DIAGNOSING OEM+ MODDED BMW E46 M3 Performance Issues

This immaculate Mystic Blue 2003 BMW E46 M3 with only 80k miles was brought to me to diagnose improper running issues. The M3 has several mods including: CSL Airbox, CSL Fuel Rail with MAP Sensor, Supersprint Headers, Custom Exhaust, AST Coilovers, Performance Sway Bars, Radium Engineering Oil Catch Can, Walbro 255 Fuel Pump, Custom Tune and more!
#bmw #m3 #diagnosing
BMW E46 M3 Playlist:
• S54 E46 M3 Videos
CPV O-Ring Video:
• MOST Misdiagnosed Oil ...
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[@ShopLifeTV]

This is the update video on this car: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHiXgoupjMRogZI

[@bobmele909]

Jason, first off, thank you for the excellent video. This is my old car and I am very excited to see it back in the hands of enthusiasts and heading towards getting the idle and running issues sorted out. I am in contact with the current owner and gave him more context and background on the DME situation that he will hopefully share with you. Good luck!

[@SavageBunny1]

I S54 swapped my sedan 6 years ago, rebuilt the engine at 150k miles, in 6 years it has given me 0 issues, and I daily drive it, Just oil changes and that's it, not even brakes, and they where used when I bought the whole M3 suspension.

[@bennedictmathurin3095]

That’s dope

[@ajj3939]

Look at the big brains on Jason! Whew! You da man with bmws!

[@ShopLifeTV]

Lmao, appreciate you man!

[@metamuse42]

This was a fantastic video. I did the Turner CSL airbox on my 01 M3 and was putting together this research about alpha N and MAP sensors. I had to ship off my DME to Kassel Performance to get it upgraded to run the MAP sensor properly instead of alpha N and I’m really glad I did. Honestly if this video existed a year ago it would’ve saved me so much guessing and Google searching. Great video!

[@carlosbonilla1637]

Well done! Awesome content… planning on doing the same mod to my 06 M3. I was also thinking going the MAP based route as I don’t really think the ONE Alpha Tune can be made to work with all cars. Keep up the good job… Funny when you said that we may not care about this DME explanation, I was… please bring more of this type of content! 👍👍

[@DTrick-iw3hr]

Love the little knowledge gems you drop, keep up the great work and videos!

[@JamiesGarage1]

Nice job! I like the hint you gave.. It kept me watching. 😉

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank's Jamie! Hope your M3 is coming along well. Looking forward to meeting you at the BMW Invasion event in Orlando!

[@livinlikelarry8782]

Come to NJ and save my E38 740i it's a shorty and not so sporty !!! All the basic probs but I'm still using it as my daily

[@ScottSmiley99]

Not a fan of speed density over maf for street use. The knowledge you guys share is awesome. Thank you.

[@razorrich]

Masterful diagnostics man! Glad to hear your voice is back and I also like the selfie format.

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank You Rich! Selfie format is about to go up a few levels since we got a whole new camera setup!

[@razorrich]

@@ShopLifeTV Incoming selfie closeups, thanks to your parents, you’re not a bad looking dude, lol!

[@davidramez6219]

Selena will approve of the CSL airbox if you just ask. We're all waiting for you to get one and post videos! It's a biz investment.

[@ShopLifeTV]

I am sure she will, I'd rather ask for a supercharger though...lol

[@user-ub5rg6fn6e]

COOL!!!!! Great Video as Always. And Good info again. Thanks so much. Your helping a lot people! Keep having success in your life!

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank you J!

[@e46anas]

Best e46 channel on youtube for sur , thank you for all your info sharing you are helping me alot , I have a diesel e46 with 520 000 Km from 1999 that i am trying to save and retrofit all options that i could. It has only the sunroof and automatic A/C i have collected to this date: Autodim mirror Rain/light sensor Leather Msport seat with memory Lumbar support Rear electric windows (gm5 high harnes...) all the Oem DWA component with harnss Exterior mirror memory module 3 spoke steering ( i allready retrofited the cruise control) All cristal interor light and footwell lighting. Rear electric sunshad And still searching for : Power folding mirror Black sunvisor with the lighting Auto LCM android headunit PDC module and the gong All mtech2 body kit +facelift and some nice wheels Have a good day and thnx

[@kianward5999]

that vid is just amazing pal that stunning content az allways bro

[@nenorv11]

And the best YT e46 video awards goes to ShopLifeTV and Selena. 2nd goes to 50's Kids, 3rd VehicleVirals and last one goes to me, a big fan of ShoplifeTV. Another Major League Video Content. Thanks!

[@ShopLifeTV]

Appreciate you man! So many great resources here on YT and the Forums for most enthusiast cars now. Glad to see more and more individuals contributing info to the community!

[@nenorv11]

@@ShopLifeTV Indeed! Your good works and efforts should be recognized.you are one of the heavy weights in the game. Your contents really stand out. I am a YT mechanic because of you.

[@cleotusclump1007]

Good content as usual!

[@VCR1117]

Good video, reminded me I have my pre cat 02 sensors dangling. I don't drive my car but I need to put them in a safe spot. No cats either so I need to get the euro tune as well to eliminate the engine light.

[@LooseNut099]

Very useful information. Thanks so much.

[@abualghoul]

Great Video as Always. very Good specific information Thank you so much for your time

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank You Ahmed! It's been a while since I did a diagnostic video like this!

[@eddieflores2852]

Great information!! Thank you sir

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thanks Eddie!

[@saulflores8050]

Had similar issues on my N54 335i. Had to upgrade my DME and it solved all of my code / limp mode issues. Yes finding an upgraded DME was a little work but piece of mind over swapping out chips and causing further damage or not working.

[@karamalshaikh738]

150k miles and still strong on msd80

[@jdamore44]

Oh heck ya man! OEM+ is my STYLE!

[@ShopLifeTV]

You and me both!

[@PRAGEETHKARUNADHEERA]

I just had a look at getting a spare MSS54HP DME off eBay to play safe with my 2004 M3. Damn, cheapest were over 1400 AUD. 😮

[@jonmcrae7839]

First off, great video! It's been very informative! I've had my E46 M3 vert for 4 years and I'm learning more and more everyday! Questions, however. I saw another video of a guy doing the Turner CSL intake. Can't remember what year his M3 was. But, when he did the dyno test with the intake, he ended up making less HP and TQ, because he didn't have upgraded cams or catless headers, which is what I believe the CSL tune calls for. Could that be an issue? Also, what about aftermarket options for the DME such as AEM standalone, etc.?

[@ojayhenry9061]

gr8 info and knowledge being dropped as always

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thanks man! More to come!

[@michaelpaciocco4004]

o2 sensors pre and post cat hooked up backwards, or no hp DME. I used Kassel performance which supplies the hp DME and CSL tune with MAP sensor

[@jackfleming2815]

A very insightful video. From a reliability standpoint, would it be better just to go with a stand alone ecu? (I am planning on doing a csl airbox in my car too).

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thanks Jack! I don't think the cost would be justified for a standalone unless you are planning to do many other performance mods to the car. It would also cause issues if you were to ever sell the car and emissions requirements came into the picture. The MSS54/HP DMEs have been unlocked enough to support many mods and have the ability to be tuned for various setups so its definitely the most user friendly and cost-effective option

[@frontspring1]

Stand alone with the spoon engine t3 turbo and a motec exhaust system.

[@alfyer5]

I think the issue is the vanos solenoid coil pack cold joints (the black electronic box in front of the banks). I had similar issues on my m3. I took it out, resoldered the pins and good to go

[@markt9438]

Before even watching video you got to do a smoke test I'll bet anything there's a leak! I must say after having a 2006 M3 for about 5 years I got it from a collector with only 68,000 mi on it and only put 30,000 on it let me tell you I learned a whole lot about this car and it didn't have anything majored or wrong with it The SMG ran great who is completely stock and it was fast by the way it never burned a drop of oil and the guy that worked on my car all those years he was into racing and he says he's never seen an M3 never burn oil lol but when they're tight and everything runs good you don't have to do any mods the car was a beast and I didn't beat it up but I can tell you I bulletproofed my engine I put it hardened hub on the timing on the exhaust side Redid the Vanoss One of the biggest problems not just the seals but the variable splines you must upgrade them That's where the biggest problem is on those cuz they turn your seal sideways when they're stressed then of course you got to do all the maintenance making sure you got no oil leaks or air leaks and over the years I changed a good five different switches on it Good thing I had a two-year warranty Now after that experience I'm into a 2011 335i and most will agree with me for the money you can mod this vehicle for 1/10 the cost that it cost you on an M3 and I have an e93 and I absolutely say that this car is twice one of them three is I'm about to do upgrades with MHD and just go to stage 2 plus maximum all that upgrade only will cost $1,500 if you want to get the same power out of your M3 it'll cost you $15,000 I'm not joking I know what I'm talking about here look at all the mods that are on this car J's referring to it's insane and you have to love this car in order to spend that kind of money and I really love my M3 but what a money pit this thing is and God forbid you break your SMG that's another four grand it's just never ends so fellas buy a 335i right You're going to pay for the IS it's worth it or you can go a simple route get a car that's not molested mine was only 71 K I have it now for 6 months and I purchased it with a 3-year 36,000 mi warranty Make sure the company is sound The one I'm using is rated number one in the country GWC warranty company! Do not get me wrong The M3 is a phenomenal vehicle purchased after 2004 you have a whole lot list issues but if it's sorted right it's a wonderful car I just like what they did with the 335 I I have low profile 19-in stock rims on it and it just handles better in my opinion smoother than my M3 That's one thing I didn't care for the M3 it wrote pretty aggressive More like a truck than a car what I do don't understand is why they didn't put an LSD in the rear end on the 335 i and the only thing I really like better on the M3 not that you can wind up the motor more to 8 grand The SMG combination definitely much more aggressive feel that part of the vehicle I really enjoyed but you can't have everything so I'll be happy modifying this and see where I go from there I can tell you one thing the m3s are untouchable in sorted condition they're off the chain two expensive happy hunting!

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

Very nice car. And a strange code. Literally, it says; 'Cat protection because of empty fuel tank'. Didn't see this code ever. But owning an n54 now, I know codes can get you to think the wrong way, hahaha. Dutch regards and have a great weekend, Nico.

[@franksam8610]

2003.5 (led tail lights) I got mine with 68k miles 10 years ago

[@friguy4444]

I have a swapped 2002 330CI to 2006 E46 M3 Manual. All of the internals and interior are swapped. Transmission and rear end engine everything. It drives and runs great EXCEPT. When I shift it into reverse it wants to immediately stall. I have to rev the engine constantly to reverse. Then when the car gets very warm from driving for a long time it wants to stall in any gear when gearing down or putting into Neutral even when slowing down. I've brought it to a BMW independent shop to try and diagnose the problem. They checked the Idle control valve and replaced it with no change. The car was a manual before it was swapped but was a 5 speed and is now the 6 speed from the M3. I can't figure it out. I've replaced the Air intake sensor (MAF) and the O2 sensors. I'm running a tune now in the last year after putting in catless headers and no change. No problems reving it at all or with anything else but Grrrr!

[@adamstuchlik1576]

mine runs csl airbox/alpha n from HTE Performance. Been perfect for 3 years now

[@VNEMUS]

Depending on DME, needs Kassel tune for those mods.

[@eliesaad593]

I have the same car with almost the same mods and the same problem po172 and 175 , I changed tps all around and spark plugs MAF THE CAR SOUNDS GOOD codes still on sale he problem was my fuel pump was 40 psi I changed that with filter and fuel regulator the car is running amazing

[@MrSpaz12]

Mine was similar but it turned out to be one of the coils.

[@eliesaad593]

I did check them too were good

[@ShopLifeTV]

No MAF on this car due to the CSL airbox. And the fuel pump was already upgraded, if my diagnosis doesn't solve the problem then we will definitely dive deeper!

[@jasonthejawman5442]

Nice Car, my kind of car

[@Drake_Dawley]

What's weird is sometimes when I'm stuck behind people going slow my 335i won't rev about 2.5k even if I downshift it won't let me use the throttle until 2.5k. I have to pull over turn it off for a minute and then it's perfectly fine🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Tomicooler]

Hi! I have an E46 M3 Sedan that has fuel mixture issue: negative -25% Long Term Fuel Trim at both bank (indicates a rich condition), also I have error codes P0171 and P0174 (lean codes). A lot has been already replaced: - Bosch ignition coils - Walbro GST400-003 Fuel pump + Fuel Filter + Fuel Pressure Regulator, the vacuum line, return line is OK. Pressure w/o the vacuum line 5 bar with the vacuum line at idle 4.5~ bar. The injectors are tested they are OK. - TPS sensors (Genuine BMW) + a used Throttle actuator - Bosch O2 Sensors (pre-cat) - CCV (Genuine BMW) - Camshat Position Sensors (intake+exhaust), Crankshaft Speed Sensor (Genuine BMW) - MAF sensor (Genuine BMW) I have and MSS54HP ecu with EU4 firmware but I tried my old MSS54 ecu too, it doesn't make any difference. Other clues: 7-8 g/s (26-30 kg/h) MAF readings at warm idle (should be between 10 and 22 kg/h according to DIS). A noticeable hesitation during acceleration. Sometimes when I clear the adaptation values it accelerates fine but not always. The only thing that I can think of is a timing issue, I have to change the road bearings again, check the valves (replace the spark plugs) and things like that. The engine was "rebuilt" 45k km ago (rod bearings, VANOS, valve adjustment, spark plugs), it was running fine for 20k km~ and after this I have this issue that we couldn't diagnose and fix. If anybody has some idea about this please comment, thanks!

[@H3YdUD3]

Lovely colour, I have a mystic blue aswell but my colour doesn’t pop like that, needs a polish.

[@ShopLifeTV]

BMW sure has a way with their blues. A polish will make the car shine like new again!

[@paulvicks1336]

@ 330+ hp, the e46 M3 represents the limit of what a naturaly aspirated 6cyl is capable of. Even the makers of M3 CSL were only able to squeeze out an additional 17hp. So it boggles my mind when people try to "upgrade" this car. I regularly beat my friends with these types of mods (mine is all stock, '05). It's a chain reaction of cataclysmic events once you start putting non-bmw parts in the e46 M3. KZbin has many aftermarket exhaust videos where the M3 suffers power loss, and no longer able to chirp the tires after a 2nd gear shift. My advice? Buy a 2nd car, like a 350z (or even any other bmw) and mod the shit out of it. But leave the e46 M3 stock, bcos you're almost guaranteed to ruin it

[@pynacl6798]

Definitely have to pay to play with those CSL intake manifolds

[@ShopLifeTV]

No kidding! M tax is no joke!

[@ethanlee7642]

Jason, wondering if you can work on my 2006 m3 competition package, w Dinan upgrades. 125k on it wanted to to see if you can work on maintaining it for longer period of time. Any suggestion? Thanks, Ethan

[@joeokundi1639]

did the owner perfor adaptation for the new throttle body position sensor or generally for all the new part they replaced

[@gato311]

129 KAT-Schutz aktiv bei leerem Tank (6:05) = cat protection on low gas tank condition

[@ShopLifeTV]

Appreciate the translation! Can also be caused due to running lean, or just an improper tune

[@goose9238]

Hi, do you give any advice on how to fix a 2002 bmw 325i, where do I post or send info? Thanks! Goose

[@JoseLopez-uu1hu]

👍👍

[@sebastienedouard3]

The sensor actuator

[@kevinc3617]

What’s up man , I got a 1999 bmw 323i with a manual transmission my engine blew up n I’m not sure of what engines are compatible with the transmission in the car ? Could I swap a M54 or do I have to use the same 2.5 m52 ?

[@fduas102]

I have an 2003 E46 LSB M (6mt) with 78K :)

[@floridaheat305]

I have the Alpha N tune , but my car is a 04, runs good in my opinion 338whp

[@ShopLifeTV]

Alpha N tune will run great if the values correlate with the conditions that the car is driven in. But if you take the car to different altitudes/climates it will not run as well since it won't be able to adjust. That is the beauty of the CSL tune as it is a hybrid Alpha N Tune, hence the need for the MAP sensor. Since your car is a 2004 you have the HP dme and should look into installing the MAP sensor!

[@floridaheat305]

@@ShopLifeTV I think I already got the map sensor, I'll check it out , I put a iat sensor on it too👍

[@sefo6264]

My buddy have a 03 bmw 525i that is on limp mode ..he paid for a transmission repair and after the fix the following day the limp mode turned back on.. But the first time it was on limp mode he drove over water but not deep water.. .please help

[@danielkiruri4882]

Idle air control valve

[@jaybernardino5395]

O ring oil Pan dip stick

[@JosepinoRizal]

How can I fix E46 code P1434 module tank leakage malfunction I just keep deleting the code I should take car of her properly.

[@ShopLifeTV]

Depends on the car. If you need 1 on 1 help diagnosing go to www.shoplifetv.com

[@doublesidedtape1000]

throttle position sensors (well that was wrong)

[@11Xshadowolf]

Had a AEM CAI on my E46 M3 caused the car to randomly shut off and ran like shit put stock airbox back on no more issues.

[@barrylight9305]

This might be a stupid question but I don’t understand the description of what the cars is it series 3 4 or 5

[@houseofno]

BMW originally had just three primary model lines - 3 series, 5 series, 7 series. Small, medium and large cars. Their coupes were either a 3 series (small) or a 6-series (big coupe). BMW 6 series ran from 1977 to 1989 model year. BMW uses chassis codes to distinguish same model car for different generations. This 3 series is an E46 for the 1999 to 2005 3 series. The first gen 3 series was an E21 and that car was produced from 1977 to 1983. Later this chassis code gets muddled to where BMW assigned multiple chassis codes to same car and different bodies.

[@PyMike]

Are those the original M3 rims?

[@ShopLifeTV]

yes!

[@Greatwrx]

Will ever do a crank hub on your f80

[@ShopLifeTV]

yes!

[@Greatwrx]

@@ShopLifeTV hopefully u can make a video on it so I can finally buy one to fix. It lol

[@randyfleet9968]

My guess is operator error!

[@tvang464]

My guess, air meter related.

[@manuski14]

When can I bring my car in,???!!

[@jaimediazjr_47]

🚘🚘

[@chaldoboy1000]

Sell me that M3 😍

[@alexcornofficial]

Looks like topazblue

[@jberzin3]

Hot air intake +1

[@ShopLifeTV]

Lol for now. The owner has the "snout" that attaches to the CSL airbox just easier to access everything with it removed.

[@namkinh6937]

I want to buy a MT S5d 250G for M54 engine... Can you get i a reputable address on ebay?

[@michaelblacktree]

I wouldn't trust those wire taps.

[@ShopLifeTV]

Not a big fan of wire taps either, but a good option for reversible mods.

[@andreiput9492]

my idea: exhaust manifold crack

[@ShopLifeTV]

Might still be a potential issue... Lol Guess we will find out in the next video once the DME is upgraded!

[@livinlikelarry8782]

Simple guess but clogged cats

[@livinlikelarry8782]

Oooooof yeah my E38 has had the dme and TCM box flood

[@ViktorAgnarFalkGumundsson]

Fucking hate when people keep talking about OEM+ and so on... Just list your fu*king mods...