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Suddenly...."Check Engine Soon"

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Old 10-14-2010, 08:47 AM
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I hope somebody can help me out or give me tips.

The car has been running fine. Last night it was running fine. This morning I started the car up and noticed that the idle was a little rough. I pulled out of my driveway and about 2 blocks later the "Check Engine Soon" light came on. I pulled over and the idle is still a little rough. I turned around and checked what I can with the limitted time I had.

Oil is okay saying service at 3700 but level on iDrive looks like about 3/4. No leaks where the car is parked.
All others on the iDrive are green
Car has about 50K miles
2006 525i...Don't know if it's the original battery but might be.

Incidentally, the last weird thing that the car did which I noticed was that about 4 days ago I had the family in the car. All seatbelts were fastened. I started the car and it kept complaining that the seatbelts were not fastened. I restarted the car and it was fine.

Could all this be battery related if it's the original battery?

Thanks all!
Old 10-14-2010, 11:22 AM
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seems like a series of electrical problems! 2006 battery, could be one of the reasons but then again i wouldnt expect it to affect it that much!
Old 10-14-2010, 01:25 PM
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I went through the rough idle not too long ago. At first, it wasn't bad, but got worse a few days later. One of the coils to a spark plug went bad. Not sure about the other problem, but that would be a good one to check for the rough idle.
Old 10-14-2010, 02:32 PM
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Just checked on the car again. The tachometer shows it idling about 600-700RPM. However you can hear the engine having a repeatative beating like bub-bub-bub-bub, bub-bub-bub-bub...It does about 4 bubs every second. Right now I'm looking for a way to get error codes without going to the dealer. Any help is appreciated!
Old 10-14-2010, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by balbs
Just checked on the car again. The tachometer shows it idling about 600-700RPM. However you can hear the engine having a repeatative beating like bub-bub-bub-bub, bub-bub-bub-bub...It does about 4 bubs every second. Right now I'm looking for a way to get error codes without going to the dealer. Any help is appreciated!
This is something mechanical. Take it to your trusted Independent mechanic who has the right software for the post E39 model BMWs. Otherwise, dont guess and have the Stealer have a look at it. (that should be your last option, however)
Old 10-14-2010, 04:35 PM
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I talked to an independent in my area. He thinks it could be a misfire but he has to get the codes first. At worst, it could probably be the ECU How much would that be and is that typically covered under warranty?
Old 10-15-2010, 07:39 AM
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This is caused by one of your coils not (stopped) working, you have 6 coils, one for each cylinder, it's proabaly best not to drive to far with this problem, it means one of your cylinders is running "cold: as there is no spark in it to ignite the fuel, the unburnt fuel is going into your exhaust and being absorbed by your catalytic converter (not a good thing) and if you run an engine with a "cold" cylinder for too long, you run the risk of that cylinder seizing up......which is really not a good thing!

Let us know what the garage says.
Old 10-15-2010, 08:01 AM
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For those in the United States, read your car's emissions warranty - even after Standard 4 yrs / 50K miles many parts and repairs are covered!
Old 10-15-2010, 10:48 AM
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I had the same symptoms, minus the check engine warning. The dealer replaced the exhaust lifters under warranty.

Problem stopped.
Old 10-15-2010, 02:07 PM
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Just got back from the shop. Code is 29CE Misfire, Cylinder 2.

The tech told me he'll first try just replacing a spark plug. If that doesn't work, he'll try the coil.

What's the worst case scenario should I be worried about? If not the spark plug, Is this normally covered under warranty if it's the coil or something else?


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