[jamherber]

So a few months after buying our 330i (2008, N53 engine 60k miles), I find the shadow codes for failed NOx sensor and low pressure fuel sensor.

Had these both replaced at local indy (ended up costing far more due the thread going on the NOx sensor mounting flange) and car is noticeably smoother, particularly at low rpm/low throttle openings.

Now got a new shadow code that comes back as soon as you clear it (P12521) stating I now have an aging NOx catalyst.

Is this anything to worry about? The centre exhaust section with the NOx catalysts is £2k+ fitting so really can't afford to go down this route having just spent £1k on all the other problems.

Is the NOx regeneration routine in DIS worth trying?

[frenchi]

This should help you

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1249861

[jamherber]

Originally Posted by frenchi

This should help you

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1249861

Thanks have read that but have already reset adaptations for NOx sensor INPA - code comes back.

My idle is fine and no other running issues at all. Had it checked for MOT emissions and it past easily after the NOx sensor replacement.

Will try the regen procedure in DIS and hope that works as it's pretty unreasonable to have failing CATS at 60k miles on a car that has never any fueling issues.

[frenchi]

Aging cat message has nothing to do with reset Nox on INPA...you need rheingold or ista/d and execute replacement of nox cat procedure.

[jamherber]

Originally Posted by frenchi

Aging cat message has nothing to do with reset Nox on INPA...you need rheingold or ista/d and execute replacement of nox cat procedure.

The indy garage did this using rheingold at the point of replacing the NOx sensor. Is it worth asking them to go through the procedure again?

[jamherber]

Can I instigate the regen procedure using DIS?

[frenchi]

you don't need nox regeneration,just ask them to executre Replacement of cat function and message will be erased.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by frenchi

you don't need nox regeneration,just ask them to executre Replacement of cat function and message will be erased.

Resurrecting old post

Frenchi - thanks so much for the suggestion. Does this mean one can reset the 30E9 code without actually replacing the NOX sensor?

My car runs fine, no rough idle or misfires but it's showing the 30E9 as well as the 2B07 electrical error and 2B06 and 2AFB lambda codes.

BMW tech said the electrical error means I need to replace the NOX sensor. At a cost of around £500 it would certainly be nice to avoid given the car seems to run fine otherwise. Might be prohibiting engine from going into stratified mode though... which I'd like to find out and sort out if true.

Thanks

[MichaelMc]

Sorry to bring this up so late, but did you ever get these codes fixed? I am getting the exact same ones on my 330i n53

Originally Posted by AUDELA

Resurrecting old post

Frenchi - thanks so much for the suggestion. Does this mean one can reset the 30E9 code without actually replacing the NOX sensor?

My car runs fine, no rough idle or misfires but it's showing the 30E9 as well as the 2B07 electrical error and 2B06 and 2AFB lambda codes.

BMW tech said the electrical error means I need to replace the NOX sensor. At a cost of around £500 it would certainly be nice to avoid given the car seems to run fine otherwise. Might be prohibiting engine from going into stratified mode though... which I'd like to find out and sort out if true.

Thanks

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by MichaelMc

Sorry to bring this up so late, but did you ever get these codes fixed? I am getting the exact same ones on my 330i n53

Hi Michael - I did manage to resolve the issue by replacing the NOX sensor and car would then run in stratified mode again. I monitored it fairly regularly with Bimmerlink and would occasionally get an error that would need clearing before it would go back into stratified. However - a couple of weeks ago my sulphur concentration jumped up by a factor of 10 in no time and ever since I haven't been able to get it into stratified mode, despite there being no errors and having done a couple runs on the motorway which did do the desulfurization process and bring down sulfur levels. I'm afraid as another pointed out that I may soon see the ageing cat error creep up — at which point the only solution appears to be NOXEM. My mechanic says NOXEM is rubbish and he's removed a bunch of them after they too fail. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. Best of luck!

[MichaelMc]

Thank you very much for the reply. Basically I've had my car since February and it runs great except I always thought my mpg was a bit low. I changed my battery and bought bimmergeeks protool so i could register the battery. I only discovered these codes once I scanned the car lol. Do you have any experience using this app to check the running modes? I think my issue is I mostly do very short journeys. Sorry to hear about your issues creeping back again, what will you do if NOXEM is of no use?

Sorry btw i'd have PMed you but put i Haven't reached the 4 reply minimum yet lol
Thanks, Michael Mc Ferran

Originally Posted by AUDELA

Hi Michael - I did manage to resolve the issue by replacing the NOX sensor and car would then run in stratified mode again. I monitored it fairly regularly with Bimmerlink and would occasionally get an error that would need clearing before it would go back into stratified. However - a couple of weeks ago my sulphur concentration jumped up by a factor of 10 in no time and ever since I haven't been able to get it into stratified mode, despite there being no errors and having done a couple runs on the motorway which did do the desulfurization process and bring down sulfur levels. I'm afraid as another pointed out that I may soon see the ageing cat error creep up — at which point the only solution appears to be NOXEM. My mechanic says NOXEM is rubbish and he's removed a bunch of them after they too fail. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. Best of luck!

[0l0dom0l0]

I have the same code. Registered a new catalyst and it went away for a while but has come back again.

Have considered NOXEM but have also read mixed reviews.

I don't see what other option there is over the NOXEM but will follow the thread to see if anyone comes up with any ideas.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by 0l0dom0l0

I have the same code. Registered a new catalyst and it went away for a while but has come back again.

Have considered NOXEM but have also read mixed reviews.

I don't see what other option there is over the NOXEM but will follow the thread to see if anyone comes up with any ideas.

Which codes were you getting and what is the code you get now? Roughly how long or how many miles after you did the cat replace did it return?

Did you replace the NOX sensor as well?

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by MichaelMc

Thank you very much for the reply. Basically I've had my car since February and it runs great except I always thought my mpg was a bit low. I changed my battery and bought bimmergeeks protool so i could register the battery. I only discovered these codes once I scanned the car lol. Do you have any experience using this app to check the running modes? I think my issue is I mostly do very short journeys. Sorry to hear about your issues creeping back again, what will you do if NOXEM is of no use?

Sorry btw i'd have PMed you but put i Haven't reached the 4 reply minimum yet lol
Thanks, Michael Mc Ferran

Hi Michael- tried to PM but it wouldn't allow so I'll try and paraphrase what I had written. I've heard Protools is pretty good. I had looked into it but I have an iPhone and believe it's only on Android. I opted for Bimmerlink and Bimmercode which are both good. The way I can tell if the car is going into Stratified is by watching the lambda values. If they consistently get up to 1.99 and stay there then that's stratified mode. Otherwise the readings are down near 1.0. I would assume you should be able to monitor that on Protools. What are the specific error codes present on your vehicle and what model/year do you have and how many miles?

[0l0dom0l0]

Originally Posted by AUDELA

Which codes were you getting and what is the code you get now? Roughly how long or how many miles after you did the cat replace did it return?

Did you replace the NOX sensor as well?

I get the 30E9 NOX cat aging code.

I replaced the NOX sensor only with a used part off another BMW by cutting my sensor off and soldering the new one on. The wire colours were identical. This saves buying a new sensor. There were fault codes for the NOX sensor which this fixed.

I registered a replacement NOX sensor, reset all adaptions values as well as registering a replacement catalyst with ISTA. Car ran all modes fine for about 3000-4000 miles ( 6 months) before the code returned.

Car only has 46k on it, had 38k on it at the time I did the replacement.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by 0l0dom0l0

I get the 30E9 NOX cat aging code.

I replaced the NOX sensor only with a used part off another BMW by cutting my sensor off and soldering the new one on. The wire colours were identical. This saves buying a new sensor. There were fault codes for the NOX sensor which this fixed.

I registered a replacement NOX sensor, reset all adaptions values as well as registering a replacement catalyst with ISTA. Car ran all modes fine for about 3000-4000 miles ( 6 months) before the code returned.

Car only has 46k on it, had 38k on it at the time I did the replacement.

That's what I was afraid you might say. I replaced my NOX sensor with a brand new one (at a hefty price), then reset the adaptations and used ISTA to register a new cat (same as you). And whereas I haven't yet seen the 30E9 ageing cat error return I've only done about 3000 miles and am no longer registering Lambda values at 1.99 which would indicate it's not going into stratified mode.

Have you tried to register a new cat in ISTA again to see if that would clear the error?

[0l0dom0l0]

Originally Posted by AUDELA

That's what I was afraid you might say. I replaced my NOX sensor with a brand new one (at a hefty price), then reset the adaptations and used ISTA to register a new cat (same as you). And whereas I haven't yet seen the 30E9 ageing cat error return I've only done about 3000 miles and am no longer registering Lambda values at 1.99 which would indicate it's not going into stratified mode.

Have you tried to register a new cat in ISTA again to see if that would clear the error?

I'd read stories about the code returning after a few thousand miles so I was half expecting it, which was why I went down the route of soldering the sensor and not completely replacing expecting to have to invest in a NOXEM at some point.

It takes a few hundred miles after the car stops going into stratified mode before it registers the fault. I used carly to check if the car was doing a regen, and tried to force it to do one a few times but with no luck.

I haven't registered a new one again. It felt, and seemed a little pointless given that I'd followed the bimmerprofs procedure to a T the last time round and had everything working as it should. Just concluded that the cats were in fact not working as they should anymore and I'd need to find another solution.

For what it's worth I tried some cataclean before I registered the new catalyst. I also wondered if the code was often triggered by the fact that people just potter about in the cars and they don't use the power or the revs available. However using the car properly, before and during those 3000 miles hasn't made any difference either.

Out of ideas now without investing in the NOXEM but I've heard so many mixed reviews.

The car desperately needs it. The fuel economy is painful without the stratified mode.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by 0l0dom0l0

I'd read stories about the code returning after a few thousand miles so I was half expecting it, which was why I went down the route of soldering the sensor and not completely replacing expecting to have to invest in a NOXEM at some point.

It takes a few hundred miles after the car stops going into stratified mode before it registers the fault. I used carly to check if the car was doing a regen, and tried to force it to do one a few times but with no luck.

I haven't registered a new one again. It felt, and seemed a little pointless given that I'd followed the bimmerprofs procedure to a T the last time round and had everything working as it should. Just concluded that the cats were in fact not working as they should anymore and I'd need to find another solution.

For what it's worth I tried some cataclean before I registered the new catalyst. I also wondered if the code was often triggered by the fact that people just potter about in the cars and they don't use the power or the revs available. However using the car properly, before and during those 3000 miles hasn't made any difference either.

Out of ideas now without investing in the NOXEM but I've heard so many mixed reviews.

The car desperately needs it. The fuel economy is painful without the stratified mode.

Have you considered a NOX delete? That was the other option I had considered. I've got the 325i and MapTech can do a tune to 330i with NOX delete for about same price as the NOXEM. I've heard very mixed reviews about NOXEM and having just spent £500 on an OEM NOX Sensor not really looking to replace it.

The odd thing about fuel economy is I just did a run on the highway and I'm still getting about the same MPG as I was when it was running properly in stratified mode (about 38MPG).

Is that comparable to what you're getting?

I also experienced a significant boost in power when the NOX sensor was replaced. I attributed it to the engine going into all 3 modes - however I still have that power now despite not seeing it go into stratified. I'm just hoping the dreaded ageing cat doesn't show up soon and adversely affect things.

I would be curious if anyone has done the cat replace procedure in ISTA for a second time and if it works?

[0l0dom0l0]

Originally Posted by AUDELA

Have you considered a NOX delete? That was the other option I had considered. I've got the 325i and MapTech can do a tune to 330i with NOX delete for about same price as the NOXEM. I've heard very mixed reviews about NOXEM and having just spent £500 on an OEM NOX Sensor not really looking to replace it.

The odd thing about fuel economy is I just did a run on the highway and I'm still getting about the same MPG as I was when it was running properly in stratified mode (about 38MPG).

Is that comparable to what you're getting?

I also experienced a significant boost in power when the NOX sensor was replaced. I attributed it to the engine going into all 3 modes - however I still have that power now despite not seeing it go into stratified. I'm just hoping the dreaded ageing cat doesn't show up soon and adversely affect things.

I would be curious if anyone has done the cat replace procedure in ISTA for a second time and if it works?

I have considered a NOX delete and that would certainly be preferable, but I'd still want the car to run in all 3 modes as it does now. Unfortunately I don't trust map tech (or any other tuner with these engines) and wouldn't want anything other than an OEM calibration on the car, with simply the NOX concentration limit either disabled or increased to a threshold that meant the system worked as it should.

I say that for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm not convinced anyone understands these engines well enough, or has put in enough time to develop a suitable calibration for them. I've worked at an OEM and also spent 5 further years working with OEMs with engines and vehicle cals and see the work that goes into making the ones that get loaded into your car. This cannot be replicated by a few hours on the dyno. It just isn't possible.

Secondly, my alarm bells are going off as even getting a 325i with the N53 remapped to the 330i output has had its challenges for a number of members. In reality all it ever needed was a power class adjustment in the 330i cal to match the 325i power class and the OE 330i cal being flashed onto the 325i ecu. Nothing else had to be changed, yet I still read multiple stories of 325i owners basically getting a new pedal map and not much else.

With regards to the fuel economy, I am averaging about 25 mpg across my range of driving and struggling to get close to the 30's even on a longer motorway run.

I suspect I will just try the NOXEM to begin with and see what happens. There was another chap on the forum, Tim, who had managed to flash his 325i with the 330i cal and seemed to know a fair bit about what was going on. I was going to try and get him to look into it but his thread has gone quiet so I think he is probably busy with other things.

Did you PM about the sensor in the past? I remember someone was asking about it and I tried to talk them out of spending the £500 on a new OEM one as I'd already read the stories about the code returning.

The only other insight I have is that another member somewhere said their code returned in the cooler weather, then they registered a new cat and got away with it for the summer months before it returned again in the winter. Either way it certainly isn't a long term solution.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by 0l0dom0l0

I have considered a NOX delete and that would certainly be preferable, but I'd still want the car to run in all 3 modes as it does now. Unfortunately I don't trust map tech (or any other tuner with these engines) and wouldn't want anything other than an OEM calibration on the car, with simply the NOX concentration limit either disabled or increased to a threshold that meant the system worked as it should.

I say that for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm not convinced anyone understands these engines well enough, or has put in enough time to develop a suitable calibration for them. I've worked at an OEM and also spent 5 further years working with OEMs with engines and vehicle cals and see the work that goes into making the ones that get loaded into your car. This cannot be replicated by a few hours on the dyno. It just isn't possible.

Secondly, my alarm bells are going off as even getting a 325i with the N53 remapped to the 330i output has had its challenges for a number of members. In reality all it ever needed was a power class adjustment in the 330i cal to match the 325i power class and the OE 330i cal being flashed onto the 325i ecu. Nothing else had to be changed, yet I still read multiple stories of 325i owners basically getting a new pedal map and not much else.

With regards to the fuel economy, I am averaging about 25 mpg across my range of driving and struggling to get close to the 30's even on a longer motorway run.

I suspect I will just try the NOXEM to begin with and see what happens. There was another chap on the forum, Tim, who had managed to flash his 325i with the 330i cal and seemed to know a fair bit about what was going on. I was going to try and get him to look into it but his thread has gone quiet so I think he is probably busy with other things.

Did you PM about the sensor in the past? I remember someone was asking about it and I tried to talk them out of spending the £500 on a new OEM one as I'd already read the stories about the code returning.

The only other insight I have is that another member somewhere said their code returned in the cooler weather, then they registered a new cat and got away with it for the summer months before it returned again in the winter. Either way it certainly isn't a long term solution.

Yes I think we did exchange PM's and wish I had taken your advice. It's just hard to know what the best alternative solution is.

I have also been in touch with Tim, and was hoping he might be able to help tune my car. But like you said he's been quiet for awhile.

So your latest post suggests you're currently running all 3 modes? And you're not able to get 30 on motorway?

Have you purchased NOXEM or still on the fence?

[0l0dom0l0]

Originally Posted by AUDELA

Yes I think we did exchange PM's and wish I had taken your advice. It's just hard to know what the best alternative solution is.

I have also been in touch with Tim, and was hoping he might be able to help tune my car. But like you said he's been quiet for awhile.

So your latest post suggests you're currently running all 3 modes? And you're not able to get 30 on motorway?

Have you purchased NOXEM or still on the fence?

Sorry, to be clear it isn't running all 3 modes. When I said as it does now I meant as it should do now lol.

At the moment I'm only running homogenous. It won't run lean or stratified with the NOX aging code which is why the economy is poor..... although when it did run all 3 modes I wasn't getting round breaking fuel economy. The best economy I got was the 50 mile journey home down the m4 sat at 50 when I bought it with a failed HPFP.

Not pulled the trigger on the NOXEM.... I'm in no rush. Had the fault for about a year and done 5k or so miles with it. Was hoping for another solution to arise, but nothing yet.

[AUDELA]

Originally Posted by 0l0dom0l0

Sorry, to be clear it isn't running all 3 modes. When I said as it does now I meant as it should do now lol.

At the moment I'm only running homogenous. It won't run lean or stratified with the NOX aging code which is why the economy is poor..... although when it did run all 3 modes I wasn't getting round breaking fuel economy. The best economy I got was the 50 mile journey home down the m4 sat at 50 when I bought it with a failed HPFP.

Not pulled the trigger on the NOXEM.... I'm in no rush. Had the fault for about a year and done 5k or so miles with it. Was hoping for another solution to arise, but nothing yet.

I see - any reason why you don't try another cat replace in ISTA? Even if it only works for a few months perhaps it will get you through until winter?