Fuel Injector Problem

grnbean · 11-26-2011, 09:18 PM

Car: Sept build 2008 E90 M3 6mt
19k miles

Last night I was accelerating up a hill.

Suddenly, the redline drops to 4.5k and it's in limp mode. The engine sounds very off beat and just not pleasant in general.
"ENGINE MALFUNCTION..REDUCED POWER" on the idrive screen.

I gently drive home and park the car.

A few hours I start it again, and the car is all normal. Running very normal.

This morning I take it to the dealer first thing in the morning. BTW drive there was normal too.

I get a call back a few hours later and they say that one of my injectors went bad.

After reading the forum, I totally thought it would be the idle control valve problem, but the SA said that my build month was not affected by that... hmm

I asked for more explanation about this bad injector and they really couldn't say much. The technician happened to be in the hallway too and he just said, "yeah it happens, it could be bad gas..". thanks bro..

They said they had to order the part so now we're waiting for the part. They even said I could take the car home till it arrives. I declined and said I would rather wait to have the part installed before I start driving the car again.

Anyone have this 'bad injector' problem? What other questions should I ask?

I read through the forum and couldn't find much

Should I be worried about my other injectors failing? Still have warranty for 13 more months but worried about the longevity of my car

Thanks in advance

JCtx · 11-27-2011, 02:39 PM

I've read about injector failures a few times, but many more on coil failures. At any rate, you're definitely not the first. But typically when an injector fails, it fails

. Anyway, I'm pretty sure an injector must have a specific code, so there's no troubleshooting needed on the part of the tech, like with the idle valve. Good luck, and hope that resolves your issue. Please keep us posted.

grnbean · 11-28-2011, 05:46 AM

Thanks for the reponse. I will definitely let you and the forum up to date once I get my car back and get more info.

Question: when I was driving the car after it went into limp mode, what exactly was happening? Why did my engine sound "offbeat"? Was that one cylinder disenaged/timing retarded? Did I do do any damage to the car?

It just seems peculiar to me that after restarting the car, everything was back to normal. Although, I didn't push the car very hard afterwards..

alexpant · 12-19-2011, 05:16 AM

Although I do not own an M3, I will also confirm that I experienced the same issue last week, and took it to my mechanic's today. Spark plugs are out of the question, so its either the coil or injectors on both cylinders 1 & 3. He is a real BMW-whiz, that i've known for years so I trust him when he says that its a BMW fault with badly designed injectors and coils. He also showed me the difference between the old and new ones. My car is now on 70000km. I was hoping to get away from such matters since I bought it 3 years ago and never had an issue, but i think it got to me. I just pray that it's the coils (40EUR each) than the injectors (200EUR each)... Supposedly you'll get proper injectors and be ok. If it's under warranty I'd push them to change all 8 of them, because if they change the ones that are faulty, then it might come back to haunt you with the rest of the older model injectors.

alexpant · 12-19-2011, 08:04 AM

I think it's good news at the end of the day... The mechanic changed the coils and the car seems to be fine. I forgot to mention that at higher revs, I never experienced this issue, so maybe that was a hint that the injectors are fine.

11-26-2011, 09:18 PM	#1
grnbean Private 13 Rep 67 Posts Drives: E82 135is 6MT #489/586 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (3)	Fuel Injector Problem Car: Sept build 2008 E90 M3 6mt 19k miles Last night I was accelerating up a hill. Suddenly, the redline drops to 4.5k and it's in limp mode. The engine sounds very off beat and just not pleasant in general. "ENGINE MALFUNCTION..REDUCED POWER" on the idrive screen. I gently drive home and park the car. A few hours I start it again, and the car is all normal. Running very normal. This morning I take it to the dealer first thing in the morning. BTW drive there was normal too. I get a call back a few hours later and they say that one of my injectors went bad. After reading the forum, I totally thought it would be the idle control valve problem, but the SA said that my build month was not affected by that... hmm I asked for more explanation about this bad injector and they really couldn't say much. The technician happened to be in the hallway too and he just said, "yeah it happens, it could be bad gas..". thanks bro.. They said they had to order the part so now we're waiting for the part. They even said I could take the car home till it arrives. I declined and said I would rather wait to have the part installed before I start driving the car again. Anyone have this 'bad injector' problem? What other questions should I ask? I read through the forum and couldn't find much Should I be worried about my other injectors failing? Still have warranty for 13 more months but worried about the longevity of my car Thanks in advance Last edited by grnbean; 11-26-2011 at 09:27 PM..
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11-27-2011, 02:39 PM	#2
JCtx Major General 258 Rep 5,012 Posts Drives: No BMW yet Join Date: May 2008 Location: El Paso TX iTrader: (0)	I've read about injector failures a few times, but many more on coil failures. At any rate, you're definitely not the first. But typically when an injector fails, it fails . Anyway, I'm pretty sure an injector must have a specific code, so there's no troubleshooting needed on the part of the tech, like with the idle valve. Good luck, and hope that resolves your issue. Please keep us posted.
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11-28-2011, 05:46 AM	#3
grnbean Private 13 Rep 67 Posts Drives: E82 135is 6MT #489/586 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (3)	Thanks for the reponse. I will definitely let you and the forum up to date once I get my car back and get more info. Question: when I was driving the car after it went into limp mode, what exactly was happening? Why did my engine sound "offbeat"? Was that one cylinder disenaged/timing retarded? Did I do do any damage to the car? It just seems peculiar to me that after restarting the car, everything was back to normal. Although, I didn't push the car very hard afterwards..
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12-19-2011, 05:16 AM	#4
alexpant New Member 1 Rep 11 Posts Drives: BMW E92 M-Sport 320i - 2007 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Nicosia, Cyprus iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 320i Coupe ... [0.00]	Fuel Injector Problem Although I do not own an M3, I will also confirm that I experienced the same issue last week, and took it to my mechanic's today. Spark plugs are out of the question, so its either the coil or injectors on both cylinders 1 & 3. He is a real BMW-whiz, that i've known for years so I trust him when he says that its a BMW fault with badly designed injectors and coils. He also showed me the difference between the old and new ones. My car is now on 70000km. I was hoping to get away from such matters since I bought it 3 years ago and never had an issue, but i think it got to me. I just pray that it's the coils (40EUR each) than the injectors (200EUR each)... Supposedly you'll get proper injectors and be ok. If it's under warranty I'd push them to change all 8 of them, because if they change the ones that are faulty, then it might come back to haunt you with the rest of the older model injectors.
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12-19-2011, 08:04 AM	#5
alexpant New Member 1 Rep 11 Posts Drives: BMW E92 M-Sport 320i - 2007 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Nicosia, Cyprus iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 320i Coupe ... [0.00]	I think it's good news at the end of the day... The mechanic changed the coils and the car seems to be fine. I forgot to mention that at higher revs, I never experienced this issue, so maybe that was a hint that the injectors are fine.
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