Plz. Help! Engine Failsafe. Have Codes: P0455, P1500, P1632, P1638, P1639
 

I have a 2002 BMW X5 3.0 V6. 97K miles.

I'm new here to the forum and need some help in a big way as I am stuck outside of my home town. I was getting on the highway (was at high rpms) when suddenly the Engine Failsafe Model light cam on and was able to get off highway before care shut down. Had it towed home. Was able to drive (only in idle and the engine revs up then down but able to crawl along at a few miles an hour and brake and abs lights are on plus brakes only work manually - had to push down hard on the brake in order get close to a stop) to Autozone and got the codes. I have checked all connections under the hood and everything seems in order.

They codes are: P0455, P1500, P1632, P1638, P1639

For OEM brand volkswagen troubleshooting (closest match - there is not BMW on the printouts) P0455 says:
- BBEVAP system large leak detected. BBLloose, defective or missing fuel cap. BB1 - faulty vent solenoid, BB2 - Faulty purge control solenoid, BB3 - faulty fuel tank pressure sensor

P1500 - BBFuel pump relay electrical circuit malfunction. BBOpen or short circuit condition. BB! - Failed fuel pump relay.

P1632 - Acclerator pedal position sensor 1/2 supply voltage. open or short circuit condition. bb1 - poor electrical condition bb2 - failed accelerator pedal position sensor.

P1638 - no info for volkswagen - just GM and CHRYSLER - for GM says Generator F terminal circit fault. ECM has detected an improper voltage level on the generator F terminal. bbb1 - circuit shorted to power or ground bb2 - failed generator. For Chrysler says: TCM internal can 1 ram performance. The TCM is reporting an internal processor error. Failed TCM

P1639 - accelerator pedal position sessor 1/2 range performance. open or short circuit condition. poor electrical condition. failed accelerator pedal position sensor.

Thats all of them. My goal is for someone that knows what these codes add up to to let me know what needs to be repaired so i can do it myself or hire someone independent of the dealership. Car is not under warranty and I need to get it repaired affordably as possible.

Thanks so much for your help.

Zac

Just did a quick google search on the P1638 code for bmw and came up with throttle temporarily stuck open, which can also be related to the P1639 code. (but hard to know which caused which)

Just for shits and giggles as it fixes many more problems than one would think (even if temporary) I'd have the codes cleared (hopefully for free at autozone) as you don't know which of those codes are current and which ones are old... Then immediately do a battery reset by removing the ground cable from the battery for about 10 minutes. (long enough for internal capacitors to discharge) Then when you hook the battery back up, turn the key on leaving engine off and just let it sit there for a minute so it can go through all of its self checks, including throttle motor. ;)

After letting it sit with the key on for a minute, start her up and hopefully she will drive normally for you. And if/when the problems happen again (if they don't reappear immediately on test drive) you can find a shop with the GT1 diagnostics or bring it in to the dealer for diagnosis of the currently present faults.

Thanks very much for that advice. Besides autozone, is there a way/place to get the codes removed. i asked at autozone and said they could not because not licensed to do so. Also, if I am unable to find someone to remove the codes, will the remove the ground on the battery trick still work? Or do the codes have to be removed no matter what? Thanks!

The battery reset should still work. The codes being removed would pretty much make diagnosis easier in the future by getting rid of the past codes unrelated to this problem. Some times there are many one time codes stored from thousands of miles ago that haven't been cleared, and the regular OBD II reader will not tell you how old they are or how many times they happened like the GT1 will.

Cool. I will try that now. There was a check engine light already on for the last few weeks so that would apply. I will let you know what happens. Thanks again.

that didnt seem to work. I'm trying again but I had it off the battery for more than 10 min and did the ignition on non start for a little over a minute and same problem. any other ideas/suggestions?
thanks!

If that reset didn't work than it's a hard fault, unfortunately may be time for proper diagnosis by qualified techs with proper diagnostic equipment and thorough knowledge of the systems. Either find an indy with the GT1 and lots of BMW experience or the dealer.