BMW Forums : BimmerForums banner

2006 E83 X3 SE Diesel Estate - 3FF0, huge fuel consumption, random lack of throttle response.

7K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Alkemist99 
#1 ·
When started from cold it misfires for a minute or so until warm. When driving the throttle will suddenly become inactive. The car will drive at around 2000 RPM, no more. It will not accelerate even if the accelerator is floored. This might last a second or several minutes. It is entirely random but if it happens when pulling out into traffic it is SO dangerous. Suddenly the car will respond and take off like a scalded cat. The fuel consumption fell from around 55 MPG (achieved for over 4 years) to 27 MPG overnight; I mean overnight not over a few days; overnight. There are no leaks. The fault code reader at several garages returns the same fault code 3FF0. It has had, though not necessarily in this order:
AIR MASS FLOW METER (BOSCH)
DPF FILTER AND FITTING KIT
CRANKCASE BREATHER
TURBO CHARGER
OXYGEN SENSOR
GLOW PLUG RELAY
BOOST PRESSURE SENSOR
FLAP STRIP AND REBUILD
EGR VALVE
THROTTLE POSITION REFERENCE RE-SET
The total cost to date is over 2,800 GBP.
The engine light stays off until the car has been re-started 3 times then the light comes back on and the fault code returned is still 3FF0. This has been going on for a year. I know other people around the world have the same set of symptoms and fault code because they have been posted on the internet. This is NOT a throttle problem. This is something in the car's brain telling it that the air mass flow meter is missing and so are the glow plugs. Now it seems to me that the next step is the ECU. Can it be cleared and re-programmed in a similar way to re-loading the operating system of a lap top? I am reluctant to ask if anyone has a solution to this set of problems because of the multi causational nature of the difficulties. I shall be grateful for any replies I receive and thank you in advance.
 
See less See more
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top