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      11-26-2015, 04:21 AM   #1123
TubbyJim
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not entirely clued up on these things...but did you say earlier your bmw has 38,000 miles? it seems very early in its life for a timing chain to be going. timing belt on other cars maybe, but I thought timing chains were supposed to be good for 100k+ ?

I may be entirely wrong and welcome comment from someone more learned ... !
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      11-26-2015, 07:45 AM   #1124
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Yes, it has less than 40k miles on the clock. Oil and filters were changed at 10k miles at most. That's why I found it extremely hard to believe that timing chain has failed.

On the other hand, after searching more on the Internet it seems that the problems are not unheard.

For example, this 118i with exactly the same engine as us ended up severely damaged because of the timing chain.
http://www.bimmerownersclub.com/foru...ine-melt-down/

Also some repairs being made
http://www.bmwhaus.ie/forum/showthread.php?tid=3253
Unfortunately, I don't have full service at BMW so I guess good will is out of question.

I find it strange that there are no errors recorded apart from the Vanos exhaust and vanos unit.

My mecanic advised me to get rid of the car, but I am not considering it at the moment, or should I?

Last edited by N43B20A; 11-26-2015 at 09:31 AM..
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      11-29-2015, 03:55 PM   #1125
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I have spent some of my weekend reading about the N43 engine problems and what I found is frightening:

It seems that the timing chain failure is more common than I though and the results are fatal for the engine. At least 5 users driving N43 engines reported the need to change the engine as the timing chain can damage the guide rail or slide rail and bits of plastic can flow in the oil, killing the engine.

I was aware about the injector, coils related problems, but those timing chain problems seems more serious, as they can end up costing half the car's value.

The point is, how do I know if my car is faulty? I am not driving it anymore before a mechanic will inspect the timing chain.

Related threads:
Dead engine at 48.000 km

Dead Engine 123.000km

Dead engine 60.000 km
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      11-29-2015, 04:57 PM   #1126
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Well that's well over a week now and it's been driving like a dream, wether or not it's the "ultimate driving machine" or not is up for debate but I do love it, it's very good.

One of my fears was that this was all leading up to a timing chain problem, my mate bought a 1 series M sport(2009) which was experiencing all the symptoms people have listed on this thread, it's the same engine as mine, luckily for him he was able to the car dealer to sort it all because he went through coils/vanos/NOx etc and in the end it turned out to be the timing chain that was ever so slightly slack but was throwing everything else out which in turn was throwing false codes out, he's never had a problem since the timing chain was fixed.

Good luck with everything folks, i'm hoping I don't need to read this thread again


Edited to say - My mates 1 series only had 21k on the clock
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      11-29-2015, 05:07 PM   #1127
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris_11 View Post
it's a little weird with these injectors. Are you sure those are the ones causing problems. From what i understand the last set of injectors are pretty good. Now i do not know if this solves the problem or not but really it's weird that they keep failing.
Maybe the coils are going rong. BMW changed the bosch coils with delphi and they look pretty diffrent but no recall with these new ones.
@Jimmy. Watch out for that oil cap. If you take the care from the dealer and it is runnig la crap again the oil cap doesen't seal properly and the engine is pulling fake aer and it causes to run like crap.
Thanks Chris 11, I have a 2011 320i with almost a year and while I have an extended warranty for the year it has given significant trouble, new Nox sensor and new injectors fitted and still just did not sound right. Anyway I took your advice and ordered a new oil cap and the car runs and sounds a lot better since. On the road it was much more torque and I can now leave it in 6th where before I was changing down. The oil cap was €16 so I would strongly recommend changing it. My car is also burning some oil on and off (which is very strange) and I am interested if the cap will also have an effect on this too.
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      12-12-2015, 03:27 PM   #1128
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Garage List
2006 318i  [9.00]
need help

Hi!
started the engine this morning and this came up.
the engine is not pulling and it won't rev.
the tester code is 2A69 Valvetronic Voltage Supply Servomotor 1
n46 engine, 318i, 120.000km
Attached Images
 
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      01-21-2016, 03:33 PM   #1129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nclsamy View Post
Thanks for updates! Good luck and hopefully your car is well for a long time!

Last week I made the regular oil & filter changes and also cleaned and inter-changed the Vanos solenoids.

Now I just came home from an indy and this time the diagnosis revealed just the Exhaust VANOS error, without the Camshaft or NOX Sensor error. Even though I switched the Vanos solenoids, the error is still on the Exhaust one.

He said that the VANOS error is because of timing chain faults and I should change the chain, chain tensioner and guide rail. He didn't check the chain or the chain guide.

What I am afraid of is actually throwing money at the car without solving the problems...

Yes, a slight rattle noise is present.

What are other symptoms of a failing timing chain? The car seems extremely weak lately...
Open the cap where you put oil, and with a screwdriver try to lift the chain.If it is weakened is the chain,chain tensioner and guide.I just changed at my car the chain, chain tensioner and guide rail and it feels like "it's another car".Before i had no power, all your symtoms without vanos.but the same lack of power.First you could try changing the chain tensioner.
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      01-27-2016, 03:52 PM   #1130
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Dan mrt

How much did it cost to change the chain etc??
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      02-09-2016, 03:19 AM   #1131
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280€.the chain kit was 130€ (Swag) and for labour 150€
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      02-16-2016, 02:40 PM   #1132
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I don't often post but got a bit of a problem with my E93. Recently the fuel consumption has plummeted, like I used to get around 32mpg in city driving but over the past few weeks I'm getting 22mpg. Tyres, etc all good.

I did have some emission problems on the MOT last year but the guy just took it for a drive round at high revs and it passed. Could it be something to do with this or have I got a big bill coming up?
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      02-19-2016, 03:13 AM   #1133
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Has anyone heard if BMW stopped using BOSCH coils on the E9x engines ?
If true what are they using instead ?
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      02-21-2016, 10:00 AM   #1134
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeKKeR View Post
Has anyone heard if BMW stopped using BOSCH coils on the E9x engines ?
If true what are they using instead ?
As far as I know, they switched to Delphy ones. Mine still runs on Bosch though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dan_mrt View Post
Open the cap where you put oil, and with a screwdriver try to lift the chain.If it is weakened is the chain,chain tensioner and guide.I just changed at my car the chain, chain tensioner and guide rail and it feels like "it's another car".Before i had no power, all your symtoms without vanos.but the same lack of power.First you could try changing the chain tensioner.
I changed the whole chain kit. It runs smooth now and no more "check engine light" for me. Also changed the plugs. Let's see how long it goes until the next problem.

I am not sure if normal or not, but the exhaust is slightly black and I tried cleaning it, but it gets dirty fastly. What should I check?
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      02-22-2016, 12:59 PM   #1135
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Hey nikola do you own the Twitter account @nikola?
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      04-05-2016, 08:24 AM   #1136
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Hi can you tell me if you have slight vibrations at 900rpm, that disappear at higher engine speeds
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      04-25-2016, 12:58 PM   #1137
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Hello, guys!

Luckily, after the timing chain change, the car runs smooth. Hopefully it continues to do so for a long time.

I may sound like an idiot, but I am actually considering buying an E92 with the same engine for my brother.

Are the coil + injectors related problems solved with the latest parts?

I found a great deal, with only 50k miles on the clock, considerably cheaper that its sister with the N47 engine (which also suffers from the timing chain problems by the way). With the money saved, I could change the injectors and coils.

Is it worth the effort?

Big thanks!
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      05-14-2016, 02:49 PM   #1138
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Hi guys my 320i N43 engine started making a bit of engine rattle, was in the process of getting the chain changed and the engine seized. Not entirely sure what caused it yet most likely the timing slipped due to slack chain (90k on car) but the damage is big as will the bill, probably a new crank shaft, at least 2 con rods and haven't checked top of engine yet.

I have come across garage in England that states all N43 engine should be serviced at 10k and not 24k as condition based servicing can allow as 20k servicing causes the engine to get clogged up and then failure result.

The only other tip I would give you guys out there is every few years get you oil pan opened mine had several bits of chain guide in it and if I had done it earlier it would have pointed out to the chain/guides needing replacement(it annoys me just thinking about it, plastic guides rubbing against a steel chain in a hot engine and this is expected to last the life of the car). The other problem with the guides bits being left in the oil pan is they can clog the oil screen which would cause a possible crank bearing failure if you accelerated very hard. Either way BMW engines are over rated and poorly designed, what a pity.
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      09-18-2016, 11:48 AM   #1139
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richie45 View Post
Hi guys my 320i N43 engine started making a bit of engine rattle, was in the process of getting the chain changed and the engine seized. Not entirely sure what caused it yet most likely the timing slipped due to slack chain (90k on car) but the damage is big as will the bill, probably a new crank shaft, at least 2 con rods and haven't checked top of engine yet.

I have come across garage in England that states all N43 engine should be serviced at 10k and not 24k as condition based servicing can allow as 20k servicing causes the engine to get clogged up and then failure result.

The only other tip I would give you guys out there is every few years get you oil pan opened mine had several bits of chain guide in it and if I had done it earlier it would have pointed out to the chain/guides needing replacement(it annoys me just thinking about it, plastic guides rubbing against a steel chain in a hot engine and this is expected to last the life of the car). The other problem with the guides bits being left in the oil pan is they can clog the oil screen which would cause a possible crank bearing failure if you accelerated very hard. Either way BMW engines are over rated and poorly designed, what a pity.
Hi, Richie!

Sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I can confirm that the BMW engines are overrated.

Now, to come with updates after the timing chain change 10 months and 7000k miles ago:
- Fuel consumptions improved about 15%.
- car was running perfectly smooth until a last week, when it started "coughing". It seems like a gentle misfire occuring for the first miles after a cold start. The revs keep jumping +/-100 rpms for a fraction of second, and then everything is ok. Before changing the chain, the engine stutter and car shake were far more accentuated and power loss was highly pronounced.

Curious what would be the cause of this "cough". Should I try to change the coils? Can anybody offer me some details about the recalls of which should I be aware? We changed the 4 coils under recall 4 years ago. Is there a new set available? Mine are still BOSCH.

Any piece of advice is highly appreciated!
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      02-12-2017, 03:38 PM   #1140
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Hi,

I'm new to the forum but hoping one of you may be able to help with my issues!!!

I have a BMW 320i (N43), couple of months ago it started with a slighty lumpy cold start and hesitation for about 10-15 minutes until it had warmed up. Also at this stage it sounded very ticky!!!

I had the timing chain kit replaced (preventative not because of a fault), coil packs, spark plugs and a full major service as well....this was around a month ago.

A few days ago after driving for about 45 minutes the car seemed to lose it power, it would still drive but seemed very flat and very lumpy. Also it seemed to bunny hop down the road if the revs fell below 1500

I had the AA out to the car who scanned the ECU (never had any lights on dash) and the code came up for the Mass Air Flow meter and the NOX sensor which was sulphurised.

Any way, managed to get the car into a BMW dealer who diagnosed the car with the same faults as the AA and changed both Mass Air Flow and NOX sensor, put the car into a "regen mode" and took it for a 30 minute blast down the motorway. As soon as I got the car home it again was lumpy on tickover, sounded very rough and was just not a very happy little motor!!!

The BMW dealer has said that all injectors had tested OK and there is nothing else showing as a fault but obviously there has to be something.

Any help anyone can offer will be much appreciated.

Many thanks


Tim
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      02-28-2017, 06:43 AM   #1141
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nclsamy View Post
Hi, Richie!

Sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I can confirm that the BMW engines are overrated.

Now, to come with updates after the timing chain change 10 months and 7000k miles ago:
- Fuel consumptions improved about 15%.
- car was running perfectly smooth until a last week, when it started "coughing". It seems like a gentle misfire occuring for the first miles after a cold start. The revs keep jumping +/-100 rpms for a fraction of second, and then everything is ok. Before changing the chain, the engine stutter and car shake were far more accentuated and power loss was highly pronounced.

Curious what would be the cause of this "cough". Should I try to change the coils? Can anybody offer me some details about the recalls of which should I be aware? We changed the 4 coils under recall 4 years ago. Is there a new set available? Mine are still BOSCH.

Any piece of advice is highly appreciated!
Updates after diagnosis: It looks like a missfire on cilinder 3. My mechanic friend says that the injector needs to be replaced. But an aquaintance of mine, with exactly the same car and also the same problem, has just changed all the four injectors with brand new ones. The problem didn't stop. He didn't change the coils.

My question is, can the coils be faulty? is it worthy to try and change the coil pack with the updated Delphi ones before changing the injector?

Thank you for any piece advice!
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      04-02-2017, 02:03 AM   #1142
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Is there a guide on changing the injectors anywhere? I am about to do my 4 coils and plugs but never done injectors before. Are any special tools required at all?
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      06-09-2017, 07:21 AM   #1143
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BMW 320i injector problem.

My 8 year old E91 with N43 engine started to hesitate on acceleration and flashed engine llight warning intermittently. Took it to the BMW garage and after two days, the verdict came. Need to change the fuel injector, sparkplug and coil in cylinder number three. They had allready changed all the 4 sparkplugs, and all four coils a few years ago and I had paid about 500 Euros then. Now they want to change the injector, sparkplug and coil in just one cylinder (in number three cylinder) for (take a deep breath!) for 700 Euros. The car has only done 50000 Km and is allready sucking money. Before I bought this car I have always owned Toyotas (corolla, RAV4 and Aygo). Toyotas have been a gem to own. No expensive repairs just service and rusted exhaust after 12 years! We still own the Aygo and it has been everywhere and has the same milage as our BMW with no hiccups at all. I know, no more BMW for me. I am going to go back to Toyota after this! We have been taken for a ride by these German manufactures and their false advertisement.
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      06-09-2017, 07:25 AM   #1144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stokieshinobi View Post
Is there a guide on changing the injectors anywhere? I am about to do my 4 coils and plugs but never done injectors before. Are any special tools required at all?

There is a video on the you tube but the engine is a different one N 50 something.
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