Rough idle/tach jump 2010 528xi

[zipman35]

So the check engine light came on this last week with a engine malfunction/loss of power notification. Jerking ect

Turned the car off everything was fine upon cranking it back

Last night my wife called me. Same thing happens less the engine malfunction warning. Rough idea/tach jumping.

It seems to be fine over about 2500 rpm but I dare not drive it

I’ve seen some videos and post about cleaning the vamps solenoid.

Anything else? Recommendations?


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[jtbgonesailing]

Think I would start by either reading the error codes or take the car to a BMW Indy shop to have the codes read. If you plan on keeping the car for any time, invest in a BMW specific code reader. Something like Carly for BMW, for your smart phone, or one of the PC based diagnostics software packages, ISTA, IMPA, etc.

[zipman35]

Showing a cylinder five misfire cleaning both vanos didn’t really seem to help a whole lot
but that’s where I’m at

Maybe the solenoids need to be replaced as a Start. Maybe pull the plug and pak from there?


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[zipman35]

The engine smooths out anout 1500-2800 rpm

All the research I’ve done points to this solenoid.

I don’t want a bandaid my wife drives this car 120 miles a day going between the stores she manages.

The issue is the part ranges from $30 to $300 each. I generally like to go with the middle of the road providing I see good reviews

Some bmw owners have swapped them out to buy time. I only used a spray degreaser. Perhaps I can try to let
Them sit in brake cleaner for a bit and really flush them out with compressed air.


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[White94RX]

Vanos solenoids will not cause a misfire. Faulty ignition coils would. Are you still on the original coils? Because they are garbage.

[zipman35]

I had one replaced along with the spark plugs this past spring

Why would it smooth out over 1500 RPM and why are there other BMW owners that complain about those solenoids even swapping them out buying time until the replacement parts come in which I haven’t tried to do yet


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[White94RX]

You had one coil replaced. Which cylinder was it? Was it the same cylinder or a different one?

The solenoids are a common failure part. However, they NEVER cause a misfire. They cause a check engine light and/or poor performance. Your car is telling you what is wrong. Fix the misfire.

[zipman35]

Replaced all 6 coil packs today. That was the easy part. That literally took 10 mins

The hard part was the puzzle of a car... cabin air filters, housings, and torque bar.... all to get to the 4th center screw in the engine cover. HORRIBLE DESIGN


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[White94RX]

So it's fixed?

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[zipman35]

It’s fixed.


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[zipman35]

That lasted a couple weeks. Then I went to replace the crankshaft position sensor which I couldn’t seem to reach (all info online pointed to access from under the car after the splash shields were removed along with the reinforcement plate) NOT the case. Additionally not the problem as well but I gave up and put it in the shop. On the way there I hear a high pitch whine also.

They fixed an existing oil filter housing leak, installed the sensor, and as my luck would have it the starter went out while it was there.

Still intermittent rough idle...

I have the car back home. The valve cover will be here today which I will install because they wanted $700 plus 4 hours labor ($1200 job). Apparently the e60 doesn’t have a serviceable diaphragm so the entire valve cover has to be replaced

I’m learning a lot about bmw lol


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi

[Norskie]

We all learn a lot about BMW! First thing to learn is that they become affordable when out of warranty because they have a reputation for frequent and expensive repairs. At least you didn't buy an Audi ... those suffer from the same problems but can be much harder to repair.

Regarding the "intermittent rough idle" ... is it like a quick hiccup every 5-10 seconds but it drives fine? Many of us experience this when using the OEM BOSCH spark plugs, and find that going to the NGK 95770 ILZKBR7B8DG Laser Iridium Spark Plug set to a 0.22mm gap solves it.