BW 130i issues - help

[mikearwas]

Afternoon guys,

This morning when i started up my 130i and let out the clutch to begin driving i noticed some vibration throughout the car which continued through the gears. Literally a minute after i noticed the vibration the engine management light came on - non-flashing which meant i could continue my journey. The vibration only seems to occur when the clutch is out and feels like it's coming frm the back of the car but i can't be sure. The engine itself seems to be smooth but the vibration appears worse in lower gears.

Has anyone any idea as to what this could be? After i got to work i left the engine on and checked the exhaust which did seem to be vibrating quite heavily. Following that i switched ignition on and off and the warning light did seem to go off but of course the engine was not under load at this point.

I would be grateful for any suggestions as to what this could be.

Michael

[r11co]

Any speculation from PH posters is never going to be as helpful as getting a diagnostic machine on there and reading the fault codes.

I'm guessing an intermittent dicky ignition coil causing a misfire as it is a known issue? Could be nonsense though.....

[Heathwood]

My initial thought was that it was likely to be a coil pack. Car runs on five cylinders hence the vibration, however, you say the engine is smooth unless the clutch is depressed? Are you sure, as you go on to imply the exhaust note was quite throbby (and you wouldn't have been in the car with the clutch depressed to ascertain that)?

[r11co]

Possibly a bit of confusion over what OP means by 'clutch out' which I am assuming means pedal out as in not pressed?!

In which case engine under more load due to transmission engaged so back to possible misfire?!

[mikearwas]

Hi guys,

thanks for the help.

Just took the car out again and the vibration is there whether the clutch pedal is depressed or not. The engine note is also very growly (sounds like a mini amg merc) but power and response is down - car feels like its running on 5 cylinders.

Are coil packs a costly item?

[r11co]

mikearwas said:

Are coil packs a costly item?

You can pick them up for about £25 each, but don't go spending until you've checked all the obvious things such as the LT cabling running to them, checked that the connectors are on properly and locked down, no water ingress etc.

The coil packs and associated wiring are to the left of the top of the engine as you look at it from the front, underneath the silver plastic engine cover. The rear two are a bit tricky to get to unless you remove the pollen filter and scuttle cover (be careful not to break the clips holding the wiring conduit).

Edited by r11co on Wednesday 18th March 13:08

[SuperVM]

It's probably worth trying to find someone friendly with a BMW OBD2 fault code reader, as that should tell you what needs replacing or give you a very good idea of where to start. You could pick up one coil pack and swap it one at a time until you've found the broken one, though in my experience once one has packed up, the others aren't far behind.

[mikearwas]

On that note is there anyone friendly in the Surrey area who owns a OBD port diagnostics tool?!

[r11co]

Might be worth putting a shout out in one of the BMW forums. I've got a full INPA setup but unfortunately I'm in Scotland..!

[mikearwas]

Thanks for your help. Is it ok to change just the affected pack or do I ideally need to change them all?

[Heathwood]

mikearwas said:

Thanks for your help. Is it ok to change just the affected pack or do I ideally need to change them all?

You can just change the affected pack, however the others often fail in the not too distant future. Personally, I'd find an Indy who'll probably change the lot for a couple of hundred quid.