EML warnings & Warm Idle Low Oil pressure.....MAF? VANOS?

[colb]

Did you pump the smoke into the boot with the throttle open so the smoke has a free flow through the engine, I use a foot pump attached to my smoker using baby oil on a wick surrounded by resistance wire connected to 12v, the air pump produces enough smoke flow to get through the engine and find any leaks. If you are certain you have no leaks then time to look at the exhaust sensors, can you see what they are performing like using live diagnostics, pre cat should be producing a wave form as the voltage ranges up and down if they are working ok. Last thing would be the Maf, if thats duff it dosn't set codes but upsets other sensors and can lead you in the wrong direction.
If you take the exhaust sensors out you need to get under the car and make sure its supported with good axle stands. I find a ring spanner on them worked better than the sensor removal sockets.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

Take the Vanos out and clean the solonoid, sound like its gummed up.

I'm attempting this at the moment, just taking the Solenoid off, whilst leaving main Vanos unit attached.
I saw various articles for this, but struggling to get the solenoid off. I've detached the pushclip and also detached the hose above for better access.
A bit nervous to beating up the Solenoid nut fitting as am using an adjustable wrench, should I be?....on some YouTube videos it came off super easy so wondering if I'm doing something wrong or being too cautious... otherwise I probably don't have the right tools, I think I'm meant to use a 32mm spanner to release this? Is this the same as for the water pump? Also is this supposed to be torqued up properly when I re-fit?

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

Did you pump the smoke into the boot with the throttle open so the smoke has a free flow through the engine

Sorry I missed this.....I probably didn't unless I have done this inadvertently. How would I do that? I just connected the smoke pipe with a rubber glove to the boot where the MAF usually connects and pumped the air into the engine off, and couldn't detect any smoke leak

 

[colb]

Put a weight on the throttle pedal so it holds the throttle open then smoke it like you did, the open throttle will allow a large volume of smoke to go through and find any leaks there maybe. I think I used a good fitting adjustable spanner on the Vanos solonoid when I pulled mine.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

Put a weight on the throttle pedal so it holds the throttle open then smoke it like you did, the open throttle will allow a large volume of smoke to go through and find any leaks there maybe. I think I used a good fitting adjustable spanner on the Vanos solonoid when I pulled mine.

Ok I definitely didn't do that, so one perhaps to try again later.....

Will see if I can find something better to do the Solenoid. Once its off, I take it just some brake cleaner around the pin in the centre will do the trick?

 

[colb]

I would clean it out with some carb cleaner easier to use that as it will clean it and evaporate any residue left in there unlike brake fluid.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

Alright, so had to pop to Screwfix to get a better wrench and managed to get the Solenoid free.

The first time I did it the cylindrical piece just rotated independently with the nut staying firm....from the videos I had seen they all seem to move together so not sure if that's a problem and possible future leak spot. I then got it free from the nut end and couldn't see any noticeable damage.
I did however notice some small metallic bits in the little bit of oil that drizzled out of the vanos.

Anyways gave it a good clean, the nipple ( is that the technical name? ) seemed to move freely in and out after a bit of brake cleaning solution
(didn't have carb cleaner to hand). Tilting it up and down you could see it move in and out...again is that meant to happen or should this only be activated by the current?

( before, after-in, after-out)

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

I cleared the codes, then fired up the car to take back to storage for the week. EML light came on about 10 mins in. Re-testing on arrival I it seems to have cleared the Vanos code!!

 

[colb]

So what codes have returned now to have put the EML back on?

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

So what codes have returned now to have put the EML back on?

Just the fuel trim code. For whatever reason the misfire codes disappeared last week after I cleared the codes playing with my scanner.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

air pump produces enough smoke flow to get through the engine and find any leaks. If you are certain you have no leaks then time to look at the exhaust sensors

You were right @colb second time trying the smoke test and I have found the source....
Some blank cap at the back of the manifold behind the oil dipstick. Looks pretty perished...

Off to Realoem to find the culprits name/code.

If I'm changing this piece any other similar pieces I should change together?

 

[colb]

Forgot to mention those caps, there are a couple of them hiding behind the intake manifold depending on model perish with age and will fall off eventually. Another hidden one is the O ring in the dipstick tube, good smoke test should reveal that if its duff

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

yep looks like #17 is my part which failed, #15 must be the other....I had originally suspected the dipstick as that's where it looked like the smoke was coming from but when I took it out nothing was coming out of the hole anyway when I realised it was these bung/cap type things...should it have been releasing smoke if the red handle of the dipstick was open?

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

The offending plug arrived from BMW Lincoln for 96p! Reset the error codes and hasn't returned in two drives.

Fingers crossed problem solved!!

Such a satisfying feeling to fix my first ever engine codes ( Vanos & Vacuum leak) ! thanks for all the advice.

The Spark/misfire code never returned, from my speculative error reset..... I expect it may rear its head again as I never attended to it.

 

[mrscalex]

Very, very common that cap failing. Always worth checking that before doing anything else. There's a second cap nearby.

The other rubber that nearly always perishes is the thin tube that comes off the elbow on the intake boot.

Then the next culprits are the upper and lower intake boots.

But can't beat a smoke test regardless.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

Very, very common that cap failing. Always worth checking that before doing anything else. There's a second cap nearby.

The other rubber that nearly always perishes is the thin tube that comes off the elbow on the intake boot.

Then the next culprits are the upper and lower intake boots.

But can't beat a smoke test regardless.

Yep have changed the other bung pre-emptively at the same time!

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

So looking to replace my Oil pressure sensor /switch to resolve my low oil pressure red light.

After taking off the airbox and loosening the alternator fluid reservoir ( I think ) I have gotten access to where the sender is meant to be.....but it is not there..

Looking for some advice...is Real OEM not accurate or can these be placed in other slots?

I have three possible places which I can see:

Red - Where realOEM says it should be
Yellow - Where real OEM says the Temp sensor should be
Blue - something else that looks similar and is not on realOEM diagram.




#12 is meant to be oil pressure switch
#13 oil temperature switch

I can try and attempt to look at electric connection to see which fit, but unsure if they are universal!

Help much appreciated!

 

[NZ00Z3]

I have aM54B25 on the engine stand at the moment. It should be not to dissimilar to your M54B22.

I suspect the electrical sensor in the top middle of the photo is the pressure sensor.

The electrical sensor down by the VANOS pipe being the Temperature sensor. Yes that's a Mora Red Z3 in the background.

 

[NabsNabsNabs]

So I had a rummage around the electrical connections and they are indeed very slightly different. The only one that fit was the one on the far right of your first pic. Or the blue circle in my pic. I also found a YouTube video on an E46 using a M54 which was in the same location also.

So I went and unscrewed it and replaced it.

Let the car run and heat up to see if the pressure light would persist at warm idle and unfortunately it still came on.

If anything, it might have come on a little sooner than before..... .
As before, the moment I touch the throttle the light goes off.

Any ideas of what next to check?

 

[NZ00Z3]

A couple of options:

• Run thicker oil. The light only comes on when the oil is hot and thinner. Use a thicker oil.
• Adjust your idle rev's up. Most M54's idle around 700-750 rpm when hot. Adjust the idle up 50 rpm for idle. This has to be done by a person familiar with DME programing.
• Pull the engine and fix the problem. Most times, the problem is not the pump failing to make enough pressure, it's oil pressure loss through leaks. The piston squirtters on the M54 can sometimes be a problem and flow all the time. They have a spring/ball valve that turns them off at low oil pressure times like idle. If the valve fails (spring breaks) they flow all the time and give low oil pressure problems at idle.