[ovaltine224]

alright, well i had a code for a jammed solenoid so i replaced it with a new one and the problems went away but then came back when the engine reaches normal working temps. it shakes at idle, misfiring, and makes a whining noise at low rpms.
so im thinking my car was incorrectly diagnosed but now i dont know what it could be!!

any help/ideas???

[ovaltine224]

the only visual indicator i get is the SES light. no limp mode signal or anything like that. i have misfiring in cylinders 1, 2, and 4. i dont really notice any loss in power, if any its very little loss. I wanna see if theres anything i can fix myself without taking it to the mechanic again for another diagnostic.

[e90pilot]

Move the coil from cylinder 2 to 3. Then move the plug. If the code follows the plug or coil, you have your culprit. Also, which solenoid did you replace? There are 2.

[ovaltine224]

yea im planning on checking the coils and sparkplugs tmrw, found a great DIY for it. i changed the intake solenoid because i got the 2A82 code for it.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by ovaltine224

yea im planning on checking the coils and sparkplugs tmrw, found a great DIY for it. i changed the intake solenoid because i got the 2A82 code for it.

The cam position sensor, which is in the head above the VANOS solenoids can also throw code 2A82.

[ovaltine224]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

The cam position sensor, which is in the head above the VANOS solenoids can also throw code 2A82.

how can i get to the cam position sensor? i wanna check that out too

i checked all the coils and spark plugs today and theyre all in good shape

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by ovaltine224

how can i get to the cam position sensor? i wanna check that out too

i checked all the coils and spark plugs today and theyre all in good shape

The cam position sensors are just above the VANOS solenoids on the underside of the ledge on front of the head. Thay are hard to notice when you are working on the solenoids unless you are looking for them.

[Dracon]

I'd also suggest getting a Bentley manual, damn near everything you need to know about what's where and how to replace item X is in there.

[ovaltine224]

yea so i basically gave up on my diy. im taking it to the indy shop tmrw to have them take a look and also change up my brakes and rotors. wish me luck!

[ovaltine224]

so i went to an indy shop and they said its a timing issue which costs $3000+ !!!!! FML!
does anyone have any other suggestions? i had already ordered the vanos sensor so i might as well try putting that in. i also have a repair warranty but i gotta find a place that covers warranties.

[ENINTY]

Sounds like the VANOS unit(s) on the cam(s) is (are) bad. Or the sensor(s) is (are) bad, and the indy shop hasn't figured it out.

Good luck. Please report back to us.

[ovaltine224]

oh and btw, when the indy shop ran the diagnostic they got codes p0010, p0012, and p0301. And i believe they received a 2A82 code again also.

[e90pilot]

A timing issue? What exactly does that mean? The cams are on a chain so unless they jumped a tooth on the gear it's not gonna go out of timing. I think Entity is right. Either the actuator is bad or the position sensor is bad.

[ovaltine224]

yea my gut feeling kept telling me that theyre wrong and its something with the VANOS, either my exhaust solenoid just blew on me too or the sensor.
If it was a timing issue, would my car even run? I mean it runs fine at high speeds but hiccups at lower speeds/idle.

[e90pilot]

So, you're actually getting a misfire. Interesting. It says your "a" camshaft is over-retarted (it went full retard?). And it says "a" camshaft position actuator circuit. Sounds like the VANOS unit is bad not the sensor. Yea.. that's a $3,000 repair job. Expensive parts and lots of labor.

[ovaltine224]

well i got 3 cylinder misfire codes bout 2 weeks ago. today i guess it was just 1 misfire...idk if that matters in diagnosing anything specific?

[ovaltine224]

one more question...if the VANOS is really okay and there really is no problem with the timing system, do you guys think a software update would correct this problem?? the first certified BMW shop i went to told me they wanted to change the intake solenoid and perform a software update on the car. i told the guy i can just swap the solenoid myself in like 10mins and ill skip the update. the guy said the problem will not be fixed without the update.

any ideas?
sorry for the numerous questions everyone, but im just freaking out cuz its a huge job at this point. just bought the car last december '10. i saved up for a nice car for years since high school and finally got it (in college now), so money is deff an issue lol.
much appreciated!

[e90pilot]

If it worked before and stopped working, a software update won't fix it. That error code you're getting means the car is commanding the cam to move to a specified position and it's not moving there. The "timing system" is the ECU. Its working because it's sensing exactly what happening. A solenoid is a very simple electrical component and doesnt not require a software update. Maybe a sensor but not a solenoid.

The ECU can only go off information from the sensors. If the sensor disagrees (ie doesn't match) with the commanded position. You'll get the error. If the sensor reports bad info, you'll get the same error most likely. You're getting a misfire but I'm not sure whats causing it. If your cam position sensor is bad, you'll get a misfire because the ECU uses that for ignition timing. Or your cam timing is off so much it's causing a misfire. I have no idea how to check the sensor other than replacing it.

[ovaltine224]

update:
so i took the car back to the dealer i bought it from and they sent me to a mechanic down the street. this place took the whole car apart and said the problem was a timing sensor gone bad and some other part but they didnt have the tools to fix them. they told me to take the car to a bmw dealership...

hopefully its something my repair warranty will cover!

[e90pilot]

I'm curious about this "other part."

[ovaltine224]

yea me too lol the guy told me this over the phone. when i go back to pick up the car (maybe monday) ill get the diagnosis all printed up and stuff and ill let yall know

[ovaltine224]

got my car back today and spoke to the mechanic. what he said was that he wasnt able to get into the area to look for malfunctions because he didnt have the specific tools ( i guess thats what he meant). he told me to goto a bmw dealership and not let any other small mechanics tinker with it.

im gonna take the car to the bmw dealership sometime next week and hopefully everythings straightened out and covered by warranty.

now, i still have the cam position sensor that i ordered from tischer with me. i never put it in but do you guys think i should even bother? also, do you think me putting in these things myself will ruin the repair warranty?