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GWeber19

Black smoke and starting difficulties with 2012 BMW 1 Series Diesel: Possible defect in the fuel filter heater?

Black smoke from exhaust on acceleration

Longer cold start time

Check engine light on

Car won't start

Engine shuts off by itself

Hi everyone, please help me out here. My 2012 BMW 1 series diesel with 77030 km on the clock is causing me a bit of concern. Black smoke comes out of the exhaust when accelerating, the check engine light is on, major problem with cold starts and it has happened to me a few times that the engine has stopped on its own. Sometimes it even won't start. After my last bad experience with the mechanic, I'm a bit cautious and think it might be a fault with the fuel filter heater. Have any of you had anything like this before? Would love to hear your experiences before I go back to the mechanic. Thanks in advance!

(Translated from German)

21 comment(s)


DWeber19

Hey, I had a similar problem with my 2009 BMW 3 Series. There were also acceleration problems, black smoke from the exhaust and the check engine light was flashing. I even had the engine stall once in a traffic jam. It could of course be the fuel filter heater, but in my case it was the diesel particulate filter that was clogged. That was a serious problem and I eventually had to have it replaced. After the repair, the car ran like clockwork again. I hope it's nothing serious, but have it checked by a trustworthy mechanic.

(Translated from German)

GWeber19 (Author)

Hey, thanks for your reply. This is exactly the case that worries me, that it might be the diesel particulate filter. Can you remember what you paid for the repair? Did the problem go away completely after that or were there other problems afterwards?

(Translated from German)

Best Answer

DWeber19

Hey, no problem, always happy to help! Well, the costs weren't necessarily low for me, as you can imagine, but there are differences depending on the car and the mechanic. Now to your question: In my case, it was actually the case that the defect in the fuel filter heater was repaired after the visit to the mechanic. Although I had to pay €110, the wiring harness/plug for the fuel filter heater was fixed. After that, there were actually no more major problems with my car. There was no more smoke or engine off, everything ran like clockwork again!

(Translated from German)

GWeber19 (Author)

That's really helpful, thank you! I'm at least a little reassured that you haven't had any further problems after the repair. I think it's time to see the mechanic now and get it checked out. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and it really is just the fuel filter heater. Either way, I won't know until I get there. Thanks again for your advice and experience, I really appreciate it. I hope everything goes smoothly!

(Translated from German)

ImmoTape

I currently also have errors regarding the fuel filter heating. It sometimes runs unevenly and the engine stutters like misfiring/misinjection. The question is, how does a defective fuel heater affect the engine running?

(Translated from German)

CarlyAdminBenny

@ImmoTape

I currently also have errors regarding the fuel filter heating. It sometimes runs unevenly and the engine stutters like misfiring/misinjection. The question is, how does a defective fuel heater affect the engine running?

Hello, do you only have the problem when it is really cold in the morning or always? Because at normal temperatures, a fault in the fuel filter heater should not actually be noticeable when driving. However, if it is very cold, it is possible that the fuel is "salty" (the fuel becomes viscous due to the cold). In any case, the vehicle may no longer start properly or start to jerk or even stall while driving.

(Translated from German)

Jaouhar

Hello good day. I have replaced the part but the error message is still there!!!

(Translated from German)

Racer2024

@Jaouhar

Hello good day. I have replaced the part but the error message is still there!!!

Have you ever read out the fault memory with Carly? Perhaps another error has crept in during the repair.

(Translated from German)

ImmoTape

@CarlyAdminBenny

Hello, do you only have the problem when it is really cold in the morning or always? Because at normal temperatures, a fault in the fuel filter heater should not actually be noticeable when driving. However, if it is very cold, it is possible that the fuel is "salty" (the fuel becomes viscous due to the cold). In any case, the vehicle may no longer start properly or start to jerk or even stall while driving.

The fuel heater can now be ruled out, as it only has an effect on the engine start / engine running at lower temperatures. Apparently my turbocharger has an adjustment problem. The inner flaps are probably not working as they should. It also whistles unusually. Something went wrong during my last repair (replacement hull assembly). In particular, the flap mechanism does not have a fixed position in the housing.

(Translated from German)

CarlyAdminBenny

@ImmoTape

The fuel heater can now be ruled out, as it only has an effect on the engine start / engine running at lower temperatures. Apparently my turbocharger has an adjustment problem. The inner flaps are probably not working as they should. It also whistles unusually. Something went wrong during my last repair (replacement hull assembly). In particular, the flap mechanism does not have a fixed position in the housing.

Of course, that's not good to hear. I hope that you still have a warranty on the installation of the turbocharger. Yes, it is extremely important that the VTG control of the turbocharger is checked to ensure that the length of the linkage is correct. Normally the settings are correct on a new part, but unfortunately this is never certain.

(Translated from German)

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