Neve24
New member
Hi guys,
First real problem with my car & so depressed.
2013 BMW F30 328i Sportline, manual with 60k km on the clock. Mods: JB4 stage 2.
A bit of background, took the car into the dealer early Jan this year as it was a little jerky while pulling away on cold start (minor issue but I'm particular about how she drives). After a bit of back & forth they changed my injectors on MP which sorted out the problem. (Just for info not sure if its related) MP expired in Feb & I decided not to extend as it was a waste with my previous E90 & went with an extended warranty.
After a few weeks I decided to reinstall my JB4. On test I noticed some throttle hesitation & what sounded like engine pinging on full load 2000-3000rpm in high gear 4-6. The problem can replicated by stepping on the accelerator (full load) while cruising around 2000rpm in 5th or 6th gear especially when climbing a hill. The issue varies from light sputtering to a hard hesitation with engine knock sound. After passing 3000rpm the car continues to pull hard & strong to redline as normal. Problem is most noticeable in 5th & 6th gear, with very few to little in 3rd & 4th gear & no issues whatsoever experienced in 1st & 2nd gear. I've also noticed that the oil temperature increases after the problem is experienced, temp moves from 90 DegC to about 105 DegC. I generally notice the increase in oil temperature during freeway driving & once I get into the suburbs it drops back down to 90Deg C.
What I've done so far:
1. Assuming the JB4 was the problem I checked the installation & all the connections with no findings. Scanned faults through the JB4 & found "118002 Mixture ECU: mixture too rich", researched on the net & could not find anything clearly directing to the root cause. I then reached out to BMS for support ,sent through data logs & feedback was that logs look normal & my timing was not the best so they recommended running a higher octane fuel. I challenged this as I had no issues using the JB4 for the last year filling at the same Sasol filling station. Nevertheless I bought some 247 race fuel additive & mixed for 102 octane, expected improvement in performance but still experienced the hesitation/pinging. Did some data logs using the high octane fuel & sent to BMS, with the same response that logs look normal. After a bit of discussion I was asked to install flex fuel wires to give the jb4 clear visibility on what's happening on the fueling side. I was not confident on the feedback so I paused the discussion.
2. To rule out the JB4 device itself I decided to remove it & retest the car only to find that the problem was still there but a little less pronounced due to the lower boost levels. This made me wonder if the problem started before I reinstalled the JB4 & I just didn't notice as my daily commute is in traffic & cruising speed on highway.
3. While researching on the net I came across a thread where some 335i drivers were having issues due to carbon build up:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=590791
"Originally Posted by Blubaron79 View Post
I just had an injector replaced last week. Now mine is also hesitating between 2500 and 3500 rpm under highway load acceleration. It won't do it in 1st or second gear when I'm pulling out.
At the OP mileage I suspect that you guys have a combination of carbon buildup on the intake valves and some injector clogging. I have owned 3 N54 engines so I am somewhat of an armchair expert on this motor. I suggest you guys do the following:
1) Fill up with Shell 93 octane or Chevron 93 octane
2) Buy 4 bottles of BMW fuel system cleaner plus (just wait and let me finish)
3) At the first fill up do this: a) put a bottle of fuel system cleaner plus in before filling up the car b) warm up the engine at low RPM and speeds for 20 minutes c) take car onto the interstate and do 70 mph in 3rd gear making sure you are turning at least 4k RPM. d) Do the drive for 30 minutes and then shift to 6th and let the car cool down.
4) Two times a week for the next two-four weeks repeat number three making sure that you are running Shell or Chevron and using a bottle of fuel system cleaner in each tankful until all 4 bottles are gone.
I can almost guarantee your hesitation problems will be gone before or by the time all of the fuel system cleaner plus is used up. Once you have corrected the problem maintain the engine by doing my suggestion once a month. This is how I kept my N54's running good..... "
Got so happy after reading this thread as it explained the exact same problem I was having so I decided to try it out with 2 cans of BMW fuel system cleaner. (Felt the 4 cans was an overkill) Unfortunately the problem persisted.
Next steps:
- I am two minds about purchasing another two cans of fuel system cleaner to complete the recommendation in full (4 cans) as I feel there should have been a major difference after the two cans.
- As a possible cause being bad spark plugs the following thread recommends replacing spark plugs or upgrading to M4 colder plugs for N20 engines running JB4. With fairly low mileage & the fact that this problem only occurs in a specific range I'm not convinced its the spark plugs but considering replacing them to rule out them being a cause.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=873019&page=2
- I've also seen a thread that says a boost leak could cause this type of problem but also not fully convinced as I can't understand why the problem would only be in 2000-3000rpm range & not on low gear.
- As a last resort I plan to take the car to the dealer but worry that they will go into a frenzy of changing parts with no real fault finding.
I'm looking for some advice or guidance to resolve this issue. Please help!
First real problem with my car & so depressed.
2013 BMW F30 328i Sportline, manual with 60k km on the clock. Mods: JB4 stage 2.
A bit of background, took the car into the dealer early Jan this year as it was a little jerky while pulling away on cold start (minor issue but I'm particular about how she drives). After a bit of back & forth they changed my injectors on MP which sorted out the problem. (Just for info not sure if its related) MP expired in Feb & I decided not to extend as it was a waste with my previous E90 & went with an extended warranty.
After a few weeks I decided to reinstall my JB4. On test I noticed some throttle hesitation & what sounded like engine pinging on full load 2000-3000rpm in high gear 4-6. The problem can replicated by stepping on the accelerator (full load) while cruising around 2000rpm in 5th or 6th gear especially when climbing a hill. The issue varies from light sputtering to a hard hesitation with engine knock sound. After passing 3000rpm the car continues to pull hard & strong to redline as normal. Problem is most noticeable in 5th & 6th gear, with very few to little in 3rd & 4th gear & no issues whatsoever experienced in 1st & 2nd gear. I've also noticed that the oil temperature increases after the problem is experienced, temp moves from 90 DegC to about 105 DegC. I generally notice the increase in oil temperature during freeway driving & once I get into the suburbs it drops back down to 90Deg C.
What I've done so far:
1. Assuming the JB4 was the problem I checked the installation & all the connections with no findings. Scanned faults through the JB4 & found "118002 Mixture ECU: mixture too rich", researched on the net & could not find anything clearly directing to the root cause. I then reached out to BMS for support ,sent through data logs & feedback was that logs look normal & my timing was not the best so they recommended running a higher octane fuel. I challenged this as I had no issues using the JB4 for the last year filling at the same Sasol filling station. Nevertheless I bought some 247 race fuel additive & mixed for 102 octane, expected improvement in performance but still experienced the hesitation/pinging. Did some data logs using the high octane fuel & sent to BMS, with the same response that logs look normal. After a bit of discussion I was asked to install flex fuel wires to give the jb4 clear visibility on what's happening on the fueling side. I was not confident on the feedback so I paused the discussion.
2. To rule out the JB4 device itself I decided to remove it & retest the car only to find that the problem was still there but a little less pronounced due to the lower boost levels. This made me wonder if the problem started before I reinstalled the JB4 & I just didn't notice as my daily commute is in traffic & cruising speed on highway.
3. While researching on the net I came across a thread where some 335i drivers were having issues due to carbon build up:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=590791
"Originally Posted by Blubaron79 View Post
I just had an injector replaced last week. Now mine is also hesitating between 2500 and 3500 rpm under highway load acceleration. It won't do it in 1st or second gear when I'm pulling out.
At the OP mileage I suspect that you guys have a combination of carbon buildup on the intake valves and some injector clogging. I have owned 3 N54 engines so I am somewhat of an armchair expert on this motor. I suggest you guys do the following:
1) Fill up with Shell 93 octane or Chevron 93 octane
2) Buy 4 bottles of BMW fuel system cleaner plus (just wait and let me finish)
3) At the first fill up do this: a) put a bottle of fuel system cleaner plus in before filling up the car b) warm up the engine at low RPM and speeds for 20 minutes c) take car onto the interstate and do 70 mph in 3rd gear making sure you are turning at least 4k RPM. d) Do the drive for 30 minutes and then shift to 6th and let the car cool down.
4) Two times a week for the next two-four weeks repeat number three making sure that you are running Shell or Chevron and using a bottle of fuel system cleaner in each tankful until all 4 bottles are gone.
I can almost guarantee your hesitation problems will be gone before or by the time all of the fuel system cleaner plus is used up. Once you have corrected the problem maintain the engine by doing my suggestion once a month. This is how I kept my N54's running good..... "
Got so happy after reading this thread as it explained the exact same problem I was having so I decided to try it out with 2 cans of BMW fuel system cleaner. (Felt the 4 cans was an overkill) Unfortunately the problem persisted.
Next steps:
- I am two minds about purchasing another two cans of fuel system cleaner to complete the recommendation in full (4 cans) as I feel there should have been a major difference after the two cans.
- As a possible cause being bad spark plugs the following thread recommends replacing spark plugs or upgrading to M4 colder plugs for N20 engines running JB4. With fairly low mileage & the fact that this problem only occurs in a specific range I'm not convinced its the spark plugs but considering replacing them to rule out them being a cause.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=873019&page=2
- I've also seen a thread that says a boost leak could cause this type of problem but also not fully convinced as I can't understand why the problem would only be in 2000-3000rpm range & not on low gear.
- As a last resort I plan to take the car to the dealer but worry that they will go into a frenzy of changing parts with no real fault finding.
I'm looking for some advice or guidance to resolve this issue. Please help!
