BMW E39 E46 Siemens VDO Fuel Injector Leaks (Extreme Cold)

[@001FJ]

Thank you for the video! Very informative. Can you help me with a couple of questions? PLEASE! 1) I have a 2003 530i and the mpg went up lately and in a cold start I smell gas in the cabinet which is kind of concerning. Do you have the same problem with your car? I heard the mpg problem is the O-rings, and the gas smell is the injector themselves are the problem. I don't know how true this is. 2) Which year did have the defective injectors? Does the 2003 530i have the defective injectors or did BMW fix the problem by then (2003 is the last year for the E30.) If BMW fixed the injector problem I will just replace the O-rings which is much cheaper. Would defective O-rings produce gas smell in the cabinet though? Thanks a bunch!

[@mrdragancelan]

+001FJ That fuel smell in the cabin during a cold start is probably due to the same problem that many others, including myself, have had. And that's due to the leaking fuel injectors. Replacing the O-rings will not fix that issue. As for the MPG suddenly increasing, replacing the O-rings will only fix that if there is fuel leaking from there. Otherwise it won't do anything. I'm not sure what years are affected by these faulty injectors so I couldn't tell you for sure. I have been told that the E60 530i models have injectors with the same part number but don't suffer from the same issue. I hope this provides some insight.

[@001FJ]

Thank you very much! I read the ones on the E39 that are defective are Siemens brand, and it should be replaced by the VDO or Bosch brand...I don't know how accurate that is. What happened to the complain to BMW, and gc.ca? (I also live in Canada.) Any luck?

[@mrdragancelan]

+001FJ The injectors are Siemens VDO. They're not separate. I'm not sure if there are Bosch injectors available for this engine. As for BMW, someone contacted me and told me that my situation/symptoms will be forwarded to the engineers at BMW. Haven't heard back since and that was at least 3 years ago. Haven't heard anything from Transport Canada even though myself and many other Canadians formally submitted complaints regarding this issue.

[@001FJ]

I see, thanks a lot for the information! What do they mean by "defective" injectors? Does it mean that after many years of use they get bad? If that's the case then I don't mind replacing them with the same brand/model, because my car is 14 years old and has 270k on it so it's kind of expected the injectors will go bad eventually. Or do they mean that even if I get new ones then in cold weather they will leak fuel? If that's the case then I will have to replace them with a different brand/model.

[@mrdragancelan]

+001FJ At some point during production, Siemens corrected the issue of the injectors. It's not known exactly when they corrected the issue. The E60 530i uses the same engine, and thus the same injectors, and those cars don't have same issue we do. The issue is not caused by the age of the injectors.

[@Sroor90010]

i didn't check that previously but will see within this week Is Bosch injectors which is on m52tu engines is it better than seimens ?

[@karanpreetgill9704]

i have the same problem as well with my 2002 BMW 530i. the injectors started leaking when it was the middle of winter here in Canada, i tried replacing the O rings both upper and lower however the problem only stopped for a day and now it is the first 3 injectors rather than earlier where it was only the first injector leaking. i have also gotten engine code every time after running the car with leaking fuel for a while and the code that shows up is misfire and something to do with running lean which i suppose is due to insufficient supply of fuel as most of it is leaking. still confused as to why it went from one injector being bad to 3 as soon as i replaced the o rings. guessing might just new fuel injectors they might fix the problem.

[@mrdragancelan]

Just make sure that you get relatively new injectors.

[@karanpreetgill9704]

alright and those are as you mentioned the Siemens VDO injectors correct?

[@mrdragancelan]

Correct.

[@magma53]

I had the same problem with my 2002 bmw 325i. I changed the upper and lower o-rings on the injectors and fuel leak did not stop. Looks like I have to replace all 6 injectors with new 2003+ injectors. Which injectors solved the problem?

[@mrdragancelan]

Too bad you didn't see my video before replacing the o-rings. If you don't mind, please file a complaint at www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles-defectinvestigations-index-76.htm in order to convince Transport Canada that there should be a safety recall issued.

[@magma53]

Dragan Celan BMW should do a recall since it is a safety and fire hazard.

[@mrdragancelan]

I agree.

[@garasiprado]

Is it making the fuel pump always priming in ignition position?

[@mrdragancelan]

Yes

[@Nina_39-c5l]

did you fixed the problem??? my 325i 2002 is having this problem with the original injectors....

[@mrdragancelan]

No. I never fixed it. I didn't want to replace the injectors. Are you having the same problem during extremely cold weather?

[@youarecrazyjm5875]

i know its been 3 years since you post this... i have similar problem with my e39 530i.. when the temp drop to -20 the injectors leaks fuel... i change the upper and lower o ring but still leaking... you think i need to change the injectors? and what brand or part number is the replacement? thanks

[@mrdragancelan]

Yes, you'll need to replace the injectors with new ones that were manufactured properly. Alternatively, you can find a used set of injectors from an E60 5-Series which don't suffer from the same problem. The part number is 13537546245 and the brand is VDO.

[@youarecrazyjm5875]

thank you.. i will look for the e60 fuel injectors. no modification needed for this to work right? I'm not a mechanic just doing diy...

[@mrdragancelan]

No modification needed. Just make sure they have the part number I provided and you should be good to go. You'll need to look for an E60 530i. They have the injectors you need.

[@yoyomin]

did you fix it? Was it the injector-fuel rail o-ring?

[@mrdragancelan]

I stated in the description that neither of the two o-rings were leaking. The housing/casing of the fuel injectors is what's causing the leak. I have not fixed it yet.

[@yoyomin]

Oh that sucks big time. I think my car has the same issue: last night the temperature here dropped to -28C and the whole cabin smells like gas after starting the car. Up on inspection the injector 1 and 5 are leaking. However once the car is in garage I cannot replicate the problem. Looks like it's time to change injectors for me too...

[@mrdragancelan]

I'm not sure where you are but I live in Canada and I contacted BMW Canada about this issue and they filed my report. So it may lead to a recall since a fuel leak in the engine compartment is considered a safety issue in my eyes. I suggest you do the same.

[@yoyomin]

Yeah I'm in Canada too, I'll do the same. Thanks for the heads up.

[@mrdragancelan]

yoyomin I can message you the name and number of the guy I spoke with if you'd like.