[DanMZe90]

Hi,

Back in 2016 I replaced my glow plug controller in my 2005 E90 330D with an OEM part from Cotswold BMW, and a month later had my local indie replace all 6 glow plugs. That was 4 and a bit years ago and about 60k of mileage done since then.

Carly is telling me all 6 plugs are faulty which would normally point to the controller unit (which is why I ended up replacing controller and plugs back in 2016). I doubt the plugs are all shot but I would also have thought the controller would have lasted longer...so how long should each last or is 4 years/60k miles normal?

Thanks

Dan

[nomiS330d]

I would have thought longer than that. How is your car starting on these cold mornings?
I have no fault codes for the glow plug system but it’s taking twice the normal length of cranking before it starts then belches out smoke for a couple of minutes, presumably because it’s pumping loads more fuel in that has to burn off.
I think in the 3.5 years I’ve owned the car I’ve only ever seen the glow plug light on the dash 4 or 5 times and then it’s only for a split second.
Do you get to see yours ever?

[Tambohamilton]

+1 on 'longer than that', though I don't know. Plugs should do 100k miles without failure.

Nomi, that's a bit poor...maybe something else at play? Mine has a weak battery, but still only cranks for a second or 2. Maybe you have a leaky injector, so it's having to build fuel system pressure from 0, plus burn off all the fuel that's leaked out into a cylinder? Just a thought.

The glow plugs only ever run for a maximum of a second or 2 at startup. And you can code whether to delay cranking, or just crank anyhow.

[P14kle]

I put a set of new glow plugs in mine that were 'cheapo' aftermarket ones. I lost 3x within a few months...

Put another new set of Bosch ones in about 18mths ago and have had no errors whatsoever.

Defo an example of where NOT to cheap out on parts...

[DanMZe90]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, it has been taking a bit longer to start on a couple of occasions lately during the colder weather. I don't think the indie would use cheapie plugs and the fact it shows all 6 points to the controller which is where I'll probably need to start.

I'm guessing dpf is not regenerating with these faults stored and I think this also might be related to the strong exhaust smell I've been getting in the cabin over the last few months even though I can't see an obvious exhaust leak.

[jacbo]

Glow plugs "should" last longer than that but have seen that the controller can break within the time you specified. Did all 6 plugs show up as faulty at once? From my experience would be unusual for all 6 plugs to break.

Maybe check for any connection issues?

Personally I wouldn't even mind changing at 60-70k intervals. My 330 has 130k old plugs and two snapped when trying to get them out. It's a nightmare

[MrFrizzzz]

Interested in this as I have exactly the same problem with my 335d. Plugs and controller changed by the old owner back in 2016. Fault present for all 6 plugs when I checked so replaced the controller and the fault is still there. Also get the exhaust smell but figured that was because I had the EGR mapped out when I had the car tuned...

Could potentially be a fault with the wiring perhaps?

[MrFrizzzz]

Ok so just been doing a bit of reading and I’ve seen mention of the alternator to glow plug module cable being at fault. Looks to cost around £35 for a new one so could be worth a try. P/N for 335d is 12427789231.

[rasa bmw]

Originally Posted by DanMZe90

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, it has been taking a bit longer to start on a couple of occasions lately during the colder weather. I don't think the indie would use cheapie plugs and the fact it shows all 6 points to the controller which is where I'll probably need to start.

I'm guessing dpf is not regenerating with these faults stored and I think this also might be related to the strong exhaust smell I've been getting in the cabin over the last few months even though I can't see an obvious exhaust leak.

irt will still regen as normal as long as other parameters are met like coolant temp above 75deg and over quarter tank fuel etc,,only time faults can stop a regen is if you are trying to force a regen via diagnostics etc

[DanMZe90]

Sorry, New Year got in the way! MrFizzzz, that is interesting, I'll have to have a look. I wonder how easy it is to replace the cable as last time I replaced the module itself it was a pita doing it without removing anything!

Rasa, thanks for that, I had read a bunch of stuff about it not regenerating if any glow plug faults present and took that as read. The whole exhaust smell thing may just be coincidence and may have a leak somewhere.

Dan

[MrFrizzzz]

Originally Posted by DanMZe90

Sorry, New Year got in the way! MrFizzzz, that is interesting, I'll have to have a look. I wonder how easy it is to replace the cable as last time I replaced the module itself it was a pita doing it without removing anything!

Rasa, thanks for that, I had read a bunch of stuff about it not regenerating if any glow plug faults present and took that as read. The whole exhaust smell thing may just be coincidence and may have a leak somewhere.

Dan

Yeah I replaced the module not so long back thinking that was the problem and it was a nightmare! Think if I replace that cable I’ll drain the coolant and remove that big coolant hose that sit above the module. Have to take the manifold off as well which is a pain. Always simple things to replace that are the biggest pain haha.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by MrFrizzzz

Yeah I replaced the module not so long back thinking that was the problem and it was a nightmare! Think if I replace that cable I’ll drain the coolant and remove that big coolant hose that sit above the module. Have to take the manifold off as well which is a pain. Always simple things to replace that are the biggest pain haha.

I'm sure there's a way to test the wiring using a multimeter. Looks like changing the cable will be very fiddly and as you mentioned, would need to remove the intake manifold etc. Saves the battle of doing that job just to find out the original cable was fine

[MrFrizzzz]

Originally Posted by jacbo

I'm sure there's a way to test the wiring using a multimeter. Looks like changing the cable will be very fiddly and as you mentioned, would need to remove the intake manifold etc. Saves the battle of doing that job just to find out the original cable was fine

Yeah so you can check the cable using a multimeter making sure the resistance is around 1 ohm. You can also check the glow plugs resistance and the controller. But unless you can get to them from the bottom (unsure but maybe if you’ve a lift?) it’s going to require the manifold to come off. Suppose that’s only 20 minutes work but still a PITA haha.

Not had a look to see how obvious it is but if you get a strong light source you might be able to do a visual inspection for obvious signs of damage on the cable.

[Jakg]

I saw online mentioned that if the thermostat is bad and the car doesn't warm up, the glow plugs can stay on and burn out.
No idea if there's any truth in it, mind...

[mjn77]

I've had a lot shorter than 4 years on some glowplugs and controllers. Between 69k - 179k i'd been through about 4 controllers and over 18 glowplugs!

And on my 2011 335D a duff glow plugs prevented a DPF regen which meant that unless i checked the codes for duff glowplugs i didn't know there was a problem until i got the DPF error on iDrive.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by mjn77

I've had a lot shorter than 4 years on some glowplugs and controllers. Between 69k - 179k i'd been through about 4 controllers and over 18 glowplugs!

And on my 2011 335D a duff glow plugs prevented a DPF regen which meant that unless i checked the codes for duff glowplugs i didn't know there was a problem until i got the DPF error on iDrive.

Out of interest, was it Bosch plugs you used each time?

And yes, that's the annoying thing. It doesn't show up on the dash, only when you plug in a scanner that you see an error code. And if only 1 is broke, the car will start with no issues so you don't even suspect it

[mjn77]

Originally Posted by jacbo

Out of interest, was it Bosch plugs you used each time?

And yes, that's the annoying thing. It doesn't show up on the dash, only when you plug in a scanner that you see an error code. And if only 1 is broke, the car will start with no issues so you don't even suspect it

Yup, Bosch plugs.

[DanMZe90]

Hi,

I kind of forgot I had started this thread so forgot about the talk surrounding the glow plug module cable....which might be significant with what has happened today.

I had the car in at the Indie today to get an oil change and thought 'soddit' I'll get the glow plug controller done at the same time as I couldn't be bothered to fit it myself. They've done it but the first thing I noticed when I drove away was that it took a lot longer to crank than it has been doing recently. I didn't think too much of it as I left but since getting it home and a few repeat starts, it does seem to take longer to start since they did the replacement. I've run Carly and the faults on all glow plugs have gone but now replaced with a fault on glow plug 5.

This could mean that, yes, the module was faulty and that actually now I have a fault with a single glow plug. But considering it is behaving differently now in terms of cranking than it did yesterday when that fault on glow plug 5 would have existed prior to the replacement, is the suspect now the cable? I don't think I want to to start chasing/replacing glow plugs if I don't need to, but part of me thinks I'm gong to end up doing this...like I did last time!

Dan

[0l0dom0l0]

Check your thermostat. The glow plugs are used during warm up for noise and emissions, not just when the car is started.

If your car isn't reaching temp, or is taking longer to reach operating temp then they will be running for longer than is necessary significantly reducing their life span.

[DanMZe90]

Thanks, will check.

How long should the stats last as a matter of interest? I did the stats/glow plugs and controller back in 2016...should it be a 5 year thing for all these parts typically?

[Tambohamilton]

Learned something the other day, which may relate to this... The glow plug controller is on the BSD line. So potentially if your alternator or IBS are faulty, they could be causing the glow plug faults.

I may be wrong...

[DanMZe90]

Thanks, lol, something else to consider!