Does the N63TU fix itself now?

[Jerinoid]

Still getting to know my new-to-me 2013 F13 650i x-drive that I got last month, although I'm not new to BMWs or their warning/fault notifications. Last night I'm driving home - flipped it into SPORT+ mode for a potential red-light encounter and after a short burst of wide open let off it. Shortly thereafter the CEL comes on and I get a warning message "Drivetrain Malfunction - Consult Service Center immediately", after which the car limped home with a seriously major engine vibration under load. Couldn't exceed about 1800 rpm or 30mph and the CEL began flashing (a more extreme warning). I figured a blown ignition coil, injector, or something similar that shut down a cylinder. When I got home I put the OBDII scanner on it and found a "P0300 - General Misfire" code pending under $7EA. This morning I went out and started it up to move the car around in the garage and the CEL went out, the warning went away and the car drove fine. How does that happen?

[BDO]

Originally Posted by Jerinoid

Still getting to know my new-to-me 2013 F13 650i x-drive that I got last month, although I'm not new to BMWs or their warning/fault notifications. Last night I'm driving home - flipped it into SPORT+ mode for a potential red-light encounter and after a short burst of wide open let off it. Shortly thereafter the CEL comes on and I get a warning message "Drivetrain Malfunction - Consult Service Center immediately", after which the car limped home with a seriously major engine vibration under load. Couldn't exceed about 1800 rpm or 30mph and the CEL began flashing (a more extreme warning). I figured a blown ignition coil, injector, or something similar that shut down a cylinder. When I got home I put the OBDII scanner on it and found a "P0300 - General Misfire" code pending under $7EA. This morning I went out and started it up to move the car around in the garage and the CEL went out, the warning went away and the car drove fine. How does that happen?

Happens because the fault is intermittent.

[upstate650]

Take it in because the car will clear the code after a period of time. 30 days? You want to document it for warranty purposes, assuming you have one.

If it hapoens again try pulling over and shutting it down for a couple minutes. Then restart. You should be out of limp mode.

[Jerinoid]

Originally Posted by upstate650

Take it in because the car will clear the code after a period of time. 30 days? You want to document it for warranty purposes, assuming you have one.

If it hapoens again try pulling over and shutting it down for a couple minutes. Then restart. You should be out of limp mode.

Yes - it's still under warranty til October. I've been looking for a reason to take it in. Thanks for the replies.

[Jerinoid]

So this happened to me again today (8/2). Just driving extremely moderately in "comfort" mode, going the speed limit (45 mph) with my wife in the car. Then I feel a subtle jerking/lurching and the "Misfire" message comes up. Pretty soon the CEL illuminates and I can't do more than barely touch the throttle without the car jerking fairly violently. Limp home at 25-30 mph, but the reader on and pull THREE pending codes this time: P0300 (Generic Misfire code), P0303 (Misfire Cylinder #3), and P0306 (Misfire Cylinder #6). Seems like it could be ignition coil problems from the behavior, but the car only has 26k miles on it and it's odd that I'd get multiple cylinder misfires at the same moment/failure. I've read about transfer-case failure causing this kind of behavior, but the fact that it's extremely intermittent (happened 2 months apart) doesn't support that. Any other ideas here? The car is still under warranty for exactly 2 more months so I'm a little worried when I take it in that BMW may not really fix the underlying cause, but just say they fixed it and it will fail again after warranty and I'm SOL. Thoughts?

[upstate650]

Originally Posted by Jerinoid

So this happened to me again today (8/2). Just driving extremely moderately in "comfort" mode, going the speed limit (45 mph) with my wife in the car. Then I feel a subtle jerking/lurching and the "Misfire" message comes up. Pretty soon the CEL illuminates and I can't do more than barely touch the throttle without the car jerking fairly violently. Limp home at 25-30 mph, but the reader on and pull THREE pending codes this time: P0300 (Generic Misfire code), P0303 (Misfire Cylinder #3), and P0306 (Misfire Cylinder #6). Seems like it could be ignition coil problems from the behavior, but the car only has 26k miles on it and it's odd that I'd get multiple cylinder misfires at the same moment/failure. I've read about transfer-case failure causing this kind of behavior, but the fact that it's extremely intermittent (happened 2 months apart) doesn't support that. Any other ideas here? The car is still under warranty for exactly 2 more months so I'm a little worried when I take it in that BMW may not really fix the underlying cause, but just say they fixed it and it will fail again after warranty and I'm SOL. Thoughts?

There are probably lots more codes that are hidden that you can't see. Take the car in immediately and document it. Sounds a lot like what used to happen with N63 and s63 motor, but it has been a rare occurrence with the TU motors. I would be looking for them to replace all injectors and coils and spark plugs. Is yours a very early build 2013? i wonder is they were using the same injectors that caused all the problems in the non-TU motors when they first transitioned to the TU motors???

Did you take it in and document the codes last time?

[ICantDrive4Sht]

Might be just some minor electric failure.
My last Audi said "Gearbox malfunction" sometimes and went forward only very slowly but took it to dealer and they sorted it out by changing some wires and shit, i cant even remember. But hey if its under warranty take it to dealer right away.

[Jerinoid]

Originally Posted by upstate650

.... Is yours a very early build 2013? i wonder is they were using the same injectors that caused all the problems in the non-TU motors when they first transitioned to the TU motors???

Did you take it in and document the codes last time?

It's not a terribly early build (11-15-2012) but it's not one of the late ones either. I have an appointment to take the car in next week, but might bump that up to tomorrow if I can.

[Jerinoid]

Just to close the loop on this for future reference, the diagnosis from BMW Service when I took this in was: "Multiple misfire faults stored in DME - found crank case vent lines split causing unmetered air leak and misfires. Replace crank case vent lines under open campaign. No issues found after test plan was performed. Was instructed to update vehicle to current I Level. Programmed/endcode vehicle. Cleared fault memory".

After that the service rep really tried to sell me an extended warranty and pointed out that even though it was brought in and the issue was documented and (supposedly) fixed for now, any further failures after the warranty expires (in 6 weeks) would not be covered and I should really get the extended warranty - which I did not.

We'll see if the issue recurs again, but I really can't tell. I wish they would have replaced something more substantial - like injectors, ignition coils and plugs, but they wouldn't do any of that claiming that they'd performed the service that was needed. Couldn't even get an oil/filter change even though it'd been 10,000 miles and 16 months since the last one. They said this (2013 F10) car was still under the old 15,000 mile and 24 month oil service cycle. I wasn't terribly happy with that - plus they kept my car for 3 days and drove it about 65 miles. I suspect someone took it home for a day or 2 of their own enjoyment.

[Jerinoid]

Well - we're back in the dealership service again 900 miles later for the same "Drivetrain Malfunction" limping message. They've now agreed to replace 2 injectors, which seems odd to me free of charge, even though I'm now technically out of warranty. My argument that they didn't fix the problem the first time when I WAS under warranty seems to have held up. However only replacing 2 and not all 8 seems odd to me because I thought the injector "versions" needed to be the same and all coded to the DME together. They're also denying that I have an oil consumption problem - which is now documented by this BMW shop as being 1 quart consumed in under 900 miles. Looks like I'll be writing to BMW North America on this one.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by Jerinoid

Well - we're back in the dealership service again 900 miles later for the same "Drivetrain Malfunction" limping message. They've now agreed to replace 2 injectors, which seems odd to me free of charge, even though I'm now technically out of warranty. My argument that they didn't fix the problem the first time when I WAS under warranty seems to have held up. However only replacing 2 and not all 8 seems odd to me because I thought the injector "versions" needed to be the same and all coded to the DME together. They're also denying that I have an oil consumption problem - which is now documented by this BMW shop as being 1 quart consumed in under 900 miles. Looks like I'll be writing to BMW North America on this one.

Isn't it a shame to have all these issues on a $100K car?

[upstate650]

Originally Posted by thebmw

Isn't it a shame to have all these issues on a $100K car?

it is, but the issue seems to be limited to the early build 2013's. *knock on wood*

[ShakeDaddy]

Well documented issues are model year 2012 N63 with the BMW Band-Aid being applied with the CCP, Customer Care Package.

TU engines have brought on a significant uptick in overall reliability. Being an 5+ year original owner my reliability experience continues to be exceptional. There can be inherit issues second and third owners may encounter.

[jdsaengine]

I have a 2013 650x with 28K mi. Just reading the above thread was wondering what is considered "early" build on a '13? I'm second owner buying the car off a lease turn in. I read these threads and start getting dread that I'm driving a ticking time bomb regarding injectors, drive train failure, etc.

I have CPO till Aug. 2018, so the car must have been original sold Aug. 2012.

VIN number ends in ...00557. So is it an early '13? I suspect one of the early ones

[ShakeDaddy]

Originally Posted by jdsaengine

I have a 2013 650x with 28K mi. Just reading the above thread was wondering what is considered "early" build on a '13? I'm second owner buying the car off a lease turn in. I read these threads and start getting dread that I'm driving a ticking time bomb regarding injectors, drive train failure, etc.

I have CPO till Aug. 2018, so the car must have been original sold Aug. 2012.

VIN number ends in ...00557. So is it an early '13? I suspect one of the early ones

Reliability issues are no different between model year 2013 vs. 2014. The upgraded N63TU engine was installed beginning July 2012 in all 650i. Early '13 are considered builds from mid July-Dec 2012. My build date is 8/27/2012, original owner.

37K now on my early build model year 2013 with original injectors and no issues to date. Also have BMS Stage 1 and run 96 octane now without an issue for 4.5 years. Car has exceptional reliability. A good recommendation is to only use a top tier gas AND to include a bottle of Chevron Techron every 2500 miles. Also what I have done are plugs, coolant and differential fluid @ 35K. Oil and Filter changes with Mobil 1 syn 0-40w 9.5 quarts at 6-6.5K. Engine burns a quart of oil every 5K miles, which is not an issue.

[upstate650]

Originally Posted by ShakeDaddy

Reliability issues are no different between model year 2013 vs. 2014. The upgraded N63TU engine was installed beginning July 2012 in all 650i. Early '13 are considered builds from mid July-Dec 2012. My build date is 8/27/2012, original owner.

37K now on my early build model year 2013 with original injectors and no issues to date. Also have BMS Stage 1 and run 96 octane now without an issue for 4.5 years. Car has exceptional reliability. A good recommendation is to only use a top tier gas AND to include a bottle of Chevron Techron every 2500 miles. Also what I have done are plugs, coolant and differential fluid @ 35K. Oil and Filter changes with Mobil 1 syn 0-40w 9.5 quarts at 6-6.5K. Engine burns a quart of oil every 5K miles, which is not an issue.

actually, there have been quite a few reported incidents of injector issues/ limp mode incidents in the early build 2013's. There are a couple threads about it. Not saying its an issue with every 2013, but there is certain;y a cluster. It doesn't seem to be an issue with the 14's and on. I just rolled 71K on my 2014 with nary an issue *knock on wood*

[jdsaengine]

Originally Posted by ShakeDaddy

A good recommendation is to only use a top tier gas AND to include a bottle of Chevron Techron every 2500 miles. Also what I have done are plugs, coolant and differential fluid @ 35K. Oil and Filter changes with Mobil 1 syn 0-40w 9.5 quarts at 6-6.5K. Engine burns a quart of oil every 5K miles, which is not an issue.

I try to do those things. Only Shell Premium and Techron every 2500 mi. just to keep the injectors happy. It kinda uses a little more oil though, In 5000 mi of ownership I've added quart of oil twice now. I was at the BMW dealership last week for a free car wash and asked the service guy if after 5000 mi and 18mo of ownership I should go ahead and do an oil change. He just said, "Naw, you can wait a while longer" Whatever

Also did a bit of surfing on my VIN # and mine was built July 27, 2012, so its a very early one. When my CPO runs out Aug. 2018, probably will be looking into extended warranty

[upstate650]

Originally Posted by jdsaengine

I try to do those things. Only Shell Premium and Techron every 2500 mi. just to keep the injectors happy. It kinda uses a little more oil though, In 5000 mi of ownership I've added quart of oil twice now. I was at the BMW dealership last week for a free car wash and asked the service guy if after 5000 mi and 18mo of ownership I should go ahead and do an oil change. He just said, "Naw, you can wait a while longer" Whatever

Also did a bit of surfing on my VIN # and mine was built July 27, 2012, so its a very early one. When my CPO runs out Aug. 2018, probably will be looking into extended warranty

Mine doesn't burn a drop of oil. I am on original injectors, due for a spark plug change right now. No fuel treatment, but I only use name brand gas. Driving it like you stole it once in a while helps to keep the injectors clean.

[rexpontius]

Sorry for resurrecting an older thread, but I had the exact same issue with my 2013 n63tu gran coupe.

I purchased rheingold software to be able to diagnose the issue myself, and get more details than the general drivetrain malfunction error. It seems that the DME records high speed knock events and if this occurs to often it simply disables the cylinder to save the engine from blowing up and enters limp home.

After replacing spark plugs and coils the issue kept occurring occasionally. I remapped my car with a mission performance stage 1 map (550hp) and swapped the plugs to two step colder NGK ones.

The swap to the NGK plugs (97506) drastically reduced the issue.
When using premium gas there is no issue at all. I keep a few cans of octane booster in the car in case i’m Unable to get premium (gets harder to find around here), which also works fine.

Next service interval I might try the S63 (m5/m6) plugs and see how they perform.
Hope this is of any help.

Cheers

[mrjsmith88]

Originally Posted by Jerinoid

Still getting to know my new-to-me 2013 F13 650i x-drive that I got last month, although I'm not new to BMWs or their warning/fault notifications. Last night I'm driving home - flipped it into SPORT+ mode for a potential red-light encounter and after a short burst of wide open let off it. Shortly thereafter the CEL comes on and I get a warning message "Drivetrain Malfunction - Consult Service Center immediately", after which the car limped home with a seriously major engine vibration under load. Couldn't exceed about 1800 rpm or 30mph and the CEL began flashing (a more extreme warning). I figured a blown ignition coil, injector, or something similar that shut down a cylinder. When I got home I put the OBDII scanner on it and found a "P0300 - General Misfire" code pending under $7EA. This morning I went out and started it up to move the car around in the garage and the CEL went out, the warning went away and the car drove fine. How does that happen?

Sounds like fuel pump had dis issue last Monday

[mrjsmith88]

I'm going to tell you what the foreman at my dealership told me...N63TU was build and put into the cars at their maximum potential..these are not the motors we want to go playing with because the dealer gave us no wiggle room to play on this motor most he recommend is a downpipe and tune wit stock pipes if you want to do more you need to upgrade the engine parts in that case get an M

[rexpontius]

That sounds strange to me.
The N63TU will happily take more boost with stock hardware.
I have done more than 30.000 kms on the 550hp map, with zero issues.
Only hardware I needed to upgrade was the plugs.

The bottom end of the N63TU is practically identical to the S63 motors, so I dont know what the BMW foreman is basing his theories on.

Sure, if you want to achieve 600+ HP numbers you would need bigger turbos, but the block should be fine.

The real critical engines are the non-TU N63s, these are plagued by many issues.