Hi guys,

I own a E87 (118i) manufactured in 2009 with a N43 engine (4 cylinders) which is having a hard time. When cracking, it dies after 1 to 3 seconds if no gas applied. When gas is applied I'm able to keep the engine running but very unstable.

I've done some diagnostics and tests and before I'm on the path of randomly replacing parts without having good reasons I would love to share my problem with whoever is willing to give me any form of advise.

The fault codes I've seen so far (from which I believe could be related to this problem):

Gone after first deletion of fault memory:
2A2D - DME: Fuel low-pressure system, fuel pressure (177768 km)
2A0F - DME: Exhaust-gas recirculation valve, adaptation (191312 km)

Fixed after installing new LPFP sensor:
29F3 - DME: Fuel low-pressure sensor, electric (191320 km)

Still present after cranking/running the engine:
2AAF - DME: Fuel pump, plausibility (191320 km) (recent)
29CC DME: Combustion misfires, several cylinders (191320 km)
29CE - DME: Combustion misfires, cylinder 2 (191320 km)
29CF - DME: Combustion misfires, cylinder 3 (191320 km)
2C87 - DME: Exhaust-gas temperature sensor: Signal (191320 km)

Things I've done so far:

Swaping places of coils

  • Swaping places of spark plugs
  • Swaping places of injectors (including updating flow rate using ISTA Diagnostics)
  • Installation of new low pressure fuel pump sensor (no more 29F3 since)



The error codes led me to believe there are problems with the fuel system so I started diagnosing the pressure of both high and low fuel systems:


  • High pressure system fluctuates between 40000 and 130000 hpa, I can only reach 130000 hpa when applying gas.
  • Low pressure system is stable between 5000 hpa and 5600 hpa (also with a running engine).



My assumptions are:


  • No problems with the electrical system (spark plugs, coils, wiring etc.).
  • No problems with the injectors (since swapping made no difference).
  • No problems with the low pressure fuel system since the its steady at the correct pressure.



Could this be a fuel system problem? Should I try replacing the high pressure fuel pump?

Thanks in advance guys, your advice is much appreciated!