F10 530d: N57 EGR / Cooler related fault-code scan results

 Been getting the 'Drivetrain' malfunction message on my F10 530d iDrive and figured it likely to be EGR (exhaust-gas-recirculator) related, so plugged in a Snap-On Modis scanner and these are the codes I got, which are what I suspected to be honest. The EGR and EGR-cooler are known to pack in on the N57 series of engine, the latter of which can leak coolant into the inlet causing a bit of smoke on startup. 

28E200 - Exhaust Gas Temperature sensor before Cat, open circuit

255C00 - EGR Controller, Position Control, Valve open too far

190900 - EGR Mass Air Flow, measured plausibility calculated too high

240400 - EGR Control, control deviation air mass too low

272F09 - EGR, mechanically faulty close to open position

272E00 - EGR, mechanically faulty close to closed position

So, I have the classic two codes of the EGR failing close to open and closed position, which denotes a stuck EGR valve, which is quite common on all diesel engines, along with the EGR mass-air codes where values are higher and lower than they should be, which clearly ties in to the valve sticking in the open and closed position. Faults for the EGR control-module show that it is struggling to position the EGR correctly and this all points to one stuck EGR valve.

I also notice that I am getting a bit of smoke on startup sometimes which I have never noticed before. This also points to a faulty EGR-valve, or rather the cooler itself. The EGR-cooler is fed with coolant to reduce the operating temperature of the EGR-valve itself and these are known to have problems with leaking after time. They crack inside after prolonged use and start to leak coolant into the EGR and thereafter the air-intake, which causes a bit of white smoke on startup, which I have been experiencing the last few weeks and so it looks like this is the culprit and I will be replacing the EGR / cooler unit at some point I would imagine... watch this space.

F10/F11: DPF Replacement / Removal - EASY GUIDE!

If you are removing your DPF and re-mapping, or if your filter is clogged past the point of a re-gen, then you will need take it off. Getting the DPF / catalytic-converter off an F10 is easier than it looks and is totally doable at home without a set of workshop ramps. I managed with a jack / axle-stand and without removing the exhaust or any of the engine.

1. Safely raise the car.

2. Under the car, remove the centre under-tray that covers the exhaust joint to the DPF by undoing a series of 8mm screws.

3. Loosen the collar-bolt at the joint between the front section of the exhaust and the flexi coming from the DPF using a 14mm socket.

4. Slide the exhaust back about an inch until it pops out of the sleeve in the DPF. [It may help here to pop the exhaust out of the centre rubber-hanger to give more rearward movement.]

5. Under the bonnet, unplug the two O2-sensors and the Lambda sensor, then pull the hose off the metal-tube that runs to the pressure-sensor. Free up the wiring.

6. Remove the upward-facing O2-sensor using a 14mm open-ended wrench.

** Access to the bolts and sensors may be easier with the plastic air-inlet loosened and moved out of the way. **

7. Loosen the collar-bolt joining the front of the DPF to the back of the turbo using a 13mm socket on a long extension and move the collar forward away from the DPF.

8. Remove the upper nut and lower bolt holding the bracket to the rear of the DPF using a 13mm wrench.

9. Remove the two bolts holding the bracket to the back of the engine-block using an E10 double-hex socket, or an 8mm ring-spanner and fully remove the bracket.

10. The DPF will likely be solid in place, so the best bet is to wiggle it from underneath car until it breaks free and can be safely lowered down.

11. With the DPF free, getting it out of the engine-bay is still not a walk in the park. The lower O2 sensor and/or Lambda sensor may need to be removed to get the angle required to slide the body of the DPF down past the steering-knuckle and foil heat shield, which may need to pressed in towards the body a bit to give enough clearance. Eventually, the DPF can be manipulated down through the gap and drop down under the car, so watch out if you have it raised a fair bit off the ground.

12. Re-fitting is a reverse of the above steps. Note, all but the lower O2-sensor should be fitted after the DPF is secured in position. The easiest way to reposition the DPF is get someone to hold it from below high enough for you to get hold of it from inside the engine-bay and lift it up into position, rather than one person trying to reposition it from underneath.

UPDATE: F10 off road with DPF issues... E46 Touring joins the stable!

So, quite an eventful couple of months... first I rectified the hi-beam headlight issues on the F10, only for it to then fail the MOT on emissions due to a blocked DPF and new regulations. Work on my house meant that I had no time to sort it and needed a car, so ended up buying an E46 318i Touring for the princely sum of £400. It's got 102k miles, MOT until October and is purple... enough said.

---

F10 DPF / Emissions woes...

New UK emissions rules [info here] for diesel cars are extremely choking [excuse the pun]. The law states that diesel cars made after 2008 must no longer adhere to a generic CO2 value, previously 3.0 m-1, but instead must produce emissions lower than the manufacturers plate value... in BMWs case this is 0.5 m-1. Therefore, to pass a UK MOT test on emissions the car must now produce 1/6th of what used to be considered acceptable! There is still a generic value to test to, only halved at 1.5 m-1 and easier to pass, but this only applies when there is no 'manufacturer plate-value' and sadly the F10 has one.
To make matters worse, any emission of black smoke from the exhaust pipe on a post-2008 vehicle fitted with a DPF is an instant fail!

My first emissions test produced just shy of 1.8 m-1. In past years this has been well within the acceptable limits, my Dad's 2004 Audi A4 diesel producing nearly 2.8 m-1 and passing for instance, but since April 2018 the limit is 0.5 and my 1.8 is well over. I ran a bottle of CataClean through and gave the car a good 20 mile run up and down the motorway, then returned to the test-station for another go. This time I rolled just under 1.5 m-1 of CO2, an improvement but still well above the permitted 0.5. Besides, it was pointed out to me that the car was emitting a puff or two of black smoke during the tests, so it didn't really matter and this only pointed to one thing... a blocked DPF.

After trying a re-gen through software, I realised that the DPF would need to come off the car to be cleaned out / replaced before this was going to happen. A new DPF from BMW is £1596 +VAT... so lets not even go there. Used or reconditioned DPFs.. hmm, I decided to give those a pass too, along with cheap spurious models that I've heard nothing but bad things about. No, instead I will have to clean out the heavily clogged one I have now, so watch this space as I will post results soon.

Yeah, a lot going on and you can see why I needed a cheap runaround!

Bought an F10 530d!!

Guess there's only so much one can do to the E60, so I splurged on a 12-plate F10. Loving it. Still got the E60 though for now...

Look at them kidney grilles.

Got the 17" 10-spokes, all with brand new run-flats. The ride is sublime, but may throw on the 18" 7-spokes from the E60, or may even go for 19' Ms... time will tell.

Love the super-bright rear lights and the tail-pipe. If that blasted DPF has one silver lining, it's them pipes.