Fuel Pump Failure 10K miles

[nachob]

So I go to start my car and it takes about 3x longer to start than normal. I knew immediately from reading the other threads what that meant....fuel pump. The car idled very high for a few seconds then ran OK. Next day, I got to start it again. Long crank, then it starts and revs very high for a few seconds. Then it drops to normal cold start speed and starts to stumble runnning on one or two cylinders. Shut it off immediately and called tow truck. Didn't want to risk damage or stranded on highway. Car ran fine later but dealer checked it and got fuel pump error. Pretty matter of fact. They have pump in stock and should have it back tomorrow. My car was manufactured in July 2011 after the recall so this must be the new pump. Doesn't make me feel hopeful. I guess we can just get a new pump every year for?

[ayao]

N54T ftw. Boo ...

[nachob]

The real pisser is that I asked if the 10 year 100K mile recall warranty applies to our cars and the service advisor said that he didn't see any notes on the file which would pop up if there was a recall. So even though we have the same pumps that fail (or maybe newer ones that fail too) we don't get the 10 year pump warranty. Anyone know any different?

Do we fall under the 10 year fuel pump warranty?

[CarJunkie]

If not, we should all start making some noise about it.

[lcrain]

Is there not an aftermarket solution for this?

I plan to keep this car for a long time and I don't want to have to worry about the fuel pump every 10k miles...

[nachob]

The techs at the dealership were reassuring that the new pump should fix it long term but would feel better if warranty was extended since its a known issue. So far I think I'm the third fuel pump recipient. Anyone else?

[borabora]

mine is a 10/2011 build with 13K miles and it still starts right up . don't know if i had another pump than yours or you just got the bad one one in the batch ?

[yemski]

Originally Posted by nachob

The real pisser is that I asked if the 10 year 100K mile recall warranty applies to our cars and the service advisor said that he didn't see any notes on the file which would pop up if there was a recall. So even though we have the same pumps that fail (or maybe newer ones that fail too) we don't get the 10 year pump warranty. Anyone know any different?

Do we fall under the 10 year fuel pump warranty?

My SA also noticed that the 1M lacks the 100k warranty ext for fuel pumps so we assumed they were using a revised (fixed pump) in our cars. If this is not the case I think we need to petition for it so we are protected further down the road.

[PunjabiM3]

I sure hope this does not end up being the norm over the long haul. I actually plan to keep this car for some time and think it would be a great platform to mod. In the past I have only kept cars an average of 2 years or so, so hoping I can keep this one for 4+ years without issue. I guess we shall wait and see!

[nachob]

Me too. Great car so I want to keep a long time also.. For me long time is more like 20 years! : )

[Redadair]

HPFP's have a much higher failure rate than LPFP's. These pumps run at Very High pressures, several thousand PSI since they inject fuel into the cylinder under full compression. These failures are not a part of the N54 engine other than the fact that the pump is bolted to the side of the engine. Google "PHFP failures" and you will see hits for every make of auto's and trucks. Blame it on the fact that Gasoline is a Solvent, where Diesel acts as a lubricant in it's HPFP's.

While it's true the first gen fuel pumps from BMW, which were on the First Direct Fuel injected engine from BMW the N54 did have a higher than normal failure rate BMW has pretty much fixed this issue. Parts do fail, even transmissions turbos etc. etc...

Sorry to hear yours failed.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Redadair

HPFP's have a much higher failure rate than LPFP's. These pumps run at Very High pressures, several thousand PSI since they inject fuel into the cylinder under full compression. These failures are not a part of the N54 engine other than the fact that the pump is bolted to the side of the engine. Google "PHFP failures" and you will see hits for every make of auto's and trucks. Blame it on the fact that Gasoline is a Solvent, where Diesel acts as a lubricant in it's HPFP's.

While it's true the first gen fuel pumps from BMW, which were on the First Direct Fuel injected engine from BMW the N54 did have a higher than normal failure rate BMW has pretty much fixed this issue. Parts do fail, even transmissions turbos etc. etc...

Sorry to hear yours failed.

Red, my "boat mate" how are you? How many miles on your car? Ours were built at the same time pretty much.

Yes, chances are it's fixed but I think we should track the pump failures just in case it does become a problem. I am very understanding of this failure as it is the first problem and I knew I wasn't buying a Camry, but just think it's good that we track it among ourselves just in case.

Thanks.

[Redadair]

Originally Posted by nachob

Red, my "boat mate" how are you? How many miles on your car? Ours were built at the same time pretty much.

Yes, chances are it's fixed but I think we should track the pump failures just in case it does become a problem. I am very understanding of this failure as it is the first problem and I knew I wasn't buying a Camry, but just think it's good that we track it among ourselves just in case.

Thanks.

Good to talk to you again. My car has 2550 miles on it now. I agree with you about tracking these pumps. Sorry it happened to you and I hope this is the last we hear about them.

I am loving my 1M, it's the best all around car I have ever owned I plan on keeping mile forever.

Red

[josephvman]

Mine was replaced at 7.5k, and now fewer than 1,000 miles later I've had two episodes of "non-start"; when the car turns over and dies immediately after pushing the starter button from a cold start. This is exactly the symptom that preceeded the first failure (until it completely crapped out and went into limp mode) as well as the three failures I had on my '07 335i coupe, in 32k miles. Each time I had the hpfp replaced in the 335i I was told it had a new part number, new design, blah blah blah. I didn't expect such an early failure in my 1M, but once it did I knew it wouldn't be the last. It's very disappointing to say the least. I've changed the fuel pumps more often than the engine oil in the last two new BMW's I've bought, and as much as I love these cars that's just not acceptable to me.

[josephvman]

I'm not sure which planet you're on, but if you believe this then you're not paying attention.

Originally Posted by Redadair

While it's true the first gen fuel pumps from BMW, which were on the First Direct Fuel injected engine from BMW the N54 did have a higher than normal failure rate BMW has pretty much fixed this issue. Parts do fail, even transmissions turbos etc. etc...

[CarJunkie]

Would a fuel additive like Marvel Mystery Oil or Lucas UCL be detrimental in our engine?

Either would lubricate the fuel pump, which may help.

[///M1]

I think this will be an item that despite not having the formal 100K extended coverage for our cars, BMW will repair under 'good will'.

Still, the failure rate on the 1Ms is no where near what was happening before on earlier N54 cars, so I can't classify it as 'chronic'...

[nachob]

Originally Posted by ///M1

I think this will be an item that despite not having the formal 100K extended coverage for our cars, BMW will repair under 'good will'.

Still, the failure rate on the 1Ms is no where near what was happening before on earlier N54 cars, so I can't classify it as 'chronic'...

Correct, doesn't seem chronic but the purpose of the thread is to track it to see if it does become a problem. Now we know of two or three others that have had fuel pump failures at under 10K miles.

On the additive front, I don't think this is a good idea. For years BMW has claimed high sulfur content as a possible cause. An additive would not reduce sulfur and might introduce other substances that make matters worse.

We also own a MkV GTI which is direct injected and have several friends with 2.0 direct injected turbo motors. Most of them are anywhere between 45K-120K miles. While they have had other issues like burning oil, etc. I know of no one personally with a fuel pump failure so it seems possible for a HP German fuel pump to be somewhat reliable, even on US fuel.

Again, it seems like it's not a huge problem yet but we should remain vigilant. 1Ms are special cars that are not driven as much as regular x35s. Many of them are weekend or toy cars so they are not racking up the hours so if there is a fuel pump issue it will take a bit longer to develop in my opinion.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by nachob

Do we fall under the 10 year fuel pump warranty?

As far as I know... only the '08 & '09 135i's have the 10 year, 100K mile extended warranty on the HPFP.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

As far as I know... only the '08 & '09 135i's have the 10 year, 100K mile extended warranty on the HPFP.

Dackel, in the past BMW blamed high sulfur content in US fuel. Did Germany experience many High Pressure fuel pump failures on 135s and 335s?

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by nachob

Dackel, in the past BMW blamed high sulfur content in US fuel. Did Germany experience many High Pressure fuel pump failures on 135s and 335s?

My dealer says its not really a problem over here. But they have replaced some HPFP on a few cars. Nothing like in the USA though. Yes, they have also said its bc of the US fuel blends with high sulfur in it. Germany has zero sulfur in its fuels.


For my own US spec 135i... I have 49K miles with the original fuel pump! (...knock on wood). No problems with starting or running.


Dack

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by Redadair

HPFP's have a much higher failure rate than LPFP's. These pumps run at Very High pressures, several thousand PSI since they inject fuel into the cylinder under full compression. These failures are not a part of the N54 engine other than the fact that the pump is bolted to the side of the engine. Google "PHFP failures" and you will see hits for every make of auto's and trucks. Blame it on the fact that Gasoline is a Solvent, where Diesel acts as a lubricant in it's HPFP's.

While it's true the first gen fuel pumps from BMW, which were on the First Direct Fuel injected engine from BMW the N54 did have a higher than normal failure rate BMW has pretty much fixed this issue. Parts do fail, even transmissions turbos etc. etc...

Sorry to hear yours failed.

Extremely well written post.