[bogdanmunt]

I have a BMW 335i E92 and I have been getting engine malfunction for over a year. Every time I would step on the throttle and the RMP would hit 5000, I would go into limp mode.

I got the car scanned at a friend and it showed "30FF" code with turbo leak as the cause. There was no other error codes.

Last night I looked around at the vacuum lines and found one of the lines was entirely rotten and completely disconnected.

Here's a video pointing out which one of the lines was broken:

I cut it short and reconnected it as a temporary fix. I drove the car this morning and I felt much more power now. Unfortunately, this morning it threw me yet another engine malfunction warning at 5000 RPM... not sure what the error code is yet - but I assume it is related to the 30FF.

The problems that I have been having:
- bad rattling upon cold start (first 90 seconds - when below freezing temperatures, car used to sound like a tin can full of coins) - this seems to have gone away after fixing the vacuum line - before fixing it, I thought it would be the wastegate actuator, but I felt the rear one and there wasn't much slack

Another problem is in heavy traffic in the summer, the engine temperature would go to 120 Celsius and as soon as it would pass 125 Celsius, it would go in limp mode, regardless of what RPM I was at. Not sure if this can be related to the disconnected vacuum line or the turbos at all.

[Bluesun]

If it's any help, a very similar thing happened to my car a few years ago. It was still under warranty, and after 3 trips to the dealer without being able to find the cause, they finally just replaced all of my vacuum lines and the problem went away entirely. In the process they also replaced the VANOS solenoid(s?), but I'm not sure that had any effect.

[scottp999]

Good info. A year or so ago my 30FF was fixed just by tightening hose clamps I could reach on the charge air piping.

What year is your car, and is it stored in the garage, or outside? I imagine people storing cars outside will have these issues sooner.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Good tips. Sometimes it's as simple as vacuum lines or tightening clamps. Other times it's a cracked charge pipe or a leaking diverter valve. First step is to pop the hood and take a look!

I would replace all the vac lines as new. When those vac lines expand they may have hairline cracks that allow air to escape. That's why a quick visual inspection may not be enough. Best way to approach vacuum leaks is to do a boost leak pressure test via the pre intercooler inlet. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...oost+leak+test Although I understand the set up time can be a bit large as it does require some store bought products and a compressor.

If you have an aftermarket FMIC or charge pipe the first thing to do is check those connections.

If your car is completely stock it's likely the vac lines, diverter valves, or a cracked charge pipe. Also check the connections pre and post intercooler as well as at the throttle body though.

[BoostedE90]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546560

Unfortunately these two vacuum hoses have been found to be very problematic. A different material should have been used to deal with the heat from the oil filter.

If you are still encountering a leak after fixing those two lines here is a diagram of the vacuum lines so you know where else to check for leaks: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...75&hg=11&fg=45

[bogdanmunt]

The car is a '09 but it has quite a few miles on it (140k kms approx ~85k miles)

I will replace with silicone vacuum hoses but I have to find someone who sells them here in Toronto.

Is it possible that the engine overheating issue is related to the turbo leak?

(It only seems to do it during heavy traffic in the summer). Goes in limp mode around 125C which is about 260F. It does not matter if I am at 1,000 rpm.