My 2 month limp mode odyssey

[DreamTime]

This is kind of a long story, but considering the amount of “grasping at straws” limp mode stories I see on here, I thought my process and success was worth sharing. By "my process" I mean, my experience of the situation - I only have those who are smarter than me to thank for "my success".

In early March, I got my car back. 2 months before that, almost to the day, my car had gone into limp mode while driving home from work. Pulled codes with INPA when I got home, misfires on cylinders 5-8, plus codes 2B57 and 2796. Nothing particularly specific or conclusive, so I had no idea where to begin. I reached out to local BMW mechanics and friends, forum buddies via text, and sent PMs/emails to a few of the experts here on the forum. Everyone was extremely helpful and there were a lot of thoughts on the situation, but nothing definite. A couple of years ago I helped a friend throw countless parts at his E92 while it continued to go into limp mode, and this is not what I wanted to do. So the odyssey began…

Main lesson I learned from all of this? If you have a trusted shop, there is no reason to go elsewhere. Up until this point I have done almost all of the work to my car myself. In fact, the only things I have had to pay a shop to do are alignments and tire mounting, and of course, my rod bearing replacement. Rod bearings were done by my friends at Eurotechnik up in Hendersonville, NC, and those guys are awesome. I am insanely picky about who touches my car, but I love and trust my boys at Eurotechnik more than anything. Anyways…

Chapter 1. For reasons not worth going into, I took my car to a different well respected shop for diag (and ideally, repairs) for the issue I was having. My car was at that shop for weeks, and they could not figure out what was wrong. They determined the TAs were working, no issues with fuel injectors, O2 sensors were working fine, etc, etc. The engine was running lean but they did not know why. Finally, on a Friday, I received a call. They thought I had a broken valve spring. My heart sank. Based off of the way my car was acting though, I found the diagnosis hard to believe. But, I was just in shock. I was told it was decision time - I had already racked up an $800 bill for the inconclusive diag work that had been done so far, but in order to determine if I did indeed have a broken valve spring, I would need to pay an additional $1200 for them to open up my engine and visually inspect the valve springs. And, if I did in fact have a broken valve spring, I was looking at a $5k+ repair bill on top of the $2000 I would have then racked up in diag costs. I literally almost started crying (girly response, I know). Only because, I love this car and will do whatever it takes to keep her happy. Foolish perhaps, but I don’t care. At that point I immediately got off the phone and called my buddy who helps run Eurotechnik. I discussed the diagnosis with them, and while they did not think it was a valve spring, we started talking about going ahead and replacing the engine versus repairing the original, just in case - worst case scenario shit. We had already been texting/talking daily about what was going on, as we are good friends. We decided I just needed to get my car to their shop. He did not think it was a valve spring, but he also obviously couldn’t tell me what was going on without them looking at it. It took me a week to work out transportation for my car, and $350 later, car was at my trusted shop.

Chapter 2. As soon as they were able to look at my car, they immediately knew there was no way I had a broken valve spring. This was a huge relief. But, they did find an air leak on the throttle body stack on cylinder 5. It was determined that the throttle body mount gasket had worn out, which was letting air in. My friend did mention that this was not something they had really seen a lot on an S65, but during the smoke test, there was a clear leak coming from that exact point. Bank 1 was tight, no leaks. So, that was where they wanted to start, by replacing the throttle body mount gaskets, as an air leak on cylinder 5 could obviously contribute to a messed up air/fuel mixture. Since they were already going to be doing that work, I went ahead and had them check off a couple “while you’re in there” things that were on my list - valve cover gaskets & bolts, spark plugs & tubes, engine oil separators, and a couple other small things. After everything was put back together, it was time for a test drive. 1 mile down the road, car throws a code - throttle actuator. The first shop had discovered that one of my TAs had been replaced (I was surprised because I have a pretty damn comprehensive service history), and of course, the one original actuator chose that specific moment to crap out (LOL). Dejectedly, I ordered a rebuilt unit from MPower Motorsports here on the forum, and resumed my wait. At this point I was somewhat anxious. We all acknowledged there was no actual guarantee that the work that had been done had solved the original limp mode issue, although we were all pretty confident in our choice of repairs. The only positive so far was that everything under the valve covers looked super clean, a testament to obsessive oil change intervals. Soon the actuator arrived and was put in. Then…. the moment of truth. Short test drive, all good. So, my buddy wanted to drive my car home from the shop in Hendersonville to his house here in Greenville, a 45 minute drive, then take it back to the shop the next morning to do another smoke test and check for hidden fault codes. Car made it all the way to Greenville and back to the shop, no issues. Once back at the shop, smoke test was good, and no codes. My car was finally coming home.

I will never forget the moment my friend came to pick me up. It had been 2 months since I had driven my car. I never knew I could miss an “inanimate” object so much, but damn. Countless rental cars (thank God at no cost to me) and countless hours spent moping in my garage (haha, jk… not really though) had finally come to an end. My baby was home. The first full day my car was home we were blessed with sunny, warmish weather, so I was able to drive with the windows down and listen to one of the most beautiful sounds on earth while accelerating and shifting gears to my heart's content… holy shit… this car makes my heart happy.

Not sure what valuable info might be gathered from this experience, but I thought I should tell you guys about it. I love my M3 so much, words cannot describe how happy I am to have it back. Driving so many different rental cars has made me realize just how complete of a package the E9x is. It is perfect to me. With 121,000 miles on the clock, this car has been retired from the track. All the money I spend on it from here on out will be strictly on OCD levels of maintenance and some cosmetic stuff. With all the joy this car brings me, she deserves nothing less. All in all, I am just happy I kept my S65 going. There were moments when I was worried, but everything worked out in the end. Yay for happy endings

[1MOREMOD]

Wait until you get old, limp mode pretty common. Good luck bro. Maybe some midget porn?

[Helmsman]

Great story Dream Time, how nice to get The M3 back after 2 month wait! (been there so know the pain...).
Didn't realize you stopped tracking your M3 - although appreciate your decision to "save" the car - did you arrange with another car for track?

[M3 Number 86]

How do you do a smoke test on the throttle bodies of this car?

Edit: I guess one by one with plate open?

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Wait until you get old, limp mode pretty common. Good luck bro. Maybe some midget porn?

Omg

Midget porn? Not exactly my first choice... not that there's anything wrong with that lmao

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

How do you do a smoke test on the throttle bodies of this car?

Edit: I guess one by one with plate open?

I do not know the secret to their magic, but again - this is why they are my trusted shop

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Great story Dream Time, how nice to get The M3 back after 2 month wait! (been there so know the pain...).
Didn't realize you stopped tracking your M3 - although appreciate your decision to "save" the car - did you arrange with another car for track?

Thank you. Yes, the moment I reunited with her was pure bliss

Well, I did originally have a track car arrangement with one of my most favorite people in the whole world - and I am infinitely thankful for what we had set up and also for all the amazingness this particular person contributes to my world. Some people in life just kick ass like he does. But, I ultimately decided that if I was going to put money into a track car I wanted to have my own so I could follow my own dream. I want to build a Spec E46 car, so I have started looking at 330i and 330ci FS ads with a goal of picking one up this summer. I know financially it makes more sense to look for a fully prepped, ready to go car, but I want to build it. So, that’s what I am going to do

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by DreamTime

Omg

Midget porn? Not exactly my first choice... not that there's anything wrong with that lmao

I do not know the secret to their magic, but again - this is why they are my trusted shop

I'm just wondering why they did it that way when they could've just had the ignition on and sprayed at it. A lot easier than essentially holding the plate open and wrapping a rubber glove around each throttle body and doing a test eight times.

You got screwed on labor bro!!! Lol jp

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

I'm just wondering why they did it that way when they could've just had the ignition on and sprayed at it. A lot easier than essentially holding the plate open and wrapping a rubber glove around each throttle body and doing a test eight times.

You got screwed on labor bro!!! Lol jp

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

I'm just wondering why they did it that way when they could've just had the ignition on and sprayed at it. A lot easier than essentially holding the plate open and wrapping a rubber glove around each throttle body and doing a test eight times.

You got screwed on labor bro!!! Lol jp

Lol, I'm not sure I should explain on a public forum my arrangement with my shop as far as diag costs, as I am unsure of how it works with other customers. As I said, they are good friends of mine and they do me right every time - repair wise and cost wise 😊

You're right though, if they did indeed have to individually smoke test each throttle body like that, it would be a lot easier to just spray it while running to determine the leak. I'm gonna call my buddy on the way home and ask him how they smoke tested the throttle bodies. Now I'm curious.

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by DreamTime

Lol, I'm not sure I should explain on a public forum my arrangement with my shop as far as diag costs, as I am unsure of how it works with other customers. As I said, they are good friends of mine and they do me right every time - repair wise and cost wise 😊

You're right though, if they did indeed have to individually smoke test each throttle body like that, it would be a lot easier to just spray it while running to determine the leak. I'm gonna call my buddy on the way home and ask him how they smoke tested the throttle bodies. Now I'm curious.

Let us know. It'll be good information.

[mapster37]

once you find a good shop who you can trust and knows what they are doing- dont go anywhere else. it saves time, money, and more importantly piece of mind....

[randrews15]

I sure hope your wife doesn't read this!!

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

Let us know. It'll be good information.

When I asked him he actually started laughing, he said he was wondering why I hadn't already asked him how in the hell they smoke tested the throttle bodies on my S65. They work on these cars often... sadly, there was a beautiful MR E92 with a spun bearing at the shop at the same time my car was there Anyways, they saw a need to be able to efficiently perform smoke tests on these engines, so they designed and built something in their shop to do so. He explained it to me, but since I cannot take credit for it and it is a service they offer at their shop, I don't feel it is right to post about it. I hope that is a satisfactory enough answer, I'm sorry I can't provide more details.

Originally Posted by mapster37

once you find a good shop who you can trust and knows what they are doing- dont go anywhere else. it saves time, money, and more importantly piece of mind....

So much yes. And I make sure and tell them how much I appreciate them on the regular.

Originally Posted by randrews15

I sure hope your wife doesn't read this!!

Wellll, I am a girl And, the guy I am seeing is a German engineer in the automotive industry... he is completely smitten with my M3 obsession. He thinks it is adorable lmao

Edit - I think I might have missed your point at first lmfao... I guess I'm not sure if you're referring to the amount of $$ I'm willing to spend on my car, or that hilarious first comment on my thread that I was unsure of how to respond to lolol -- either way, no wifey to worry about

[DreamTime]

Okay, seriously... I now realize how comical my thread topic name could come across if our minds are in the gutter, which, if we're all being honest is probably most of the time lmao

Damnit guys, I clearly did not think about that AT ALL when selecting the thread name *facepalm*