P0340 camshaft position sensor Bmw M44 Now code P0130

[Vince70]

I've now had my 318 Ti for nearly two years and it has been a great car but I've noticed since I've owned it that it's never been as quick and doesn't pick up as well as my Z3 BMW with the same lump and found this code on my £8 draper code reader and have deleted it once before so it's not a historic code that's just not been erased.

The actual code is "P0340 cnf 1/1 Camshaft position sensor A circuit bank 1 or single sensor"

So I wondered will this be the actual sensor and obviously I don't want a cheap Chinese one and wondered if anyone knows if intermotor is a good make as these are quite reasonably priced.

I've now had my 318 Ti for nearly two years and it has been a great car but I've noticed since I've owned it that it's never been as quick and doesn't pick up as well as my Z3 BMW with the same lump and found this code on my £8 draper code reader and have deleted it once before so it's not a historic code that's just not been erased.

The actual code is "P0340 cnf 1/1 Camshaft position sensor A circuit bank 1 or single sensor"

So I wondered will this be the actual sensor and obviously I don't want a cheap Chinese one and wondered if anyone knows if intermotor is a good make as these are quite reasonably priced.

[spike60]

My 2.8 Z3 started running like a pig a couple of years ago and the scanner fingered the inlet cam sensor so I bought a cheapy which seemed to make it worse, so I then wound up buying a BMW one which cured it. The exhaust cam sensors are a lump cheaper so I bought a Febi Bilstein one for less than the cheapy inlet one and replaced that as well. Cheapo didn't work for me.

[twosmoke300]

Does the engine sound deeper from the exhaust than normal ? Last 318 I saw with that code the camchain had jumped and smashed the tensioner !

Still ran quite well tho

[BavarianRetro]

We had a customer ask us to fit a crank position sensor on his E39 to cure poor running, misfires and stalling. He had read the codes with INPA and ordered the sensor from eBay.

 

I fitted it and cleared the codes. It seemed to run a bit better and he took it away happy.

 

He called the next day to say that it was worse, if anything and asked if we'd order and fit the genuine BMW part.

 

We did. It cost £120. The car ran perfectly.

 

Fitting the eBay one cost him £40. Fitting the OE one another £40.

The OE sensor was £120. Any guesses on what the eBay one cost?

 

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£9.00!

 

 

 

Posted!

[Vince70]

Cheers for the help I've got to admit the exhaust note is quite deep on the car but I put that down to the new exhaust but thinking about it the car has sounded throaty since I've had it and on tick over its never really been 100%.

 

But I've done the normal stuff such as a service plus plugs and cleaned up the throttle body and Idle Control Valve and put a new CCV valve on the motor.

 

I've always put it down to doing short runs in the car as up until recently I rarely did any distance in the car and over the last few years it's hardly done any miles and even now it's still only done 60000 but it's always gone through the MOT ok on emissions but there's a lot of black soot on the tailpipe so I would say it's running rich and on the Z3 there's not a trace of soot.

 

I really hope the chain hasn't jumped as that sounds expensive.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Intermotor parts are crap, don`t waste your time

[Vince70]

Cheers Tom I will give intermotor a miss then.

[twosmoke300]

The last one I saw that jumped you could see a broken guide through the oil filler hole . The local Bmw guy told me to look for it !

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The last one I saw that jumped you could see a broken guide through the oil filler hole . The local Bmw guy told me to look for it !

 

 

That's the N42/N46 engine of death. An utter piece of shit designed in conjunction with Rover and built at Hams Hall from cheese and die cast metal and it replaced the 1995-2000 M44.

Let's compare the two engines;

 

N42/46/45. Chain stretch, broken guides, Valvetronic shaft wear, VVT motor failure, oil leaks from cam cover, eccentric shaft wear, oil leaks from brake vacuum pump, Vanos pulleys, Vanos solenoids, oil leaks from sump gasket, piston ring/bore wear, oil pump failure, VVT sensor failure, coil packs. More oil leaks from dipstick tube O ring. Changing the crankshaft sensor takes 3 hours - inlet manifold off.

 

M44. None of the above. Crank sensor takes about 45 minutes.

 

With BMW engines, N stands for Nightmare. I ignored my own advice and bought a 320i last year on an 07. Big mistake. Had to do the chain and a Vanos unit, and on the first run out as a taxed/MOT'd car the cunt dropped a coil pack and brought the EML (Expect Monetary Loss) light on. Oddly, the early ones seem better but obviously BMW saved 50p per engine having bits made in Khazistan.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Many years ago, I worked in a car spares place and sold loads of Intermotor stuff. No warranty comebacks, unlike Lucas.

 

Gen BMW sensor is £120 and is specific to the M44 sadly.

[Vince70]

Cheers Rev so it might be worth taking a gamble then with the intermotor sensor but another make I can get is Delphi which is slightly more expensive so I'm not sure which one to go for really as I would like to go down the genuine route but £120 is a bit rich for me.

 

I went out last night in the old girl and hit a pothole/bomb crater down a country lane dirt track on the way after dropping my date off and it split a valve on one of my front tyres but it got me home ok and only noticed it this morning although I did wonder while driving into my road why the steering was pulling to the right.

 

I'm not sure if I should put a pair of new tyres on though as I noticed that all 4 need changing really as there's a lot of hairline cracks in them and although the tyres have decent tread and are 4 matching Pirelli tyres the date stamp I've just found out is from Jan 2004.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I have a complete M44 head in my workshop - I wonder if it has a cam sensor?

 

If you can wait a few days, I'll have a look next time I'm there.

[Vince70]

Thanks that would be great.

[Vince70]

I thought while the weather is getting better I would buy a new sensor as I'm very impatient and went for a Delphi sensor rather than the intermotor item.. But I don't know if it's worth an extra £10 than the intermotor item..

 

I wonder Rev I was just on a Facebook page and the discussion about the N series engine came up and I wonder if I could put your N series quote up as its absolutely brilliant.

[Vince70]

I got round to fitting the sensor this afternoon after going for a good 40 Mile drive for a job interview this morning and the code had come back also it started firing on 3 this morning when first I started it up.

 

I guess it took me about an hour and a half to do but that was mainly due to my neighbours popping over for a chinwag while I was out on the drive.

 

I've got to say I don't really notice any difference apart from it firing on all 4 cylinders this time as it still has a slight lumpy tick over but I think it's the nature of the beast with the m44 but no codes are showing up anymore but I've not taken it for a spin yet.

Also the pins on the cable attachment just fell apart (with a little force lol) so it's got a cable tie holding it on from now on but apart from that it wasn't that bad a job.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I thought while the weather is getting better I would buy a new sensor as I'm very impatient and went for a Delphi sensor rather than the intermotor item.. But I don't know if it's worth an extra £10 than the intermotor item..

 

I wonder Rev I was just on a Facebook page and the discussion about the N series engine came up and I wonder if I could put your N series quote up as its absolutely brilliant.

 

 

 

Of course. My dislike for the N for Nightmare engine is unsurpassed.

[Vince70]

Well I've been out in the car today and it's driving perfectly fine now but for some reason last night my code reader refused too talk to my car, so after the drive I tried it again and now I have this code..

I wonder if anyone could give me some advice also I need the plastic attachment that holds the cam sensor in place and can't find the part number anywhere.

That's it time to scrap it lol.

[Vince70]

I thought I would try some snake oil to see if it cleans the oxygen sensor.

So I bought 3 bottles of some stuff called oxycat as it worked out buying 3 was the same price as 2 and I wanted to throw a bottle in my Z3 after it's hibernation and I've also got another now to throw into my fathers E36 which hasn't been used since last Year.

So it's fingers crossed it works but I will reset the code before I put it in the tank and go from there.

And if that doesn't work I guess I can smash the screen on the code reader lol.