delje08

So i bring in my car to SF BMW service on Wednesday April 18 for a list of warranty items and for AUX input.
I tell my SA that I wanted to have my AUX installed and a few warranty related issues taken care of. This is the list i gave my SA.

1. AUX input install
2. Slow IDrive, rough engine idle at cold start (to get a program 25 update)
3. Center console wood trim cracked
4. Interior driver's side door peeling
5. one rear pdc pushed in
6. sunroof not aligned
7. remove annoying phone cradle in center console
8. vibrating noise in steering wheel
9. had a check engine light go off at one point due to rough idle

That day he said it would be taken care of by tomorrow April 19. I said to myself wow you have the wood trim in stock and would have the car done with program 25 update the following day. I was excited, but knowingly it wouldnt. My SA calls me the following day, tells me that they had to special order the wood trim and the program 25 wouldnt be complete til Monday April 23rd. I said ok fine no car for the weekend. Luckily they provided me with a E90 loaner. Again Monday comes around, car still not ready. Tuesday comes around and SA calls and says we know why your car is having a rough idle at cold starts, after they completed program 25 he says that i have a misfiring in cylinder 1. So he tells me that they needed to do a few more test and determine what is causing the problem. On Thursday that same week SA calls me and tells me that they need to order a bunch of engine parts from valves to lifters to cams oh my. The final parts just arrived today so they can complete the work on my car. He says that he is hoping my car would be ready by Friday. My question to you fellow 5ers if you have experience a rough idle and had a misfiring. My car is a 545i built 05/04. Is my car a one in every 2500 cars that this would happen. Im glad that my SA determined the problem and that my car was still under warranty. I just purchased this car last month used.

Just thought i could share this issue.

Jerry

cobradav

Several 4.4L engines have experienced this issue whether in a 5 or 6 series. Probably something that should have been detected early on and at least one SIB (service bulletin on it). Maybe due to running some length of time with the misadjusted valve/lifters you may have had additional damage hence more parts than usual. But again, several have had their top ends rebuilt.

SIB here:

SI B 11 02 05
Engine January 2006
Technical Service

This Service Information bulletin supersedes S.I. B11 02 05 dated May 2005.

designates changes to this revision

SUBJECT
N62 Engine - Rough Idle, Misfire Faults after Cold Start


MODEL
E53 (X5 4.4 i/4.8is); E60, E63/64, E65/66 with N62 from 06/04 up to 02/05 production


SITUATION
Customer may complain of erratic engine idle speed lasting for approximately 20 seconds after a cold start. Check Engine Soon light may be illuminated and misfire faults for various cylinders (e.g. FC 2742, 2743, 2744, 2745, 2746, 2748, 2749, 274E) may be stored in the DME.

CAUSE
Incorrect tolerances and geometry of Valvetronic intermediate levers are causing uneven cylinder filling during the transitional cold start period (60 seconds after the engine has been started) when the Valvetronic system is switching from the initial 6 mm to a minimum 0.3/0.8 mm valve lift.

CORRECTION
On a customer complaint basis, and after performing diagnostic procedure described below, replace the Valvetronic intermediate levers.

PROCEDURE

Perform basic engine diagnosis (compression, ignition, fuel pressure, etc) to rule out other potential causes.

Allow the engine to cool down.

Connect GT1/DIS loaded with CD 44.0, or higher, to a cold vehicle (coolant temperature below 30 deg C) and from the Function Selection select: "Service Functions", "Drive", "Engine management ME9", "Test runs" and then "Tolerance test, intermediate lever".

Start the engine and follow-up the test plan.

Observe rough running values when idle speed stabilizes. If values are in excess of +/- 2.5 accompanied with noticeable engine vibration (and sometimes Check Engine Soon flashing), then remove valve covers on both banks.

Look for the intermediate lever production date (stamped on the lever, next to the smaller roller contacting the eccentric shaft).

If the production date is in the range between "04 180" and "04 324" (e.g. day 324 of the year 2004), then the whole set of intermediate levers (16) has to be replaced. The same classification of levers must be used when ordering the intermediate levers (classification number is stamped below production date). There are 5 classifications of levers used in the N62 engine.

Note: In an individual cylinder head, all levers must have the same classification, but two different classification of intermediate levers may be used in one engine (e.g. bank 1: classification 2, bank 2: classification 3).

Important: The lower production range of the affected intermediate levers is only an approximation. It is possible that levers produced prior to "04 180" (but not earlier then "03 363") may have certain deviations in tolerances.

For Valvetronic intermediate lever replacement procedure, refer to RA 11 37 012 (bank 1) and RA 11 37 014 (bank 2), found in BMW TIS.

IMPORTANT:

Improved intermediate levers are currently available from our Parts Department.

In the event of a reproducible customer complaint proceed with the diagnostic and repair procedure. There is no need to contact Technical Hotline.

PARTS INFORMATION
Part Number
Description
Quantity

11 37 7 516 895
Intermediate levers class 1
Maximum 16

11 37 7 514 012
Intermediate levers class 2
Maximum 16

11 37 7 514 013
Intermediate levers class 3
Maximum 16

11 37 7 514 014
Intermediate levers class 4
Maximum 16

11 37 7 514 015
Intermediate levers class 5
Maximum 16

11 12 7 513 194
Valve cover gasket bank 1
1

11 12 7 513 195
Valve cover gasket bank 2
1

11 31 7 507 432
Tensioner sealing ring
2

07 11 9 903 596
Valvetronic motor spacer ring
2

11 14 7 506 424
Timing chain cover, u-shape metal gasket, bank 1
1

11 14 7 506 425
Timing chain cover, u-shape metal gasket, bank 2
1

11 36 7 513 222
Vanos solenoid O-ring
4

11 36 7 546 379
Vanos solenoid O-ring
4

11 36 7 501 423
Vanos unit bolts
4

12 14 1 748 398
Cam sensor o-rings
4

11 12 7 518 420
Eccentric shaft sensor o-ring
2

NOTE:

It is not necessary to replace spark plugs tubes during a course of this repair.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Defect Code
11 37 91 42 00


Labor Operation:
Labor Allowance:


Main work:
00 55 453
93 FRU ? E53 X5 4.4i/4.8is

91 FRU ? E65/66

102 FRU ? E60, E63/64


+Associated work:
00 55 793
91 FRU ? E53 X5 4.4i/4.8is

90 FRU ? E65/66

100 FRU ? E60, E63/64

Note: The following explanations will spell out the correct use of the work times.

Main Work:
Use this labor operation number when the only repair performed is the listed warranty repair.

OR

+Associated Work:
Use this labor operation number when other repairs or services are performed along with the listed warranty repair.
Under no circumstances should both labor operation numbers be claimed. Attempts to claim both times will result in an unnecessary delay in claim processing and payment.

zerlog

Two weeks? Mine has been in a total of 11 weeks of the 30 I've owned it. The first two times the rough idle was dismissed because my gas was out of spec (heavy in a specific gravity test). Then it was the "carbon buildup" explanation - run several tanks with BMW fuel additive. At least on the second visit (3 weeks, although some of that was over the holidays) they were able to reproduce the rough idle and found that 2 cylinders failed max/min valve compression tests.

On the third visit (Feb 11 - which it still is in for), they attempted to return the car to me after 3 days, again claiming gas out of spec and "just try a few more tanks of fuel cleaner". At that point I escalated this to BMW Customer Service, and they finally started poking around. It was only after I found this SIB and brought it to their attention that it finally started to make sense. On Feb 22 I was informed they were going to replace the "Valvetronic Eccentric Shaft, Intermediate Levers, Intake Lifters, and Intake Valve Rocker Arm" as well as doing an oil and filter service.

As of the end of last week they finally had it running again, but I also asked for the Progman v25 update because the iDrive was painfully slow (I typically am out of parking lots completely before I get to the "accept" screen, and the system almost never responds to the first press downward on the iDrive controller). Over 30 modules were identified for software updates (was this car still on factory software?) and of course it bombed during the process.

Now the head tech is out for training this week and I'm still driving a 328xi as a loaner. This is rapidly becoming a sick joke. I'm paying on a loan for a car I haven't seen in almost two months, and it won't get any attention this week at all. I'm guessing next week will be shot trying to clean up the v25 update, as the car was giving a Service Engine light but the diagnostic port was scrambled.

So I'm the one who found the real cause of the rough idle (thank you for posting this SI, not anyone at BMW, and unlike the first poster who had an E90 loaner, I'm sitting in a white (ugh) 328xi.

Sad. I always thought I'd be a BMW owner for life (this is my fifth BMW), but this entire episode has me seriously thinking of looking elsewhere for my next vehicle (assuming I ever get this one back, and how long it remains drivable).