Ask Xulfiqar - An Automotive Encyclopedia

[Xulfiqar]

Sorry to bother you again @Xulfiqar

Just got the car checked again with an OBD-II scanner. Once again, the scanner showed a different story altogether. The ESP error on the car had disappeared today (fishy). The car had two faults on the odometer display today...

1. SRS defective, visit workshop.
2. Speedtronic, drive to workshop.

Today the owner told me that the car has had two transmission replacements in the past including a cluster change as well. Due to the cluster change, the odometer currently shows 273xxx miles but the car has 123xxx KMs on the original odometer (his claim. I will check that as well). Is there a way to verify the car's mileage without using Star? Is mileage stored under the ICM option? The OBD-II I used showed everything from CANBUS to airmatic.

The OBD also gave the following errors...

1. Leak in airmatic system (the airmatic did raise and lower the car as needed. It did not give a "Stop! Car too low" indication. Does this mean that the pump and shocks are okay but there is a leak somewhere in the pipes?)
2. Leak in dynamic seat pneumatic pump.
3. Loss of pressure in dynamic seat bolsters.
4. Boost pressure sensor! Boost pressure too high/low or implausible.
5. Loss of communication with ICM.
6. Active service system not available.
7. The SBC pump was dead.
8. Front left wheel level sensor malfunction.
9. KEYLESS-GO AND PUSH START INOPERATIVE.

What I don't understand is that the airmatic on the car was working when I checked it and no indication on the dash. I pressed the raise button and it went up. The sport I and II settings did lower the car. Could all this be due to the CANBUS fault? Is the leak in the system; in the shocks or the pump itself? From what I understand, the car should not go up at all if the pump is weak and the whole car should collapse. Blown shocks also keep the car collapsed. Also, what would a front left wheel level sensor cost?

The massage function on the seats was also not working. No bolster inflation at all. The OBD said that there was a leak in the dynamic seat pneumatic pump. How much does this cost (in euros, pounds, dollars anything...)?

The car did not go past 3k RPM which was due to the boost pressure sensor I think. It went up till 60 MPH and then stopped accelerating. The AC threw no codes on the OBD and worked fine. I kept it on the whole time at low setting. The car did not overheat but did puff out black smoke when accelerating. Could this be due to a failing cat-con or bad quality diesel?

The owner still has the original odometer with him. If I put it back in the car instead of the present one, would it resolve the CANBUS error? How would I revert it to the original mileage?

Is there a way to repair the SBC? The error went away when you restart the car. The owner had also put in a new brake switch.

Could the keyless go and push start problem be due to the transmission swap? If the wiring were to be corrected, would it resolve the issue?

Awaiting your valuable response.

transmission replacements?? its an older W211 and should be equipped with the 5 spd unit which is more tough than Thor's own hammer.

The body height pump leak is most probably that front left wheel sensor - its sort of bad news as you need to change the entire assembly. The SBC pump being dead is major bad news as when it completely gives up you will have only 15% braking power and can be quite dangerous. Make sure the SBC battery is in good shape too, At this age Im suspecting the pump is expired.

The ESP error will eliminate itself once everything is back to normal. e.g. new brake switch.

the seat pump itself can go bad and also the lines going to seats can get ripped, in both cases the pump will be shut down. A replacement pump is about 700 euros brand new, rebuilt ones are cheaper. But you need to find the cause of the failure first.

not going above 3000 rpm means the engine is in limp mode and the boost sensor maybe the cause of it.

[Xulfiqar]

@Xulfiqar Dewan wants to use castrol 5W-30 oil in my n62 x5 is that okay or is 5W-40 to be used? Considering that n62 engines have a habit of later in life consuming oil or premature wear on the valve stem seals although mine does not have any problem currently.

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I would suggest you stick with mobil1 0w40 on this engine too, its BMW LL-01 approved and the engine behaves very nicely when run on this oil.

[ahmed2396]

@xulfiqar i recently got my hands on a Nissan Patrol. It has around 320k kms on it. It has VK56VD v8. I used Mobil 1 5w30 in it but i saw it used up around 2qts of oil on oil change. Oci is 10k kms. Is this normal?

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[margallar]

Last time gasket was changed by another mechanic. But I don't know how to confirm that diagnosis is correct and how to verify this time it is done right.

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@capsat

Sir please help him out, he is in KHI.

Compression test will tell engine status, but if its too bad it will be obvious.

Never use any fuel pump except genuine

[ahmed2396]

I did high speed continuous highway run for around 400kms. Can this be a cause for it? Are these engines nasty on oil?

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[Xulfiqar]

@Xulfiqar i recently got my hands on a Nissan Patrol. It has around 320k kms on it. It has VK56VD v8. I used Mobil 1 5w30 in it but i saw it used up around 2qts of oil on oil change. Oci is 10k kms. Is this normal?

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you have the direct injection version, It requires an oil with a higher NOACK rating. Same issue with skyactiv mazdas and ford ecoboost engines. Chevron/Havoline have higher rating and are better suited.

using the wrong oil in that engine can cause oil usage.

[mhaderaziz_official]

transmission replacements?? its an older W211 and should be equipped with the 5 spd unit which is more tough than Thor's own hammer.

The body height pump leak is most probably that front left wheel sensor - its sort of bad news as you need to change the entire assembly. The SBC pump being dead is major bad news as when it completely gives up you will have only 15% braking power and can be quite dangerous. Make sure the SBC battery is in good shape too, At this age Im suspecting the pump is expired.

The ESP error will eliminate itself once everything is back to normal. e.g. new brake switch.

the seat pump itself can go bad and also the lines going to seats can get ripped, in both cases the pump will be shut down. A replacement pump is about 700 euros brand new, rebuilt ones are cheaper. But you need to find the cause of the failure first.

not going above 3000 rpm means the engine is in limp mode and the boost sensor maybe the cause of it.

Change the entire airmatic assembly? The shocks, pump, struts, lines etc? Wouldn't just changing the sensor solve the problem?

The SBC error was "SBC Defective-Reduced Braking Visit workshop! It gave the error for a while but disappeared after an engine restart.

Cause of failure of the seat pump was removal of the seats when the tranny blew. It didn't work at all after the transmission replacement, the owner said. The owner also said that the push start failed to work after the transmission replacement which sounds to me like the mechanic didn't correctly wire the shifter.

How can I check the SBC battery? Do I need a technician for this?

And what about the mileage correction issue? Do I need Star or a regular mileage correction tool for it?

[ahmed2396]

you have the direct injection version, It requires an oil with a higher NOACK rating. Same issue with skyactiv mazdas and ford ecoboost engines. Chevron/Havoline have higher rating and are better suited.

using the wrong oil in that engine can cause oil usage.

Chevron isn't easily available but mobil 1 and castrol are. Should i use 5W30 or shift to 5W40.

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[ahmed2396]

@xulfiqar do you know any facility in pakistan which test wear on motor oil? Like blackstone?

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[Xulfiqar]

Change the entire airmatic assembly? The shocks, pump, struts, lines etc? Wouldn't just changing the sensor solve the problem?

The SBC error was "SBC Defective-Reduced Braking Visit workshop! It gave the error for a while but disappeared after an engine restart.

Cause of failure of the seat pump was removal of the seats when the tranny blew. It didn't work at all after the transmission replacement, the owner said. The owner also said that the push start failed to work after the transmission replacement which sounds to me like the mechanic didn't correctly wire the shifter.

How can I check the SBC battery? Do I need a technician for this?

And what about the mileage correction issue? Do I need Star or a regular mileage correction tool for it?

change one shock - the sensor is built into the shock. If the owner is claiming the seats are not functioning after removal of seats then there is a chance that the air tubes are broken apart. You can try to redo them, they are nylon air lines like you see in HD trucks. The push start is tied to the ECU and he already claimed it was replaced, Im suspecting that the system was not coded properly after the swap.

The SBC battery is in the engine room, its a tiny motorcycle battery which you can test with the star system or manually if you remove it first. If the error was for low batery on SBC, then replace the battery and retest. A star test can see the life timer in the system too. Same for the gearbox - you can test the clutch adaptations.

[faiz.aslam.121]

you will find that the kit 38 is more worn out than the kit 50 (kits are the circles with the spanner). The kit 38 aka subframe bushing takes the most beating, it actually moves sideways when the wheel moves up and down under load.

That is absolutely correct! I was braindead, and ordered the kit for the rear subframe bushings. Ordered the front ones now, will change them tomorrow. The rear bushings are there as a backup, incase they go bad when lowering the subframe.

Traveling to Poland next thursday- Going to fix rear wheel bearing & rear brakes, front springs and some bushing for the sway bar in the front alongside new front fenders ( Rust ). If I can manage, jackpoint rust. Planned to cut a square and weld in new metal plates + paint

[mkkd]

Waiting

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Aoa
Please suggest me good workshop for may Gli 2012(routine maintenance) in Islamabad

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[mustafa.masood.5011]

Contact carfest 03445512155

[wasf]

Sir is it OK to use inductive spark plug cable in place of resistive cable? I bought a kabuli coil cable for my manual Cuore & later found it is Bosch inductive core 385 sports cable.i checked with multimeter its resistance around 2 K ohms which is less then of resistive cables.do it make any difference to use low resistance inductive cables in place of resistive cables?

[mkkd]

Contact carfest 03445512155

For what?

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[capsat]

in Karachi Goto Jamil autos - 0300 923 2821 call up between 10 am to 7.30 pm. reference name Adeel in Lahore, Request for Compression test and assessment of damage. diagnostics charges apply

Aoa
Honda city vario 2004. Broke down in middle of road. Mechanic came and checked fuel pump, fuel was not coming... he tapped the fuel pump and car started but broke down again near his shop.
He changed the fuel pump with a new leppon - Malaysia made pump (Rs 1700 apart from labor) but the car still not started. Fuel pump was throwing fuel on cranking but car won't start. He opened the plugs and now showed water in plugs. Says gasket is blown. Will cost around 5500 for replacement including rs 1500 for good quality gasket.
The gasket was replaced around 3-4 months ago after overheating. Car has started reducing water in radiator for last few days but didn't overheat.
I am confused how come fuel pump and gasket gave way together? Is water in plugs sure sign of blown gasket?

What should be done to avoid blowing gasket again.

Thanks
Tahir

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[arzaam.bhatti]

@xulfiqar wierd issue with my x5, been driving it for two days and today i drove it in rain and parked it in rain outside. now I have noticed when ever i return the headlight switch to the off position the driver side rear passenger window automatically goes down fully, I can interrupt it by pressing the button on my door and put it back up, it goes up and down fine with both the switch on the driver door and trhe passenger door, all rest windows are fine, can some water have gotten in and causing this issue or can a low battery do this as I think it needs a new battery the voltage was low on the battery but that could be because I was cleaning it later in the day and doors and boot were open for a hour or two which triggered all the dome and footwell lights to remain on and can't be turned off like on the Mercedes
Issue came afterwards

or is it a can bus fault how do i diagnose it?

so far not impressed with BMW build quality the passenger side door handle got seperated from its carrier and got stuck and door woundt open form outside, had to look up online and its suprisingly common needing the the door card to be opened airbag removed to get to the carrier to replace it fortunately a trick worked for me by twisting it clockwise and prying with a trim removal tool i was able to get the handle back in the carrier and now it works fine, i think its the way the handles tilt upwards to open instead of pulling straight out. now its working fine

[tahir.hashmi]

in Karachi Goto Jamil autos - 0300 923 2821 call up between 10 am to 7.30 pm. reference name Adeel in Lahore, Request for Compression test and assessment of damage. diagnostics charges apply

Thanks @margallar and @capsat
My understanding was that water/coolant in plugs was sure sign of blown gasket so already got work started at a mechanic near my home. Now praying for the best

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[junaid-ia]

@xulfiqar i have a civic ES & yesterday got its tank filled to the top. Drove for around 5km till i reach home. Today when i started the car i smelled petrol n shut off the engine. Saw almost 1L petrol on the floor n from the wheel arch side petrol was dripping from the pipe. Kindly let me know if it was the due to excess petrol fill up or some air trapped in the fuel system. Thanx !

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[capsat]

@junaid-ia you need to visit Obama Car care in Garden town 0321 410 6898 for fuel tank inspection. Fuel tank leakage is high risk.