[tarekelsakka]

I have been noticing a slight rattle / jolting for a couple of seconds after starting the engine, and it happens mostly when it is cold and in the process of warming up.

While driving today, I felt like the acceleration wasn't all there and then suddenly I got a Drivetrain error message.

I plugged in my ENET cable, opened up ISTA +, ran diagnosis, and got four error codes, one of which seems quite important. Please check the screenshots below for the codes.

The DME issue is because I had a remap done in the end of July then an oil leakage problem started happening a while later. After two costly trips to the dealership, the problem was supposedly resolved and everything was restored to stock and back in order.

I am not sure if this issue is related to any of that, but I have seen so many F30 cars with the same Drivetrain error code before and it's not always the same issue, but a lot of it had to do with the spark plugs and cylinder heads, could that be the issue I am facing? I honestly hope it's as simple as a faulty sensor or spark plug because the other repairs are most likely extremely costly.

I am taking it to the dealership tomorrow for diagnosis and will wait to hear back from them, but any information on what could be the issue is appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

[rjd_F30]

Combustion period outside tolerance, just judging by that description, sounds like an ignition, or more specifically ignition timing issue to me, though I'm not familiar with this exact code. How old are your spark plugs?

It could be any number of things in the ignition cycle that are throwing off the timing of the ignition, or it could also be a hiccup in your tune. But I would start with the spark plugs.

[tarekelsakka]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

Combustion period outside tolerance, just judging by that description, sounds like an ignition, or more specifically ignition timing issue to me, though I'm not familiar with this exact code. How old are your spark plugs?

It could be any number of things in the ignition cycle that are throwing off the timing of the ignition, or it could also be a hiccup in your tune. But I would start with the spark plugs.

The dealership just called me and said that the car needs a blow off valve as well as a rocker cover gasket (or something like that, don't know the proper part name in English) at this point, but that the DME manipulation thing is throwing them off and therefore they won't be responsible for any further problems that come up afterwards.

What do you think about this? Should I have them proceed with the repair or just take the car and attempt to have it fixed at a local shop since the problem has mostly been identified?

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by tarekelsakka

The dealership just called me and said that the car needs a blow off valve as well as a rocker cover gasket (or something like that, don't know the proper part name in English) at this point, but that the DME manipulation thing is throwing them off and therefore they won't be responsible for any further problems that come up afterwards.

What do you think about this? Should I have them proceed with the repair or just take the car and attempt to have it fixed at a local shop since the problem has mostly been identified?

Well, the car doesn't have a blow-off valve, so that's a bit of a red flag. I assume they're talking about the Diverter Valve though, but I doubt that would be the cause of the code you're seeing. Not sure what you mean by rocker cover gasket either, maybe valve cover gasket? But if so, I'm still not sure that would cause the code. And the DME tamper code shouldn't throw them off, so I would recommend taking the car back and go get a second opinion from a good independent mechanic. Their response seems a bit fishy to me.

[tarekelsakka]

rjdnyy224 I must say I agree with you. I probably have the names wrong because they told me in Arabic and I tried to translate them into English, which isn't always accurate. I will probably retrieve the car on Saturday since it still works and the Drivetrain error supposedly disappeared after they started the engine today and will run another diagnosis using ISTA and post the results here.

I will also try and find a decent local mechanic and see if they can identify and fix the issue for me. The dealership quoted me around $850 for those two parts, excluding tax and labor, which is quite a lot so I do need a second opinion for sure.

[insanecoder]

what kind of boost were you running and which map was this?

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by tarekelsakka

rjdnyy224 I must say I agree with you. I probably have the names wrong because they told me in Arabic and I tried to translate them into English, which isn't always accurate. I will probably retrieve the car on Saturday since it still works and the Drivetrain error supposedly disappeared after they started the engine today and will run another diagnosis using ISTA and post the results here.

I will also try and find a decent local mechanic and see if they can identify and fix the issue for me. The dealership quoted me around $850 for those two parts, excluding tax and labor, which is quite a lot so I do need a second opinion for sure.

I think that's probably the right thing to do. Do update on the second opinion, hope it's an easy fix for ya

[tarekelsakka]

I have not taken it to a local garage yet but I was able to talk the dealership's engineer into giving me the exact part numbers that supposedly need to be replaced.

11.12.7.646.553 Cylinder Head Cover

11.65.7.602.293 Electro-valve (Turbo Boost Pressure Control)

After taking it from the dealership and driving it for a while, I decided to connect ISTA and run another test and the results are posted below.

Is it possible that these parts are truly malfunctioning but not raising any flags on ISTA? Or is the dealership trying to use the DME manipulation flag as an excuse to execute a costly repair? Sunday is the day off for most mechanics so I am hopefully going to be visiting a local garage tomorrow in order to perform another checkup, however I am not so sure they would be able to identify the issue without the help of the software diagnosis.

And by the way, does anyone know if there are websites in the UK that sell genuine BMW parts for decent prices and with fast delivery? I am going back to the UK on the 22nd and will stay there for a week so I can probably get better prices for the parts over there and bring them with me.

[Cpatel]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

Combustion period outside tolerance, just judging by that description, sounds like an ignition, or more specifically ignition timing issue to me, though I'm not familiar with this exact code. How old are your spark plugs?

It could be any number of things in the ignition cycle that are throwing off the timing of the ignition, or it could also be a hiccup in your tune. But I would start with the spark plugs.

Stupid question but how many spark plugs does the n20/n26 engine have?

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by Cpatel

Stupid question but how many spark plugs does the n20/n26 engine have?

4 cylinders 4 spark plugs.