Shake at idle

[sardius]

Hi guys, yesterday while waiting at the stop light, in neutral with clutch dis-engaged, I noticed my car shake ever slightly (side shake?) but consistenly. I only have 1200 Kilometres on it and obviously using premium gas only. Not sure if the shake was there since the day one, but now it's there and whether this is a normal behaviour of our cars. Your comments will be much appreciated as I am taking it to the dealership for some rattlers in a few days. Thanks all!

[2010AW135i]

i think mine does this 1st thing in the morning when its warming up. kind of like a miss or rough idle i havent thought too much about it

[Bimmer-Bob]

I've noticed a little shake on cold starts, too. Silky smooth inline six, my ass! Seriously, though, I'm assuming this is just a normal cold engine thing. It's very slight and doesn't last long.

[sardius]

Thanks guys for your input, I am not sure though whether this happens during cold starts, this is actually happening after the engine is well warmed up

[clausy]

Originally Posted by sardius

Thanks guys for your input, I am not sure though whether this happens during cold starts, this is actually happening after the engine is well warmed up

Well my N54 does this all the time. Feels like someone kicks the side of the car every few seconds when it's idling. Magical.

[ronster]

Originally Posted by clausy

Well my N54 does this all the time. Feels like someone kicks the side of the car every few seconds when it's idling. Magical.

+1... My N54 & my friend's N54 have the same thing from time to time. It feels like misfiring... My friend said he has had it since day 1 and his is still on the original pump (> 25k mi).... I didn't pay attention to this until after the 1st HPFP failure... don't worry there has been no N55 HPFP failures reported as of now... seems to me it's normal...

Just enjoy ur car...

[jr135]

Mine does the shaking very occasionally, with a 2-3 second duration period, and mostly when just turned on. Shakes as if a cable plug were disconnected momentarily...

[dreamingat30fps]

My 335i does the same thing and I always assumed it had something to do with the HPFP (maybe messing up my injectors or something). However since you have the new N55 I'm guessing it's just normal with these engines.

[Cuz5150]

Happens here!
Cold start:
engine hits 1400rpm
then drops to 1200rpm
then drops to 1000rpm
then hick ups, hick ups, hick ups
then drops to 900rpms
then drops to 700rpm as idle settles(the hair dryer stops)
then rear muffler flap shuts with a "clack"
then a ticking sound coming from the engine starts
drive off, ticking sound goes away(vacuum builds up)
Engine runs and sounds great!.......END

[RPM90]

I think this is common to the VANOS inline 6.
My E46 had this same thing from day 1.
It's occasional though. But, some days, it seems worse as it happens for longer durations. No rhyme or reason for when it does it though.

These engines are silky smooth while running/moving.
But, at idle, it can be a different story.
Both my BMW engines felt smoother at 5k rpm than at idle.

[sardius]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

However since you have the new N55 I'm guessing it's just normal with these engines.

That's what I am guessing too, definitely not HPFP since it's a new car. The techinician at the dealership says everything is running smooth. I think I'm just a bit paranoid hehe.

Originally Posted by RPM90

I think this is common to the VANOS inline 6.
My E46 had this same thing from day 1.
It's occasional though. But, some days, it seems worse as it happens for longer durations. No rhyme or reason for when it does it though.

These engines are silky smooth while running/moving.
But, at idle, it can be a different story.
Both my BMW engines felt smoother at 5k rpm than at idle.

Agree, it happens occasionally. The engine runs damn smooth once it gets going, especially at high rpms, man...gotta love this car!

[imported_mega]

my last vanos bmw did not idle rough, my 135i has the same rough idle others do

several times I've though I got bumped at a stop light, the car shook so bad

[gstopyra]

Mine does that too. If A/C is on, not so much...but if I turn it off it feels bad at stop lights. I've even seen it vary idle from 7-900. I want to take it in to the dealer, but haven't had the time from work to do so. I think it's just the N54's way of saying, "go fast, I don't like to stop."

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by imported_mega

my last vanos bmw did not idle rough, my 135i has the same rough idle others do

several times I've though I got bumped at a stop light, the car shook so bad

It's not really a "rough" idle. It's more like a hiccup.
And it's much stronger in my TT engine than the NA E46.
Sometimes it does feel like something bumped or hit the car lightly.

Rough idle is what my E46 had when 2 of the 6 coils went out.
THAT was rough idle.

[shockin330i]

My 335 with the n55 has these weird shakes too

[imported_mega]

when my E30 would act like this, I would pull off the idle control valve and clean it

sadly I do not think that will work with the n54, the other symptom mine has, when I let off the gas and push in the clutch, the rpm will drop lower than idle rpm, surge up to ~1200 rpm then drop back down. This too was a classic symptom of a worn ICV in an e30.

[SlicktopTTZ]

My 135i might "burp" a few times after a cold start while it is warming up and adjusting fuel trims, but once warm the idle is dead on and the smoothest engine I have ever driven. It is 2010 (N54) and on original pump.