N55 misfire under load

[Jemaine]

N55 doesnt suffer from carbon build up, as much as the n54 does...but at that mileage, it should be on your list of maintenance items you should plan on getting done. If you are mechanically inclined, I have DIY'ed a carbon clean with great success. It really isnt difficult, just time consuming and very, very manual!

What plugs are you running?

Oem Bosch or one step colder or two step colder ngk's?

Thanks for the info - will definitely keep it on my to do list and will definitely check out your DIY.

BMW gave me Bosch ZR5TPP33s - that also matched the plug that I took out:dunnoanymore:

 

[boost3d]

N55 doesnt suffer from carbon build up, as much as the n54 does...but at that mileage, it should be on your list of maintenance items you should plan on getting done. If you are mechanically inclined, I have DIY'ed a carbon clean with great success. It really isnt difficult, just time consuming and very, very manual!

What plugs are you running?

Oem Bosch or one step colder or two step colder ngk's?

Thanks for the info - will definitely keep it on my to do list and will definitely check out your DIY.

BMW gave me Bosch ZR5TPP33s - that also matched the plug that I took out:dunnoanymore:

Do you run nf ultra in your car, or high doses of eth/meth?

do you have pictures of all 6 of your plugs, please post them up. Your sparkplugs will tell a story on its own. At what mileage were your plugs changed.

 

[Jemaine]

Thanks guys for the responses.

@boost3d: I've been contemplating MHD since the issue first occurred but my DME falls within range of DMEs that are locked and I didn't want to waste money on the cable if I wasn't sure.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhd.flasher.n55&hl=en_ZA

I'd appreciate it if anyone in Durbs with a K+Dcan could help me confirm this raise: ?

Also my car is manual(thanks will add that to initial story).

@M@rk: my tuner bench tested as well as checked the voltages under the misfire conditions and said that they are working fine:dunnoanymore:.

@yuvir: In terms of the carbon build up - there was a bit but not sure if it was enough to cause a sudden misfire condition - though it could be a possibility.


The thing is guys - the car ran perfectly until this issue occurred - apart from my oil filter housing gaskets and idler pulleys change in Jan - she never skipped a beat.

No idling issues, misfires, power loss, surges, long starts etc...

I'm starting to suspect that it may just be the plugs :dunnoanymore: ...

I'm reading about instances of brand new oem plugs being defective even on this forum.

My tuner has bench tested the plugs and checked the gaps - but what are the chances that they could still be defective ?

You can unlock the ecu but its a rather big process. I have done it on my own car, so you welcome to PM me for more information if you need

I would test another set of plugs also and check the plug gap.. its possible that the gap isnt right and that the boost is killing the spark

Thanks man - will pm

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N55 doesnt suffer from carbon build up, as much as the n54 does...but at that mileage, it should be on your list of maintenance items you should plan on getting done. If you are mechanically inclined, I have DIY'ed a carbon clean with great success. It really isnt difficult, just time consuming and very, very manual!

What plugs are you running?

Oem Bosch or one step colder or two step colder ngk's?

Thanks for the info - will definitely keep it on my to do list and will definitely check out your DIY.

BMW gave me Bosch ZR5TPP33s - that also matched the plug that I took out:dunnoanymore:

Do you run nf ultra in your car, or high doses of eth/meth?

do you have pictures of all 6 of your plugs, please post them up. Your sparkplugs will tell a story on its own. At what mileage were your plugs changed.

I've personally never ran anything besides pump fuel - not sure about previous owner.

I don't have any pics of the plugs - sitting in the workshop at the moment but will try to get some.

Plugs were changed last around 57k - now I changed it at 103k

---

I just spoke to my tuner for an update:

He says that the misfires are occurring on multiple random cylinders so he highly doubts that the new plugs are faulty:dunnoanymore:

Also - he said that he is using ISTA and he doesn't have functionality to print logs...

I'm running out of options and ideas and the car has been out of action for weeks now lol - any recommendations for a N55 specialist ?

 

[bybyM3]

Bring the car to me

 

[Jemaine]

Bring the car to me

Thanks @bybyM3 for all the advice and to all other members here that gave me advice - we're definitely looking into all avenues.

The hunt continues - will update you guys when we find the fault and resolve the issue.mgwaiting:

 

[//M SPORT]

Check all plugs to the DME are secure and no water damage of any sort.

It could also be contact points were just touching but now eroded, so inspect all contact points carefully.

If the car misfires under load after plugs and coil packs changed its definitely the wires between that and the DME.

BMW wires don't like heat and tend to get brittle on the inside while looking perfect on the outside.

 

[Jemaine]

Check all plugs to the DME are secure and no water damage of any sort.

It could also be contact points were just touching but now eroded, so inspect all contact points carefully.

If the car misfires under load after plugs and coil packs changed its definitely the wires between that and the DME.

BMW wires don't like heat and tend to get brittle on the inside while looking perfect on the outside.

Thanks for the recommendation, we've checked and they all seem fine

---

Hi guys,

So we've made a discovery.

My tuner had a N54 in his shop and swapped in those plugs as he didn't have any other set to test.

The car ran perfect, no misfires and no codes.

The problem is that he can't diagnose which plug is faulty in specific, he says it is happening on random cylinders...

He suggested I change all the plugs but I feel that's unreasonably as I doubt BMW would supply me 6 defective plugs. He did do some kind of bench testing and all passed but not sure how reliable his methods are...

@boost3d - here's the pics of the plugs

 

[boost3d]

Jemaine, use the below diagram to reference each of your plugs...

The odd thing is, the stock n54 plug is multi electrode, I wasn't aware that the n55 plug was single electrode. Do you have access to a feeler gauge? I know those are stock plugs but it wouldnt hurt to check if all the gaps are consistent

 

[P Smit]

Good day

I encountered the same issue with my N55 E90 335i, i had the same upgrades.

It might be a good idea to install spark plugs that run one step colder, with the flash you fid the car can experience super-glow leading to misfires weak pulls and your engine light coming on.

The one step colder plugs solved this issue for me.


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[Danny2]

Good day

I encountered the same issue with my N55 E90 335i, i had the same upgrades.

It might be a good idea to install spark plugs that run one step colder, with the flash you fid the car can experience super-glow leading to misfires weak pulls and your engine light coming on.

The one step colder plugs solved this issue for me.


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as mentioned above rather get a set of 1 step cooler plugs for the car since you have modified the car.. They are better and also being iridium will last longer

You looking for NGk 95770, and set them with a plug gap of 0.6mm

 

[JoConway]

Hi guys
I am new to the form and also a new BMW owner, I've owned my 1 series 118i for just over 6 months. Since owning the car has been really great, with just over 58k on the clock.
It is now playing up, with loss of power, and the stupid drivetrain warning poping up.
I've had a read thought the form and you guys seem to being having the same problems.
It has only recently been doing it (the last week or so).
I don't really know much about vehicles, just how to drive them lol. Was wondering if you guys got any suggestions.
Thanks

 

[Chrism135i]

Hi guys
I am new to the form and also a new BMW owner, I've owned my 1 series 118i for just over 6 months. Since owning the car has been really great, with just over 58k on the clock.
It is now playing up, with loss of power, and the stupid drivetrain warning poping up.
I've had a read thought the form and you guys seem to being having the same problems.
It has only recently been doing it (the last week or so).
I don't really know much about vehicles, just how to drive them lol. Was wondering if you guys got any suggestions.
Thanks

Best thing to do is to open up a new thread for your car, there are many helpful people on this forum with great advice.

 

[JoConway]

Cheers mate, will do.

 

[Jemaine]

Update: Finally sorted !!!

So guys, after all the time and money spent - it actually ended up being the plugs:skit: .

Got myself a set of NGk 95770 plugs gapped to 0.022 and the car is running great again !

I find it absurd that BMW could have supplied me with defective plugs and that 2 reputable workshops tested them and verified that they were fine, but at the end of the day it was the plugs.

I went back to BMW but they are not accepting any liability but they are willing to test the plugs and tell me which ones are bad...

It's also sad that I lost my tune in the process and the car is back to stock power, but that cannot be helped as it was my negligence for putting my faith in the workshop to know what they were doing... Huge lesson learnt there and I will never be going back...

I just want to thank every single person on this forum that helped out, especially those that went the extra mile.

You guys are awesomeraise:

 

[BeemerFanatic]

Glad the car is sorted. Sorry about the workshop issues, not many trustworthy people out there anymore, unfortunate.

 

[M135i]

Was it maybe not the tune that was the issue?



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[MiteshN]

Update: Finally sorted !!!

So guys, after all the time and money spent - it actually ended up being the plugs:skit: .

Got myself a set of NGk 95770 plugs gapped to 0.022 and the car is running great again !

I find it absurd that BMW could have supplied me with defective plugs and that 2 reputable workshops tested them and verified that they were fine, but at the end of the day it was the plugs.

I went back to BMW but they are not accepting any liability but they are willing to test the plugs and tell me which ones are bad...

It's also sad that I lost my tune in the process and the car is back to stock power, but that cannot be helped as it was my negligence for putting my faith in the workshop to know what they were doing... Huge lesson learnt there and I will never be going back...

I just want to thank every single person on this forum that helped out, especially those that went the extra mile.

You guys are awesomeraise:

Glad you got the car sorted, and ended up not being something major.

If BMW is checking the plugs, surely they should replace the faulty ones at the least. Unless they can prove you damaged it while installing (highly unlikely).

 

[husaindindar]

Glad you're sorted OP!


Gents, I dont own a X35, but I've heard that if the plugs are not torqued according to spec, it will face incorrectly causing the boost to blow out the spark.

Anyone heard of this?
Maybe it was the cause?

 

[Jemaine]

@BeemerFanatic: thanks - it's a big relief.

@M135i: I doubt it was the tune as the dme was flashed back to stock after plugs, coils and injectors were changed and tested without resolution.

Car behaved exactly the same and still went through further days of diagnostics and troubleshooting until the issue was found - and the only reason I even thought of trying a different set of plugs was because I read up about similar incidents on this forum.


@MiteshN: thanks - I'm currently still trying to at least get them to identify and replace the faulty plugs so I'll have a spare set. Hoping it will work out.


@husaindindar: thank you - same procedure was done to both sets with the same set of tools - torqued down to 23nm:dunnoanymore: ...

 

[M135i]

Cool, glad it sorted in the end.
Out of interest, how much is each plug at the dealers?