Car is 2004 530i with 60k miles. I bought it in this condition, and only mess with it occasionally. Here is what I have for information. Previous owner passed away, so the car was sold to me by their relative and they couldn't find any other key except the valet key. The car sat in a field next to a house for a year and "ran fine when parked"
No actual key. All I have is the plastic valet key
Cylinder 1,2,3 misfire
Smoke test had small leak in valve cover until I replaced it
Misfire does not move with spark plugs or coil packs
Fuel pressure is good
Spark is good
Had code for intake side cam position sensor until I replaced with OEM sensor(s)
Car will start 1 time after sitting, it will run sort of ok for 10-40 seconds before it goes crazy with very rough back fire and terrible misfire before just shutting off. Any throttle input will shut it off, and very strong smell of fuel.
Car won't start again unless it sits for a few hours
Can't get INPA to connect or read like I can on my E46 (haven't looked into why)
Carly dongle just shows misfire codes for 1,2,3
Pulled DME to check for corrosion or rust on pins or board. Found nothing

Any leads or advice is greatly appreciated! I have done a lot of work on my E46, but this 5 series is kicking my ass. HELP

 

Check the ground strap for those three (front) cylinders. If it's like my 2006 530xi, there's a separate ground for each group of three cylinders.

If the front three cylinders aren't firing, it's going to be dumping lots of unburnt fuel into the exhaust system / cats, causing all sorts of issues.

 

I wasn't aware the cylinders had 2 separate grounds. That could be something! Considering it sat in a grass field for awhile, there's a decent amount of rust/corrosion on several bolts/hardware in the engine bay. Thanks for the reply!