E46 Things

wasnt m3

I am very happy to see you taking good care of this car. It's come quite a long way since it was a cheap fb marketplace find last year.

patsbimmer1

You are incapable of not taking things apart. Nice job.

GunMetalGrey

patsbimmer1 said:

You are incapable of not taking things apart. Nice job.

I felt this one.

Good work on fixing all of the little annoying stuff!

Jdesign

I never got a good look at this thing before you drove off on Saturday

B C

Thanks for moving the cone for me though

wasnt m3

Cough, amber tails, cough.

B C

I am having, what would seem to be the beginning stages of a failing fuel pump, leaking injectors, or a cam sensor on the fritz.

Occasionally the car does not fire up on first crank attempt. but always does on second attempt as if the mixture/fuel pressure is not right. I do wait for the fuel pump to finish priming before starting and that does not make a difference.
I will connect the laptop tonight and see if any codes are stored.

It does appear to be a common issue and I did find this posted hinting at summer blend fuel in cold temperatures. Plausible as it was chilly this morning.

someone said:

SI B 13 01 08
Fuel System & Control
January 2008
Technical Service
SUBJECT:
M3 S54 - Crank/No-Start on 1st Cold Start Attempt
MODEL:
E46 (M3) with S54
SITUATION

The customer may complain that during the first cold start, or after the vehicle has been parked for more then 6 hours, the engine would crank but not start on the first attempt. The engine will start immediately during the second cranking attempt without any running issues. The problem is currently present and reproducible in the workshop.

No faults are stored in the DME control module. Testing of the fuel pressure, volume and bleed-down pressure do not detect any problems with the fuel delivery system. Also, further diagnosis of the engine electrical components (scope patterns of injectors, ignition coils, crankshaft and camshaft sensors, etc.) shows that all the systems work as designed.

CAUSE

Gasoline fuel blends with low volatility (Reid Vapor Pressure or RVP too low for winter temperatures).

Fuel volatility is defined by ASTM standards and regulated by federal and state legislation. Volatility in different geographical areas is affected by many factors, including state regulations (for example, oxygenated fuel requirements), local altitude, local temperature ranges, refinery capacity, and distribution logistics. Volatility is not related to gasoline octane rating (AKI).

Shifts in fuel volatility occur during seasonal fuel changeover periods. Lower volatility summer fuel (typical range 6 - 10 psi RVP) is changed to higher volatility winter fuel (9 - 14 psi) in the fall, and then back again in the spring.

A cold start situation may occur if a non-homogenous summer fuel blend is introduced into the fuel distribution system and thus the vehicle fuel tanks, when winter fuel is needed.

CORRECTION

Do not replace any components.

Advise the customer to refill the vehicle with a brand name TOP TIER detergent gasoline with a minimum octane rating of AKI 91.

jc43089

B C said:

I am having, what would seem to be the beginning stages of a failing fuel pump, leaking injectors, or a cam sensor on the fritz.

Occasionally the car does not fire up on first crank attempt. but always does on second attempt as if the mixture/fuel pressure is not right. I do wait for the fuel pump to finish priming before starting and that does not make a difference.
I will connect the laptop tonight and see if any codes are stored.

It does appear to be a common issue and I did find this posted hinting at summer blend fuel in cold temperatures. Plausible as it was chilly this morning.

Probably the head gasket.

B C

I will order 2 new head gaskets just in case the first one is defective

B C

No start on first attempt condition happens at ~70F ambient temp which rules our the BMW TSB about the summer blend fuel at cold temps.

INPA shows codes: 178 196 197 198 204 205 206 213

these are misfire and catalyst efficiency codes.

Someone else’s experience with the same codes and symptoms confirms the fuel pump theory FE114401-8EB9-41FB-9540-6161A3C2768D.jpeg.83f6c360b424f6adc3b81be922cf1eef.jpeg

B C

This morning the car fired up on first attempt rather than second but it took just slightly longer to fire up than ideal. I reset codes, reset adaptations, drove to work, everything running perfectly as usual. I checked for new codes when I got to work and there were none.

I will check for fuel pressure bleed-off when I am underneath removing the CDV in the coming weeks and see if by chance the fuel filter needs to be snugged down just a little more even though I had checked for leaks pretty thoroughly after replacement. If things continue/deteriorate, my first check will be to pull the fuel pump and see if the rubber hoses on the pump are leaking before ordering a new pump.
The best price I can find at the moment is Bimmerworld or Tischer for $370

GunMetalGrey

It almost sounds like it's not getting enough air.
I think VF Engineering makes a centrifugal air pump that should help remedy this situation.....

Jdesign

GunMetalGrey said:

It almost sounds like it's not getting enough air.
I think VF Engineering makes a centrifugal air pump that should help remedy this situation.....

I think he's right.

B C

All is normal for the while. This week it will surpass my van for the title of highest mile vehicle in my household.

(Datsun is a 2006 with 112k, van is a 2006 with 155k, M3 is a 2005 with 155k)

Pointless post, just happy to be driving this car though.

B C

Nearly 2,000 miles on the car this driving season.

CEL illuminated last night. I had my Bluetooth dongle in the center console so I popped it in: P0420 (meow)

Cat efficiency below threshold.

I checked the Carfax report and the BMW recall for the DME reprogram has already been done back in 2009. It allows more leniency in the rear O2 sensor readings before registering a CEL. Reset the CEL and did a few full throttle runs to get things nice and rich but it hasn't returned in 3 drives adding up to about 30 miles. Checked codes with INPA and nothing is stored. I'll consider it a fluke for now, at very worst there are plenty of folks upgrading their headers and selling stock cats cheap.

It has been starting just fine, im considering the start on 2nd attempt also a fluke.

wasnt m3

Sounds like time for headers and a tune.

Jdesign

B C said:

CEL illuminated last night. I had my Bluetooth dongle in the center console so I popped it in: P0420 (meow)

B C

B C

Today:

Added Redline Water Wetter to the cooling system. The mechanical fan has been upgraded to a Spal puller but it uses the controller for the aux fan. Its called the “2 for 1” fan mod. Remove mechanical fan, remove condenser aux fan, install Spal puller that runs off the ECU.

I had a very rigorous stop and go commute with the AC on in high heat and humidity and the temperature crept up a bit. We will see how the Water Wetter helps if at all.

I started repairing some rust/bare metal from some rubbing on the wheel arches presumably from some stancebro wheels and tires installed a couple of owners ago.

it goes most of the way around the arch but this is the most barren spot.

I scraped back some of the undercoating and found some more corrosion that had seeped through the edge.

Ground down a bit

POR 15

I will give it a light top coat of undercoating once it dries a bit longer.

I also started installing the strut tower reinforcement plates.

These plates sit loose on top of the strut mounts/camber plates and disperse the load to avoid having cracks form at the strut mounting holes, or mushrooming of the mounting points. They are a BMW part that is offered for cars driven in areas with rough roads like Africa, Wisconsin, and the Moon

Temporarily installed to check clearance of camber adjustment screws