E83/M54 cranks long before start & sets codes

[HooperPC]

Bought this 2006 E83 from a so-called dealer as-is with 'electrical problems', no start, dead battery. I knew this could be challenging, but it is a clean history, no accident car, no dents, solid interior, advertised with low miles. And I already own an '06 X3. So I figured, its was a risk worth taking and had some extra time .... well at least I did.
Replaced battery, ground straps, plugs, CCV, starter, and fixed wiring problems in the dash. The car will start, but only after several seconds cranking, sometimes need gas pedal. Fuel pressure and pump are fine, no intake air leaks, and engine harness wiring is good.
Then I replaced the crankshaft position sensor. Twice. The last one from FreeCP.

I keep getting these codes. I can clear them, but next time I crank it, they return.
299A - DME: CAN fault management EGS
3C1D - DME: Crankshaft sensor: signal
5F21 - DSC: Engine management: interface
5EB1 - DSC: Steering-angle sensor, supply
5F42 - DSC: Transmission control, limp-home operation
0096 - EGS: CAN engine speed
0091 - EGS: CAN torque reduction

The CKPS code always set first, and the other codes cascade from it.
Anyone seen this before? I have been stuck at this point for over a month! HELP !

[X3456]

Ok, i follow you...im concerned that the crank position sensors would need replacement, and the ignition switch for starters...i like that you've addressed the ground straps...(commonly overlooked.)

[HooperPC]

I can't believe I forgot to include that detail in the OP. I'm going to edit it to include ckps replacement. Thanks for the reply

[HooperPC]

I think the ignition switch is fine, new starter spins fine and the car will eventually start. I'm actually worried there may be a problem with the metal/tone ring that bolts to the crankshaft. This is what the sensor needs to generate the pulses sent to the DME. The DME uses this to figure RPM and shares it with other modules

[dukedkt442]

I think the ignition switch is fine, new starter spins fine and the car will eventually start. I'm actually worried there may be a problem with the metal/tone ring that bolts to the crankshaft. This is what the sensor needs to generate the pulses sent to the DME. The DME uses this to figure RPM and shares it with other modules

Could be, but I'd doubt the CkPS reluctor is damaged if the rest of the engine is sound; if something knocking around inside damage the ring, it would have caused other damage as well. The ring is not easily replaceable on these due to being at the aft end of the crank rather than the foreward. I'm not one to advocate the parts cannon, but on an unknown-history vehicle with electrical problems, it would be worth it to replace the two CPSs to establish a proper baseline. I don't trust DME trouble codes because I've seen them appear for seemingly unrelated systems (trans code for CkPS, vanos solenoid codes for a leaking oil filter cap, SAS slider fault for paint flakes on rear axle, etc). I replaced my CPSs a year ago when my CkPS failed; I used Hella on all. The CkPS is holding up fine (::knocks on wood: but one of the CPS failed in a few thousand miles, so I figured that experiment had ran its course and I replaced them both with BMW OE or OEM (VDO maybe?). I keep a UBG CPS in the storage area inside the car if I need to swap it out on the side of the road.

[HooperPC]

Could be, but I'd doubt the CkPS reluctor is damaged if the rest of the engine is sound; if something knocking around inside damage the ring, it would have caused other damage as well. The ring is not easily replaceable on these due to being at the aft end of the crank rather than the foreward. I'm not one to advocate the parts cannon, but on an unknown-history vehicle with electrical problems, it would be worth it to replace the two CPSs to establish a proper baseline. I don't trust DME trouble codes because I've seen them appear for seemingly unrelated systems (trans code for CkPS, vanos solenoid codes for a leaking oil filter cap, SAS slider fault for paint flakes on rear axle, etc). I replaced my CPSs a year ago when my CkPS failed; I used Hella on all. The CkPS is holding up fine (::knocks on wood: but one of the CPS failed in a few thousand miles, so I figured that experiment had ran its course and I replaced them both with BMW OE or OEM (VDO maybe?). I keep a UBG CPS in the storage area inside the car if I need to swap it out on the side of the road.

Thanks duke for the insight. I have a separate post about when to service the dual vanos. I decided to replace both in and ex CPS (VNE as on FreeCP) while VC was removed, too. Still waiting on a gasket kit before I can reassemble. If the code is flaky and it was really CPS, that would be awesome. The ring might be accessible by removing oil pan, pickup and baffle, but it would be the very last resort

[X3456]

I've had a long crank as well. While using YouTube for research i found this one video where the guy found the answer to the long cranking issue to be a leaky fuel injector.
Cheers!

[HooperPC]

So the Vanos is back on, but I wanted to check mechanical timing before replacing the VC. I spun the crank to TDC so both camshaft had the 2 dots facing up. This matched an alignment mark on the harmonic balancer. I removed the Ckps and peeked inside the crank hole (pic 1). The ring was NOT at its TDC notch. I had my son slowly move the crank until the TDC notch appeared (pic 2). The camshaft had moved a few degrees (pic 3).
Is this OK? Do I have a timing chain issue?CrankSensoroff@TDC.jpgCrankSensorTDCnotch.jpgCamsBack.jpg

[HooperPC]

Also, I checked the Ckps signal back probing the DME connections with ignition on. With the sensor removed, I get 5VDC at connector. When I plug the sensor in, it drops to .2V. The voltage does not change if I touch the sensor tip with metal object. The old sensor, and 2 new sensors all behave the same. Looking again like a DME problem ...

[dukedkt442]

I'm not sure that the reluctor has a "TDC" mark to be visible through the CkPS hole. Verify TDC and cam timing by putting the cams into their proper position and placing the crankshaft locking pin into the hole in the flywheel through the access plug in the bellhousing near the starter; harmonic balancers can separate from their hubs, which is more likely to occur than tone ring damage, IMO. The cam sprockets move irrespective of the cam shafts, so according to the repair manual, a few steps need to be taken in order to reset the VANOS heads. Perhaps what you're thinking is TDC isn't actually TDC? As easy as it is to pull the timing cover on the M54, you may want to do that to ensure that the chain isn't loose or that the tensioner hasn't failed. The crankshaft sensor tone ring wraps around the crankshaft, and to my knowledge is inside of the block, so I'd sure want to exhaust all easy av. You can see it in the following video at around the 10 minute mark.

When you tested the fuel pump and pressure, what constitutes "good?" Pressure spec is 50.7 psi +/- 2.9 psi. I forget the bleed-down spec, but its something like 5 psi in 5 minutes after shut-down IIRC; my N52k's is 8 psi in 5 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwMu4ERBuc

[HooperPC]

After re-reading several other posts on a few BMW forums, I saw that a DME flash fixed this problem. So with the help of a WinKFP expert, I setup and configured the software on my 'vehicle diagnostic laptop' He walked me thru the menus and flashed the DME and EGS (tranny). The car started right up afterwards and the CKPS codes are gone. The DME flash fixed this problem

[HooperPC]

I'm not sure that the reluctor has a "TDC" mark to be visible through the CkPS hole. Verify TDC and cam timing by putting the cams into their proper position and placing the crankshaft locking pin into the hole in the flywheel through the access plug in the bellhousing near the starter; harmonic balancers can separate from their hubs, which is more likely to occur than tone ring damage, IMO. The cam sprockets move irrespective of the cam shafts, so according to the repair manual, a few steps need to be taken in order to reset the VANOS heads. Perhaps what you're thinking is TDC isn't actually TDC? As easy as it is to pull the timing cover on the M54, you may want to do that to ensure that the chain isn't loose or that the tensioner hasn't failed. The crankshaft sensor tone ring wraps around the crankshaft, and to my knowledge is inside of the block, so I'd sure want to exhaust all easy av. You can see it in the following video at around the 10 minute mark.

When you tested the fuel pump and pressure, what constitutes "good?" Pressure spec is 50.7 psi +/- 2.9 psi. I forget the bleed-down spec, but its something like 5 psi in 5 minutes after shut-down IIRC; my N52k's is 8 psi in 5 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwMu4ERBuc

The reluctor wheel has a flat spot that denotes TDC or some baseline reference point. See the attached pages from the service manual. The tone ring is secured to the back of the crank, no looseness or wobble. Thanks for the video link, 50s kid also has a rebuild video that shows the tone ring.
Yes, when cams in place, the flywheel pin slides in. The chain did not seem loose and since the DME flash fixed the problem, I'm moving on to the next issues.
Sorry, I did not record the fuel pressure reading or bleed down. Once it's inspected and tagged, I'll revisit the fuel pump filter replacement