jfryjfry said:I might be wrong but I am 99% sure the "service engine soon" light is not the same thing as a check engine light.
so double check but you might still pass with that as I believe it is more of a "maintenance needed soon" indicator
Good comment. I need to verify. Thx
Byrneon27 said:Carly or Protool will do pretty much everything you would want do DIY on one of these cars and makes feature coding easier than most aftermarket scan tool interfaces.
Carly is by subscription now. I'm too full of TV subs!!
OHSCrifle said:jfryjfry said:I might be wrong but I am 99% sure the "service engine soon" light is not the same thing as a check engine light.
so double check but you might still pass with that as I believe it is more of a "maintenance needed soon" indicator
Good comment. I need to verify. Thx
The SES light is the CEL, with the same protocol: blinking is serious and you should stop, steady is a fault but you can continue driving. There is a separate indication for service in the lower center display.
02Pilot said:OHSCrifle said:jfryjfry said:I might be wrong but I am 99% sure the "service engine soon" light is not the same thing as a check engine light.
so double check but you might still pass with that as I believe it is more of a "maintenance needed soon" indicator
Good comment. I need to verify. Thx
The SES light is the CEL, with the same protocol: blinking is serious and you should stop, steady is a fault but you can continue driving. There is a separate indication for service in the lower center display.
That's why it is properly called an MIL for Malfunction Indicator Light(Lamp). Some people write out Service Engine Soon, some people write out Check Engine, some people use an ideogram of a 70s small block Chevy, but it always means the same thing. I am 99% certain that it has to be amber. Flashing indeed means that there is a catalyst damaging event (generally a misfire) and you really should shut it off as soon as it is safe to do so.
What I find interesting is that European cars write it out in English, US cars generally go for the heiroglyph.
As a general rule, on a dashboard display, the word "service" is used to indicate that there is a fault that needs to be repaired, while "maintenance" is used for scheduled maintenance.
Just for fun, around that timeframe, BMW has brake pads included in the scheduled maintenance. You'll get a brake pad warning light on the dash (which is shaped like shoes in a drum brake, of course) so you inspect the wear indicator wiring. Replace the brake pads that may actually be due for replacement by wear. Light stays on. Then you realize you have to go in with a scan tool or, if you are lucky, through a Konami Code(*) on the instrument cluster, and manually reset a brake pad mileage reminder.
* - Just once I would like to see some service procedure require that you shift up twice, shift down twice, wiggle the steering to the left and right twice, apply the brake, apply the accelerator, possibly the clutch, then turn the key. Up up down down left right left right B A Select Start....
2nd Bosch rear ABS sensor replaced in 2 days. Both purchased from the big river and delivered free the next day. All unwanted dash lights are currently out after driving around and residual codes stayed away after clearing them.
Hopefully the dash stays dark after my morning project visit tomorrow so I can get emission scanned and then registered. Wish me luck.
Fun to drive and I still like looking at it.
Bucking and stalled. Scanner says camshaft position sensor - gonna take it to a local specialist and get a baseline look over (the kind that is better to do before you own it)
Oof 
Not sure if you found the connector for the wheel speed sensor. Realoem lists the connector as 61 13 1 392 246. The common connectors are normally shown in the catalog.
Sorry your having other issues. Stalling with a cam sensor fault may indicate the vanos bolts. They are currently under a recall so that may be a free repair
Caperix said:Not sure if you found the connector for the wheel speed sensor. Realoem lists the connector as 61 13 1 392 246. The common connectors are normally shown in the catalog.
Sorry your having other issues. Stalling with a cam sensor fault may indicate the vanos bolts. They are currently under a recall so that may be a free repair
My 128i is finally scheduled for the vanos bolts recall tomorrow morning. They haven't had the parts to do it for MONTHS.
VANOS bolt recall is only MY2010-2013, I believe. 2009 should not be affected.
In reply to OHSCrifle :
Dang. Talk about being thrust into BMW ownership after using all of your good miles on the long drive home. Hopefully it's a relatively inexpensive repair.
Caperix said:Not sure if you found the connector for the wheel speed sensor. Realoem lists the connector as 61 13 1 392 246. The common connectors are normally shown in the catalog.
Sorry your having other issues. Stalling with a cam sensor fault may indicate the vanos bolts. They are currently under a recall so that may be a free repair
Awesome find! Thanks
captainawesome said:In reply to OHSCrifle :
Dang. Talk about being thrust into BMW ownership after using all of your good miles on the long drive home. Hopefully it's a relatively inexpensive repair.
Hope so but I already know it isn't.
So in review: I did a fly and drive for a fifteen year old car listed on GRM cars for sale board. I did not get a PPI. Instead I acted on instinct. Everything felt good enough after exchanging emails and texts and talking. I didn't even open the hood when I picked it up. Leap of faith but I got home.
Towed today to a local indy and he opened the hood while I was waiting for my son to give me a ride. (Son drives a Toyota LOL).
Mechanic pulled codes using a much higher quality scanner. Looked under the hood and walked back inside. Will give it a closer exam later this week.
Upon initial look.. He advised the supposedly "no leaks" engine is in fact leaking in all the usual places on top and.. a crank position sensor may be failing.
Mechanical trouble goes with the territory with any used car (especially these) but it's REALLY disappointing that the sucker is in fact leaking when it was described as "no leaks".
TL;dr - shame on me. My instinct sucks and I get to eat a poop sandwich.
Ouch, sorry you're having such a tough time, brother!
When I first bought my 128i, I bought a BMW specific scanner. It was helpful, but in hindsight, if I had known more I would have skipped it and just went the Bimmergeeks route:
-Bimmergeeks K+DCAN cable, $69.99:
https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-page/bimmergeeks-expert-edition-k-dcan1
-Pick up a cheap Android tablet or phone (if you don't already own one), which are roughly ~$100 or so on Amazon or eBay.
-Download Bimmergeeks ProTool app/software:
https://www.bimmergeeks.net/protool
^^^The diagnostic license is only $95. If you think you might want to code things, it might be worth it to spend the full $160 for the "Master" license. This is how I plan on eventually defeating the car's brake based "eLSD" nonsense when I eventually put a real LSD into it. The coding option allows you to code for ALL kinds of things- like deleting safety equipment for track things, turning off brake temperature based power reductions, turning off TPMS, coding different lights, etc. Although to defend the BMW scan tool I bought, when I first picked up the car, the specific codes the BMW scan tool showed me helped me search the Internet to solve all of my dash lights. The Bimmergeeks software will do the same thing, but is more expansive in the event you want to start changing things.
The Bimmergeeks stuff is generally considered to just about as powerful as most of the OEM BMW software. There are also a couple of fairly large support groups (a forum and a large group on Facebook) full of folks that can help walk you through things.
If it's a bad crank position sensor, it would appear you have to remove the intake manifold to get to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdjiKEo6Sig
^^^If so, it might not be a bad time to upgrade your intake manifold to either the 3-stage DISA manifold or an N54 manifold. I think it took me roughly ~3 hours to swap mine out. It's not a tough job per se (as long as you have small enough hands for a couple of those damn hoses!).
Did he say where the "leaks" are coming from?
Just FYI, if it's leaking from the oil filter housing, that's a very easy leak to repair. The valve cover is far more of a pain in the neck (which, again, might as well replace the intake manifold while you're removing it!). The oil pan also looks like a pain- you need to drop the damn subframe... those are the common suspects.
When possible, FCP Euro is the best source for Euro parts that I can find. Reasonable prices, fast shipping, LIFETIME warranty on EVERY part they sell (yes, even oil and brake pads), and best of all, they sell OE/OEM parts without BMW logos so you can get genuine BMW parts for a fraction of the price! Here's a VDO (OE) crankshaft position sensor for $62.99: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-engine-crankshaft-position-sensor-s119044012z
BTW- nice Mazda in the driveway! I suppose we have similar taste in cars!
In reply to roninsoldier83 :
Indy said the oil filter housing is leaking. I'd definitely tackle that one myself. And he said the valve cover gasket too. Which will cascade into a series of broken plastic bits. I might still do that one too. 99.9% chance the oil pan is leaking too but I will pay the man for that one.
Currently I can't register it if it has a money light (and won't run) because it won't pass emissions. It's frustrating knowing I expected some common issues but trusted the "not leaking" condition report from the seller. Fly and drive was a mistake. It is what it is.
Oil filter housings seem like they either leak or they were just repaired. IIRC the job does much faster if you have a set of inverted Torx swivel sockets, which allows you to do the job without removing the intake manifold.
If this is the one I am thinking of, the valve cover gasket is probably leaking because some of the bolts broke. They are aluminum bolts and they just sort of snap in service.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Engine is the N52 inline six. These leaks are the common things along with water pump/cooling system. I anticipated a lot of that would be needed in time. And it certainly still will.
In reply to roninsoldier83 :
Did you get the new tune for the 3-stage up and running? What's the butt dyno saying?
Before repairs became chapter 1.. I was entertaining dedicating my soccer referee money for 128i upgrades - starting with the Turner Motorsport conical filter intake. Looks like I will be taking more games this fall.
Make sure that E10 swivel for the oil filter housing is 1/4" drive; the 3/8" drive doesn't fit through the gap. And get a torque wrench that you trust to handle the torque-to-yield single-use aluminum bolts. When I did my first set, I was freaked out because the last ~30deg felt like it was going to snap before the wrench clicked.
In reply to 02Pilot :
it's 3 or 4 n-m for the valve cover bolts, and I don't think they go up in torque for the final 90 degrees. They just stretch.
In reply to OHSCrifle :
Yep, I got the new tune up and running! The car feels strong- very strong! Stronger than I was expecting if I'm being honest. I documented all the things in my thread. This was probably the most noticeable mod I've done to the car since I bought it.
I baseline dyno'd the car a month ago before the 3SIM. I have a follow-up dyno appointment this Saturday so I can give more than just subjective impressions! To be fair though, I also added the European OEM airbox (said to flow slightly better than the USDM airbox) and a K&N filter- which might add to some of the gains.
Still very thankful I made it all the way home after the flight.
Shop owner has a badass 135i with a bunch of the Dinan catalog. So that's nice.
A new crank sensor has my car moving down the road again. It's still Thursday so hopefully I can get the emissions tested and get it tagged this week.
Rather than struggling for multiple days with YouTube led instruction, I elected to "just do it" and have him replace the valve cover/gasket/plugs and the oil filter housing gasket. Once inside.. of course the coils were found to be the "crumbling" kind.
Regardless I hope to be able to enjoy the car again tomorrow. He also told me the suspension shows no evidence of any new parts and the bump stops and the lower control arm bushings are shot. And one engine mount is collapsed. For those I think I will be wrenching myself in the coming months.
But on a more positive note - no leaky oil pan yet. And I'll bet the water pump is good for at least ten more miles.
Despite my (very good sport) bride saying "let's just dump it and get you a Camry" I am determined to get over the hump and enjoy this car.
Hopefully.
Since you have to do suspension work anyway, the M3/1M control arms are a nice upgrade (more front camber, some bushings replaced with ball joints) and fit perfectly. And since you'll be in there anyway for the bump stops, I should mention that I had Bilsteins in my car, but swapped them out for Konis, which are a lot more pleasant. Add in those rear subframe bushing inserts and you'll have a nice, better-than-new suspension.
02Pilot said:Since you have to do suspension work anyway, the M3/1M control arms are a nice upgrade (more front camber, some bushings replaced with ball joints) and fit perfectly. And since you'll be in there anyway for the bump stops, I should mention that I had Bilsteins in my car, but swapped them out for Konis, which are a lot more pleasant. Add in those rear subframe bushing inserts and you'll have a nice, better-than-new suspension.
That's definitely part of the plan. There is nothing better than a total suspension refresh and the M3 arms are going to be included.
Did you swap springs in addition to shocks?
In reply to OHSCrifle :
My car came with Eibachs. I kept them, though I find they are just marginally too stiff for the street.
I'd recommend against the TC Kline coilovers - at least whatever vintage is on our 128i. They are not very confidence inspiring.
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