Intermittant cutting out (every 3-4 days), will restart after 30 mins or so.

Codes

2850-Variable valve gear guide sensor

277F-Crank sensor

2782-cam sensor exhaust

27BB-cam controll exhaust 1 (I think, cnat read own handwriting! )

(I am also getting a gearbox code 150 for loss of CAN engine speed signal and a code 20 with no description!))

Now, codes all cleared except for 2850 which seems "Hard" but doesnt seem to affect running. multiple Codes return after a breakdown event.

It has not failed for me

I have replaced the exhaust cam sensor (Since it was cheap and easy and I wanted to see what, if any, effect doing so would have)

The car has broken down again (Though, as I write this I do not know which codes have returned, will check tomorrow maybe). I am minded to change the Crank sensor next (It is cheap enough but does NOT look easy! If it had been, I would have gone for it first of all))

Now, my question is this.

First, the inevitable magic bullet one! Anybody seen this before? . In particular, what might the "Variable valve gear guide sensor" refer to and how might I test it? On the face of it this has all the feel of a "Thermal" sensor type fault which is why I am looking to the sensors first, but would a failure of the VVT system cause this type of cutting out and generate "Red herring" sensor codes??

(My feeling is that I am looking at two seperate problems, one affecting the VVT system which is generating fault codes but not causing breakdowns as such and a second sensorfault which is causing the actual breakdowns)

Second, has anybody had experiance of replaceing the crank sensor on one of these? "auto-data" suggests that it is "Round the back somewhere" but I have not been able to get at it. Do I really have to remove the inlet manifold to do this???


"auto-data" is also not forthcoming about the fault codes either. You will note they are not "P" codes. the numbers came up with both the launch and the multiscan and do not seem to correspond with any of the data provided

Apparantly the BMW dealers first responce when the owner contacted them was that this sounds like an "Open chequebook Job!" Considering that they haddn't even seen the car at that point this is one hell of a statement!

Ho Humm!