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How to get out of permanent LIMP mode, after fixing the problem with ignition coils?

93K views 25 replies 7 participants last post by  jfoj 
#1 ·
Hi there,
How do I get the my E46 out of the permanent LIMP mode after I have fixed ignition problem?
Background: My 2002 BMW325ci started working rough including in idle and within few days went into permanent LIMP mode (service engine light, little gear with exclamation mark next to P/D(gearbox warning light ), and can't go higher than 3,ooo rpm, and has hard time to accelerate being stuck in 3rd or 4th gear).
I read the codes with BAFX Products 34t5 Bluetooth OBDII Scanner for Android devices, and it came up with: P0313 (misfire detected with low fuel) , P0300 (random/multiple cylinder misfire detected) , P1348 MIsfire during start cylinder 4), and P1345 (misfire cylinder 2 with fuel cut-off).
I bought set of 6 ignition coils and replaced them all. Engine now works smoothly both in idle and when running. However the car is still in LIMP mode, lights are still there, and acceleration sucks.
When I tried to clear the codes with the scenner, it had catastrofic consequences - car wouldn't start at all after that.(just clicking, flashing headlights and no cranking). Disconnected battery, let it sit several hours and eventually it started staring again. Same codes are back.
I don't have repair manual, and I would like to get the vehicle out of the limp mode and to clear the old error codes without killing the car as in my previous attempt, get rid of check engine and gearbox warning light.
I tried removing battery and letting it sit for a while. I tried turning it off and quickly back on. Battery is solid, I have fully charged it and it cranks without issues. Any help would be appreciated
 
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#6 · (Edited)
Nope. Buy a cheap obd2 scanner and clear the codes. Or go to a auto parts store and have them clear it. It should be free

Edit: I see that you have a scanner. Try clearing the codes again

The clicking is low battery voltage. there's no other cause.
. In the car turn the key to position 2, hold the trip reset button on your cluster (the left one) until you see "test 1". When "test 1" pops up, keep clicking until 19. When you reach test 19, stop clicking until you see "test 19.0". Now click once and it'll go back to test 1. Keep clicking until test 9 - that'll be your battery voltage. Report back with what it is
The voltage should be 12.2-12.4 with the car off and in the 14s with the car on
 
#8 · (Edited)
This thread should like it is clearly headed in the wrong direction.

Based on the codes and the events that lead up to the codes, I am doubtful the ignition coils were actually the primary source of the problem and/or a source of the problems at all!

I assume we can rule the coils out at this point, but it sounds like the same basic problem still exists.

First "Limp" mode is a very broad, vague and improperly used term.

Misfiring is not really a "Limp" mode.

"Limp" mode is better described as one of the following: Failsafe, Backup or Emergency Operation mode.

You do not "Clear" a "Limp" mode condition, you have to correct the fault that is causing the "Limp" or more properly stated: Failsafe, Backup or Emergency Operation mode.

You had/have 2 very different and separate problems.

You had a number of Misfires, some specific to one or more cylinders, Random Misfires, Misfire On Start Up, misfire with Fuel Cut Off. While these may have been ignition related, more often than not you will not have more than a single coil failure at a time and the codes you found are more indicative to a Lean Misfire problem due to air leaks and/or a fuel supply problem.

But these could have also been caused by a weak/low/bad battery as well. These engines are designed with a Multiple Spark Discharge capability and when the cranking Voltage drops too low the DME will disable this Multiple Spark Discharge to conserve battery power and this can and will cause the engine to run rough and can cause misfiring.

The other separate problem is the transmission "Cog Of Death". This usually will cause 2 specific behaviors. It can cause limited and slow throttle response and can and will cause the transmission to often shift late, hard and often stick in 3rd or 4th gear. This tends to be an Emergency Operation Mode. One of the primary causes of the "Cog Of Death" and the Emergency Operation Mode is a MAF that is disconnected or sending an out of range or intermittent signal to the DME.

Since your car has an electronic throttle control or "Drive By Wire", this Emergency Operation Mode is designed to limit the engine power and vehicle speed. The MAF along with some other values help determine the Engine Load and when one or more of these sensor inputs is out of range, the "Drive By Wire" and automatic transmission are limited in operation primarily to allow the car to be driven off the highway and around a service facility and into the service bay. One the newer models with the MS45.1 DME the throttle will just surge constantly to around 1500 RPM and the vehicle is barely driveable and cannot really be operated on the road!

Anyway, you need to start to gather Freeze Frame and Fuel Trim data. Not sure what OBDII App you are using, but I highly recommend the OBDFusion App, $3.99 for Android. OBDFusion will also allow you to run a Diagnostic Report which captures a lot of data and it is easy to share. You also need to determine what electrical connections you may have disconnected when replacing the ignition coils and also determine if you disturbed anything else while working on the engine.

There is no magic reset for the problem you are experiencing. You have to identify and correct the problem(s) that are causing the Emergency Operation Mode. The "Cog Of Death" is often cause by a missing or far out of range MAF signal. But other "real" transmission related problems can also cause the "Cog Of Death"

First thing I would suggest is getting the battery properly tested at the local auto parts store. They usually do this for free. A fully charged battery is not an indication of a good battery. A battery can be fully charged, but have a bad cell and have very little capacity, which would be a bad battery. Get the battery sorted and consider the OBDFusion App.

In the mean time, suggest you read these threads as well:

Solve your misfires, lean codes, rough idle - http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=897616

Fuel pump failures - http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=929501
 
#9 ·
Thanks everyone for chiming and special thanks to JFOJ for in depth analysis and suggestions. It was very educational, and I had to re-read it few times to get all the info that you poured there. I will take your advice:
-Get the battery tested
-Check/clean MAF
-Get the suggested app, get Freeze Frame and Fuel Trim data recorded (this will be a fun project to figure out based on my quick search on the topic).
Will report back once I get this info gathered.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Here is the update:
1.Checked battery. It's good.

2.Purchased OBD fusion app, run diagnostic, captured error codes and saved Freeze Frame data etc. in attachment named "01 Diagnostic Report 2017-12-10-2". It still shows original codes I posted.

3.I removed and cleaned MAF using CRC Electrical Parts Cleaner Spray. Let it sit for 30min or so. Started the engine. Still shows cog with exclamation mark and check engine light.
Rode it around the block. Gets to 60mph with max 2.5rpm, (other than being stuck in 3rd or 4th gear - thus slowly accelerating) it runs and idles normally (strictly from the point of view that no apparent shaking or misfiring can be felt).

4.Reset error codes using OBD Fusion app.

5. Run the car around the block again for 5min. Temp on the dashboard shows normal operating temperature. Cog/! still there. Check Engine light as well.

6.Run OBD Fusion app. No trouble codes found now.
Run Freeze frame refresh. It came out bit different, with App disclaimer that it may not be accurate since there are no trouble codes reported.
Generated report "02 Diagnostic Report 2017-12-10"
 

Attachments

#11 · (Edited)
If the tranny is in limp mode you're not going to get the error cleared with OBD fusion. The MAF on this car has an insane relationship to the tranny operation however and I've seen bad MAFS cause the COG/! tranny Limp MOde error.

At this point you need to clear the EGS (tranny) error(s) to get it out of Limp Mode. Too bad you didn't have BMW Scanner - you could clear the tranny error and get it out of limp mode. Then determine what the cause was if it returned. I'd get BMW Scanner 1.4 - (about $20 on Amazon or eBay) it will add to the required tools and is necessary for modules outside of the engine like the EGS (Tranny) and other BMW specific errors.
 
#13 ·
@BMW-North. Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately BMW Scanner 1.4 you suggested can't be shipped to California, for whatever reason ("This item cannot be shipped to your selected location." says Amazon listing).
@Jfoj:
0.I will check out if 2nd ECU can be presented with OBD fusion

1. Change the MAF value in OBDFusion from lbs/min to g/s. Go to Settings, Units, Airflow and change from lbs/min to g/s.
[DanCA2017]: Will do.

2. Freeze Frame data will ONLY be available when the SES/CEL/MIL is on. Once you clear codes, Freeze Frame data will be cleared and will not be captured again until the SES/CEL/MIL is on.
[DanCA2017]: Service Engine Light is on right now, so I am not sure if this will re-trigger Freeze Frame data to be captured again. Do I need to drive few more miles to make that happen?

3. Unfortunately Freeze Frame does not capture the MAF value which in this case is important. We may need to get MAF info by Logging.
[DanCA2017]: OK. Noted. I didn't know how to perform logging, but thanks to your point #4 I will look into it.

4. Read the PDF in this thread to understand how to Log, what to choose to Log and how to share the .CSV files - http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1097893
[DanCA2017]: Will do. Thanks.

5. MAF
[DanCA2017]: By looking into MAF itself, it looks like the part is completely sealed with the exception of the metal wire portion that is exposed to the air flow, so clean up basically boils down to clean up of that wire.

As you suggested, I will try to find some time to log the data and post here.

6.I noticed that the air filter is not so clean, so I will have that changed as well.

Once again @jfoj thank you so much for the outstanding support you are providing on this forum, to me and bunch of other people.
 
#16 ·
Logs and Diagnostics captured and uploaded to Dropbox

Latest update:

Logs:
====
I have uploaded 5 Log files to Dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ofbbawh07vhh4c/Archive.zip?dl=0
They are zipped as Archive.zip
I tested the link with a friend, and after being offered to preview zip file, he opted for download option.
Description of each log and diagnostic report is below:

Steps I did:
=======
1.Bought and installed brand new battery
Cold Start after battery change:
===================
2.Plugged in OBDII device, ignition in position 2, pair with OBD Fusion app.

3. Start the vehicle, run it for 9min (I know 4 min too long), disconnect the App.
Log file name Log1_Idle_CSVLog_20180112_181203.csv

4. Get on the freeway. Finding clear patch for cruising at 50mph in LA is mission impossible. This log has initially 40mph section, and then freeway cleared so I was able to get into cruise mode at 55mph, 2000rpm
AFter 6min (5.01 miles) I have disconnected App.
Log file name Log2_Mixed_freeway_and_cruiseCSVLog_20180112_184537.csv

5. Got of the freeway, go back, and connected the app when the traffic was clear, I was in the cruise mode at 55mph/2,000rpm. Log started and lasted for 4.22miles, 5min 1sec. File name:
Log3_freeway_cruiseCSVLog_20180112_185857.csv
Disconnect the app to stop logging.

6. Got of the freeway then parked and started warm idling. Connected the App, run the Diagnostic Report and saved it as:
Diagnostic Report 2018-01-12_warm_idle_after_Freeway_cruise.html

7.During same period, as I was parked and running Diagnostic test OBDII was logging, and I turned it off after 6min 12 sec.
Log file:
Log4_Warm_idle_afterDiagnostic_and_freeway_cruise_CSVLog_20180112_190651.csv

I hope this info was captured correctly.
BTW there is no check engine light, only cog with D in it.
Dan
 
#18 · (Edited)
I'm not feeling that the MAF is a primary contributor to this current problem, it may not be related at all.

OBDFusion may or may not pick up the transmission related codes. When you attempt to connect to the vehicle, see if OBDFusion lists more than one "ECU", if there is a 2nd "ECU" listed, choose this one as it should be the transmission controller. Then read codes and see if any show up.

One issue is there are 3 sets of codes, 2 sets a generic OBDII should read (Generic and Manufacturer Specific), however, the Manufacturer Proprietary codes will require a more advanced tool to read these. BMW Scanner 1.4.0, INPA or even a profession level scan tool that has choices for each manufacturer. You can check with your local AAMCO shops, they advertise they read codes for free, but this is not always the case. I have a VERY good independent automatic transmission shop in my area that has a sign out front they read codes for free.

So check around and see if you can find a shop that is willing to read codes for free, many do, a lot don't do this.

And are you 100% sure the "Cog Of Death" is lit and not the DSC/Traction control light? Have you checked all fuses, to include the 5 inside the DME box as well?
 
#21 ·
#23 · (Edited)
Just a quick question for you: BMW scanners 1.4 listed on Ebay as well as one you suggested on Amazon work exclusively with Windows XP, which is a problem as I don't have such old Windows PC around. Have you run into any one that works with newer Windows, iPhone or Mac?

When BaliDawg suggested latest drivers, would those drivers allow that scanner to work with newer Windows OS versions?

I am currently using OBD fusion on Android phone with BAFX Products 34t5 Bluetooth OBDII Scan Tool for Android Devices from Amazon.
 
#24 ·
Yes, sorry I wasn’t clear earlier. Those drivers (32-bit or 64-bit) let you run BMW Scanner 1.4 software on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or 10. The only exception is the very latest Windows 10 Fall Creator’s Update (1709). See my recent thread about that here. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1207513

OBD Fusion is an excellent OBD app, good choice!
 
#26 · (Edited)
Just a warning, keep in mind there may be no magic bullet to "Clear Codes" and bring the transmission immediately out of safe mode.

If the problem is intermittent or is corrected, usually codes will clear automatically after a specific number of run cycles and the transmission should come out of safe mode almost immediately. If there is a hard problem still present, you often cannot "Clear Codes" because the fault is still present.

First order of business is figuring out what, if any EGS/Transmission faults are present. I would carefully connect OBDFusion and see if more than 1 ECU is listed, if there is a 2nd ECU, select the bottom one as this should be the EGS/Transmission controller. Then see if OBDFusion can read and display any of the codes.

I would also start to call around to all the local automatic transmission shops ans see if any will read codes for Free. AAMCO advertises they read codes for free in their commercials, BUT I would call and ask to make 100% sure this is the case. This way you will have more info while you wait on another tool that you can use.

Keep in mind, a BMW software is not required to read the EGS/Transmission codes. Any Professional level scan tool with European support should be able to read the EGS/Transmission and any other related codes. You might even see if any of the local Indy shops will read codes for free. Some will, many won't, but you will never know until you inquire.
 
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