A very sad day, is this the end of our X5

[JonbmwX5]

Hi guys, last week the wifes bmw x5 e53 3.0p started playing up, it started juddering on idel and lack of power.

I took the x5 to a bmw specialist and to be diagnosed and got the dreaded call that i need to come in and have a look as its not cost effective to repair, once i arrived they got the car up on the ramp and when through how much work the car needs £3k spending and a total of 31 jobs from new wipers, rocker cover gasket, 2x tyres, to front suspension arms, in their opinion its not cost effective to repair with 146k miles. They are a specialist i have used before and they are very good so i respect there opinion, all the work the x5 needs i could do myself over a week. It would cost me just parts totaling £600-£700 so although it needs alot of work the car has been brilliant up untill now and my wife would love to keep it.

So if i can sort the misfire out we will keep the x5 but if its something serious we will have to sell the x5 as spares and repairs.

THE MISFIRE

The specialist hooked the x5 up to their computer and read the fault codes but didn't investigate further as they advised it could have ran into the hundreds and with all the work needed doing they advised i put it towards a new car.

So from codes i know its a misfire on cylinder 5, these are the codes from the sheets given to me copied exactly.

Fault codes
(018) 12 exhaust camshaft position sensor, signal
(037) 25 main relay, switch delay
(031) 1F fuel ignition, cylinder 5, activation

So i have just order a full set of spark plugs, a new camshaft sensor. I was think if this doesn't solve it i will order a new coil and a final last attempt.

while awaiting the plugs, i have taken engine cover off im assuming cylinder 5 is the 5th back standing looking at the engine bay.

what do you guys make of the codes?

could the plugs, coil or camshaft sensor causes a misfire? anything else i could have missed?

Any thoughts, input, advise very much appreciated

thanks Jon

[TQ2K]

Yes each can cause a misfire. Start with CPS and go ahead with plugs if they are old. Leave coils last as per your plan.

Hope things work out.

[upallnight]

Although most people consider a misfire is caused by spark plugs or coils, to the car computer a misfire is detected when a cylinder or cylinders do not produce as much power as the other cylinders. A weak cylinder could be due to poor compression in the cylinder, a weak fuel mixture such as a clogged injector.

Before throwing parts at the X I would investigate the health of the engine first. Don't know how it is on the other side of the pond, but over here one can rent diagnostic tools. A simple compression test can be performed at the same time you are replacing all the spark plugs. A fuel pressure gauge can be usede to determine the fuel pressure at the rail. Apps such as Torque or OBD Fusion can be used to log data such as MAF, (g/s) Fuel trims (long term and short term), etc. Posting these data can be more helpful in determining the problem.

[sunny5280]

You didn't mention it but is the CEL flashing?

[JonbmwX5]

thanks for the responses guys much appreciated,

there are no engine lights on or flashing.

I can get the local garage to do a compression test for not alot so will give them a call Monday. would save me spending out and then finding out engine is knackard.

just looking over the sheets from the specialist and got a print out of

Smooth running values

cylinder 1 1.57
cylinder 2 2.43
cylinder 3 -0.29
cylinder 4 2.33
cylinder 5 -9.55
cylinder 6 2.77

does this mean anything or give any clues?

[Rush]

Originally Posted by JonbmwX5

just looking over the sheets from the specialist and got a print out of

Smooth running values

cylinder 1 1.57
cylinder 2 2.43
cylinder 3 -0.29
cylinder 4 2.33
cylinder 5 -9.55
cylinder 6 2.77

does this mean anything or give any clues?

I know precisely nothing here--other than that three and five seem to be the problem children.

But don't run out and buy a new custom tungsten carbide block on ~my~ assessment alone.

[JonbmwX5]

Ok thanks, the plugs should arrive today so fingers crossed it's not anything major, the x has been fantastic over the last six years.

Took engine cover off and remover spark plug number and and its looks shot, cleaned it up and Pluto back in but still juddery.

Notice a wet dirty like substance over the end of the coil when removing the plug in guessing this has be caused by the rocket cover gasket failing.

[upallnight]

Oil in the spark plug tubes can cause spark plugs to misfire. Surprise the Technicians didn't mention that to you. The valve cover gasket needs to be replaced.

[JonbmwX5]

Hi guys, just a update so I changed the spark plugs over and all good (or so I thought) misfire gone ran the car for ten mins and seemed fine, took the x for a spin round the block and no issues at all, so drive to work the next morning and half hour into the journey the judder/missfire is back!

So today while taking the rocker cover off i can see the rocker cover has been leaking in serveal places where the cover has dried u, when removing the cover in places I had to chip it off where it had dried up and gone hard.

Also noticed a lot of yellow mayo on the underside of the rocker cover above what would be the engine chain leading to the crankcase hose, inclipped the hose and it full of this yellow mayo stuff.

This crankcase hose is also split on the join, and came away while inspecting it. It full of this yellow mayo so wondering if something blocked, or maybe it been blocked because of the knackard rocker cover.

Where does this hose go, is it easy to change? How important is it, does it make much difference or cause any issues with it being split/having that split in it.

Thanks again Jon

[JonbmwX5]

Here a pic of where it was split and came away and full of gunk