Valvetronic 2DCF "No Movement .." diagnosing VVT motor vs DME

cahme · 04-01-2019, 10:46 AM

This weekend, I attacked the dreadful OFHG replacement and like a good e90Post'er I was going to prime the oil pump. Unfortunately, I was not able to start the car at all due to the following single code:
2DCF: "Valvetronic No Movement Identified"

Here is exactly what I did:

disconnected Battery
disconnected ignition/fuel harness from DME
reconnected battery & cranked for 5 seonds to ensure it wouldn't start
changed the OFHG
ran water pump priming (battery charger connected)
cranked engine 2 times for about 10 seconds each (no charger connected)
disconnected battery
connected ignition/fuel harness to DME
cranked with no start & 2DCF code

Going into this, the car was running fine with no codes at all.
During the second cranking, I did notice the starter did slow a bit as if the battery was getting low. Checking with MHD, it showed the batter at 11.9x or 12.0x volts which seemed a smidge on the low side of normal.

Googling this specific DME code returns several DME or harness corruption as well as some seized valvetronic motors. This is the only code I'm getting and have not had any valvetronic shadow codes in the past.
Here are my considerations looking for feedback or what might be most efficient getting my car back on the road

Get ISTA going and try it's diagnostics & listen for vvt motor movement
Consider drilling a hole in the motor cap to lock in max lift and unplug vvt motor.. Scared of the drill shavings dropping in the oil. I'm fine with running the car in this mode for a month or three until I can pull the VC & change the vvt motor.
Try to determine if DME is bad (how?); vvt seal looks dry and I don't see how I could have had oil "wickage"
Anything I can do to see if I shorted something with my batter disconnects/reconnects (anything on distribution block for vvt or any frm related failures to look for)?

cahme · 04-08-2019, 10:17 PM

Bump ...

I do not get any clicking from the vvt motor but I do get a hum and can feel some vibration. I've ordered a vvt motor & oil tube and have decided not to drill a hole in my VC in fear of the plastic shavings getting in the oil.

I'd really like some advice as to how to determine if it's a bad vvt motor or DME? I'm convinced it's one of them, but I'd rather not guess and start changing parts.
I do know which pins are the 3-phase connections on the harness, but I'm not sure when they should be hot and for how long? I believe if I could get confidence that signal has full amp load (what would that be), the I'd be confident it is the motor. Since it worked fine with no codes prior and after connecting/disconnecting the battery, I fear the odds are as good I fried the DME as the vvt motor.

cranelec · 04-11-2019, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cahme

Going into this, the car was running fine with no codes at all.
During the second cranking, I did notice the starter did slow a bit as if the battery was getting low. Checking with MHD, it showed the batter at 11.9x or 12.0x volts which seemed a smidge on the low side of normal.

Smidge vs. Toast
Industrial Electrician with 9 years working in an OEM Battery Manufacturing Plant here... A fully charged lead acid 12VDC automotive battery BCI Grp 48 or 49 should read 12.7- 12.79 VDC OCV (Open Circuit Voltage). Anything below 11.9 OCV indicates that your battery is toast.

Just for the "peace-of-mind"...I suggest removing the battery and charging it. (If your battery is not an AGM, you can unscrew the caps on your maintenance-free battery and top off each cell before charging with Distilled Water). Many respected forum members experienced issues when their battery dropped to voltages as low as you describe.

mike

DLucian · 12-02-2021, 02:43 PM

Hi, sorry to bump this old thread. Did you manage to fix it in the end? I am having a similar issue. Bought the car at an auction, second hand, and found this permanent code: "2DCF: Valvetronic No Movement Identified". Car starts and runs fine, pulls fine, fuel consumption is good, everything feels normal apart from a little rough idle when cold starting but not too noticeable. When unlocking the car you can feel the specific buzzing noise where it seems the motor is working.

- Replaced VVT servomotor, did not fix it.
- Checked wiring and relay and seems fine. Also found a new harness between the servomotor and ECU so it seems that the previous owner also struggled with this.

I did put the ignition on and found that the 3 big pins from the servomotor plug (comming from the ECU) do not get any voltage when disconnected. Not sure if this is normal.

Tried a relearn with ISTA but the procedure does not start with the message "Error: voltage supply". Car was hooked to a jump starter that would make 13.9v when ignition was on so I don't think this was the reason for this error.

I am really considering ECU at this point.

Thanks!

DLucian · 01-12-2022, 06:26 PM

I am going to answer myself here, just to have this info out there if others are struggling with the same issue.

I sent my ECU to a Bosch factory repair service from Germany. They confirmed the unit is defective and also mentioned that it is not repairable. I was hoping that they would simply change the internals, being a Bosch service that they provide, and that is not cheap really (700 euro plus VAT). But no, they were actually planning to repair it and, the way these are built, they are not repairable.

Also, I tried with a second hand unit, cloned successfully, and it had THE SAME issue. Starting to think these are really common.

Hope this helps.

drwillb · 01-14-2022, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLucian

I am going to answer myself here, just to have this info out there if others are struggling with the same issue.

I sent my ECU to a Bosch factory repair service from Germany. They confirmed the unit is defective and also mentioned that it is not repairable. I was hoping that they would simply change the internals, being a Bosch service that they provide, and that is not cheap really (700 euro plus VAT). But no, they were actually planning to repair it and, the way these are built, they are not repairable.

Also, I tried with a second hand unit, cloned successfully, and it had THE SAME issue. Starting to think these are really common.

Hope this helps.

Check for continuity in the VVT motor harness (unplug both ends and remove it). These are known to fail and are easily replaceable.

04-01-2019, 10:46 AM	#1
cahme Second Lieutenant 120 Rep 226 Posts Drives: '11 E90 335i Sport MT Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Valvetronic 2DCF "No Movement .." diagnosing VVT motor vs DME This weekend, I attacked the dreadful OFHG replacement and like a good e90Post'er I was going to prime the oil pump. Unfortunately, I was not able to start the car at all due to the following single code: 2DCF: "Valvetronic No Movement Identified" Here is exactly what I did: disconnected Battery disconnected ignition/fuel harness from DME reconnected battery & cranked for 5 seonds to ensure it wouldn't start changed the OFHG ran water pump priming (battery charger connected) cranked engine 2 times for about 10 seconds each (no charger connected) disconnected battery connected ignition/fuel harness to DME cranked with no start & 2DCF code Going into this, the car was running fine with no codes at all. During the second cranking, I did notice the starter did slow a bit as if the battery was getting low. Checking with MHD, it showed the batter at 11.9x or 12.0x volts which seemed a smidge on the low side of normal. Googling this specific DME code returns several DME or harness corruption as well as some seized valvetronic motors. This is the only code I'm getting and have not had any valvetronic shadow codes in the past. Here are my considerations looking for feedback or what might be most efficient getting my car back on the road Get ISTA going and try it's diagnostics & listen for vvt motor movement Consider drilling a hole in the motor cap to lock in max lift and unplug vvt motor.. Scared of the drill shavings dropping in the oil. I'm fine with running the car in this mode for a month or three until I can pull the VC & change the vvt motor. Try to determine if DME is bad (how?); vvt seal looks dry and I don't see how I could have had oil "wickage" Anything I can do to see if I shorted something with my batter disconnects/reconnects (anything on distribution block for vvt or any frm related failures to look for)? Last edited by cahme; 04-08-2019 at 10:08 PM..
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04-08-2019, 10:17 PM	#2
cahme Second Lieutenant 120 Rep 226 Posts Drives: '11 E90 335i Sport MT Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Bump ... I do not get any clicking from the vvt motor but I do get a hum and can feel some vibration. I've ordered a vvt motor & oil tube and have decided not to drill a hole in my VC in fear of the plastic shavings getting in the oil. I'd really like some advice as to how to determine if it's a bad vvt motor or DME? I'm convinced it's one of them, but I'd rather not guess and start changing parts. I do know which pins are the 3-phase connections on the harness, but I'm not sure when they should be hot and for how long? I believe if I could get confidence that signal has full amp load (what would that be), the I'd be confident it is the motor. Since it worked fine with no codes prior and after connecting/disconnecting the battery, I fear the odds are as good I fried the DME as the vvt motor.
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12-02-2021, 02:43 PM	#4
DLucian Private 7 Rep 63 Posts Drives: E91 335i N55 \| F20 125I B48 Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Romania iTrader: (0)	Hi, sorry to bump this old thread. Did you manage to fix it in the end? I am having a similar issue. Bought the car at an auction, second hand, and found this permanent code: "2DCF: Valvetronic No Movement Identified". Car starts and runs fine, pulls fine, fuel consumption is good, everything feels normal apart from a little rough idle when cold starting but not too noticeable. When unlocking the car you can feel the specific buzzing noise where it seems the motor is working. - Replaced VVT servomotor, did not fix it. - Checked wiring and relay and seems fine. Also found a new harness between the servomotor and ECU so it seems that the previous owner also struggled with this. I did put the ignition on and found that the 3 big pins from the servomotor plug (comming from the ECU) do not get any voltage when disconnected. Not sure if this is normal. Tried a relearn with ISTA but the procedure does not start with the message "Error: voltage supply". Car was hooked to a jump starter that would make 13.9v when ignition was on so I don't think this was the reason for this error. I am really considering ECU at this point. Thanks!
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01-12-2022, 06:26 PM	#5
DLucian Private 7 Rep 63 Posts Drives: E91 335i N55 \| F20 125I B48 Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Romania iTrader: (0)	I am going to answer myself here, just to have this info out there if others are struggling with the same issue. I sent my ECU to a Bosch factory repair service from Germany. They confirmed the unit is defective and also mentioned that it is not repairable. I was hoping that they would simply change the internals, being a Bosch service that they provide, and that is not cheap really (700 euro plus VAT). But no, they were actually planning to repair it and, the way these are built, they are not repairable. Also, I tried with a second hand unit, cloned successfully, and it had THE SAME issue. Starting to think these are really common. Hope this helps.
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