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That's what I've read elsewhere too, but just looking at the design of the part (A piston on a spring) and location and symptoms of the part missing being the same as low oil pressure, I think it's actually a pressure regulator, which just has the side effect of causing oil to not get filtered when it's missing. My plan is to just swap the filter frequently, since I just put brand new oil in it. It's very noticeably got more power now. It actually gets up and GOES with considerable enthusiasm. I think it needs new plugs too because it's somewhat hard starting and is missing occasionally, but that's to be expected on an engine with 140K miles on it that's been maintained by a gorilla 🙂 Seriously I think you're on to something, there were hammer marks all over the transmission's bell housing when we changed the starter out. Someone also cleaned the interior with battery acid as far as I can tell...the door handles are actually coming apart. Maybe the title of the thread should be changed to "Getting a BMW maintained by a gorilla to run right" lol

Also check that the positive battery terminal isn't cracked, definitely a known issue on the 328i depending on the model year. Pu

Be sure the oil housing cap isn't missing the center piece and the fuel cap is there.... I just spent 3 weeks of pure aggravation due to mine missing those parts. I strongly recommend taking a BMW specific code scanner with you before buying it and seeing what codes it currently has, the MIL won't come on unless a rather severe issue is detected but all kinds of minor annoyances will set codes. Some codes will be historical, like "Left tail light burned out" just verify the light is actually working. The code won't clear on its own. Check that the windshield washer actually functions, mine doesn't and I haven't had time to deal with it due to all the other problems I was having. It's apparently a very common issue on the 3 series. Listen for a good strong starter, they're an absolute pain in the rear to change. You can do it yourself in your driveway and about 4 hours of time and the appropriate tools and a helper to hold the intake manifold out of the way, but it's not the easiest thing to do.

The new oil filter housing cap just arrived, so I've had a chance to look at that missing center bit. Is that missing center piece the an oil pressure regulator and anti-drainback valve? no wonder it ran like crap once it warmed up... amazed it ran at all.

Do you all have recalls or something equivalent over there? I just got a scary red postcard in the mail that the car needs to come in IMMEDIATELY for a free airbag replacement. I attached it for everyone to "enjoy." Now I just have to figure out how to get it serviced...the closest BMW new-car dealer is 150 miles South of here. I ran the VIN and found that is has 4 total recalls, but the airbag is the only one where I got the scary red letter 1. PCV heater - Circuitry can malfunction and cause the heater to catch on fire 2. HVAC blower wiring - Circuitry can malfunction and cause a fire 3. Battery positive terminal connector - Connector can degrade and cause a loss of power 4. Driver's side airbag can explode, causing death or serious injury Output from www.safercar.gov: 2008 BMW 328I US A 4 Recalls associated with this VIN Feb 07,2013 Manufacturer Recall Number NA NHTSA Recall Number 13V044 Recall Status Recall Incomplete Summary POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM: On certain model year 2008 through 2012 1 Series coupes and convertibles manufactured December 2007 through September 2011; model year 2007 through 2011 3 Series sedans, coupes and convertibles manufactured March 2007 through October 2011; model year 2007 through 2011 3 Series Sports Wagons manufactured March 2007 through June 2011; and model year 2009 through 2011 Z4 vehicles manufactured March 2009 through June 2011, the connector for the positive battery cable connector and the corresponding terminal on the fuse box may degrade. Over time, the high current flow and heat from electrical resistance may lead to connection failure, and a loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Safety Risk If there is a loss of electrical power, the vehicle may unexpectedly stall, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy The remedy is available. Your BMW center will replace the positive battery cable connector and secure it with an improved method. Manufacturer's Notes For additional information or assistance, please contact Customer Relations and Services at 1-800-525-7417 or email at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com. If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 or TTY: 1-800-424-9153 or file an online complaint with NHTSA. Feb 05,2016 Manufacturer Recall Number NA NHTSA Recall Number 16V071 Recall Status Recall Incomplete Summary DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG: During air bag deployment in an accident, the driver's front air bag module may produce excessive internal pressure that could cause the inflator to rupture. Safety Risk Inflator rupture could result in metal fragments striking the driver or other passengers, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Remedy Final remedy parts are available. Your BMW center will replace the driver's front air bag module for FREE. Please make an appointment with an authorized BMW center immediately. To ensure BMW of North America, LLC has your most recent contact information, please visit http://www.bmwusa.com/myBMW . Manufacturer's Notes For additional information or assistance, please contact Customer Relations and Services at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com, or at 1-800-525-7417. If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 or TTY: 1-800-424-9153 or file an online complaint with NHTSA. Oct 25,2017 Manufacturer Recall Number NA NHTSA Recall Number 17V676 Recall Status Recall Incomplete Summary BLOWER MOTOR WIRING: This recall involves the wiring for the system, known as the blower-motor, that controls air flow for the heating and air conditioning system. Over time, the connection between the wiring and this system could deteriorate and, in rare cases, could lead to overheating. Safety Risk If overheating occurs, this could further lead to a short circuit or melting at the connection. In extremely rare cases, this could lead to a fire. Remedy The wiring will be inspected and a new part will be installed. Additional components will be replaced, if necessary, as determined at the time of repair. Final owner notification letters are being mailed on a staggered basis as parts become available. Manufacturer's Notes For additional information or assistance, please contact Customer Relations and Services at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com or at 1-800-525-7417. If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 or TTY: 1-800-424-9153 or file an online complaint with NHTSA. Oct 30,2017 Manufacturer Recall Number NA NHTSA Recall Number 17V683 Recall Status Recall Incomplete Summary POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER : This recall involves an engine component known as the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve heater. The PCV valve heater may not have been produced to specifications. Over time, it could deteriorate and, in rare cases, could lead to overheating. Safety Risk If overheating occurs, then in rare cases, this could lead to melting of the PCV valve. In extremely rare cases, this could lead to a fire. Remedy The PCV valve heater will be inspected and a new part will be installed. If necessary, additional components will be replaced as determined at the time of repair. All final owner notification letters have been mailed. Manufacturer's Notes For additional information or assistance, please contact Customer Relations and Services at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com or at 1-800-525-7417. Find a dealer. If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 or TTY: 1-800-424-9153 or file an online complaint with NHTSA.

I think I'll have to replace the filter after 500 miles once this filter cap arrives...that oil has got to have some absolutely nasty crud in it. It was just changed, but not at a BMW dealer (The closest dealer is 150 miles south of here, so dealer oil changes aren't really practical). No, the quick-lube place didn't lose the insert, and they forced me to use the 5W30 full synthetic oil that BMW requires. I looked under the oil filter cap when I first got the car because the O-ring wasn't sealing properly and oil was running out all over everything, and it wasn't there then either.

Ordered off Amazon, should be here tomorrow. $42, I'll check Pelican parts next time.

I saw an article that smart meters very frequently overbill for high-efficiency lighting. No one knew the exact cause, but power bills are sometimes off by as much as 50% if you have all energy efficient lighting and a smart meter. The old style meters with the spinning disk are considered to be the more accurate models. Unfortunately, we have a smart meter here, and power bills are absolutely insane.

The little pain in the butt did it again. So, I took the solenoids out and cleaned them, again. It worked for two days, again, and then started dying again. So what on earth would cause the solenoids to get dirty so quickly? Well...I dug all over Google looking for other causes of the 2A87 code I'm getting. There are the scary ones (Bad camshaft lobe, broken camshaft gear bolts, bad VANOS solenoid) and then I saw someone say they replaced their oil filter cap insert and it solved a 2A87 issue. So, I checked mine. I don't HAVE an oil filter cap insert, although it's obviously supposed to have one. The part labeled as "2" in the drawing is completely missing. Some idiot must have changed the oil and tossed it with the filter. Now I just have to find one of the things... every store in the city is out of stock. I may have to order it.

It's finally fixed! Cleaned the VANOS solenoids with a can of ether that we found in a garage, swapped the solenoids positions (so the solenoid that was in the intake slot went into the exhaust solenoid slot) and cleared the codes - and I have a nice purring idle that doesn't bounce up and down by 100 rpm. It also has at least twice the horsepower. I'll start another thread for any other issues it has 🙂

I don't think this will work as well as they're expecting. Way too much technology involved. I'm in the USA, but have some experience with a similar, privately owned system to base my opinion on. I've driven a semi truck (Not sure what they're called there. Lorries, but the big ones with a 3 axle long-nose tractor pulling a 53 foot trailer) with similar technology. It didn't affect the top speed of the truck, which was governed at 65 MPH at all times, but it did send a "speeding report" to the company any time the tattle-tell system thought you were exceeding the speed limit or following too closely. The number of false reports it sent were absolutely ridiculous. "Bridge weight limit 45 tons" and due to the font used on that particular sign, it thinks the speed limit is now 45 MPH instead of 55. Minnesota in particular uses really weird county road numbers - instead of the standard blue pentagon used all over the rest of the USA and Canada they like to use a black and white sign, which also messes with the system. The company has since moved to a GPS based system, and they still get dozens of false reports a day because of outdated information, such as someone forgetting to enter a higher speed limit after the limit is reduced for construction. There are also tens of thousands of roads which have the speed limit set by statute without a posted sign and no record anywhere of what the road's limit actually is. For example, using Minnesota again, if houses are spaced more than 300 yards apart, then the speed limit is 45 MPH, if they are less than 300 yards apart the limit is 35 MPH, unless posted otherwise. Rural county roads are 55 MPH, but can be posted higher, with interstates running at 70 MPH. To add to the confusion, every single state is technically a country, and each one has its own little bit of insanity to add to the mix. It's very similar to what I think the EU speed limit rules must be like. South Dakota has an 80 MPH maximum speed limit (and it's freaking awesome by the way), Texas has a 75 MPH speed limit in the day time except they have one road that's 85 MPH (because Texas has to always be bigger. Texas is awesome, but they're very weird about the "we have to be bigger" thing). Each state has its own rules for the back highways and definitions for when the speed limits go down. Minnesota simply says if houses are spaced less than 300 yards apart, the speed limit should be 35 MPH. Wisconsin says something similar, but also adds that a sign must be posted in order for it to take effect for certain roads. There are also states which are RNP primary states (Speed limit is 55 MPH, but a reasonable and prudent person could travel faster or slower depending on conditions, the limit is more of a suggestion), and the rest which are RNP secondary (Speed limit is 55 MPH, and can't be exceeded, but a reasonable and prudent person would travel slower if conditions were bad). They expect to somehow code all of this into a computer? The first time you have a car automatically slam on the brakes and get pulverized by a 90,000 pound truck that wasn't expecting the maneuver...the lawsuits over here would cripple the system within the first year. I could understand a maximum governed speed in cars (in fact, don't they already all have a maximum governed speed set by the vendor?), but all the automatic systems discussed here are not going to fare well.

Does it stay running if you give it a bit of throttle? ECU's typically don't shut the car off, although they will prevent it from starting. Starting and then dying makes me think there might be an issue in the idle control system.

We put an AC-Delco 800 CCA battery in, the one that it had was 900 CCA and was physically larger as well. The parts store only had their inhouse brand in-stock, and no one has the bolts. Looks like I have to order the bolts, 2 to 4 days for delivery. I think a BMW is a car you only buy if you have a backup car lol

That's the biggest battery I have ever seen in a passenger car. The battery was definitely bad. Still nothing after replacing it. I had someone take a 3/8" breaker bar and beat the starter while I hit start...and we got a very weak, pathetic sounding start. He hit it a few more times and it cranked like normal and started. Then we tried it a few more times, and about half the times it starts like normal, the other half it either cranks super slow and doesn't start or drags after starting. I've got the new starter in the back of the Chevy suburban (Which is every bit as good at breaking down as the BMW, it's record so far is a transmission, 4x4 transfer motor, rear seat entertainment, and probably some more crap I can't even remember) and we'll swap it out the next day it's above freezing.

I'm going to swap the battery out this afternoon and see if it starts. The battery is definitely at end-of-life, it won't keep the clock set, and even with the car refusing to attempt to start it still dropped under 9 volts after about 10 minutes of sitting with just the ignition turned on ( while I was reading codes). My hope is the old battery is so destroyed that the car wasn't able to tell it had full power when we tried to jump start it.

I'm hoping that hooking straight to the battery might help. It's clearly weak, but I didn't think it was far enough gone to prevent the starter from engaging. On MOST cars the starter is a simple fix lol I already looked up the instructions on how to swap it on this car... If it wasn't sitting in a giant mud puddle 25 miles out of town I might think of paying someone else to fix it, but I don't want to pay the tow bill.

Well..it's still sitting in the parking lot at her apartment. I'll be able to go troubleshoot it more on Saturday. Where is the starter on this thing? I can't find it, I was going to try tapping it with a hammer to see if it was just stuck.

It no longer starts. It makes a noise like a fuel pump running..and that's it. No lights come on or anything other than the key symbol. I tried unhooking the IBS because I saw that would occasionally cause this problem, and I tried boosting it from my cousin's husband's huge pickup truck and NOTHING. Just the fuel pump sound and after about 10 seconds a warning that the ignition is on.

I cleared the codes. It almost immediately stalled out at the next intersection, and then really, really didn't want to start. So my thought is: 1. Clean the solenoids 2. Change the transmission fluid 3. Replace the battery I convinced Carly to run, thinking it might give better results since it's better known. I think Carista actually gave better explanations. 002E85 Electric Coolant pump, communication 002F80 Motorabstellzeit, plausibility 002A87 Outlet VANOS, mechanics 00D363 CAN Fault 005DF4 CAS interface invalid / board power supply <9V ECU Internal ADC calibration error 00578E Transmission fluid deteriorate 00CF17 CAN BUS 00A559 KL30g f Cutoff 00A0B4 Error engine start starter operation 00A0B2 Error CAS supply 00A179 Overvolate / undervoltage internal voltage

The only reason it isn't considered an inland sea is it's freshwater rather than saltwater. The port here is considered an Atlantic seaport though, and it's as far west as you can go. I've only been on the lake a few times, once on a commercial dinner cruiser and another time on a retired US Coast Guard cutter / icebreaker that someone bought for scrap and then realized still had several thousand gallons of fuel on board..so he started it up and found out everything still worked, registered it properly as a private, 180 foot, 1,000 ton fishing boat, and took oh....50 or 60 or 100 or something of his closest friends on a little trip out on the lake. He had a "discussion" with the coast guard when he got back that led to painting over the USCG logos. It was fun though 🙂 Who doesn't need a former military vessel to go fishing? They took all the weapons off but the cannon mounts were still there. It was built during world war II as a "buoy tender" that could also blow up submarines, but was built too late to actually see any wartime service. All weapons were removed before it was transferred to private hands (It wasn't heavily armed, just a few 20 mm machinge guns, a 3 inch cannon and depth charges). Carista was running a free 1 week trial so I took advantage of it. Here are the codes: 2E85 Water pump comm failure 2A87 VANOS exhaust cam timing 2A15 Fuel tank fine leak 29E1 Mixture control bank 2 29E0 Mixture control bank 1 578E Transmission oil wear observed CF17 Actual mileage/Range A559 Instrument panel power switched off 9314 ???? A3B2 CAN Signal fault A8AB right dipped beam faulty E595 Steering angle timeout A8C2 right reversing light faulty A8C1 left reversring light faulty A8AD Right sidemarker light faulty A8AC Left sidemarker light faulty A670 Center roof module - Fogging sensor malfunction

I'll see if I can get the BMW specific code. I tried carly but it said there were no ECUs available then refused to even try to connect again without paying $60. I've been using torque (which connects fine), there's probably some overly complicated way to pull the BMW codes with it. The low flat land here is at 600 feet, i live about a mile from Lake Superior. The 'mountain' is 1250 feet. Awesome views, but it's pretty small for a mountain. It looks like that's stuff on the front of the engine so RHD or LHD shouldn't change it

New code now: P0015 - "B" Camshaft position - timing slow (Bank 1) (I changed the word)

Maybe I can get some pictures off the dashcam from that drive so you can experience it yourself lol It's still doing it... it took 3 hours instead of 1 and it rarely stalls now, but that's still not normal. This time, I immediately restarted the engine, pulled into a parking lot, and pulled the oil cap while it was still idling like crap to see if I could tell anything. It was nearly impossible to remove the cap due to the vacuum pressure, and when i finally did get it off, it made a howling whistling sound like a very intense windstorm would make in an old house or maybe like a furnace with a clogged filter. Sticking PCV valve?

If it does it again, before it derates, load it down with people and luggage and make it chug up the steepest hill you can find to get the exhaust temps as high as possible. Dont turn the key off until the lights go out or it will de rate. If you do it right you'll see a cloud of black soot blow from the tailpipe and a rumbling sound as the DPF finally lights off. You're trying to light a chimney fire, that's how a DPF works. DPFs hate idling and stop and go traffic and light loads. Get it out on the open road with a nice heavy load, find some hills, race it, whatever you have to do to get the exhaust hot.

I found a DPF for that model on eBay for $1600 with a really quick search. Maybe not genuine, but you really need that on there to avoid legal issues. Be sure whatever one you get is certified if your region requires it, some governments are really particular about it. It is serious violation of the law to remove emissions components here. It is not going to pass the next emissions inspection. The missing DPF could be causing the problem if whoever removed it didn't do a perfect job of reprogramming the car. After the car calls for regeneration and it doesn't happen more than once, the ECM is supposed to cut power significantly and limit the top speed to 55 MPH and light the malfunction indicator light. That sounds like what's happening to you (USA behavior, not sure if UK has the same requirements). The light could be disabled, masked, or have been programmed not to light up. You may have some legal recourse against the person you bought the car from, especially if it was a car dealer.