N52 Hesitating?

[Billup]

Good Morning All,
I am not sure if anyone else has experienced this at all, but this happened to me the other day, and I have noticed it a time or two in the past as well. I was on a two lane road, pushed down on the gas, passed a Semi, and after I passed, it seemed like the car was a little "shaky". I didn't notice it much while I was still driving down the road, but the Service Engine Soon light did come on, and I could tell something was up, however, no indication came up on the center information screen?
I came up to the light, and thats when I really noticed the hesitation. The car was shaking quite a bit, and RPM's seemed to drop. I tried going into neutral to see if giving it some gas would equalize the RPM's, but after letting off the gas, the hesitation continued. With that being said, I turned the car off, waited a minute, then turned it back on, and the problem was now gone.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this something I should be concerned about? This is not a recurring problem, but I have noticed it a time or two in the past. Is there something I should check, possibly fouled spark plugs?

Thanks for any help in advance,
Will

[3002 tii]

You need to get codes pulled, else it's too hard to diagnose.

[Billup]

So even though it was only on for a few minutes, it should be stored in the history bank, correct?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Billup

So even though it was only on for a few minutes, it should be stored in the history bank, correct?

Yes unless you cleared it yourself by disconnecting battery

[pj.rodriguez]

That actually happened to my dad in his SLK350. Could be completely unrelated but it was two of his cylinders not firing or something and he shut off the engine and started it back up and it worked fine. No codes or anything. But I have no clue what he did after that. Good luck with figuring this out!

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Billup

Good Morning All,
I am not sure if anyone else has experienced this at all, but this happened to me the other day, and I have noticed it a time or two in the past as well. I was on a two lane road, pushed down on the gas, passed a Semi, and after I passed, it seemed like the car was a little "shaky". I didn't notice it much while I was still driving down the road, but the Service Engine Soon light did come on, and I could tell something was up, however, no indication came up on the center information screen?
I came up to the light, and thats when I really noticed the hesitation. The car was shaking quite a bit, and RPM's seemed to drop. I tried going into neutral to see if giving it some gas would equalize the RPM's, but after letting off the gas, the hesitation continued. With that being said, I turned the car off, waited a minute, then turned it back on, and the problem was now gone.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this something I should be concerned about? This is not a recurring problem, but I have noticed it a time or two in the past. Is there something I should check, possibly fouled spark plugs?

Thanks for any help in advance,
Will

Have you replaced plugs? Or are they original?

[Billup]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

Have you replaced plugs? Or are they original?

Plugs are original, which is why I felt this may be a good place to start. Are plugs a PIA to do? This is my first I6, & BMW, so I haven't had the top end opened at all except for an oil change / air filter replacement.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Billup

Plugs are original, which is why I felt this may be a good place to start. Are plugs a PIA to do? This is my first I6, & BMW, so I haven't had the top end opened at all except for an oil change / air filter replacement.

I have never done it before either (my first BMW here as well), but try the DIY section. Could be some info there.

[TheSt|G]

It's a very easy process to change plugs.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174217


That said, I would pull the codes properly before I ran off and started swapping out parts. Your symptoms are vague fit a wide variety of problems.

[Kgolf31]

Doesn't sound like plugs, almost sounds like a bad coil about to blow.

I blew a coil on my S54 and it was essentially running on 5 cylinders...and it didn't like it. I turned the car off, restarted and the light went away but still fired like crap

[Billup]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Doesn't sound like plugs, almost sounds like a bad coil about to blow.

I blew a coil on my S54 and it was essentially running on 5 cylinders...and it didn't like it. I turned the car off, restarted and the light went away but still fired like crap

That was something I thought of as well, or a clogged injector (I've had hesitation in the past from this). I am going to pull codes tomorrow if I have time after work. I will update as I continue.

Thanks for all your input so far!

[Dackelone]

First step is to READ your thrown engine code. IF the ECL came on a code was/is stored.

Anything else is just guessing at what is wrong with your car.

[631twentyeighteye]

Sounds like plugs or a bad coil pack. That's what it felt like when my car was misfiring on cyl 4 after i swapped manifolds. It would only happen when i went WOT at low RPM's and would only throw a check engine code after it happened a bit. Then it would idle roughly and hesitate. I replaced all 6 plugs and coil packs just for peace of mind.

+1 to checking codes before you buy things that may not fix it.

[Billup]

I agree with that 100%. Wanted to toss it out there in case someone else had a similar issue with their N52, as some problems are pertinent to their own being.

I hope to have it coded tomorrow and will try to keep this updated in case anyone encounters the same issue.

FWIW: Mileage to date is at 71k (mi.)

[Billup]

Originally Posted by 631twentyeighteye

Sounds like plugs or a bad coil pack. That's what it felt like when my car was misfiring on cyl 4 after i swapped manifolds. It would only happen when i went WOT at low RPM's and would only throw a check engine code after it happened a bit. Then it would idle roughly and hesitate. I replaced all 6 plugs and coil packs just for peace of mind.

Thank you. I've experienced a similar problem in the past, but in some essences the N52 is quite different from what I have grown accustomed to. I think regardless, I would like to change the plugs for maintenance purposes.

I appreciate the feedback!

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by Billup

I agree with that 100%. Wanted to toss it out there in case someone else had a similar issue with their N52, as some problems are pertinent to their own being.

I hope to have it coded tomorrow and will try to keep this updated in case anyone encounters the same issue.

FWIW: Mileage to date is at 71k (mi.)

When you read the codes, if it is a mis-fire swap the potential bad coil with a good one and see if the code tracks to another cylinder. It is a fairly easy test to find if it is a plug or coil

[631twentyeighteye]

^^ ditto to that, i forgot to mention that's how i figured out what was causing my misfire.

[Billup]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

When you read the codes, if it is a mis-fire swap the potential bad coil with a good one and see if the code tracks to another cylinder. It is a fairly easy test to find if it is a plug or coil

I meant to update this a while ago. It ended up being a faulty coil on cylinder 6. Changed out all the plugs and coils and haven't experienced any hesitation yet. The plugs seemed to be in decent shape (not sure if this was something done before I purchased as a CPO?), but I changed them out anyways.

I have done some spirited acceleration to see if I could mimic the issue, and haven't had anything yet.

Thank you all for your responses!

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by Billup

I meant to update this a while ago. It ended up being a faulty coil on cylinder 6. Changed out all the plugs and coils and haven't experienced any hesitation yet. The plugs seemed to be in decent shape (not sure if this was something done before I purchased as a CPO?), but I changed them out anyways.

I have done some spirited acceleration to see if I could mimic the issue, and haven't had anything yet.

Thank you all for your responses!

Good to hear it was just a bad coil. Fairly easy and cheap fix.

[Billup]

Alright, so I stumbled into another issue on my drive home today.

Seemed I had some rather aggressive jerking when accelerating, a little different from what I felt before. I went and had it scanned and pulled a code for VVT Sensor Plausability (P1017 I believe). Given the miles, I feel it may have failed due to some internal sludge on the gear that turns the crank. If this is the case, is replacing this going to be an issue? I have always worked on my own cars, but it was a 4 cylinder Acura. Is this something I would need to take to a dealer, and is there a rough estimate on what it may cost?

I'm led to believe I will need the motor, gasket, and cover flange (assuming the motor itself is about to go out)?

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by Billup

Alright, so I stumbled into another issue on my drive home today.

Seemed I had some rather aggressive jerking when accelerating, a little different from what I felt before. I went and had it scanned and pulled a code for VVT Sensor Plausability (P1017 I believe). Given the miles, I feel it may have failed due to some internal sludge on the gear that turns the crank. If this is the case, is replacing this going to be an issue? I have always worked on my own cars, but it was a 4 cylinder Acura. Is this something I would need to take to a dealer, and is there a rough estimate on what it may cost?

I'm led to believe I will need the motor, gasket, and cover flange (assuming the motor itself is about to go out)?

Need the motor?

The sensor fails because the gasket around it degrades over time and oil gets in and fouls the sensor. To do it yourself you need the sensor, valve cover gasket, and the bolts that go into the valve cover as they are one time use aluminum bolts. From what I remember it is ~$350 in parts.

I'm not sure what your level of proficiency is to make a call on if you can do it or not. I certainly will be when mine fails(or preventative as I often do). I imagine it will take a few hours.

*Edit* Are you referring to the Valvetronic motor?

[Billup]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Need the motor?

The sensor fails because the gasket around it degrades over time and oil gets in and fouls the sensor. To do it yourself you need the sensor, valve cover gasket, and the bolts that go into the valve cover as they are one time use aluminum bolts. From what I remember it is ~$350 in parts.

I'm not sure what your level of proficiency is to make a call on if you can do it or not. I certainly will be when mine fails(or preventative as I often do). I imagine it will take a few hours.

*Edit* Are you referring to the Valvetronic motor?

Yeah I was referring to the valvetronic motor itself. I wasn't sure if I would truly need it or not, or if the code is aimed more towards the VVT sensor only. I'm coming from a Vtec platform, but never had to do much other than the solenoid, but that was cake, so I'm still learning, per se.

I worked at an auto repair facility back in MI and have done some light duty / medium duty work, light engine repair and such. So I am not by any means a professional, but I can usually figure things out if I give myself enough time.