Increased Emissions - Solved!

[Eliminator]

For those who may encounter this problem and search the board months from now, I'll post here the problem, the diagnosis and solution.

Problem: Increased Emissions light shows up during drive. Picture of yellow motor stays for 10 seconds then goes to a Service Engine Soon light - SES - and stays there permanently. The light may go away every 5 or 6 days for about 2 or 3 starts. Then it returns. Car runs fine. No other faults Ie. DSC, Park Assist, ABS, etc.

Diagnosis: Your car has a Secondary Air Pump and two valves that activate during the first 240 seconds to blow hot air through two valves, one on each bank, on to the catalytic converters. Simply to heat them up so they work. Cats don't work cold. Does NOT affect the driveability of the car that I can tell. The valves sometimes get stuck - open or closed. Open and the exhaust travels backwards in to the Secondary air pump condensing and filling the pump with water. This is where the customer usually hears slurping sounds, like a fat 11 yr old bold that just came from 7-11, during start-up.

Solution - BMW OBDII showed Bank 1 valve faulty. It was changed along with an o2 sensor from Bank 2 side of the engine. It was the o2 sensor before the primary cat on Bank 2.

My impressions -- After suffering from "Idle Valve" issue and never fixing that... it just went away 8 months ago and never came back, I am please the Faults were actually real. Car runs very good, I'd say better then before. Maybe the ECU has better readings to adjust air/fuel/timing with functional O2 sensors and valves stuck open can't help. Must be like an exhaust leak.

Hope this helps some folk during there search to fix "Increased Emissions" SES light since I found NONE during my search! G'day.

[STALKER]

Good info, thanks.

[aus]

Did you have any slow starts, where the engine has to crank a little longer than usual, or even doesn't start the first try?

I'm starting to get this and I just had the idle valve changed.


Thanks for the info.

[Eliminator]

Originally Posted by aus

Did you have any slow starts, where the engine has to crank a little longer than usual, or even doesn't start the first try?

I'm starting to get this and I just had the idle valve changed.

Hey Aus,
Can't say for sure since the car occasionally has long starts, before and after the o2 and 2ndary valve replacement. Always starts in one push though.

[Gladius]

Just got "increased emissions" on friday. Taking in the car Weds. Will report back any additional details.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Thanks for the info buddy, may come in handy one day.

[gr8000]

I hope this does not become the new "idle valve" issue...

[aus]

Originally Posted by gr8000

I hope this does not become the new "idle valve" issue...

That's what I'm afraid of!!

Originally Posted by Eliminator

Hey Aus,
Can't say for sure since the car occasionally has long starts, before and after the o2 and 2ndary valve replacement. Always starts in one push though.

Mines pretty much the same, but it didn't start with the first push on one occasion last week. Is it any better after they did this fix?

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by aus

That's what I'm afraid of!!

I don't even want to think about something like this happening after the warrant is expired. I got another 8 months for my 2 years waranty to lapse, so I hate it when issues like these start to emerge...

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by gr8000

I don't even want to think about something like this happening after the warrant is expired. I got another 8 months for my 2 years waranty to lapse, so I hate it when issues like these start to emerge...

I hear you buddy. I might have double your warranty period, but might not put enough miles for it to show up. We'd be SOL with the idle valves, but the blower might qualify as an 'emissions' item, and therefore be covered by that warranty, which I believe is 6-yr/75K miles (at least for us). I'm all for a cleaner environment, but all that complication for 3 minutes? Wish it could be deleted without any faults. Take care.

[aus]

Originally Posted by gr8000

I don't even want to think about something like this happening after the warrant is expired. I got another 8 months for my 2 years waranty to lapse, so I hate it when issues like these start to emerge...

You only get TWO years in Greece? WTF!!!
I don't know if I'd buy a BMW with only two years warranty.

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by aus

You only get TWO years in Greece? WTF!!!
I don't know if I'd buy a BMW with only two years warranty.

Mechanical / engine parts is 2 years.

So we get less than half the warranty coverage and more than double the price as compared to the US.

But we get the nice sun, which makes it up...

[kevkaz]

I am pretty sure I have this same issue. Brought the car in today, O2 sensor needs to be replaced. Part won't be in until Monday but I'm okay to drive normally in the meantime. I am also getting an ECU reprogram because my HD radio tuner is not operating... can't tune in HD stations, just regular ones. It stopped working about 2 weeks ago.

My car is a 6/09 build.

[TXM32B]

Originally Posted by Eliminator

For those who may encounter this problem and search the board months from now, I'll post here the problem, the diagnosis and solution.

Problem: Increased Emissions light shows up during drive. Picture of yellow motor stays for 10 seconds then goes to a Service Engine Soon light - SES - and stays there permanently. The light may go away every 5 or 6 days for about 2 or 3 starts. Then it returns. Car runs fine. No other faults Ie. DSC, Park Assist, ABS, etc.

Diagnosis: Your car has a Secondary Air Pump and two valves that activate during the first 240 seconds to blow hot air through two valves, one on each bank, on to the catalytic converters. Simply to heat them up so they work. Cats don't work cold. Does NOT affect the driveability of the car that I can tell. The valves sometimes get stuck - open or closed. Open and the exhaust travels backwards in to the Secondary air pump condensing and filling the pump with water. This is where the customer usually hears slurping sounds, like a fat 11 yr old bold that just came from 7-11, during start-up.

Solution - BMW OBDII showed Bank 1 valve faulty. It was changed along with an o2 sensor from Bank 2 side of the engine. It was the o2 sensor before the primary cat on Bank 2.

My impressions -- After suffering from "Idle Valve" issue and never fixing that... it just went away 8 months ago and never came back, I am please the Faults were actually real. Car runs very good, I'd say better then before. Maybe the ECU has better readings to adjust air/fuel/timing with functional O2 sensors and valves stuck open can't help. Must be like an exhaust leak.

Hope this helps some folk during there search to fix "Increased Emissions" SES light since I found NONE during my search! G'day.

Did your O2 sensor(s) go out during normal operation of the car? I had an aftermarket x-pipe and high flow cats installed and have experienced the same issue. Is your M3 stock or modified? Thanks.

[Gladius]

So mine turned out to be the O2 sensor, bank 2 pre-cat.
Like the above poster, they don't have any in stock (sounds like they should start stocking them...) but it's just an emissions issue.

Hopefully it will drive even better after it's replaced.

I did have one of the oiled filters, but no other mods.

[kevkaz]

Originally Posted by kevkaz

I am pretty sure I have this same issue. Brought the car in today, O2 sensor needs to be replaced. Part won't be in until Monday but I'm okay to drive normally in the meantime. I am also getting an ECU reprogram because my HD radio tuner is not operating... can't tune in HD stations, just regular ones. It stopped working about 2 weeks ago.

My car is a 6/09 build.

O2 sensor was replaced today and the car is back to normal. No difference in performance.

I also received new programming and that fixed the HD radio problem.

[GregW / Oregon]

Thanks to Eliminator for this. How many months/miles until this?

[tightie]

This is true, I did it on my car.

[Eliminator]

Originally Posted by TXM32B

Did your O2 sensor(s) go out during normal operation of the car? I had an aftermarket x-pipe and high flow cats installed and have experienced the same issue. Is your M3 stock or modified? Thanks.

Hey Tex!
Car is stock on the exhaust side. I have 10,500 miles and 11 months of DD. 6sp. I run a pulley and air filter only... for now anyway.

[Gladius]

Meh...after they replaced the o2 sensor a week/10 days ago, the light and "increased emissions" came back this week...

[cccmanhattan]

Originally Posted by Eliminator

Solution - BMW OBDII showed Bank 1 valve faulty. It was changed along with an o2 sensor from Bank 2 side of the engine. It was the o2 sensor before the primary cat on Bank 2.
.

I've had this issue for probably 20K miles (my car has 82K miles on it now) It doesn't effect driveability at all, but I do need to sell it a some point so need to fix it.

I had took the intake off and found the pump you've circled in your picture, but the only valves I can see are burried off the back of the engine, behind the headers. How do you get to them to change them?

Thanks,
Zac

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by cccmanhattan

I've had this issue for probably 20K miles (my car has 82K miles on it now) It doesn't effect driveability at all, but I do need to sell it a some point so need to fix it.

I had took the intake off and found the pump you've circled in your picture, but the only valves I can see are burried off the back of the engine, behind the headers. How do you get to them to change them?

Aren't you under warranty?