[335i E92]

Afternoon all

I'm hoping someone can help with a rough idle misfire. It started last year immediately after the plugs were changes. I've recently replaced them again along with coils & injectors and still have the problem, hot or cold the car shivers and misfires at idle to the point were it rocks the entire car.

I’ve tried everything, the car has been in to my local Indy and had adaptations reset but still the problem persist. After reading the below thread on here it seems I’m not the only one to suffer these exact symptoms post plugs being replaced.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386376

The fix in this thread is to reset the below adaptations using a BT cable see screen shot below

• Air Control Adjustment
• Throttle Valve Adaptation
• Fuel/Air Adaptation
• Secondary Air Injection Adaptation

Speaking to my local Indy there are no options to reset the above in their GT1machine so it seem the BT cable is my only option. Problem is I’m not technically minded and wouldn't have a clue how to use one if I had one.

Has anyone got a BT cable, North West based that would be kind enough to help fellow e90post user out and help me reset these adaptations? It’s been 10 months trying to fix this issue and is driving fricken crazy?

I can travel to you obviously.

Cheers

[idnan]

The BT cables are limited to 1, 3 or 5 different VIN numbers so it might be hard to convince someone to lend it to you.

Incidently, I have exactly the same problem. I've not changed the plugs yet as that is next on my list to sort out. I'm going to try the adaptation reset in the thread you mentioned and see how it goes.

[335i E92]

Originally Posted by idnan

The BT cables are limited to 1, 3 or 5 different VIN numbers so it might be hard to convince someone to lend it to you.

Incidently, I have exactly the same problem. I've not changed the plugs yet as that is next on my list to sort out. I'm going to try the adaptation reset in the thread you mentioned and see how it goes.

Didn't realise if was restricted to a number of vehicles...

I'm willing to part with cash if anyone can help? It's probably only a 5 min job.

Cheers

H

[doughboy]

H, woods are right, their GT1 machine only has a reset-all-adaptations function, not the separate ones given on the BT software.

I have a BT lead and I always reset all the adaptations after new mods etc.

The £250 BT lead is limited to 3 VINs, or the £750 pro lead is unlimited and can do coding.

[335i E92]

[SIZE="3"]

Originally Posted by doughboy

H, woods are right, their GT1 machine only has a reset-all-adaptations button.

I have a BT lead and I always reset relevant adaptations after new mods etc.

The £250 BT lead is limited to 3 VINs, or the £750 pro lead is unlimited and can do coding.

Alright Mike...

Darren has tried the reset all adaptations on the GT1 and this didn't fix it. Does the BT cable have a broader list of reset options that the GT1 won't cover? Or will the above reset options be covered in the generic reset on the GT1?

Speaking to Darren today he mentioned he's getting the full BMW main dealer
diagnostic software next week that should have a larger list of adaptation resets. Surley this will cover the reset list offered by the BT cable?

Doing my nut as the cars running like champ untill you stop at the lights then it coughs n splutters like a 100k mini cab.

[335i E92]

Anyone?

Please

[doughboy]

Does it only do it cold or warm?

If you restart the engine does it go away?

I'm sure the GT1 machine will reset all adaptations, i can't see the BT software giving you any magic buttons so to speak.

Mines developed a high idle (about 750 - 800rpm) when warm. But if i stop / start the engine is goes away for about 5 minutes. wierd.

[335i E92]

Originally Posted by doughboy

Does it only do it cold or warm?

If you restart the engine does it go away?

I'm sure the GT1 machine will reset all adaptations, i can't see the BT software giving you any magic buttons so to speak.

Mines developed a high idle (about 750 - 800rpm) when warm. But if i stop / start the engine is goes away for about 5 minutes. wierd.

My rough idle started 10 months ago imeediatley after changng the plugs. When hot or cold I will get shivers & shakes at idle.

When warm at idle as soon as I get a miss or a shiver it jumps up from the normal 600rpm to 700rpm and stays there. If I re-start the car it goes back to 600rpms until the next shiver and then it shoots back up.

Since the plugs were changed 10 months ago it got slightly better as though it had tried to adapt
over time but was still there. However I changed the plugs again last week and the rough idle is back with avengence. It's as though it struggles to adapt to the small changes in the position of the new plugs.

It's deffinatley a software issue to me, the link on my 1st post contains others who've had the exact problem as soon as the plugs are changed and the fix for them was the adaptation reset.

Gonna see Darren on sat to have a good look through the adaptation options on his new machine. I WILL FIX IT!!!!

Funny thing is the car is running really well and is pulling like train, so it's just odd that the idle is so f&@ked up.

How long has your idle speed been jumping? Downpipes possibly?

How are you finding them after a week?

[fastloop]

Shame you're up north, as otherwise I could have helped you read the codes.

Are the misfires proper misfires that throw "Engine fault - Reduced power" messages or just what feels like a misfire when it's idleing?
Do you ever get misfires or reduced power warnings when driving?

Do you know what ISTA level your car is on? The reason why I ask is that I had a really intermittent misfire issue that turned out to be a DME calibration issue with my software level. BMW changed all my fuel injectors, couple of the ignition coils, but no luck. It would still misfire on long journeys. However since my update to the latest software, it's been fine and I have not had any misfires since.

[idnan]

My car felt like it was misfiring at idle when warm and cold. I did the adaptation reset as mentioned above and the car is a lot better. Didn't get a huge amount of time to see how it was but it from what I saw, the idle is much smoother even when cold. Mine has done over 60k so will get the plugs changed and see how good it goes.

The BT tool is excellent and I was very lucky to get a used one with 1 vin left for £50. I have a JB4 now so the BT tool is kind of obselete, just a shame no one else can use it.

[335i E92]

It’s ever thrown any codes or half power. It’s also never missed a beat under acceleration and is absolutely flying at the moment, it all seems to be at idle and definitely linked to plugs being changed.

My car had the latest full BMW software installed in October last year so it’s fairly up to date.

It started immediately after changing my plugs 10 months ago and got slightly better over time, however I’ve just changed them again in desperation and the shakes and shivers are back at idle just as bad as 10 months ago.

For some reason its struggles to adjust to the slight gap or position changes when fitting new plugs. This to me is a definite software / adaptation issue.

I just wish I had a BT cable so I can reset the above adaptations that seem to be fixing this issue for people. Going in to my local Indy on sat to trawl through their menu on their new BMW diagnostic machine.

Hopefully I can find the above resets that are displayed with the BT cable.

335rocks, are you saying you have a BT cable, what part of the country are you?

[fastloop]

Yeah, I got a BT Pro cable. I thought about buying the Enthusiast version, but the 3 VIN limitation put me off it where the pro version will keep it's value.

It's definitely saved me a lot of hassle being able to scan the codes and clear stuff myself. It allowed me to track down my intermittent misfire issue and find a solution for it. Local dealership had 3 goes at it and never found what the cause was. Eventually I found a bulletin that matched my problem and had the software on the car updated. Been misfire free ever since.

I'm down in Berkshire, so it would be a bit of a trek and probably cheaper to go to your local indy.

[335i E92]

Originally Posted by 335rocks

Yeah, I got a BT Pro cable. I thought about buying the Enthusiast version, but the 3 VIN limitation put me off it where the pro version will keep it's value.

It's definitely saved me a lot of hassle being able to scan the codes and clear stuff myself. It allowed me to track down my intermittent misfire issue and find a solution for it. Local dealership had 3 goes at it and never found what the cause was. Eventually I found a bulletin that matched my problem and had the software on the car updated. Been misfire free ever since.

I'm down in Berkshire, so it would be a bit of a trek and probably cheaper to go to your local indy.

What were the symptoms with your car and what was the DME calibration that fixed it?

Was it a full new software version upload or was it an adaptation reset?

Good to hear it's fixed any how, i'm starting ot think i'm stuck with this for ever.

[fastloop]

Originally Posted by 335i E92

What were the symptoms with your car and what was the DME calibration that fixed it?

Was it a full new software version upload or was it an adaptation reset?

Good to hear it's fixed any how, i'm starting ot think i'm stuck with this for ever.

I tried the adaptation reset using the BT tool, but it didn't really do anything for me as the cause was a software error. I guess it could have worked if I did the reset when the problem had happen, but I never got a chance to test this. Your issue sounds more like a rough idle, with the intermittent "misfire"/jolt. E.g. engine would run smooth for a few seconds and they a jolt that feels like a misfire. This pattern will repeat itself.

My symptoms were intermittent misfires with "Engine Fault - Reduced Power" warnings. Typically this would happen on longer journeys and the misfire would always be on bank 1. I could then pull over and wait 15-20 mins and the misfire would be gone for some time again. Also the problem could then disappear for a few weeks to a month only to re-appear again. To track it down I swapped quite a few ignition coils myself to see if the misfire would follow, but it would always misfired on cyl 2. Eventually I found a technical bulletin that matched all my symptoms 100%. If I remember correctly the DME calibration error was on software versions between 31.0-33.2. Unfortunately the links to the bulletins don't work anymore but the E9x one was 120609 and the E60/61 120509.

It was a full software upload to ISTA/P 2.40.2 and as a part of that all the adaptations were also reset.

[doughboy]

How did you get the update? go to the dealers and demand it?

Mines on IstaP 39.2.0.1, so hopefuly thats ok too.

[fastloop]

Originally Posted by doughboy

How did you get the update? go to the dealers and demand it?

Mines on IstaP 39.2.0.1, so hopefuly thats ok too.

Always a tricky issue as the dealers are generally not interested in updating you for free. They don't get paid by BMW for it, so typically you'll have to pay for it yourself. I could probably have argued with BMW Customer Service on mine as I had enough history and evidence to clearly demostrate that it was a problem with the software. In the end I had a friend update it for me. In my local dealerships attempt to solve it over the 1.5 years I had the problem, they gave me 6 new injectors, couple of ignition coils, but never considered updating the car. So a bit disappointing as it's easy to do. Always got the runaround that its a slow process. The latest update took 45 min to program the entire car, so not sure what's thats about. Only good thing they did was to replace all my injectors in their troubleshooting attempts. They are bloody expensive and it's nice for peace of mind as it's on the recall list in the US.

It's really hit and miss with the dealers. Sometimes they exceed your expectations and replace a lot of parts on warranty, and other times the just reset the codes and send you on the way with - see if it comes back! Not what you want to hear and the SA could see I wasn't impressed.

All these issues was the main reason why I bought the BT cable and swapped a lot of the ignition coils myself. It was costing me more in time to drop it off at the dealers and for them not to have the parts in stock, than to buy the part myself and swap it. Heck you can scan the codes, figure out what cylinder it is and swap an ignition coil in under 15-20 mins.

This software issue was actually the cause for the unscheduled car park spark-plug change on the way to the Ring last year. I'll still claim it was a good excuse to grab some lunch and for Tony to roll up his sleves.

With 39.2 you should be fairly up-to-date.

[idnan]

I'm guessing that you need to go to engine-n54 and then information on the BT program to find out your software version. I'm interested to see what version mine is on.

[doughboy]

You can't see it on the BT screen AFAIK, I've looked for it before.

At least Indy's can now do full BMW updates, and new Euro regs mean BM have to be obliging and provide the support etc to them.

I'll be taking mine to and Indy if and when it needs updating.

[fastloop]

Yes you're correct. You can't see the software version using the BT tool.

I did hear about the EU regulations pushing BMW to open up for this, but I haven't heard many doing it. Maybe BMW is charging too much for the subscription making it less attractive for smaller indys. You'll probably have to do quite a few updates to pay for the subscription.

[Glim]

Same roughness after new spark plugs here as well, I ordered a BT tool

Received the BT tool today I reset the adaptations listed above including the throttle valve adaptation, when the car started after resetting adaptations it gave a yellow half engine light, the cars build is E90, year is 05

Checked the error code and it said basically that the Throttle valve adaptation has been reset which does not produce a visible error and a second code that says that the throttle valve has not been tested which does produce a visible error.


Answer: Test the throttle valve

1. Clear all faults
2. Expand the top folder 'Engine - xx'
3. Click 'Activations'
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the list
5. Click 'Start' on the following Throttle valve activations: 0%, then 50%, then 99%, then 0%. you will hear a clicking noise from the engine.

Exit out of the tool and start the car, no errors? Go driving

I have read a few posts, this must be what the newer builds are doing automatically when you reset the throttle valve adaptation and do not run through throttle valve activations. The car runs the throttle tests for you when the car is turned on which is reving to 50%, 99% etc instead of putting the car into limp mode.

Still idling rough and starting rough after one week of resetting adaptations

There is a Porsche service bulletin to not use Anti-Sieze "anti-seize compound seems to interfere with the proper grounding of the plugs."

I removed the anti-sieze from the plugs

I checked the the gap of the original plugs, all six of the factory platinum Bosch plugs had a .043 gap, the box and website both say .040, I adjusted the new ones to match with a wire gap tool, car is now running exactly the same as before with the old plugs, easy start in the morning and idling normally.

[doughboy]

Its best to reset adaptations (or do any DME readings / controls) ONLY when the engine is running, all sorts of odd things happen otherwise, as i've found out first hand.

In fact its probably best to only use BT while the engine is running as all systems are operating properly then.

If I recall correctly, the BT instructions tell you to connect the cable, start the engine THEN run the software.

[335i E92]

Hi All

Finally after 12 months of investigating my rough idle has been fixed.

After having my plugs changed last year my car instantly developed an idle misfire. The car would idle at 600rpm and after a few idle shakes and shivers would then rise to 750rpm.

I stopped in at Darren Woods yesterday to run a test on my lpfp and hpfp (which were fine and well within spec) these were the final two parts on my check list to try to remedy the rough idle.

Whilst plugged in Mike reset the LVS Values, this is a reset that is to be run after changing plugs or coils. (Adaptation of stratification)

Immediately the car started to idle a lot smoother, apparently it can take 500 – 1000 miles to fully adjust but its night and day already and much smoother on idle and acceleration.

The LVS reset is a new test module that appeared on their GT1 diagnostic kit last week. Woods to the rescue once more!!

Hope this helps anyone out there with same issue.