Hello everyone.

I have a friend who owns a 2008 528i that has been misfiring around 1500 - 2000 RPM's when driving, idle is fine and doesn't misfire, just when driving in that RPM range.

I checked using an OBD2 reader that it is shooting a code P1017 which is the valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor. I believe this is the cause of the Misfire and will be replacing the sensor soon. I've told my friend to stop driving the car until we get the parts in hand so that it doesn't cause any addition issues.

I would like to confirm if that would cause a misfire.

The common reason that this sensor seems to crap out is that oil gets in the sensor from what i have been reading.

On the sensor it self is a metal plate held on with plastic welds covering a specific portion of the sensor which causes this failure apparently. I was wondering if it would be safe to put a sealant around the perimeter of the metal plate so that oil does not enter the sensor and cause the same failure down the line or is there a chance the sealant may come off and cause damage to the engine later.

Thanks