in. Car has been running with no issues as of late, again thanks to the members on here!