[ekuLUKEkul]

Hey, so mid December I got my EGR replaced as the car was suffering from stuttering and lumpy idle and was progressively getting worse.

Since then the car has been perfect. No rough idle and no stutter. However the EML has come back on again. I had it in for code reading and a few familiar ones came up. I can't remember them all now however I believe one was 40E9 - egr valve position controller

They all cleared accept one that will not clear, that one is 4A4F glow control unit. This one will not clear however the EML is not on with this one.

As I say the car seems fine. It drives perfectly and starts fine, since owning the car it has started no problem and only a few colder days a year I see the glow plug light on the dash for 1-3 seconds when pressing the start button as it preheats? Then fires up no problem. (I figured this to be normal behaviour?)

Anyone know why I could be seeing CEL? Why it seems to be flagging up the EGR despite a new one being fitted (do they need coding in?) and what the 4a4f glow plug code means?

Cheers for any advice!

[jacbo]

Regarding 4a4f, i think you need to replace the glow plug control unit. Beru is OEM brand. Might be worth replacing glow plugs too. But I would replace the controller first and see if the error code clears.

Regarding the EGR codes, I seem to be getting a similar issue... I replaced my EGR unit a while ago and then after some time I started getting various EGR codes relating to EGR control deviation or something. I replaced the pressure convertor and the vac lines but still no luck. i might look at replacing the vac box actuator next (it seems to open and close a valve on the EGR pipe)

[ekuLUKEkul]

Cheers for replying, do you know what makes the car flag the 4a4f code? As I say it seems to start fine so I don't know what I am missing that the car doesn't like to make it save an error?

As for the EGR let me know if you have any luck! My engine light has returned this morning again. I am not convinced it is because of actual faults. The car runs perfectly since replacing the EGR (aside from the EML)

I could have sworn that I read somewhere that EGR valves need coding in on our cars but I can't find any proof of that now. Do you know if that is the case? I know my garage just swapped it out and didn't code anything and I am trying to find where I read about coding them but have had no luck.

As a last resort I am thinking of a remap and EGR delete from bw chiptune or something.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

Cheers for replying, do you know what makes the car flag the 4a4f code? As I say it seems to start fine so I don't know what I am missing that the car doesn't like to make it save an error?

As for the EGR let me know if you have any luck! My engine light has returned this morning again. I am not convinced it is because of actual faults. The car runs perfectly since replacing the EGR (aside from the EML)

I could have sworn that I read somewhere that EGR valves need coding in on our cars but I can't find any proof of that now. Do you know if that is the case? I know my garage just swapped it out and didn't code anything and I am trying to find where I read about coding them but have had no luck.

As a last resort I am thinking of a remap and EGR delete from bw chiptune or something.

From what I read the 4a4f code relates to cyl 4 glow plug and the glow plug controller. I would assume there is an issue with the glow plug controller but it's only affecting one of the plugs (luckily). These engines easily start with less than 6 plugs. My cyl 3 plug was broken with no connection at all and it was still starting perfectly. UK doesn't get cold enough for starting to be an issue tbh. You could probs start it with half the plugs haha.

I have ordered the vac box as it's a £30 part from BMW so no big loss if it doesn't solve it. I'll keep you updated. I was under the awareness that no coding was required when replacing EGR. Like I said, mine took a while to throw the engine light up after fitting. If it needed coding then I'd get the engine light straight away I would think.

Yeh i feel ya, feel like i should gave just got egr delte and remap instead of replacing it. It's been annoying me so much.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Awesome, that makes sense, I guess I will just play it by ear with the glow plug controller in that case as there doesn't seem to be any issues.

Cool. How long after fitting did the CEL take to show up? Mine was off for about a month and then came on, since then it went off once by itself after being on for roughly a week but came back on by the next day. I then got it read and turned off yesterday morning (roughly another week since it came back on after first time) and already this morning it is back on.

Not sure if this is pure coincidence but in the two times it's come back on it happened on a morning each time and at the exact same bit of road which is just around the corner from my house. Got me thinking if it was a specific open position of the valve that is triggering the light? As the same location suggests same engine speeds and therefore presumably the same point of operation for the EGR. Hope that makes sense!

As for coding I can only find this thread now

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/a...e-egr.1365999/

Most of the links are broken as well so it doesn't really clear anything up. Going down the rabbit hole somemore suggests that after fitting the EGR valve; which should be activated electronically before fitting so it is fitted in the open position(?) something like that anyway I forget now what exactly it said, which I am not sure mine was. You then go through ISTA and reset the adaptations for it to not throw up codes.

I can't remember what I was reading now but that thread a long with googling "e90 egr adaptations" brings the most info between a few of the BMW forums.

As for the map option. Tell me about it, I got mine blasted with DPF carbon cleaner to no avail before buying a new one! Could've spent all that on a map and been done with it!

[Silver Streek]

The other solution if it's the EGR causing the issue is to have it mapped out. Had mine done years ago, when the vacuum controller started playing up. Been running nicely ever since.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

The other solution if it's the EGR causing the issue is to have it mapped out. Had mine done years ago, when the vacuum controller started playing up. Been running nicely ever since.

I'm thinking of doing exactly that, did you remap yours in the process? If yeah where at and what kind of gains did you get? Also any problems? I know maps are commonplace now and you're unlikely to get issues if you go somewhere trusted but I still sit on the side of pessimism...

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

Awesome, that makes sense, I guess I will just play it by ear with the glow plug controller in that case as there doesn't seem to be any issues.

Cool. How long after fitting did the CEL take to show up? Mine was off for about a month and then came on, since then it went off once by itself after being on for roughly a week but came back on by the next day. I then got it read and turned off yesterday morning (roughly another week since it came back on after first time) and already this morning it is back on.

Not sure if this is pure coincidence but in the two times it's come back on it happened on a morning each time and at the exact same bit of road which is just around the corner from my house. Got me thinking if it was a specific open position of the valve that is triggering the light? As the same location suggests same engine speeds and therefore presumably the same point of operation for the EGR. Hope that makes sense!

As for coding I can only find this thread now

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/a...e-egr.1365999/

Most of the links are broken as well so it doesn't really clear anything up. Going down the rabbit hole somemore suggests that after fitting the EGR valve; which should be activated electronically before fitting so it is fitted in the open position(?) something like that anyway I forget now what exactly it said, which I am not sure mine was. You then go through ISTA and reset the adaptations for it to not throw up codes.

I can't remember what I was reading now but that thread a long with googling "e90 egr adaptations" brings the most info between a few of the BMW forums.

As for the map option. Tell me about it, I got mine blasted with DPF carbon cleaner to no avail before buying a new one! Could've spent all that on a map and been done with it!

I would replace the controller as it's a known common issue on these cars. Have a read of this (might be slightly biased as it's from a glow plug manufacturer): https://www.denso-am.co.uk/news/late...V36V5trRrt1Vr6

Having your glow plug system in order is important for more than just starting the engine. what mileage on your car btw?

I think it took over 1000miles to get the CEL show up after fitting the new EGR. I doubt the EGR valve broke after such a short time which is why i'm trying to see if replacing other parts of the EGR system fixes it.

I'm going to keep working on it until i lose patience and will end up deleting it if i can't find the issue.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Originally Posted by jacbo

I would replace the controller as it's a known common issue on these cars. Have a read of this (might be slightly biased as it's from a glow plug manufacturer): https://www.denso-am.co.uk/news/late...V36V5trRrt1Vr6

Having your glow plug system in order is important for more than just starting the engine. what mileage on your car btw?

I think it took over 1000miles to get the CEL show up after fitting the new EGR. I doubt the EGR valve broke after such a short time which is why i'm trying to see if replacing other parts of the EGR system fixes it.

I'm going to keep working on it until i lose patience and will end up deleting it if i can't find the issue.

Good read thanks, sounds like I best get it sorted. My car is on 92,000 miles as of this morning.

Yeah I am not sure on the miles for me but I'd say it could have been between 600-1000. EGR definitely is working in my case as I had rough idle on cold starts and very severe engine stuttering until it warmed up. Sometimes so bad that the accelerator would not even work for a good 5-10 seconds. It seemed to get really bad since lockdown with the fewer journeys.

Since replacing the car idles fine and has no stuttering at all. The only issue is the engine light.

Do you have your own code reader by any chance? I am just investigating whether it's worth subscribing to something like carly or buying bimmercode so I can check and reset codes myself and also monitor things like DPF regens. Atm I just go into the hidden menu and find the coolant temp however I've never been able to establish when the car is actually doing a regen, the temps will go from 88c to around 92c any time I've checked recently but that is not conclusive for me. In warmer weather I've seen it go from 90c all the way to 100c but even still I haven't noticed anything to suggest a regen is happening.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

Good read thanks, sounds like I best get it sorted. My car is on 92,000 miles as of this morning.

Yeah I am not sure on the miles for me but I'd say it could have been between 600-1000. EGR definitely is working in my case as I had rough idle on cold starts and very severe engine stuttering until it warmed up. Sometimes so bad that the accelerator would not even work for a good 5-10 seconds. It seemed to get really bad since lockdown with the fewer journeys.

Since replacing the car idles fine and has no stuttering at all. The only issue is the engine light.

Do you have your own code reader by any chance? I am just investigating whether it's worth subscribing to something like carly or buying bimmercode so I can check and reset codes myself and also monitor things like DPF regens. Atm I just go into the hidden menu and find the coolant temp however I've never been able to establish when the car is actually doing a regen, the temps will go from 88c to around 92c any time I've checked recently but that is not conclusive for me. In warmer weather I've seen it go from 90c all the way to 100c but even still I haven't noticed anything to suggest a regen is happening.

Sounds exactly like mine mate. Like you said, car runs spot on and feels great, just the EGR error codes that keep coming back.

I have an ebay special creator c310+ code reader. On top of the usual stuff it also tells me when the last dpf regen was, EGR valve position, turbo related info etc, so it's pretty good. I didn't fancy spending £100+

[ekuLUKEkul]

Originally Posted by jacbo

Sounds exactly like mine mate. Like you said, car runs spot on and feels great, just the EGR error codes that keep coming back.

I have an ebay special creator c310+ code reader. On top of the usual stuff it also tells me when the last dpf regen was, EGR valve position, turbo related info etc, so it's pretty good. I didn't fancy spending £100+

Nightmare isn't it!!

I will look at that. I was just looking at a bluetooth one and buying bimmerlink & bimmercode. I am wondering if any of these allow for us to reset adaptations for the EGR as that is something I am interested in trying now as that could be why we are getting the CEL.

[Silver Streek]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

I'm thinking of doing exactly that, did you remap yours in the process? If yeah where at and what kind of gains did you get? Also any problems? I know maps are commonplace now and you're unlikely to get issues if you go somewhere trusted but I still sit on the side of pessimism...

I got a Bluefin map which are created by superchips. They send a hand held unit that you use to copy the map from your car, then plug the unit into your PC and it sends the file to superchips. They then change the map to suit your car and they send it back to you. You then download the new map to the device then plug it back into your car and write the map onto your ECU. Then job done.

Mine is a 325d LCI but with the M57 as it's an early LCI. I went from 197 to 250bhp and from 400nm to 520nm. Obviously this is an average power gain from their own development not proven on a Dyno as my car was not dyno'd. However there was a huge difference, so much more torque and far better power all through the rev range, it definitely has better power in the higher rev ranges where before it would run out of puff. You can really fel the extra torque too.

After I initially put the map on I got the stuttering younger with the EGR, mine was the vac controller, so I decided to ring superchips and ask them to tweak the map to turn off the EGR function. After downloading the map to the bluefin device and flashing it onto the car the stuttering was gone, it's been running nicely ever since. I've done over 40k miles since with no issues at all, same MPG too as I do enjoy the extra power now and then.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

I got a Bluefin map which are created by superchips. They send a hand held unit that you use to copy the map from your car, then plug the unit into your PC and it sends the file to superchips. They then change the map to suit your car and they send it back to you. You then download the new map to the device then plug it back into your car and write the map onto your ECU. Then job done.

Mine is a 325d LCI but with the M57 as it's an early LCI. I went from 197 to 250bhp and from 400nm to 520nm. Obviously this is an average power gain from their own development not proven on a Dyno as my car was not dyno'd. However there was a huge difference, so much more torque and far better power all through the rev range, it definitely has better power in the higher rev ranges where before it would run out of puff. You can really fel the extra torque too.

After I initially put the map on I got the stuttering younger with the EGR, mine was the vac controller, so I decided to ring superchips and ask them to tweak the map to turn off the EGR function. After downloading the map to the bluefin device and flashing it onto the car the stuttering was gone, it's been running nicely ever since. I've done over 40k miles since with no issues at all, same MPG too as I do enjoy the extra power now and then.

Awesome that sounds like something to check out. I can imagine 250hp suits the car well. I test drove the LCI 330d before going for the 325d as that was what I was after originally and the difference between the 245bhp 330d and the 204bhp 325d is quite suprising actually! The 325d feels capable, always has enough power but it doesn't exactly pin you to the seat. Where as the 330d feels fantastic to put your foot down in.

[Silver Streek]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

Awesome that sounds like something to check out. I can imagine 250hp suits the car well. I test drove the LCI 330d before going for the 325d as that was what I was after originally and the difference between the 245bhp 330d and the 204bhp 325d is quite suprising actually! The 325d feels capable, always has enough power but it doesn't exactly pin you to the seat. Where as the 330d feels fantastic to put your foot down in.

As yours has the newer N57 engine, this is the same as the 330d N57 just mapped with less power at the factory, so will map to give more power than mine.

I'm happy with mine at the moment. One day I may upgrade the injectors to 535d ones then get it mapped on a rolling road to give a better upgrade. But for now it's fine.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Yeah true. I was happy to settle for the 325d knowing that fact. Going back to what I said, did you find that 200bhp as standard wasn't overly thrilling? I know mine has maybe 4/5bhp more so I imagine the differences to be minimal if any!

I'm not sure thrilling is the right word, I enjoy it and it does feel great to get the foot down, but after trying 330d's initially it seems like a dramatically tamer experience, I guess it is a lot closer to 320d power than 330d so it's not surprising. It does make me wonder if my cars down on power for some reason on occasion! But it's not as it behaves exactly as the specs suggest it should. I guess 250 vs 200bhp is just a dramatic difference

[Silver Streek]

I suspect the M57 and N57 feel pretty much the same to drive. I came from an E46 320d so it felt faster but not dramatically. I would agree it feels closer to 320d than 330d. Probably the same as the later E90 320d power wise.

However I found there are 2 distinct differences. The first is bottom end power its much much better with our cars you don't get that big dead spot you get with the 2 litre lump when you set off. Secondly when you are on it and driving higher in the rev range I found the 2 litre lump runs out of puff after 3k revs, but with ours it keeps on pulling higher into the rev range. Also overall a much smoother drive.

I think the biggest difference you feel between the 325 and 330d is the torque, the 330 delivers much more torque, making driving much more effortless. The increase in power you tend to feel the difference higher in the rev range where it keeps pulling and the revs seem to pick up much faster. Combined this gives much more of the pin you in the seat ride you get from the 330d.

Mapping your N57 will give you similar results to a mapped 330d so the difference would be even greater in yours.

So in summary the change in feel of mine after the map is more due to the extra torque than the extra bhp, it's the torque that give the car that ooomph feeling.

[ekuLUKEkul]

That's a good write up! I have only driven petrol so this is my first diesel, I did test drive a 318d when searching and can agree with you there, I was quite suprised by the torquey feeling that the 318d had but it was at a very specific point in the rev range from memory.

As for low down power of ours it's funny as I was recently thinking of that, if the car is locked in gear and floored from real low revs it doesn't exactly feel quick but it feels strong, I'm not sure if that really makes sense but you can feel the pull despite the fact that it's picking up reletively slow.

Someone I know has an e39 530d and on paper they are around 190bhp and a little less torque than mine, but it feels really strong and sticks you to your seat, it always makes me wonder why that's the case vs the 325d, my conclusion has been that an auto e90 is drastically smoother and "modern" feeling vs the manual 530d and the 530d is probably a lot more "peakier" in its power delivery, but that's just a theory that made sense to me! I've never driven it so I can't say.

Back to the original point of this thread, the CEL has vanished again as of this morning, makes me wonder if, as the EGR adaptations have not been reset, the light is only being flagged on when there is some odd discrepincy in the sensors from the EGR operating correctly vs the sticking broken one. Will see how long it takes to come back, normally it's by the next day.

[jacbo]

Just and FYI I have replaced the vacuum box on the EGR system and it's not changed anything. I might give the EGR valve a clean see if that does anything but it's just doing my head in now. And like I said the car drives perfectly. Smooth and no loss of power.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Originally Posted by jacbo

Just and FYI I have replaced the vacuum box on the EGR system and it's not changed anything. I might give the EGR valve a clean see if that does anything but it's just doing my head in now. And like I said the car drives perfectly. Smooth and no loss of power.

Sorry to hear that... if you are suffering no symptoms I can't imagine a clean will help. I don't know what condition your old one was in but mine was a sticking piston(?) more than the fact it was clogged. But this was very obvious as you could actually feel the sticking with the car not responding to the accelerator properly.

I am 99% certain that the issue for me atleast is that the EGR adaptations have not been reset after replacing. I don't know if this is the case or not but I am almost certain it is so as the car is faultless compared to with the old EGR fitted.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

Sorry to hear that... if you are suffering no symptoms I can't imagine a clean will help. I don't know what condition your old one was in but mine was a sticking piston(?) more than the fact it was clogged. But this was very obvious as you could actually feel the sticking with the car not responding to the accelerator properly.

I am 99% certain that the issue for me atleast is that the EGR adaptations have not been reset after replacing. I don't know if this is the case or not but I am almost certain it is so as the car is faultless compared to with the old EGR fitted.

Think mine was stuck as well. The car wouldn't start until i tapped the EGR valve with a hammer. The car felt strange when accelerating prior to this so had a feeling something was up.

I'll do some research tonight about the adaptations, hopefully you are right.

Edit: I think ISTA software has guides for replacing parts? I downloaded it the other day so once i got it running i will check on there and let you know!

[rasa bmw]

Originally Posted by ekuLUKEkul

I'm thinking of doing exactly that, did you remap yours in the process? If yeah where at and what kind of gains did you get? Also any problems? I know maps are commonplace now and you're unlikely to get issues if you go somewhere trusted but I still sit on the side of pessimism...

remember,if you get egr mapped out,make sure its done correctly so dpf still regens,,also it has to be physically closed if its stuck open then mapped out

[Silver Streek]

Rasa makes a good point above, do make sure the EGR is capable of staying closed if you get it mapped out. No point in having it mapped out if the spring is too weak to hold it shut under the exhaust pressure.

You should be find as long as you use a reputable company to do the tweak to the map.