E46 low power, stalling
Discussion
I recently acquired a 330ci a few months ago, and ever since I have got it, it has felt low on power, and recently has started stalling frequently. Firstly I put it down to a vacuum leak but after looking I have not been able to find one. I then downloaded INPA on my laptop to check codes, these codes came back:
106 VANOS control mechanism. Exhaust sluggish or blocked
65 Camshaft sensor (intake) error
83 Crankshaft sensor error
228 Lambda control deviation Bank 2
227 Lambda control deviation Bank 1
244 Segment time measurement faulty (crankshaft signal)
I already tried replacing the crank sensor with a new one, as it came up on my normal obd scanner before I did this, but when I installed the new one it would crank but not even start. So I reinstalled the old one and it worked fine again, in regards to starting the car. Im not sure where to go from here, whether to get a refurbished vanos or new cam sensors. All advice would be greatly apricated.
106 VANOS control mechanism. Exhaust sluggish or blocked
65 Camshaft sensor (intake) error
83 Crankshaft sensor error
228 Lambda control deviation Bank 2
227 Lambda control deviation Bank 1
244 Segment time measurement faulty (crankshaft signal)
I already tried replacing the crank sensor with a new one, as it came up on my normal obd scanner before I did this, but when I installed the new one it would crank but not even start. So I reinstalled the old one and it worked fine again, in regards to starting the car. Im not sure where to go from here, whether to get a refurbished vanos or new cam sensors. All advice would be greatly apricated.
Have you smoke tested it to find the vacuum leak, even a small leak really upsets them. There is a big rats nest of pipes under in the inlet manifold you would never see from above. Your lambda codes probably suggest a leak.
An important thing to know is while people are technically right in saying the engines are bulletproof, literally everything bolted to them keeping them alive is delicate and brittle and they commonly fail making them overheat ruining the aluminium engine.
If you plan on keeping the car really the engine bay needs stripping down to just the engine, intake manifold off, replace all the rubber, plastic, hoses, gaskets etc. When I got mine I didn't realise how bad BMW plastic was and treated it like my other cars replacing bits one by one as they failed. I just created more work for myself and went through gallons of antifreeze.
From the factory temperature gauge is useless as they have a massive buffer zone at 12 O'clock so by the time you notice your car is overheating it's already too late. It's definitely worth reprogramming the temperature gauge to be more accurate, this is easy to do with BMW scanner.
An important thing to know is while people are technically right in saying the engines are bulletproof, literally everything bolted to them keeping them alive is delicate and brittle and they commonly fail making them overheat ruining the aluminium engine.
If you plan on keeping the car really the engine bay needs stripping down to just the engine, intake manifold off, replace all the rubber, plastic, hoses, gaskets etc. When I got mine I didn't realise how bad BMW plastic was and treated it like my other cars replacing bits one by one as they failed. I just created more work for myself and went through gallons of antifreeze.
From the factory temperature gauge is useless as they have a massive buffer zone at 12 O'clock so by the time you notice your car is overheating it's already too late. It's definitely worth reprogramming the temperature gauge to be more accurate, this is easy to do with BMW scanner.
Bmfrd said:
I recently acquired a 330ci a few months ago, and ever since I have got it, it has felt low on power, and recently has started stalling frequently. Firstly I put it down to a vacuum leak but after looking I have not been able to find one. I then downloaded INPA on my laptop to check codes, these codes came back:
106 VANOS control mechanism. Exhaust sluggish or blocked
65 Camshaft sensor (intake) error
83 Crankshaft sensor error
228 Lambda control deviation Bank 2
227 Lambda control deviation Bank 1
244 Segment time measurement faulty (crankshaft signal)
I already tried replacing the crank sensor with a new one, as it came up on my normal obd scanner before I did this, but when I installed the new one it would crank but not even start. So I reinstalled the old one and it worked fine again, in regards to starting the car. Im not sure where to go from here, whether to get a refurbished vanos or new cam sensors. All advice would be greatly apricated.
Ref cam / crank sensors - they must be BMW ONLY as aftermarket ones do not work (same with MAF etc)106 VANOS control mechanism. Exhaust sluggish or blocked
65 Camshaft sensor (intake) error
83 Crankshaft sensor error
228 Lambda control deviation Bank 2
227 Lambda control deviation Bank 1
244 Segment time measurement faulty (crankshaft signal)
I already tried replacing the crank sensor with a new one, as it came up on my normal obd scanner before I did this, but when I installed the new one it would crank but not even start. So I reinstalled the old one and it worked fine again, in regards to starting the car. Im not sure where to go from here, whether to get a refurbished vanos or new cam sensors. All advice would be greatly apricated.
Re DISA - worth removing and rebuilding with the X8R kit etc as that can cause weird and wonderful issues: https://x8r.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-u...
Re vanos I'm not sure; never dealt with vanos issues on any of my M54s fortunately - but could be worth a rebuild too using the X8R kits
A useful hack for this generation BMW is that if you disconnect the MAF sensor it will cease to use input data in the engine map and run entirely on a generic engine map.
In this configuration it will run slightly richer or leaner depending on air temp / altitude etc and you may need to tap the throttle or hold it steady on initial start up.
This is a useful diagnostic tool but can also get you out of bother if you're broken down. If the car runs better with the MAF unplugged then you are dealing with faulty O2 sensors, MAF itself or a fuel delivery system error. If there is no change to performance, its more likely a physical fault, such as vacuum leak.
In this configuration it will run slightly richer or leaner depending on air temp / altitude etc and you may need to tap the throttle or hold it steady on initial start up.
This is a useful diagnostic tool but can also get you out of bother if you're broken down. If the car runs better with the MAF unplugged then you are dealing with faulty O2 sensors, MAF itself or a fuel delivery system error. If there is no change to performance, its more likely a physical fault, such as vacuum leak.
- I am not a mechanic*
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