[Topgiyr]

Hi,
Last fall, I installed new fuel pump and filter in my 2007 335i, as the old one had cracked. I did oil change and drove it around when I noticed severe (to me, atleast) oil leak from under the car. I meant to fix the leak but never got around to. So the car has been sitting on my driveway for 8 months with almost a full tank of gas.

Recently, I got a safety recall notice for Takata airbags. I thought I'd take it to the dealer to fix the airbag and also have them look at the leak and possibly fix it. The battery had drained completely, so replaced the old with the same battery from Costco, but didn't code it yet.

On my way to the dealer, a couple of miles from my home, the car just lost power and stopped. No codes or warnings. I managed to pull the car to the side of the road and have it towed to the dealer. I told the service manager about the recall that I came in for, to look into the oil leak and how the car just died on my way there. I thought it may be bad gas and told him so.

The dealer just came back saying that the fuel pump is bad and needs replacement. They couldn't start the car as there was no pressure found. They did a multi-point inspection and everything else came good. I suspect they didn't find the oil leak because they couldn't start the car. It'd be $1400 for the service.

Is there any way I could confirm it's the fuel pump that's gone bad? If not, what else can I have the service manager look into?

I can re-install the fuel pump and filter again if need be, but I want to be sure. I got the parts from FCP, so I am fairly confident the parts are not counterfeit.

Any help will be great.

Thanks,
Kishan.

[lookalikehuuh]

i mean... its at the dealer. If you are paying them to diagnose the car just let them diagnose it. Be skeptical of whatever they tell you since stealerships are famous for just throwing parts at any problem they "think' is causing your issues.

[BRG_N54]

Just for clarity, your car has 2 fuel pumps. One is in the fuel tank, and gets gas to the inlet for the second fuel pump, the high pressure fuel pump. (HPFP) The HPFP delivers fuel to the cylinders via the fuel injectors.

Which pump did you replace? You said it cracked, which sounds like the in-tank pump. Which pump is the dealer telling you is bad? HPFP failure is a known issue on the N54.

If they are the same pump, then get on the horn to FCP and begin the warranty replacement process. If they are different pumps, then you are going to have to replace the now failed one.

The dealer has all the tools needed to determine the cause of the fault. If you have your own diagnostic suite, you could verify, but you would need the car at your house. It is a bad fuel pump, no doubt, just need to nail it down to which one and proceed with your wallet.

[Topgiyr]

@BRG_N54, I replaced the in-tank fuel pump and fuel filter. the service report doesn't specify which fuel pump has failed.

Verbatim, this is what I got:

Fuel Pump Replacement: car will not car still outside check spins but no run check for fuel pressure no pressure found diag 1.0 tow in .5 and fuel pump replacement 2.5 first to due is pump unit. The fuel pump creates pressure in the fuel lines, which pushes gasoline through the fuel injectors and into the engine.

I will check with the dealer and update here. If it's HPFP, is $1400 a decent service cost?

Regards,
Kishan.

[BRG_N54]

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

@BRG_N54, I replaced the in-tank fuel pump and fuel filter. the service report doesn't specify which fuel pump has failed.

Verbatim, this is what I got:

Fuel Pump Replacement: car will not car still outside check spins but no run check for fuel pressure no pressure found diag 1.0 tow in .5 and fuel pump replacement 2.5 first to due is pump unit. The fuel pump creates pressure in the fuel lines, which pushes gasoline through the fuel injectors and into the engine.

That certainly sounds like the HPFP, since they mentioned injectors. Strange wording tough, I'm sure a simple call to the service manager can clarify. As for the price, the pump itself is up to $1100 from FCP. So an additional $300 to install sounds fair, plus you have the backing of the dealer for the workmanship.

[Topgiyr]

The SM tells me it’s the fuel pump in the tank. He checked with the tech and the tech says there’s only one fuel pump in my car. I told them it’s a new pump in the tank and asked if it could be HPFP that’s failed. The SM seems to be unaware of it. I asked if they got any codes, got told “None”. I can’t get a clear answer for what diagnosis they did to arrive at the conclusion. The car hasn’t been moved from the spot where it was dropped off.

What, if any I could do at the dealership? Can I ask someone else to look at it? I’ve done most of the repairs myself or at an independent mechanic.

Any specific diagnostic test(s) I could request that will confirm what the issue is?

[BRG_N54]

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

Hi,
Last fall, I installed new fuel pump and filter in my 2007 335i, as the old one had cracked.

You do have a 335, right? As described above, N54 engines definitely have two fuel pumps, I own two of these cars and can confirm this fact. Perhaps you can provide the VIN so we can all be on the same page.

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

The SM tells me it’s the fuel pump in the tank. He checked with the tech and the tech says there’s only one fuel pump in my car.

Perhaps I am being naive, but I cannot fathom a world where the dealer doesn't not know 335 has two fuel pumps. If it is in fact an N54 engine and this is their conclusion, I would get out of there as fast as I can. Perhaps shine a flashlight down the drive's side of the motor so they can see the HPFP and go back to scratching their heads.

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

What, if any I could do at the dealership? Can I ask someone else to look at it? I’ve done most of the repairs myself or at an independent mechanic.

If the above is true, I would have it towed someplace else and insist that they pay for it and not charge for anything so far, since they are clueless about your car.

If it is somehow a 330 or 328, well, that's a whole other enchilada. In that case, the pump you replaced has gone bad and need to replace it again. Get on the phone with FCP and have them send another under lifetime warranty.

[Topgiyr]

BRG_N54 It is a 2007 335i with N54 engine. Here's the VIN WBAVB73507P100033.

I have asked the SM if I can come in and talk to the tech directly myself and understand what they have done and how they came to this conclusion. I am yet to hear from them and I will update here when I do talk to them.

I got so confused by their assertion that I thought maybe I don't have the car that I thought I had and have been trying to figure out what other diagnostics could be done to pin point the cause of failure.

I read a few posts in these forums about about "Live Data", by gbalthrop . Is that possible for the dealer to do that, even if the car doesn't start? What should I look for to know what the issue is?

[itechteam]

N54 engines have a low pressure fuel pump in the tank that is under the passenger side backed seat. It also has a fuel regulator in tank under the driver side backseat.

Then under the intake, just behind the alternator is the high pressure fuel pump.

I would ask for the psi readings on both LPFP and HPFP, that should tell you if there are issues with them.

What happens when you try to start the car?

HPFP is easy to swap out, I have done it enough now I could do it in 30 min. They are expensive but very DIY.

[BRG_N54]

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

It is a 2007 335i with N54 engine. Here's the VIN WBAVB73507P100033.

That is just crazy, sure enough it's an N54! This shop sounds very sketchy, like they can't be bothered to take your money and work on such an outdated vehicle. Or they only have just out of trade school techs that have never seen or heard of one of the most revolutionary BMW engines of our time. BMW were sued over the faulty HPFP issue, it's very much common knowledge for all interested parties that these cars have two fuel pumps.

Originally Posted by Topgiyr

I read a few posts in these forums about about "Live Data", by gbalthrop . Is that possible for the dealer to do that, even if the car doesn't start? What should I look for to know what the issue is?

I have many tools at my disposal to talk to the car and see what is bothering it, as does the dealer. Yes, you can connect a computer and look at things like fuel pressure at the fuel rail and determine which pump may have failed. It could also be failed sensors, causing the DME to think the pump is bad. Here is a diagram of the high pressure fuel pump and it's connections. You can see #7 and #14 are both pressure sensors on either side of the pump. By simply looking at these two values as the engine cranks, you can tell if the pump is working as needed. It's all in the tools the dealer, and some of us hobbyists, have. ISTA will literally lead you by the nose down a path of testing and diagnosis to determine exactly what is at fault. It will then show you pictures, wiring diagrams and whatever else you may need to fix the car. It's an interactive repair manual, really amazing tool. It was designed that way, so any tech could plug in and run some test plans with no ambiguity about the results.

This shop is full of ambiguity, which does not exude confidence in my ability to open my wallet.

[Topgiyr]

Thank you itechteam,
I had replaced the low pressure fuel pump in the tank and the fuel regulator last fall. In fact, I've driven the car for maybe a couple of hundred miles after installation, since I was looking to fix an oil leak that I never got to.

To answer your question, the car just stopped a couple of miles from my home when I drove it to the dealer in the middle of the road. Since then, if I start the car, I could hear the engine turn, but nothing.

BRG_N54 I have asked the SM to let me meet and talk to the tech tomorrow. I will ask them exactly what they did and update here. I don't mind if it's the LPFP that failed. I fixed it before I can fix it again.

It's just looks like they turned the key and when it didn't start, decided the pump has failed. Or at least that's all I am getting when I ask about it. Hence my questions to the fine folks in this forum to understand what I need to know to make a meaningful decision.

Thank you for taking your time and talking me through this issue. Appreciate it very much.