99 528i p1189, p1188,p0173,p0170 engine codes

[DrayBrut]

I have a 99 528i with around 140k miles. I got the car with an overheated engine so I changed it with one that has around 100k. The engine surges every once in a while when its cold but when it warms up it runs great. Im getting a bunch of engine codes and can't figure out whats the real problem. Now I have p0150, p1188,p1189, p0173, and p0170 codes that come up. Before I had random cylinder missfires but they went away for now. I have been changing parts trying to fix the problem. I changed the fuel filter, added some injector cleaner to the gas, changed intake manifold gasket, switched fuel rail with injectors from other engine, checked and changed vacume hoses, intake boot, cleaned mass airflow sensor, new plugs. One new 02 sensor before the code even came up (02 code just came up on last code test, after I came home from BMW diagnostic. They cleared the codes before I left). Im fairly good with cars but this is the first BMW that I can't figure out.
I finally brought it to the BMW dealer today for a diagnostic. They couldnt find the problem and all they said that my valve cover gasket is leaking oil. It barely has an oil stain on it.
I will change the other 02 sensor tomorrow and see if it makes any difference.
Someone please help me. Im at a wall. Don't know what is going on.

[BMW5Ryder]

I have am getting these exact same codes. I have 120k on the clock. I have changed the valve cover gasket, CCV, Spark Plugs, Coil Packs and still get the codes. I've cleared the codes and they come back immediately. Let us know what you find out after changing the O2 sensor.

[jamesdc4]

I haven't had a chance to reference the fault codes from my Bentley yet (you may want to list the specifics for others), but my initial thoughts are vanos seals needing replacement.

What is VANOS?

Does my engine have VANOS/single/double?

1. M52 - single VANOS I6 engine [1997-98 528i]
2. M52TU - double VANOS I6 engine [1999-00 528i/iT]
3. M54 - double VANOS 2.5 liter I6 engine [2001-03 525i/iT]
4. M54 - double VANOS 3.0 liter I6 engine [2001-03 530i]
5. M62 - (no VANOS) "straight up" V8 engine [1997-98 540i]
6. M62TU - single VANOS V8 engine [1999-03 540i/iT]
7. S62 - double VANOS V8 engine [2000-03 M5]

What is the 52*i/530i double vanos problem?

[sltx]

I have a 2000 528i and I've been getting these exact same codes for almost a year.

P1188 - Fuel Control Bank 1 Sensor 1
P1189 - Fuel Control Bank 2 Sensor 1
P0170 - Fuel Trim Malfunction (Bank 1)
P0173 - Fuel Trim Malfunction (Bank 2)

I've had these for so long I was starting to think my reader was broken.

I've looked for vacuum leaks, changed O2 sensors, replaced the MAF and changed fuel filter, all based on advice I've read here and elsewhere, still the codes.

I've read advice on injectors, the CPS(s), the fuel pump, relays and now the VANOS, to name a few.

It appears I can spend thousands (doing the work myself) and still not fix the problem. I'm at a loss as to why these 4 codes are so difficult to diagnose. Intuitively it would seem that this unique combination of simultaneous codes would allow one to zero in on the (insert name of obscenely priced part here) and effect the repair properly without this shotgun approach. Unfortunately, just the opposite seems true, it would appear that virtually every sensor under the hood of this car will trip these exact same 4 codes thus, making it impossible to narrow down one's diagnosis.

I know something is wrong because the car does display symptoms. I'm in south Texas so, a cold start here is quite different from a cold start elsewhere.

Anyway, about half the time the car has a rough, stuttering idle for a few moments after a cold start, this usually disappears after less than 5 minutes of driving, after that, nice smooth running.

Further, once in a while, maybe once a week, at normal operating temperatures the engine will suddenly start running very rough, this will usually last until the car is turned off for a while and then it will return to running normally, very occasionally, it will take 2 or 3 on/off cycles before it returns to normal.

Anyway, my thoughts are, if it's a mechanical problem (VANOS seals) then it should never go away because a broken part is a broken part which never fixes itself. Once broken, a mechanical part will display symptoms until it's fixed. Anyone agree with that?

I can see electronic parts being different, wires and electricity are the work of the devil thus, there's no telling when they'll work and when they won't.

Anyone have any constructive advice to give me, besides an exorcism? Maybe there's a logical progression of steps to take to ferret out this problem.

I've been driving with an expired inspection sticked since lat August because I can't get it inspected while there are codes displaying. I really need to get this fixed.

This is my first BMW and, despite this problem, I find the car to be quite good, it drives extremely well. The HVAC system seems to be a bit more complicated than it needs to be but, I guess that's just the German in it.

I do have one major complaint. Is it just me or does virtually every piece of plastic and rubber seem to have a very short shelf life. I hate to put my hands on any piece of plastic or rubber under the hood because when I do, I end up replacing it because it just falls apart or breaks in half. For such a well engineered machine, this seems to be a rather needless and foolish deficiency.

Anyway, I'm done venting, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Greg

[DrayBrut]

Well its been a while. Ive been out sick but I do have some good news.
I found the problem. My valve cover was cracked around the 2 center, rear bolts. I fixed it and no more codes except for my speed sensor.
Does anyone know how to check which speed sensor is the bad one?

[BmwCI323]

it was youur valve cover? damn, ive been gettng these codes al lthe time now, with random misfires..
ive changed the fuel filter, plugs, and my bmw mechanic says theres no way its the coils.

if my car is cold, its a bit rough, but when its warm, its fine..

[vdot]

I have a 2000 528i and I've been getting these exact same codes for almost a year.

P1188 - Fuel Control Bank 1 Sensor 1
P1189 - Fuel Control Bank 2 Sensor 1
P0170 - Fuel Trim Malfunction (Bank 1)
P0173 - Fuel Trim Malfunction (Bank 2)

I've had these for so long I was starting to think my reader was broken.

I've looked for vacuum leaks, changed O2 sensors, replaced the MAF and changed fuel filter, all based on advice I've read here and elsewhere, still the codes.

I've read advice on injectors, the CPS(s), the fuel pump, relays and now the VANOS, to name a few.

It appears I can spend thousands (doing the work myself) and still not fix the problem. I'm at a loss as to why these 4 codes are so difficult to diagnose. Intuitively it would seem that this unique combination of simultaneous codes would allow one to zero in on the (insert name of obscenely priced part here) and effect the repair properly without this shotgun approach. Unfortunately, just the opposite seems true, it would appear that virtually every sensor under the hood of this car will trip these exact same 4 codes thus, making it impossible to narrow down one's diagnosis.

I know something is wrong because the car does display symptoms. I'm in south Texas so, a cold start here is quite different from a cold start elsewhere.

Anyway, about half the time the car has a rough, stuttering idle for a few moments after a cold start, this usually disappears after less than 5 minutes of driving, after that, nice smooth running.

Further, once in a while, maybe once a week, at normal operating temperatures the engine will suddenly start running very rough, this will usually last until the car is turned off for a while and then it will return to running normally, very occasionally, it will take 2 or 3 on/off cycles before it returns to normal.

Anyway, my thoughts are, if it's a mechanical problem (VANOS seals) then it should never go away because a broken part is a broken part which never fixes itself. Once broken, a mechanical part will display symptoms until it's fixed. Anyone agree with that?

I can see electronic parts being different, wires and electricity are the work of the devil thus, there's no telling when they'll work and when they won't.

Anyone have any constructive advice to give me, besides an exorcism? Maybe there's a logical progression of steps to take to ferret out this problem.

I've been driving with an expired inspection sticked since lat August because I can't get it inspected while there are codes displaying. I really need to get this fixed.

This is my first BMW and, despite this problem, I find the car to be quite good, it drives extremely well. The HVAC system seems to be a bit more complicated than it needs to be but, I guess that's just the German in it.

I do have one major complaint. Is it just me or does virtually every piece of plastic and rubber seem to have a very short shelf life. I hate to put my hands on any piece of plastic or rubber under the hood because when I do, I end up replacing it because it just falls apart or breaks in half. For such a well engineered machine, this seems to be a rather needless and foolish deficiency.

Anyway, I'm done venting, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Greg

hi sltx,

I was wondering if you ever got your codes cleared up and what was it you did to clear them?

I have the p1188 and p1189 codes on my 2000 528i and have replaced the O2 sensors, the CCV and its hoses, cleaned the MAF sensor and checked for leaks in the bellows post MAF. The fuel filter was replaced about a year ago.

I have no idea what to do next other than to suspect faulty O2 sensors or a faulty MAF.

any help is greatly appreciated!

[gdog87]

I was wondering how you discovered this issue because all these problems your describing ive been having since i changed my valve cover gasket. Ive replaced o2s mafs and i just cant understand why a valve cover leaking would cause a lean fuel trim?

[Bobby78]

I was wondering how you discovered this issue because all these problems your describing ive been having since i changed my valve cover gasket. Ive replaced o2s mafs and i just cant understand why a valve cover leaking would cause a lean fuel trim?

I had the same codes, after replacing a leaking valve cover gasket, vanos seals, ccv with all its hoses, spark plugs, disa valve gasket, icv cleaned and its grommet, throttle body cleaned and gasket, intake elbow, to mention a few, I still have the damn codes p0150 p0173 p1189 p1188, and that cold start rough idle. possible massive vacuum leak somewhere
I suspect of a leaking exhaust cps o ring, and now the valve cover seems like another suspect, I might look into it.
a cracked valve cover will cause the same vacuum leak and oil leak as the valve cover gasket will.

[bartelbe]

I was wondering how you discovered this issue because all these problems your describing ive been having since i changed my valve cover gasket. Ive replaced o2s mafs and i just cant understand why a valve cover leaking would cause a lean fuel trim?

I'll explain the reason with how the ccv system works and you should understand the why to your questions and possibly also help you with the cure. The ccv works by using intake vacuum to recover the blowby gases in the engine crankcase some here also say that it promotes sealing of the "low tension piston ring also" which I disagree but anyway, The ccv is using intake air to create a vacuum in your engine block that is after your maf sensor which is fine if the engine is completely sealed from atmosphere however if there is a leak say from a valve cover gasket or oil fill cap this leaky air gets pulled into the intake system along with blowby engine gases which since it is after the maf it is not metered air and causes problems. Now your o2 sensors are the eyes of your engine they see the air fuel ratio which it wants to see about 14.7 TO 1 if it doesn't then it trys to adjust by either increasing the injector pulse or decreasing it"adding fuel or subtracting" to achieve the 14.7 to 1 ratio now say you have a leaky valve cover gasket this increased air that is not being seen by the maf goes into the combustion process and exits threw the exhaust then gets read of being lean of course your ecu sees this threw its "eyes o2 sensor and increases fuel, at a certain point it can only adjust so far before it throws a dtc . It can be very possible to have a valve cover leak with out seeing any visible oil because of the negative vacuum on the crankcase what you would see is increase oil consumption and possibly a puff of smoke upon starting of the engine and possibly engine running rough due to engine oil entering the intake system. Being that the OP has fuel trim malfunctions for both banks 1 &2 would suggest that he has a air leak somewhere. Now You can try a trick to see if you truly have a leak coming from the engine crankcase side by removing the ccv from the intake plugging all the connections except the port that plugs into the intake and re install and seeing if it fixes your problems. If it doesn't then you could either have a leak somewhere between the maf and the intake manifold and would need a smoke machine to confirm. Now this is mostly the skinny version but with some understanding of the importance of a completely sealed engine crankcase hopefully this helps. " The trick simply eliminates the engine crankcase side from the intake side"

[Dickdeg]

I have a 99 BMW 528i touring wagon 118K miles-love the car. I got a check engine light and read a P1189 code on my ACTON code reader. Changed the hoses leading in and out of the OZ sensor (both were split). The OZ sensor checked ok. So far the check engine light is out and it runs well. I was able to find a complete listing of BMW codes on the internet and printed out all 12 pages!

[auaq]

I'll explain the reason with how the ccv system works and you should understand the why to your questions and possibly also help you with the cure. The ccv works by using intake vacuum to recover the blowby gases in the engine crankcase some here also say that it promotes sealing of the "low tension piston ring also" which I disagree but anyway, The ccv is using intake air to create a vacuum in your engine block that is after your maf sensor which is fine if the engine is completely sealed from atmosphere however if there is a leak say from a valve cover gasket or oil fill cap this leaky air gets pulled into the intake system along with blowby engine gases which since it is after the maf it is not metered air and causes problems. Now your o2 sensors are the eyes of your engine they see the air fuel ratio which it wants to see about 14.7 TO 1 if it doesn't then it trys to adjust by either increasing the injector pulse or decreasing it"adding fuel or subtracting" to achieve the 14.7 to 1 ratio now say you have a leaky valve cover gasket this increased air that is not being seen by the maf goes into the combustion process and exits threw the exhaust then gets read of being lean of course your ecu sees this threw its "eyes o2 sensor and increases fuel, at a certain point it can only adjust so far before it throws a dtc . It can be very possible to have a valve cover leak with out seeing any visible oil because of the negative vacuum on the crankcase what you would see is increase oil consumption and possibly a puff of smoke upon starting of the engine and possibly engine running rough due to engine oil entering the intake system. Being that the OP has fuel trim malfunctions for both banks 1 &2 would suggest that he has a air leak somewhere. Now You can try a trick to see if you truly have a leak coming from the engine crankcase side by removing the ccv from the intake plugging all the connections except the port that plugs into the intake and re install and seeing if it fixes your problems. If it doesn't then you could either have a leak somewhere between the maf and the intake manifold and would need a smoke machine to confirm. Now this is mostly the skinny version but with some understanding of the importance of a completely sealed engine crankcase hopefully this helps. " The trick simply eliminates the engine crankcase side from the intake side"

Another simple trick that OP can do is to get throttle body cleaner and spray it between the MAF sensor and all the way to the throttle body + ICV. Notice for any increase/decrease in engine speed indicate the possible location of vacuum leak. Then spray it between throttle body and the intake manifold gasket. Should also spray under the manifold where the ccv is located at. Again, notice for any increase/decrease in engine speed to indicate the source of vacuum leak. Check the intake rubber boot for any signs of torn rubber between the MAF sensor and throttle body +ICV. If OP had a live scanner to monitor the fuel trims (short term + long term fuel trims), he can actually observe the sudden changes during the spray down to pinpoint the source of vacuum leak.

One of the reasons I would use throttle body cleaner is because I believe it has hydrocarbon contents whereas the brake cleaner does not and, hence, I don't think one would see a sudden changes on the trims or O2 readings when using the brake cleaner.