First bit of advice would be to get your fault codes read. If you know someone with some sort of reader you are sorted. if not there are a few ways to read them yourself. cableshack does a cable and software for a laptop that will do the job but can be a bit fiddly but the guy is super helpful if you get stuck. Someone recommended a c110 scanner to me although i have not used it myself many recommend them as a simple way to get fault codes also not too pricey. There is also an app called carly for bmw that is very good, but not cheap, I use it on android with a cheap ELM327 obd bluetooth adapter from amazon rather than the recommended adapter and it works fine for reading/clearing codes.

I can suggest a few things but the fault codes will really narrow things down a lot.

 

Thanks for this. I actually have a cable (from Cable Shack), I connected my laptop to the car yesterday and the two fault codes I read were:

447b - lambda / oxygen sensor (very annoying as I replaced this about 3 weeks ago!)
4687 - I think that's the throttle valve actuator

I have not checked the error codes today, I parked my car at my parents house and took a bus home as I didn’t want to potentially cause damage. I will check the error codes tomorrow morning to see if it has recorded anything else

 

Have you cleared the codes and seen which ones come back? It could be an old fault for the o2 sensor.

Does the car shudder when turned off? It would be worth making sure it moves freely with the engine off and not jammed. I've actually just got mine sorted. My understanding is in theory it's 2 primary purposes are to prevent shuddering when switching off and to assist in raising egt when doing a dpf regen. However now I have had my glowplugs, glowplug controller and throttle done it drives a lot smoother.

I've also noticed that rev fluctuation but is was very occasional for me and does not happen any more. was your inlet manifold and EGR and throttle cleaned when had the flaps removed?

either way if the throttle is not functioning you will want to get that sorted as it will stop the DPF being able to regen.

 

Yes I've cleared the codes using INPA and they come back.

The car shudders a little when I turn it off and it has been like this since I've owned it last year.

I don't know if they cleaned the inlet manifold, EGR and throttle.. I assume they did as I've used this garage for years.

I'll check the error codes on INPA tomorrow morning and report back here

 

I would definitely look into the throttle as if you don't want to end up with a clogged DPF. Mine now shuts down really smoothly, it was a little agricultural before. If the throttle has not been working for a while it is possible it may already be partially blocked. I think that it does necessarily throw a fault code code until it is already too late. so would be worth checking. If you have DIS which i assume you do as you have inpa you can use that see when the car last did a regen (this value is in meters by the way) as well as do back pressure tests to see how clogged it is.

You can also force a regen, but until your throttle issue is sorted it won't complete.

 

I've checked the error codes just now on INPA and I get:

4687
447B
43D1
43E2
4677
49E7

Using DIS the distance travelled since last regen was 0 metres!!! I did a forced regen on the motorway about 4 weeks ago and I know it regened because the regen status turned to active and the exhaust temp shot up to 600 degrees plus there was a weird burning smell which I assume was the soot.

All these new issues started since I got the car de-flapped, do you think this is just a coincidence?

 

4687 - Throttle Valve Actuator
447B - OXYGEN SENSOR
43D1 - Throttle Valve Actuator -Short Circuit to B-
43E2 - Throttle Valve Actuator -Open Circuit
4677 - Throttle Valve Actuator
49E7 - Throttle Actuator

Was the oxygen sensor a BMW one? I have been advised to steer clear of non BMW parts where sensors are concerned.

AFAIK there are little to no knock on affects of deflapping. I certainly didn't have any issues. When #i did mine I also cleaned everything thoroughly (took best part of 2 days although I didn't really know what I was doing 100% i could do it a lot quicker now.)

Looks like most of those codes seem to point to the throttle valve assembly. These have a tendency to fill up with oily residue and die. If it was me i'd me looking to get that sorted and verify that everything was cleaned while it was apart and go from there. hopefully some others will be along with some other suggestions as well.

 

43D1 Was on my car, here is my solution with pictures.

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f15/2004-e60-530d-throttle-valve-not-working-t110717/

 

The oxygen sensor I got was a cheap one from eBay (Volt). I am kicking myself for not getting an original part, but I have learnt my lesson. I'll change it for an original part.

I'm taking the car back to the garage now. Unfortunately I am going away for 2 weeks so I will leave the car with the garage and ask my father to take over in my absence. I will pass all the information you guys gave me to the garage and I will update you on my return.

A big thank you to you all for your advice, I hope they can sort it out for me !

Cheapshots

 

I'm abroad at the moment but have been keeping in the loop. A throttle valve body from BMW is almost £400!!

Looks like the part number I need is 11717804384 so I'm going to be buying this:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-BMW-53...MW-530D-E60-E61-3-0-DIESEL-THROTTLE-BODY-7804384-306D3-/221917747226?nav=SEARCH

I'll keep you all posted

 

Looks like the right one. Unfortunately I got an ebay one and it was faulty, hopefully that one is ok and says it comes with a warranty but just in case I ended up getting a genuine Peirburg brand new one fitted by a local indy BMW specialist and paid about £240 + vat £400 seems a bit steep even for main dealer! There is a section on this forum you get a quote from costswold BMW for genuine parts that might be worth trying as well. Its a 10-15 mins job to change.

 

indeed you need to check the pierburg butterfly for smooth operation and probably clean it out as it collects oil mist from the breather and some soot from the egr next door
i cleaned mine out and also egr and disconnected vac hose to egr and now it stays clean as a whistle
these things also buzz a lot when turing off , strange but true

for sensors i tried once the cheapie route on a mb , in a word the cheapies dont work properly
now i get a bosch on the bay , they seem to work ok
paul

 

Thanks for your advice. I'm taking a risk with the second hand part but thought I'd try it first, as who knows maybe there's something else at fault here...

Basically I'm getting the mechanic to

1) change the throttle valve body for the genuine used one I bought from eBay

2) replace the lambda sensor I currently have (Volt brand) for a Bosch sensor

3 ask him to check the manifold properly since I recently de-flapped the car and clean EGR

I'll report back when I get back from holiday about how the car is doing. Is there anything I'm missing?

 

As promised, I'm back with an update for those that are interested.

My garage changed the throttle valve and the o2 sensor with a Bosch brand sensor (£90 labour, £70 throttle valve from eBay and £100 sensor from euro car parts).
The car accelerates as normal now and there are no error codes on INPA.

I got back from holiday today so have not attempted to see if the revs still fluctuate / stutter between the 1500 - 2000 mark but will check this weekend. I will also attempt a forced regen and as I have the old throttle body... I will try to open it up to see if there is in fact oil inside.

Cheapshots

 

the pierburg throttle unit is a funny blighter
typically is buzzes for a while after you shut the car down and then from time to time when its off
if it doesnt buzz then its dead
also you have to be careful that all the spade connectors are in perfect shape...
paul

 

Thanks Paul.

I'm glad to report that as far as I can see the RPM needle has stopped fluctuating between the 1500 - 2000 RPM area and I forced a regen twice whilst driving on the motorway yesterday with no reported issues on INPA/DIS. Woohoo!

I haven't pryed open the old throttle body... yet

On a different note, the car is started to show signs of another issue - as I slow down say from 30mph, when I get close to 10mph the car changes down gears from 2 - 1 (as expected) and there is a slight thud/jerk as it does this. It doesn't do this everytime, it's quite random and I notced the RPM needle starts to bounce up and down near the 800RPM (idle) mark sometimes aswell. Siiiiiiiiiigh :'(

I'll keep an eye on it and start reading around the topic via (hopefully) other posts.

 

This can usually be fixed by having the valve bodies in the gearbox cleaned and serviced. It might show up as a gear selection issue in the box diagnostics. Any decent autobox shop should be able to assist.

I have this lot do my machinery and very good they are too.

Automatic Gearbox Specialists | BMW X5 Gearbox Problems | Automatic Gearbox Refitting | Automatic Gearbox repair | Diagnostic Test | Automatic Transmission Removal | Automatic Transmission Rebuilding | Aylesbury | Bucks | UK |

Granted its a bit of a hike for you but if you want somewhere with a recommendation they will fit the bill.

 

Thanks for the recommendation snowblind.

I'm doing lots of reading on this topic and will probably start off with a few general maintenance bits first :

Clean MAP, MAF and replace the crank case breather (aka oil separator/breather)... I'm going to attempt doing it myself

Cheapshots

 

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a BMW 520 and I'm looking for advice on what I should look out for issues, problems etc. I'm looking for 08 09. Was thinking of the M-Sport or what model is the most comfortable to drive. All advice will be welcomed.*

Thank you sorry to side track this post