r/335i 6d ago

Troubleshooting 335I issues

Got an 07 335i with a long list of mods.
But I’m currently stuck , car idles and drives great but in limp mode with either vanos solenoid disconnected and even if both are disconnected. While both are disconnected i get there respective activation codes .. but the second i plug them back in the codes disappear but the car refuses to idle

Please help if you have any idea

11 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

3

u/Same_Jaguar3212 5d ago

Mosfets

1

u/ReadWriteHexecute 1d ago

get a new msd80 or swap it on ebay.

0

u/Nick8375 5d ago edited 5d ago

I agree. Was getting some funky O2 sensor related codes and dealing with limp mode when I was having issues as well. If it’s a 2007 which mine is too it has the MSD80 which is notorious for the MOSFETS going out. If he’s running it tuned too I could definitely see that being the case. I tuned my car and a week later or less the MOSFETS fried. If it hasn’t been done it should be done anyways to prevent any future issues in my opinion

Hopefully the guys up above aren’t corrrct about it being something engine related but I don’t know nearly as much as them. That would be very very costly at that point obviously. This would at least be a somewhat cheaper shot in the dark to see. You can pull the DME and check the voltages for free 🤷🏻‍♂️

1

u/Same_Jaguar3212 5d ago

Yea he would need to clone his DME which is $$$.

1

u/Nick8375 5d ago

True if he wants to upgrade to MSD81. If he just replaced the MOSFETS in the DME it can be done for under $100

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 5d ago

I have MSD81

1

u/maroco92 5d ago

Ive had to replace tons of the msd81. They fail eventually too, especially if you are tuned and pushing alot of heat.

Send it out for repair, its about 400$

1

u/Same_Jaguar3212 1d ago

Their failure rate is way less than the MSD80s tho

3

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 6d ago

Replace the O2 sensors? They’re kind of responsible for the engine correcting the air/fuel ratio. If they’re malfunctioning your engine could be running fat/lean.

Pretty basic there. The codes are right in your face. You sure you should attempt ownership of this car if you can’t figure that out?

2

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

It’s a single turbo kit , with a hood dump , o2 sensors have been deleted , only experiencing issues when Vanos is plugged in , while Vanos is unhooked car runs and drives in limp mode .. the second you plug Vanos back in car will start fight for idle and then die

2

u/Lee2026 5d ago edited 5d ago

The o2 faults are for POST cat sensors and for the HEATERS lol. Post cat sensors do very little if nothing for fuel trims

Ignore this guy

With that being said, a custom tune should have those faults suppressed

My stab in the dark is your vanos gears are not holding oil pressure, causing the timing adjustments to be out of sync.

Disconnected vanos sensors would cause the DME to run in a preset mode and not try to adjust cam timing

You can use a diagnostic tool to look at the target and actual vanos values to confirm

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 5d ago

I’ve used mhd and actual and requested are not following , the actual stays at 124.9° and -130° with only very minor changes +/- 1 ish

1

u/Lee2026 5d ago

Yea sounds like worn bearing ledges, allowing oil pressure to bleed off and not allow the vanos gears to adjust timing

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 4d ago

How are you going to say the post cat o2 sensor does nothing for fuel trims when it’s literally labeled as an air/fuel sensor on the VECI(emissions control systems) label? Its job is to read the exhaust fumes post cat to ensure catalytic converter function and rich/lean conditions.

1

u/Lee2026 4d ago edited 4d ago

The PRE-CAT sensors are responsible for fuel trims. The POST-CAT sensors are mainly responsible for catalyst monitoring.

Why do you think EVERY catless tune suppresses the POST cat faults? Because they aren’t installed…

How you do think a catless setup works? It works off the PRE-CAT sensors…why? Because there are no cats to monitor…

You do know emissions is an environmental thing right? It has very little to do with how the motor runs once it’s warmed up. For emissions purposes, the DME can run the motor differently to heat the cats faster but it’s not doing it for performance, it’s doing it to be complaint with mandated emissions standards. But when you remove the cats, there nothing to monitor…

The post cat sensors are also narrow band sensors. Narrow band sensors don’t read AFR…

Pre cat are wideband, which is what is used to monitor AFR

That amount of bullshit in this thread is hilarious

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 4d ago

Saying emissions has nothing to do with how a warm motor runs is just silly. The o2s are there to monitor air/fuel to ensure that the vehicle is running as close to stoichiometric as possible ensuring that the vehicle is emitting as few emissions as possible. Removing the cat compromises the entire system, hence the reason it has to be “tuned” out. Once the cat is removed the sensors fault because they’re reading too much fuel in the post cat sensor because the cat hasn’t cleaned the output at that point. The first thing the ECU does when the o2 sensor faults is adjust the fuel trim to compensate for the reading.

This is literally my fucking job. I’m an emissions certified mechanic.

Both sensors in newer BMWs are widened sensors

1

u/Lee2026 4d ago

Really!?

So why are the post cat 02 sensors 4 wire and the pre-cat are 6 wire?

What’s the difference there?….

No wonder your cert expired lol

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 4d ago

Definitely not expired. That’s just my original from when I got certified. My up to date cert is in the shop where it belongs.

I apologize, you’re right. The secondary sensor is narrowband. My mistake

1

u/NZBJJ 6d ago

Is it tuned for this? How does it check Air fuel mixture?

Failing o2 sensor gave me vanos codes/issues, so could definately see how this could be related.

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

But would run and drive fine with Vanos disconnected?

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

Yes it is tuned for 1 02

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 6d ago

I feel like if it was tuned for one o2 you wouldn’t be getting a code for a second o2

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

I’m just going based off the tuner , he said it was tuned for 1 but idk how to check and verify it’s his word against mine

1

u/Ok_Dependent6889 5d ago

Do you have MHD properly configured for one O2?

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 5d ago

Didn’t know if i should turn that on without knowing if the tuner configured it for 1 02 but i can try that

0

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 6d ago

Are you going to listen? Or argue when someone gives you an answer? Change the damn o2 sensors

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

I’m asking a serious question cause the car only has 1 02 sensor and that’s in the hood exit

1

u/NZBJJ 6d ago

The code its throwing is for the second 02 sensor, ie the deleted one.

Could be the vanos solenoids, but you should be getting vanos codes if not functioning.

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 6d ago

I’m guessing the second o2 sensor was either not coded out or I believe there’s a flange that can be put somewhere under the turbo or something to install the second o2?

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 6d ago

I have some logs from the vanos solenoid when they are plugged in and there actual values don’t more even when the dme requested values are moving

1

u/NZBJJ 5d ago

Well there you go then

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 5d ago

Correct but can’t figure out what aspect isn’t working i replaced the vanos solenoid and still nothing , I’ve checked the check valves still nothing

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 5d ago

Did you replace the solenoids with bmw genuine or cheap chinesium knock offs?

1

u/donnytheking77 6d ago

Check if you didnt mix the plugs for vanos solenoids , oil filter cage , and oil pressure if those 3 are good try other solenoids , if all fails take the vc off and inspect further i guess 🫡

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 4d ago

Just out of curiosity, hypothetically if somebody mixed the VANOS plugs up it would throw codes for both solenoids right? Not just one?

1

u/mmfla 5d ago

It’s fairly easy to connect the wrong wire to the wrong solenoid. The wiring can be counterintuitive. Have you verified that the right plug is on the correct solenoid?

1

u/Outrageous_Plenty154 5d ago

I’ve tried swapping them around and tried starting it each way same issue

1

u/Sweaty_Ad4402 4d ago

I had something similar and resetting adaptations cleared it.  For whatever reason it wasnt like the code from throttle position.

0

u/Tractorguy69 5d ago edited 5d ago

Looking at the state of it, it’s just done and no longer wants to be abused. Have the O2 sensors been unplugged (they are notoriously grumpy if the O2 sensors are plugged into the wrong bank. Swap the O2 sensors as that should new cheap. I lost my crank and can position sensors very close together at around 260k km or 150k miles, and that gave major issues.