P050D Return to stock before dealer visit? Now P0301 code

16LT4 · June 10, 2022

With regards to loaners, I must say that rolling out the red carpet is one area in which a BMW dealer shines. Any other dealer, not so much; the domestics have generally exuded varying levels of deceit. I bought my E83 a decade ago, and to this day if I bring it in for a recall, there is a brand new BMW waiting for me to drive without me having to request it. That, plus coffee and a sandwich. Once when I first bought the vehicle, I took it in for a warranty service (replacing door vapor barriers or a failed battery or something silly), and got to keep the loaner for the weekend, during which time I had to commute to work 200 miles away. The only constraint is dropping it off with as much fuel as I picked it up with. My car was picked up washed, waxed and vacuumed.

Good to know your issue was quickly identified and your injector is covered. One injector causing multiple misfires though? There might be others. Keep in mind that (and possible several, due to the P0300 random misfire DTC) plug(s) are probably fouled, so a plug and wire change before your trip would be prudent. Don't want any surprises along the way, and plug swaps are much easier in your driveway than a Motel 6 parking lot.

mikeyk101 · June 11, 2022

17 hours ago, 16LT4 said:

....

Good to know your issue was quickly identified and your injector is covered. One injector causing multiple misfires though? There might be others. Keep in mind that (and possible several, due to the P0300 random misfire DTC) plug(s) are probably fouled, so a plug and wire change before your trip would be prudent. Don't want any surprises along the way, and plug swaps are much easier in your driveway than a Motel 6 parking lot.

The plug and wire change is probably a smart idea. I'm at almost 69k and a 6 year old truck. I already know that the OEM 41-114 plugs are available at the local Oreillys so I will probably pick them up over the weekend. There is also a nice rebate available from Oreillys as well as AC Delco giving a $3 a plug rebate too. I checked on Amazon and know that I can get the OEM wires shipped to me in a day or so. This will give me a couple days before the trip to get it done. I do want to wait until after Monday and let the dealership change the one injector first and see how that goes.

16LT4 · June 13, 2022

On 6/11/2022 at 2:48 AM, mikeyk101 said:

The plug and wire change is probably a smart idea. I'm at almost 69k and a 6 year old truck. I already know that the OEM 41-114 plugs are available at the local Oreillys so I will probably pick them up over the weekend. There is also a nice rebate available from Oreillys as well as AC Delco giving a $3 a plug rebate too. I checked on Amazon and know that I can get the OEM wires shipped to me in a day or so. This will give me a couple days before the trip to get it done. I do want to wait until after Monday and let the dealership change the one injector first and see how that goes.

Wise idea. Yeah, some folks go with "I've got 150k miles on my plugs, no issues, blah blah blah", but I can promise, as I mentioned earlier, an overwhelming majority of misfires and no-starts I've had to deal with for people in the past couple of years have come down to plugs. A wider plug gap means the spark has to jump further, so for lack of a better description, under load or higher RPM, the coil's "refresh rate" is exceeded, explaining why idle is fine, but the engine breaks up as RPM/load increases. The coils will put out the voltage needed, but the higher voltage can burn out the windings over time, leading to premature coil failure. Plugs are cheaper than coils, so I see no reason to stretch the plugs; that, and the longer the plug remains in place, the greater the chances of pulling the Al threads out of the head from a galvanically welded steel plug head. If nothing else, pulling the plugs is a good excuse to read your fuel mix and ensure that the plugs easily come out.

Story time: Working on Ford engines teaches one of the dangers of simple spark plug changes: either the engines like to spit them out on their own, or hold on to them for dear life. Spend 16 hours on a plug change, and you learn to take preventive precautions; even if all goes well, a 5.4 3v plug job takes 3-4 hours (every COP is bolted on, the plug wells fill with sediment that must be removed before pulling the plug, the PCM and its mounting bracket need to be removed to even access #3-4 COPs/plugs, etc). 5.3 plugs are silly easy, taking 30-45 minutes for the set. Most every marque that I'm aware of lists plugs as 60k mile items, with BMW and Ford dialing it back to 60k from 100k, yet GM is sticking with a somewhat arbitrary 97.5k. They'll probably dial that back retroactively, like the A-T thermostat. Porsche wants the plugs done every 2 years/40k miles. M-B also wants 60k mile spark plugs, unless the engine has "been frequently started and stopped, idled, or driven at high speeds, at which point plugs should be replaced sooner" due gap erosion. Plugs cost pennies by comparison to other issues, and I'm a firm believer that money shouldn't be spared when it comes to maintenance of machines; don't over pay, but don't refrain from work either.

/diatribe

steelerdude15 · June 13, 2022

5 hours ago, 16LT4 said:

Wise idea. Yeah, some folks go with "I've got 150k miles on my plugs, no issues, blah blah blah", but I can promise, as I mentioned earlier, an overwhelming majority of misfires and no-starts I've had to deal with for people in the past couple of years have come down to plugs. A wider plug gap means the spark has to jump further, so for lack of a better description, under load or higher RPM, the coil's "refresh rate" is exceeded, explaining why idle is fine, but the engine breaks up as RPM/load increases. The coils will put out the voltage needed, but the higher voltage can burn out the windings over time, leading to premature coil failure. Plugs are cheaper than coils, so I see no reason to stretch the plugs; that, and the longer the plug remains in place, the greater the chances of pulling the Al threads out of the head from a galvanically welded steel plug head. If nothing else, pulling the plugs is a good excuse to read your fuel mix and ensure that the plugs easily come out.

Story time: Working on Ford engines teaches one of the dangers of simple spark plug changes: either the engines like to spit them out on their own, or hold on to them for dear life. Spend 16 hours on a plug change, and you learn to take preventive precautions; even if all goes well, a 5.4 3v plug job takes 3-4 hours (every COP is bolted on, the plug wells fill with sediment that must be removed before pulling the plug, the PCM and its mounting bracket need to be removed to even access #3-4 COPs/plugs, etc). 5.3 plugs are silly easy, taking 30-45 minutes for the set. Most every marque that I'm aware of lists plugs as 60k mile items, with BMW and Ford dialing it back to 60k from 100k, yet GM is sticking with a somewhat arbitrary 97.5k. They'll probably dial that back retroactively, like the A-T thermostat. Porsche wants the plugs done every 2 years/40k miles. M-B also wants 60k mile spark plugs, unless the engine has "been frequently started and stopped, idled, or driven at high speeds, at which point plugs should be replaced sooner" due gap erosion. Plugs cost pennies by comparison to other issues, and I'm a firm believer that money shouldn't be spared when it comes to maintenance of machines; don't over pay, but don't refrain from work either.

/diatribe

Do you know if the plugs BMW and Ford are using are platinum or iridium? My mom's 2013 Cruze with the 1.4 calls for the iridium plugs to be changed every 60,000 miles IIRC. I think our trucks use platinum plugs, but I could be wrong.

16LT4 · June 13, 2022

2 hours ago, steelerdude15 said:

Do you know if the plugs BMW and Ford are using are platinum or iridium? My mom's 2013 Cruze with the 1.4 calls for the iridium plugs to be changed every 60,000 miles IIRC. I think our trucks use platinum plugs, but I could be wrong.

Currently, I forget. Mine lists part numbers for both platinum and iridium; I'd assume the current DI turbo engines spec Iridium. I did have to replace my BMW iridium plugs at 50k miles, as they weren't worth cleaning because plugs are free, lifetime replacement for that car. As iridium plugs are supposed to outlast platinum plugs, the Cruze's 60k replacement interval makes the 97.5k interval for the Silverado, if platinum, that much more interesting.

mikeyk101 · June 14, 2022

11 hours ago, steelerdude15 said:

Do you know if the plugs BMW and Ford are using are platinum or iridium? My mom's 2013 Cruze with the 1.4 calls for the iridium plugs to be changed every 60,000 miles IIRC. I think our trucks use platinum plugs, but I could be wrong.

The OEM ACDelco plugs called for in my 5.3L Silverado that I am picking up tomorrow are 41-114 Iridium plugs.

mikeyk101 · June 14, 2022

Spark plugs now in hand. Just gotta wait for the motor to cool down a little bit more. I didn't get around to ordering the new wire set yet, I'm a terrible procrasinator... but at least now I will be pulling the old plugs to check them and get the new ones in. Oreilly is supposed to give me $24 in store gift cards once I submit the rebate and then I will also submit the rebate request to AC Delco for another $24 in rebates. I also had a $10 O'Reilly Rewards so after tax, each plug comes out to $3.22. Not bad.

mikeyk101 · June 14, 2022

All I can say is that cylinder #8 can SUCK IT!!! Wow, what a pain. Drivers side wasn't bad except the drive shaft in the way for #5 but still not bad. Passenger cylinders were a bit more challenging as less room available. Then comes cylinder #8... Can't even see the spark plug once the boot was off. I had to do it completely by feel and had to twist my body in ways that I don't think God meant me to. When looking at it I was very tempted to just say screw it and run with 7 new plugs and call it a day. But I knew it would keep eating at me so I dived in. Somehow I got it. I swear that it took almost as long to accomplish as all the other 7 combined. Well almost. Luckily I have a nice assortment of extensions including several wobbly ones too.

I really have to remember that the next time I do this, I have to pick another day where it's not 96⁰. Overall, each plug looked about the same. Even #1 and #2. They definitely looked used but didn't look too bad. Here are screenshots of cylinder 1 plugs first which was the one that had the injector replaced and then #2 which kept showing me several misfires when cold and then smoothed out.

steelerdude15 · June 14, 2022

2 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

All I can say is that cylinder #8 can SUCK IT!!! Wow, what a pain. Drivers side wasn't bad except the drive shaft in the way for #5 but still not bad. Passenger cylinders were a bit more challenging as less room available. Then comes cylinder #8... Can't even see the spark plug once the boot was off. I had to do it completely by feel and had to twist my body in ways that I don't think God meant me to. When looking at it I was very tempted to just say screw it and run with 7 new plugs and call it a day. But I knew it would keep eating at me so I dived in. Somehow I got it. I swear that it took almost as long to accomplish as all the other 7 combined. Well almost. Luckily I have a nice assortment of extensions including several wobbly ones too.

I really have to remember that the next time I do this, I have to pick another day where it's not 96⁰. Overall, each plug looked about the same. Even #1 and #2. They definitely looked used but didn't look too bad. Here are screenshots of cylinder 1 plugs first which was the one that had the injector replaced and then #2 which kept showing me several misfires when cold and then smoothed out.

When I changed my plug wires, I had to work on #8 from underneath the truck. You can see it from there and it’s much easier to get to. Just want to help people in the future with that tidbit!

Pearl2017 · June 17, 2022

Ive had injector problems twice in first 50K miles with similar symptoms on 2017 6.2. You may see a leaky/sticky injector as unbalanced fuel trims between banks as one injector drives fueling trim off on that side. The same unbalanced fueling may also appear on the spark plug reading. I then started to run a bottle of gumout PEA at each oil change and haven't had a problem since. IMO the PEA keeps the DI precision injectors clean and happy.

mikeyk101 · June 17, 2022

1 hour ago, Pearl2017 said:

Ive had injector problems twice in first 50K miles with similar symptoms on 2017 6.2. You may see a leaky/sticky injector as unbalanced fuel trims between banks as one injector drives fueling trim off on that side. The same unbalanced fueling may also appear on the spark plug reading. I then started to run a bottle of gumout PEA at each oil change and haven't had a problem since. IMO the PEA keeps the DI precision injectors clean and happy.

Interesting that you bring up the Gumout. I have had really good success with Chevron Techron and previous vehicles and decided today to dump a bottle into the tank. I was at just over a half tank and had a trip of around 150 miles. But with the dealer installing the new injector in Cyl 1 and new plugs for all the cylinders, it was already running fine. I just figured it might be a good idea on the 7 other injectors.

I also tonight went an calibrated the speedometer back to the custom Rough Country program as I like having the speedometer to be closer to actual speed. I leave for Custer SD tomorrow morning towing the toyhauler. Everything is ready to go and hopefully it is a very enjoyable uneventful trip.

16LT4 · June 17, 2022

Old plugs look a little worn but tough to say. Probably need an otoscope to see the fuel ring but they don’t look bad. What was the gap of the old plugs? Happen to measure and compare resistance of old vs new?

I didn’t find #8 to be bad; yeah it’s a little blind but no big deal. Every plug on a VW boxer is blind, and every cylinder on a Ford may snap. 45 minutes plugs and wires on these compared to 4 hrs on a 5.4. Winning here.

I’ve never liked having to reach between manifold runners to access any plug, though, on a Chevy. On an Olds, the plugs are above the exhaust ports. The older 4.3s are even worse, the steering shaft needs to be removed to get #4 on the S chassis.

Edited June 17, 2022 by 16LT4

mikeyk101 · June 18, 2022

No, I didnt check the gaps or resistance but on the us side, I kept them all and actually kept them in order so I know which plug came from which cylinder. I will be gone for about 2 weeks on my trip buy will take a look once I get back home.