#$@#*~! Check engine light!!

[Hansel]

I was on the way home from work, i work in downtown la.. i was in medium traffic the whole way back and my engine light came on.. i was alarmed and thought nothing of it.. maybe it was an O2 sensor.. then when traffic stopped my x5 started shaking rather violently.. so i pulled off.. which was a task and a hazard in LA traffic.. the car ran ok when not stopped so i drove it home.. i had my dad take it in for a diagnosis at an independent bmw service center (my car has 54k miles and is now out of warranty) the diagnostic thing found no codes.. the tech told my dad that it was a bent valve, i told my dad to get it out of there before they started tearing into my engine (4.4) and before the bill started getting out of control.. turns out one of our family freinds is the head tech at south bay bmw.. so my car is there and they did a compression test.. turns out there is 0 compression in the #1 cylinder.. so now im waiting for them to tell me something bad has happened.. i guess he got an ok from the manager to cover "most" of the work under warranty.. but we'll see what happens.. sorry, had to vent!!

[Roc3b]

That is going to leave a mark....best of luck....why are these things soooo ffnn tempermental...they should be bullet proof!!!!

[motordavid]

It sounds like a valve situ, from description: valve seat, bent stem, etc.
If it was a cracked head, you should show zero compression in two cylinders in a V8, from memory, lol!
GL...I agree with Roc3B: the 3.0 & V8 Motors should be fooking bullet proof, motor structure-wise, for 100-125k miles, min.

[drex]

BMW NA will step in and deal with this.

[Hansel]

i sure hope so.. 54k? w/ a serious internal problem? (or so it sounds) and i dont even drive this thing hard.. i mean nothing above and beyond normal wear and tear. i'll let you guys know what the final diagnosis is later today when i hear from them.. thanks for the input.

[Hansel]

Update: so far they've found a broken valve spring. the head comes off tomorrow.

[vinuneuro]

Originally Posted by drex

BMW NA will step in and deal with this.

I agree. They should be covering the whole thing. I'v NEVER heard of a valve/spring failing on an automatic. It's not like you can over-rev and have piston-valve contact. I guess, every manufacturer has had a few engines that have somethin like this go wrong (except Honda, - according to Top Gear). Good luck, let us know what happens.

[Tomaz]

What was the final outcome after the dealer pulled the head? Further damage? Is BMW paying? What caused the valve spring to break?

[LI_BIMMER]

My X did the same thing this morning. I was in my driveway so I left it there. I just started it up and it seems normal so I gues mine is more of a electronic problem. I am taking it to a mechanic tomorrow to have the code read. Please keep us updated.