Sudden engine shutdown on the freeway!!

[cacofonix]

Hello Everyone,

I own a 2013 E92 M3. About 16K miles on it. I was coming home from work tonight, when suddenly, on the exit ramp from the freeway, the engine totally shuts off and the car slowly cruises to a stop. I was terrified, but luckily, it was around 10PM and no one was behind me.

I took the exit ramp from the freeway, at a reasonably high speed. Suddenly, the engine shuts off at around the end of the exit and the yellow "Service Engine Soon" light comes on. It didn't make much sense to me, because I keep checking the status of the car every now and then, and it says "All Systems OK".

I brought the car to a stop at the right shoulder, and restarted the engine. The light went away, and the engine started normally. Fortunately, I was close to home, so I just drove like a sheep, and parked the car. I am still a little bit shaken, because it could have resulted in a serious accident at any other time. I did not see the engine light come back on again, during the short while that I drove home after the incident.

I am not sure what I should do next, I am planning to call the dealer and take the car there.

Oil level is a little low, one notch above the minimum mark.

My guess is that the slightly high-g turn caused the oil to accumulate on one side of the pan (since this is a wet sump engine), cutting off supply to the other side (because the oil level was low), and maybe the engine shut off as a result. But I have no way to verify this, just a theory at this point. But, I have difficulty believing that this can even happen.

Any suggestions will be very much appreciated!

Thank you!

[BPMSport]

Not many things would cause the engine to shut off like that. It's definitely not related to oil starvation. The M3's oil supply system is built to be able to supply oil even during serious cornering. Also, there is no safety mechanism for the engine that turns it off in the case of starvation, you'll just get a red oil pressure warning.

I would say that it's a problem with the crankshaft sensor, or a power related issue like a bad alternator. Since the service engine light was illuminated, it's likely that the faults stored will reveal the underlying cause.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[cacofonix]

Thanks Mike for the prompt reply!

I think in that case, I better take it to the dealer and let them figure out what is going on. The car is quite new, and still very much under warranty as well.

I am scared to drive it to the dealership as well ... Maybe I will get AAA to tow it from my parking lot. God forbid, it happens on my way to the dealer!

Thanks for debunking the oil theory of mine!

[NYC M3]

Good luck bro! And keep us posted! Want to know what happened.

[Time Lord]

i cant stress enough the fact that everyone needs to carry a bluetooth ob2 reader in the glovebox with the BMWhat app on the their phone. simple to use,can code your car and there were faults the dealer didnt even see.

for a $8 part i dont see how everyone does not have one....

[dizx]

My alternator failed on the freeway. First the DCT made some clicking sounds, and it went into limp-mode, then came to a complete stop after a kilometer or so. A whole bunch of different errors and warning messages appeared. I had to order a toe truck, and bring the car to my dealer. They replaced the alternator, and the car has been fine since then.

[kninjak]

same thing happened to me this monday car wouldnt go pass 40 mph lucky i was near by my house drove it parked it called the dealer left a message.
sa told me to drive as the dealer it nearby just 4 miles when i drove back everything was normal. yesterday sa called and updated that this is first error noted on this car computer it has something to do with brake selonoid they have placed order for the part should get the car today and some more info on exactly what they replaced
car is 2012 e92 with 17k miles on it just bought it in november 2013 at 9500 miles first problem so far but i m still in love this machine lol

[jphughan]

Interesting, this past weekend at Circuit of the Americas a buddy of mine in an M Coupe had his engine suddenly shut down too -- fortunately in a fairly safe spot. The engine then started back up as if nothing had happened, and in his case there wasn't even a Check Engine light. A mechanic buddy of mine had the same guess as Mike: crankshaft sensor. Good luck OP!

[jhbrennan]

Originally Posted by Giorgia

i cant stress enough the fact that everyone needs to carry a bluetooth ob2 reader in the glovebox with the BMWhat app on the their phone. simple to use,can code your car and there were faults the dealer didnt even see.

for a $8 part i dont see how everyone does not have one....

I think the BT OB2 reader only works with BMWhat on Android phones - need a Wi-Fi OB2 reader for iPhones.

[Manny212]

i had the same thing happen to me last year on a hot day after getting ACM test pipes and a tune. After an hour of driving i was pushing it pretty hard and this happened to me but it said something about the fuel pump i believe. I turned the car off and back on and it was fine. haven't had it happen again

[cacofonix]

I am getting it towed today to the BMW dealership here in Stevens Creek, San Jose. Poor thing - Few things I hate more than seeing my BMW on a tow truck.

I will keep everyone updated on what I find ...

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

[s85e90]

Originally Posted by cacofonix

Thanks Mike for the prompt reply!

I think in that case, I better take it to the dealer and let them figure out what is going on. The car is quite new, and still very much under warranty as well.

I am scared to drive it to the dealership as well ... Maybe I will get AAA to tow it from my parking lot. God forbid, it happens on my way to the dealer!

Thanks for debunking the oil theory of mine!

Why call AAA; BMW roadside will pick the car up if its indeed a hazard to drive.

[cacofonix]

Originally Posted by s85e90

Why call AAA; BMW roadside will pick the car up if its indeed a hazard to drive.

Good point ... I've always used AAA before. I heard they are quicker than BMW roadside assistance. I should give BMW roadside a try next time. Do you folks use BMW roadside? What is your experience with them? Plus, from forums online, it seems like BMW farms out their roadside assistance to AAA anyway.

[kninjak]

Originally Posted by kninjak

same thing happened to me this monday car wouldnt go pass 40 mph lucky i was near by my house drove it parked it called the dealer left a message.
sa told me to drive as the dealer it nearby just 4 miles when i drove back everything was normal. yesterday sa called and updated that this is first error noted on this car computer it has something to do with brake selonoid they have placed order for the part should get the car today and some more info on exactly what they replaced
car is 2012 e92 with 17k miles on it just bought it in november 2013 at 9500 miles first problem so far but i m still in love this machine lol

All right guys just picked up the car it says vaccum pressure sensor faulty
So they removed booster n replaced booster vaccum pressure sensor and line
Bleed brake system after removal of boaster cleared faults and test drove to verify repair so it's stupid sensor which can scare the bazooka out of sometime

[RezTTU]

Originally Posted by Giorgia

i cant stress enough the fact that everyone needs to carry a bluetooth ob2 reader in the glovebox with the BMWhat app on the their phone. simple to use,can code your car and there were faults the dealer didnt even see.

for a $8 part i dont see how everyone does not have one....

Can you link a bluetooth OB2 reader thats compatible with the BMWhat app? I would like to get one, but I'm reading not all adapters are compatible with this app. You can code your car with this thing too?

[325rider]

This happened to me once in the 100,000k miles i put on my e46. I was driving on the freeway (5 speed manual) and the car completely shut off….

Started the car a few seconds later while going 70mph and it never happened ever again.

Didn't think much of it but it has mindfucked me since it happened lol

[W///]

Originally Posted by Manny212

i had the same thing happen to me last year on a hot day after getting ACM test pipes and a tune. After an hour of driving i was pushing it pretty hard and this happened to me but it said something about the fuel pump i believe. I turned the car off and back on and it was fine. haven't had it happen again

Doubt it's the same issue, but this one time, I filled up my E30 to the brim and went on a mountain run. It was very very warm outside and I was trying to keep up with Z4 in a bone stock E30 haha. Car suddenly shut off while going up hill. After letting it cool down for 10 mins, it started again. But you could almost hear something boiling under the car, it was the weirdest thing ever.

[jhbrennan]

Originally Posted by M3DreamTTU

Can you link a bluetooth OB2 reader thats compatible with the BMWhat app? I would like to get one, but I'm reading not all adapters are compatible with this app. You can code your car with this thing too?

Are you using iOS or Android? Check here:
http://www.ivini-apps.com/coding.html

[RezTTU]

Originally Posted by jhbrennan

Are you using iOS or Android? Check here:
http://www.ivini-apps.com/coding.html

Nice, it would be for iOS

[cacofonix]

This seems to be very awesome. OBD - Laptop interface with Professonal software. Has anyone used it before? I am thinking of ordering one.
http://www.bavariantechnic.com/default.aspx

[kninjak]

I m not sure if its a smart future for braking but as I understand our brake system works as a vaccum pressure but then we also have brake fluid so I m confused hope someone can shed a light on this system

[cacofonix]

SA just called me and said it was because of an intermittent failure of the fuel pump. So, he said they would be replacing the fuel pump in the car and then checking again.

Will keep you guys posted.