I need opinions from ‘experts’… thank you!!

[Dark Vader]

2010 535i E60… purchased 9/1/2022

Here’s my issue(s), and I’m going to try to explain this as thoroughly as possible so you have the information:

When I first start my car, a puff of smoke comes out and it runs/idles pretty rough for the first five minutes…

After that, the car runs as smooth as a top…

When my car has the engine light on and when I attach my code reader, I get warnings that I'm getting random multiple misfires (see attached photo)…

If I clear the code after the car smooths out, the engine light stays off until I stop my car over night (or for a long period of time… maybe a couple of hours) so the misfires/issues stop once the car is warmed up and for a couple of hours after

Even after the engine smooths out, if I accelerate hard, the car immediately goes into reduced power limp mode (until I turn the car off and back on it again)

I thought it might be the valve seals and it might be dripping oil into the cylinders (hence the puff of smoke and the initial rough idle, and the random misfires until it warms up/burns off) so I added an additive to the oil to help rejuvenate the seals and changed to a slightly higher viscosity oil… but I’ve been driving the car for more than 5 hours and it’s still having and initial rough idle etc. (the valve seals may be beyond rejuvenating)

If anyone has any suggestions as to what’s going on with my car, I’m open… I’m going to eventually take it to the “stealership” to get it diagnosed, but I want to go in ‘armed’

Side note: as a precaution and based on the mileage, I had the plugs and coils changed about a week ago

and if it makes any difference… I’m in Los Angeles, CA

Thanks!!

[pbonsalb]

Your intake may need a walnut blast if that service has not been done in the past 5 years. Your spark plugs may be old and have an increased gap. Your ignition coils may be failing especially if they are original or you have added a tune. Assuming you pull the intake to do the walnut blast, I would replace the low pressure fuel sensor while in there since it is a fairly common problem. There is an updated part that comes with the pipe that is more vibration resistant.

Other things to consider if none of the above fix the problem are the vanos solenoids and fuel injectors.

My guess is this is the typical E61 535xi that looks great but needs a bunch of maintenance that the previous owner deferred. I would definitely do the sunroof drain fix as well with the larger hose inserts. You can look it up. I tried not doing the inserts and paid the price 5 years later with a bunch of failed modules and shorted wiring that caused the sunroof to open by itself overnight and there was some rain that night. Google E60 or E61 sunroof drain to learn more.

Great cars once sorted out.

[Dark Vader]

Your intake may need a walnut blast if that service has not been done in the past 5 years. Your spark plugs may be old and have an increased gap. Your ignition coils may be failing especially if they are original or you have added a tune. Assuming you pull the intake to do the walnut blast, I would replace the low pressure fuel sensor while in there since it is a fairly common problem. There is an updated part that comes with the pipe that is more vibration resistant.

Other things to consider if none of the above fix the problem are the vanos solenoids and fuel injectors.

My guess is this is the typical E61 535xi that looks great but needs a bunch of maintenance that the previous owner deferred. I would definitely do the sunroof drain fix as well with the larger hose inserts. You can look it up. I tried not doing the inserts and paid the price 5 years later with a bunch of failed modules and shorted wiring that caused the sunroof to open by itself overnight and there was some rain that night. Google E60 or E61 sunroof drain to learn more.

Great cars once sorted out.

Thank you for responding... I don't think it's ever had a walnut blast... I can't verify as the car was bought used (as stated above 9/1) of this year and there are only basic service records showing no "extra" services

Also as stated above... I just had the coils and plugs changed about a week ago...

Thank you for the sunroof drain info... I live in "mostly sunny" Southern California, but I DID have to replace the MULF module in the trunk right after I bought as it was COMPLETELY corroded and I had no AUX or BT... (thanks eBay) and I DO try to wash the car regularly (It's white)

MY BMW.jpg

[interalian]

Pull the plugs on a cold engine and look for a wet plug. Sounds a lot like when I had a leaking DI injector. My symptom was rough firing on cold starts or rough start then worsening misfire after a couple minutes driving. Restarting the car at this point would always clear it up and it would run perfectly fine until the next cold start cycle.

I put a used one in and coded it with Foxwell 520. Total cost about $300 for the part and the tool to R&R the injector. My car has a mix of index 5 and 9 injectors and it was one of the index 9 injectors that failed. The used one is also index 9. Been running great for the last 3 years.

[pbonsalb]

I have read of a lot of people replacing injectors on the N54, with the Index 12 being the latest and greatest. They are expensive. I always used premium gas, almost always Mobil, and occasional ran Jectron or similar cleaners and had no issues. Car has 155k now and we bought it with 30k. It was CPO and it is possible work was done that I forgot about before the warranty expired when the car had around 75k. I remember taking them out at some point — maybe to do the valve cover gasket, and noting they were not all the same so there was a problem at some point. But for at least the past 80k miles no issues with old, definitely not Index 12 injectors.

[interalian]

I wasn't ready to drop a couple months mortgage payments on a set of index 12 injectors, good as they are. I haven't heard there's any benefit to fuel additives for the piezo injectors, nor is there much if any chance of cleaning them once they do start to leak. Always happy to be proven wrong though

[Dark Vader]

Pull the plugs on a cold engine and look for a wet plug. Sounds a lot like when I had a leaking DI injector. My symptom was rough firing on cold starts or rough start then worsening misfire after a couple minutes driving. Restarting the car at this point would always clear it up and it would run perfectly fine until the next cold start cycle.

I put a used one in and coded it with Foxwell 520. Total cost about $300 for the part and the tool to R&R the injector. My car has a mix of index 5 and 9 injectors and it was one of the index 9 injectors that failed. The used one is also index 9. Been running great for the last 3 years.

that’s exactly what’s happening to mine… but I’m getting ‘multiple random misfires’… does that mean I have multiple injectors that have gone bad, or is there a possible central issue that’s manifesting itself as multiple misfires

[Dark Vader]

Your intake may need a walnut blast if that service has not been done in the past 5 years. Your spark plugs may be old and have an increased gap. Your ignition coils may be failing especially if they are original or you have added a tune. Assuming you pull the intake to do the walnut blast, I would replace the low pressure fuel sensor while in there since it is a fairly common problem. There is an updated part that comes with the pipe that is more vibration resistant.

Other things to consider if none of the above fix the problem are the vanos solenoids and fuel injectors.

My guess is this is the typical E61 535xi that looks great but needs a bunch of maintenance that the previous owner deferred. I would definitely do the sunroof drain fix as well with the larger hose inserts. You can look it up. I tried not doing the inserts and paid the price 5 years later with a bunch of failed modules and shorted wiring that caused the sunroof to open by itself overnight and there was some rain that night. Google E60 or E61 sunroof drain to learn more.

Great cars once sorted out.

Thank you for responding... I don't think it's ever had a walnut blast... I can't verify as the car was bought used (as stated above 9/1) of this year and there are only basic service records showing no "extra" services

Also as stated above... I just had the coils and plugs changed about a week ago...

Thank you for the sunroof drain info... I live in "mostly sunny" Southern California, but I DID have to replace the MULF module in the trunk right after I bought as it was COMPLETELY corroded and I had no AUX or BT... (thanks eBay) and I DO try to wash the car regularly (It's white)

MY BMW.jpg

[pshovest]

Walnut blasting doesn't fit the symptoms, since your rough running goes away in a few minutes.
This is classic leaking fuel injector issue. I've had the same experience as interalian.
If you remove the beauty cover, you can take photos of the injectors and check the index numbers. You need to know your current index numbers to find replacements.
Clear codes and re-scan for codes while engine is running rough, you may get more useful info on which cylinders are misfiring.
You likely only need to replace 1 or 2 injectors.
If you pull plugs ~20 seconds after cold start and rough running you will likely see wet plugs or something like this.