I hope my next comments will not put you off from purchasing a 335/135...but at least I can say...I told you so.
imp:
By now, we all know that the 335/135 is destined for cult status whether in N54 or N55 guise.:clap::clap:
I love this car, like I have never loved a car...period...of course there has been many cars that made my heart race, very fast, but none that I actually (loved)...well there was the e30 325is...:dropjaw:
Anyway, there has been many reviews and I mean many reviews of the twin turbo N54 engine and rewards for being engine of the year in 2007/8/9 (I think). :thumbsup::thumbsup::clap::clap::clap:
There are also many, and I mean, many reviews and forum threads and articles about its biggest weakness...its High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP).:bawling:
On most bimmer forums there are “sticky’s†devoted to this issue and even a question and answer (Q&A) thread devoted to the HPFP.:google:
The thing is fuel pumps do fail and can fail on any car...but on the 335/135 it is a major defect, that has not been resolved and have exposed BMW to class action as we see in the US. :nono:
BMW is aware of this problem and has even extended the warranty on the HPFP to 10 years in some countries.:werd:
The symptoms of a failing HPFP pump, is well documented on the internet but includes:
*Long cranks (hard starting) especially on cold start up
*Long or delayed cranks anytime when the car is started
*Misfiring
*Stutter/sputtering
*Inconsistent speedo whilst driving
*Fuel starvation and the car stutters forward and stops
*Rough idling
*The worse experiences recorded is the car stop dead in its tracks on the highway for no reason.:wtf:
Now why does the HPFP fail? :thinking:
Before I answer let me highlight some other common "faults" that you WILL experience when you drive or purchase a 335/135.
Ps. I hear that the 535 twin turbo models experience similar problems as the N54 platform. Eish :shocked:
1. CEL:
You will get a limp mode or Check Engine Light (CEL) sometime while having this car and it can happen under any circumstances but mainly when it is hot or driving under heavy load/spirited driving/WOT, when heat soak shuts down the turbos from full boost. :thumbdown:
2. Spark Plugs:
Your plugs are meant to last 20 000km according to BMW. But it will not; you will probably have to change it twice in that time and if you run a tune expect to replace it more than often. Bad race fuel; over boost; WOT; Tracking or dragging all can contribute to the plugs just loosing their spark. Fortunately, the plugs are cheap but the labour to replace and install them could be expensive in the long term. :hammerhead:
2. Fuel injectors:
Sooner or later one or all of the 6 injectors will need replacing. It may be done when a new HPFP is installed or if the car backfires on cold starts or for some unknown reason during spirited driving. I am not saying that backfires are necessarily related to failing injectors but they are symptomatic of such. These are also very, very expensive to replace out of warranty. Expect to pay (R4,900) for one of these. :cursin:
3. Ignition Coils:
Another expensive part but not so common, but when you hold it in your hand you realise it is a “cheap†Bosch product. I have not heard of these failing (all) at the same time but one after the other...yes! A failing coil could also throw a check engine light (CEL). :thumbdown:
Now back to the question: Why does the HPFP fail?
The answer is we don’t know other than the fact that it is a defect inside the pump.
#Some had HPFP failures after using bad race fuel or the pump being starved of fuel or bad fuel contaminants
#Some claim it is tune related and the HPFP cannot handle boost higher than stock boost
#Some have not had HPFP failures at all
#Some claim it is the low octane/low fuel quality at our fuel stations etc etc....it could be any of these or none of these.
So should you - tune or not tune? Does this increase the risks?
There are always risks with tuning but there are so many cases of HPFP failures on complete stock 335/135s and then there are also cases of zero failures of the HPFP on tuned cars. So....:dunno:
I believe the problem is the HPFP itself that is defected and BMW has not found a solution to the problem.
The first 335/135s came out with the:
1351 7 537 320 HPFP
followed shortly by
1351 7 585 655 HPFP
and my 2009 model had this one:
1351 7 592 881 HPFP
Followed by:
1351 7 596 123 HPFP
These pumps were updated and replaced again due to the high rate of failure with:
1351 7 594 943 HPFP
But these also started to fail and got updated and replaced a couple of months ago (May 2010) with a brand new remanufactured pump:
1351 7 613 933 HPFP
Time will tell if this replacement will endure.
For the DIY types...yes you can install the HPFP yourself. It is pretty straight forward and there are guides available online as well as a youtube guide.The HPFP is located on the right hand side of the engine under the airfilter box and then immediately underneath/next to the throttlebody connection, in case you were wondering.:thumbsup: See the last pictures in this post.
NB. A HPFP replacement is normally accompanied with a software update at the dealership.
Now for those pictures:
Pictures of the first version pump on the 2009 models:1351 7 592 881 HPFP
Then another revision on the 2009 models:1351 7 594 943 :hammerhead:
Here are some pics of the HPFP on the inside.
The latest version: 1351 7 613 933 :thumbsup:
I hope this works:
Location:
Here are two pics of the new pump installed:
That is it and i sincerely hope that you will not be discouraged by this thread but stimulate discussion. :woot::woot::woot:
imp:By now, we all know that the 335/135 is destined for cult status whether in N54 or N55 guise.:clap::clap:
I love this car, like I have never loved a car...period...of course there has been many cars that made my heart race, very fast, but none that I actually (loved)...well there was the e30 325is...:dropjaw:
Anyway, there has been many reviews and I mean many reviews of the twin turbo N54 engine and rewards for being engine of the year in 2007/8/9 (I think). :thumbsup::thumbsup::clap::clap::clap:
There are also many, and I mean, many reviews and forum threads and articles about its biggest weakness...its High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP).:bawling:
On most bimmer forums there are “sticky’s†devoted to this issue and even a question and answer (Q&A) thread devoted to the HPFP.:google:
The thing is fuel pumps do fail and can fail on any car...but on the 335/135 it is a major defect, that has not been resolved and have exposed BMW to class action as we see in the US. :nono:
BMW is aware of this problem and has even extended the warranty on the HPFP to 10 years in some countries.:werd:
The symptoms of a failing HPFP pump, is well documented on the internet but includes:
*Long cranks (hard starting) especially on cold start up
*Long or delayed cranks anytime when the car is started
*Misfiring
*Stutter/sputtering
*Inconsistent speedo whilst driving
*Fuel starvation and the car stutters forward and stops
*Rough idling
*The worse experiences recorded is the car stop dead in its tracks on the highway for no reason.:wtf:
Now why does the HPFP fail? :thinking:
Before I answer let me highlight some other common "faults" that you WILL experience when you drive or purchase a 335/135.
Ps. I hear that the 535 twin turbo models experience similar problems as the N54 platform. Eish :shocked:
1. CEL:
You will get a limp mode or Check Engine Light (CEL) sometime while having this car and it can happen under any circumstances but mainly when it is hot or driving under heavy load/spirited driving/WOT, when heat soak shuts down the turbos from full boost. :thumbdown:
2. Spark Plugs:
Your plugs are meant to last 20 000km according to BMW. But it will not; you will probably have to change it twice in that time and if you run a tune expect to replace it more than often. Bad race fuel; over boost; WOT; Tracking or dragging all can contribute to the plugs just loosing their spark. Fortunately, the plugs are cheap but the labour to replace and install them could be expensive in the long term. :hammerhead:
2. Fuel injectors:
Sooner or later one or all of the 6 injectors will need replacing. It may be done when a new HPFP is installed or if the car backfires on cold starts or for some unknown reason during spirited driving. I am not saying that backfires are necessarily related to failing injectors but they are symptomatic of such. These are also very, very expensive to replace out of warranty. Expect to pay (R4,900) for one of these. :cursin:
3. Ignition Coils:
Another expensive part but not so common, but when you hold it in your hand you realise it is a “cheap†Bosch product. I have not heard of these failing (all) at the same time but one after the other...yes! A failing coil could also throw a check engine light (CEL). :thumbdown:
Now back to the question: Why does the HPFP fail?
The answer is we don’t know other than the fact that it is a defect inside the pump.
#Some had HPFP failures after using bad race fuel or the pump being starved of fuel or bad fuel contaminants
#Some claim it is tune related and the HPFP cannot handle boost higher than stock boost
#Some have not had HPFP failures at all
#Some claim it is the low octane/low fuel quality at our fuel stations etc etc....it could be any of these or none of these.
So should you - tune or not tune? Does this increase the risks?
There are always risks with tuning but there are so many cases of HPFP failures on complete stock 335/135s and then there are also cases of zero failures of the HPFP on tuned cars. So....:dunno:
I believe the problem is the HPFP itself that is defected and BMW has not found a solution to the problem.
The first 335/135s came out with the:
1351 7 537 320 HPFP
followed shortly by
1351 7 585 655 HPFP
and my 2009 model had this one:
1351 7 592 881 HPFP
Followed by:
1351 7 596 123 HPFP
These pumps were updated and replaced again due to the high rate of failure with:
1351 7 594 943 HPFP
But these also started to fail and got updated and replaced a couple of months ago (May 2010) with a brand new remanufactured pump:
1351 7 613 933 HPFP
Time will tell if this replacement will endure.
For the DIY types...yes you can install the HPFP yourself. It is pretty straight forward and there are guides available online as well as a youtube guide.The HPFP is located on the right hand side of the engine under the airfilter box and then immediately underneath/next to the throttlebody connection, in case you were wondering.:thumbsup: See the last pictures in this post.
NB. A HPFP replacement is normally accompanied with a software update at the dealership.
Now for those pictures:
Pictures of the first version pump on the 2009 models:1351 7 592 881 HPFP
Then another revision on the 2009 models:1351 7 594 943 :hammerhead:
Here are some pics of the HPFP on the inside.
The latest version: 1351 7 613 933 :thumbsup:
I hope this works:
Location:
Here are two pics of the new pump installed:
That is it and i sincerely hope that you will not be discouraged by this thread but stimulate discussion. :woot::woot::woot:
