danosoo

Happy Father's Day to y'all. Got a 2006 530i from a friend. I guess he's still a friend . lol Thanks to YouTube and sites like this, I managed to get the service light to stay off long enough to get it smogged here in CA. Has 200k miles on it. Replaced the plugs, coils, vanos , Cleaned the two filter screens under the #1 hole. and the usual maintenance. things. Put in a water pump and alternator after I had it a few months One of the problems that stumped me the longest was cam position. Wasn't get'n enough oil pressure to the vanos. Finally found that there is a hole at the bottom in the oil filter housing to drain the oil before removing the filter.. Had no way of knowing but there's supposed to be a stopper on the cap to plug the drain hole and it was missing on mine. Just wanted to share that hoping it might save someone some time.

Recently, It's become possessed. lol
Starts fine. Idles at abou1k briefly then drops to about 500. then as the engine warms it starts fluxuating / loping between 500 and about 700. Can live with that but thought it might give a clue to the other problems. It ran fine down the highway for a couple thousand miles and then lately, for no apparent reason it will start missing and loose power. Never stranded me sometimes it even corrects itself The service light even goes out. I don't have an expensive OBD but have read codes P0302, 6,5 etc. cylinders that misfire. Also get the P0008 cam position code. Also noticed the engine break going down hill with no throttle doesn't function when the engine mess'n up . Whatever it is it's getting worse and more frequent. The other day I pulled into the driveway and it was knock'n underneath. Sounded like a rod nock. Went out the next day and she started right up and purred like a kitten. Drove about 4 miles to town and back. No service light or misfire. No other warning lights have appeared.. Knowledgeable bunch here Would sure appreciate any suggestions you might have. This first post is pretty long. Wanted to give you as many clues as I could,
Thanks, Danoso

seanjordan20

I am not going to talk about the worst things it could be first. Just the cheap thing it can be due to the age of the car. Test your camshaft sensor to see if it has an intermittent failure. Since you do not have a better reader, you can't test it while in the car so ohming it out will be your best bet and hope that it shows an issue. This is the obvious and most simplest thing to test before getting into timing or actuator issues.

danosoo

Thanks Sean, Sound advice. VANOS could have gone bad since I replaced it. The fact that it does it when the engine is warm suggests could be affecting the resistance in the coil... cause it to stick it to stick as well. Think I'll swap the 2 tomorrow since the exhaust is not quite as critical. l'll clean and inspect them while they are out. Thanks for responding so quickly .

danosoo

Hey Sean, Your amazing. The problem hasn't occurred since you sent the message. lol Haven't had the vanos out. We'll see. Changed the oil when I got it. Have only put on about 2000 mi since. Don't know the history but when I changed the valve cover gasket the engine looked exceptionally clean. Mixed in about a qt of ATF and warmed the engine before I drained it. Thought about flushing it and changing the oil again. Is there a product you would recommend ? Looked at Motor Medic Synthetic. Seems like a good choice.. Getting ready to change the Trans fluid. Wouldn't hurt to drop the pan and clean it while I'm at it.

seanjordan20

Liqui Moly Engine flush is what I recommend. If you are going to do a trans service I would also look into replace the bridge seal and cylinder gaskets while you're in there. This will ensure your pressures stay as they should. You'd have to drop the valve body to get to it but it's a quick drop.

danosoo

Are you talking about the "D" seals and sealing sleeve? Would trust your judgement on preferred engine oil also. I already got Valvoline Max Live full synthetic ATF. Any reason not to use it? The old gal has lots of miles. Would like to make it as easy as I can for her in these twilight years.

seanjordan20

I'm talking about the mechatronic seal kit (see pic). They sit between the valve body and transmission.

I've been using Mobil 1 0w40 since I've owned my car in 2007. It's been good to me.

danosoo

Thanks Sean, I wasn't aware of the 4 valve body seals. Thought I was getting a complete pan/filter kit but they weren't t included. Got some on order and will definitely replace 'em. Want to be partners and sell aftermarket dipsticks for the beamers ? I'm old school.(muscle car era)Not keen to rely completely on sensors. Other than my eyes that is. They've been pretty reliable so far.
Sure appreciate your help.

habbyguy

The whole kit that Sean suggested is the only way to go. Just make certain that you get it from someone who knows the intricacies of the various transmission options (those tubes come in different lengths and missing by just a few mm can produce "interesting results").

The good news is that the car is a -i, and not an -xi, so the hardest part (getting that Mechatronics plug reinserted) will be much, much easier. Just be certain to FULLY seat that Mechatronics tube - I used a schmear of Vaseline on the O-rings, and an 18" 1x2 as a lever to push it in while pushing the locking tab down. It's very possible to push the locking tab down with the tube NOT fully inserted, resulting in another opportunity for a tranny fluid shower. Ask me how I know... ;-)

seanjordan20

Good point habbyguy. I forget sometimes others my not know what I know.

OP, there is an extensive how-to in the DIY section that will explain everything if you want to review it before you go at it. It's what I used the first time me doing it. You can just skip the parts you're not doing but it will explain from beginning to end what you need to do.