Help: Ongoing Secondary Air Pump Issues

[krodak2]

Hello All-

I'm posting to see if anyone else has had ongoing issues with their secondary air pump and valve. My car had an SES light go on a few months ago so I took it into a local BMW specialist and they informed me that I needed a new secondary air pump and valve for the car. I replaced both units and the light did not turn off so I brought it into the shop again and they confirmed that the air pump and valve are working properly, they even blew into the ports and said nothing seemed to be clogged. The shop cleared the SES light and a few days later it came back on. So back to the shop I went, they tested everything and said it is all still working as it should.

Next, I tired the Seafoam trick that I saw on e46fanatics thinking that the ports must be clogged. I went through an entire bottle of Seafoam and the light is still on. Has anyone else had this kind of issue before? I'm not even sure what next steps I should take.

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

[krodak2]

I've done some more research. It looks like I have the option of doing a SAP simulator to solve the issue and delete the system all together. I just purchased a plug and play kit from e36-electronic dot com. Fingers crossed, I'll keep you guys posted!

http://e36-electronic.com/

[NoVAphotog]

"Is it emissions legal remove my secondary air pump?
No, the SAP Simulator is for off-road use only, not intended for highway vehicles."

I've heard of others doing this delete and having no issues with emissions, what have you found out?

[TheFinanceGuy]

I had the Active Autowerke (http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1742-active-autowerke-secondary-air-pump-simulator-for-e36-m52s52-engines.aspx) SAP sim in my E36 with no issues as well. Upon first install, the wires were not neatly tucked away, leading to a "whats that" question from the inspector guy here in MA (though, in fairness, he was just curious- the computer showed no codes, so he didn't care). Once the HG was replaced, everything put together properly and tucked away.
My SAP was removed- however, I've seen many people leave them in place to avoid questions.

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j464/TheFinanceGuy/Engine_zps20d40278.jpg

However- I fail to see how deleting the SAP system, which is in theory functioning correctly will help. My guess is you have something else going on that is causing similar error codes. Have you checked for vacuum leaks?

[TheFinanceGuy]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/v/u/73.png

Check the hoses POST valve (#4, 5, 7, 9)

[krodak2]

Thank you for the responses.

NoVAphotog, I've read that most people that installed a SAP simulator had the SES light remain off but there have been a few that mentioned it did not work for them. I guess I'll find out once my SAP simulator gets here and keep you posted.

TheFinanceGuy, I definitely understand where you are coming from. I checked all of the hoses for cracks and also had the shop do the same. They did not find anything wrong with the hoses and stated that everything was working properly which lead them to believe that the ports are clogged and there is not enough airflow which is causing the SES light to come on. I'm thinking that if the ports are in fact clogged and causing the light to come on then shouldn't the simulator just foul the car to think that everything is fine? What are your thoughts?

[TheFinanceGuy]

Yes. That is what the simulator will do. My SAP quit working all together in the E36, thus the SAP sim.

You might need to alter that kit you bought as it's for an E36 not an E46. But from what I can tell (quick read....) it should be good to go.
Please report back.


Another thought: have you sucked sea foam in through a vac line? This could cause other problems too....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[krodak2]

TheFinanceGuy, so the guy that makes the kits actually sells an e46 non-M version so I ordered that from him. Hopefully it will be plug and play, I'll let you know once it comes in and I'll follow up after it's in to see if the SES light turns off and stays off. When I did the Seafoam trick, I followed the instructions from e46fanatics and a few other sources. I filled the tube between the secondary air pump and the valve with the Seafoam (a small amount at a time so that it wouldn't flow up into the pump) before starting the car in the morning and the air pump would force the Seafoam into the engine. A handful of people said that this worked for them when trying to clear the clogged ports that caused a SES light for them but it didn't work out for me.

[krodak2]

Just an update;

So the guy that makes the SAP simulators contacted me to let me know that the unit won't work on the 2004 330i or any 3 series that has a secondary air filter. Although that blows, it did get me thinking. Has anyone ever had an issue with any other components that are associated with the secondary air pump (such as the filter)? Could that cause the same code to go off?

Any help would be appreciated, I'm quite lost at this point. I might have to bring the car back to a shop, anyone think that bringing it directly to BMW would make a difference? I figured they would charge me a ton of money but the shop I've been bringing it to haven't been able to help. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Hornung418]

There is a small MAF sensor in our cars. That may be kaput. Look up the P/N for the hose on top of the SAP. That could be faulty if you didn't replace it with your new SAP and check valve.

Sent from my GS3.

[LivesNearCostco]

Post the codes you're getting.

[krodak2]

Thank you for the replies Hornung418 and LivesNearCostco

I'm going to look in the MAF sensor and I'll swing by AutoZone tomorrow to see if the code has changed but last time I had it pulled it was P0411. I'll keep you guys posted, thanks again for the help!