Help! Warning Lamp on after OFHG Replacement and Oil Change

Fiasco · 11-10-2021, 11:23 PM

Hi all,

Over the past two days I completed two jobs on my 2011 328xi

1) OFHG replacement
2) Oil Change

The OFHG job went smoothly until I removed the last bolt (which for me was the lower most bolt near the hose that's in the way. Once that one started to come out coolant literally began squirting in the direction of my crotch with a pretty strong stream. Luckily I had protected all of the belts with shop rags and I was quick to grab even more shop rags to collect all of the coolant with. In the end I lost a large amount of coolant, but I got the gasket replaced and reinstalled correctly, bolts torqued to spec.

Due to the coolant loss, I decided not to start the car until I could top it up so I packed it in until the next day. Enter today, I went out to get antifreeze from the dealer and distilled water from the grocery store. Came back home, performed the oil change without any issues and topped up my coolant with a 50/50 mixture. I then started the car to bring it down off the ramps, started up fine but idled rough, engine warning lamp lit up in yellow ("Engine malfunction with adverse effect on emissions" as per the manual).

Generic picture to detail the issue:

View post on imgur.com

I turned off the car and proceeded to look under the hood to see what the problem could be. Ah hah! I had forgotten to reattach the sensor that goes in the hose that connects to the airbox. I buttoned that up and then went to restart... the same light is still lit up. I drive around the block to bring temps up and to check my oil level.

Oil level is good, sensor is attached. I then begin the bleeding procedure for the coolant system thinking perhaps the top up introduced air into the system. I successfully complete the bleeding procedure while the car is connected to a battery tender. I restart the car, the lamp is still present. I then downloaded INPA and connect the car to my laptop to pull codes. First time using INPA, I don't speak German.

I got this:

View post on imgur.com

I wrote everything into google translate and it loosely translates to:

"2E98 generator, kommunikation
no communication via BSD interface
test conditions not yet met
error currently present, not yet obd-debounced
error does not cause the warning lamp (MIL) to light up"

Not a clue what that even means.

Does anyone know how to get this lamp to shut off? I have to take the car in next week for a tire swap and I also want to take it in for a coolant flush because the coolant that came out wasn't blue. Details about the car are as follows, 79,600km, extremely clean, no lights on dash before my maintenance work, exceptional example of an E90. Any help is appreciated.

nsjames · 11-11-2021, 06:53 AM

that error is a BSD communication error to the alternator. Check the wiring to the alternator.

I would clear the SES and see if it comes back. They don't just go away on their own when you fix the problem. your unplugged sensor was probably the reason it's on.

e91Owner · 11-11-2021, 08:17 AM

Also check to make sure you're getting voltage from the alternator with the car running. Could be that you fried your alternator or loosened one of the connections to it.

mainbearing · 11-11-2021, 03:11 PM

The alternator is below the OFH, so double check the connectors.

Fiasco · 11-11-2021, 06:29 PM

Thank you all for the responses, started it up this morning and the light was gone. Add that to the encyclopedia of how those lights work I guess. Just needed some time to figure out the connector was back in the air box im thinking.

Unfortunately there's a brand new problem now! I went to use my heated seat, and I have discovered that despite them still lighting up and still being able to cycle through the different levels, the seats are not heating up. I checked both driver and passenger and they are both out .I also noticed that the AC button was activated on my center console which is odd because i've had that off for weeks due to the cold weather outside.

Is it possible that clearing codes with INPA could have coded the heated seats off? Im almost certain there is nothing wrong with them as they were working perfectly fine before I started the work. Any ideas?

Thanks everyone.

Serf27 · 11-12-2021, 12:58 AM

Sounds like a fiasco.

ba dum pss.

But no, clearing codes wouldn’t disable heated seats.
Read codes again.

Did you get coolant on the alternator?
I’ve seen engine bay pressure washes get the alternator wet and then the alternator fails.
And when the alternator fails, a mess of electrical problems arise.

Fiasco · 11-12-2021, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serf27

Sounds like a fiasco.

ba dum pss.

But no, clearing codes wouldn’t disable heated seats.
Read codes again.

Did you get coolant on the alternator?
I’ve seen engine bay pressure washes get the alternator wet and then the alternator fails.
And when the alternator fails, a mess of electrical problems arise.

Good one lol.

That honestly could have potentially been it, I checked the alternator and it looked dry but some could have easily got inside the housing. To my luck though, on the drive home today the heated seats started working just fine. Half relived and half bothered though because im not a fan of intermittent issues. I'll continue to monitor it, thanks for the info.

Serf27 · 11-12-2021, 02:28 AM

Could have been some liquid drying off the alternator?

Careful with them. I’ve seen 3 of them go bad immediately after pressure washing.
But yea, monitor the car and can for codes after a few days to see if anyone pops up.

Hoody007 · 11-12-2021, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiasco

Good one lol.

That honestly could have potentially been it, I checked the alternator and it looked dry but some could have easily got inside the housing. To my luck though, on the drive home today the heated seats started working just fine. Half relived and half bothered though because im not a fan of intermittent issues. I'll continue to monitor it, thanks for the info.

It’s possible your battery voltage was low. The car will shut off “unnecessary” consumers of power to prioritize key systems like the DME, ABS, etc.

As the battery gained voltage, it’s likely those systems were restored. Had this happen in my old 330Ci - loss of heated seats followed by the battery light from a bad alternator.

You should be able to pull codes from the IHKA module, IIRC, to determine what happened - you should be able to test the heated seat elements as well.

Also, for what it’s worth, on both my old 330Ci and my 335i, a leaking OFHG killed my alternator, even though in both cases the leak was promptly resolved. Hopefully you have different luck than I…

11-10-2021, 11:23 PM	#1
Fiasco Private First Class 91 Rep 144 Posts Drives: 2010 328xi E90 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Help! Warning Lamp on after OFHG Replacement and Oil Change Hi all, Over the past two days I completed two jobs on my 2011 328xi 1) OFHG replacement 2) Oil Change The OFHG job went smoothly until I removed the last bolt (which for me was the lower most bolt near the hose that's in the way. Once that one started to come out coolant literally began squirting in the direction of my crotch with a pretty strong stream. Luckily I had protected all of the belts with shop rags and I was quick to grab even more shop rags to collect all of the coolant with. In the end I lost a large amount of coolant, but I got the gasket replaced and reinstalled correctly, bolts torqued to spec. Due to the coolant loss, I decided not to start the car until I could top it up so I packed it in until the next day. Enter today, I went out to get antifreeze from the dealer and distilled water from the grocery store. Came back home, performed the oil change without any issues and topped up my coolant with a 50/50 mixture. I then started the car to bring it down off the ramps, started up fine but idled rough, engine warning lamp lit up in yellow ("Engine malfunction with adverse effect on emissions" as per the manual). Generic picture to detail the issue: View post on imgur.com I turned off the car and proceeded to look under the hood to see what the problem could be. Ah hah! I had forgotten to reattach the sensor that goes in the hose that connects to the airbox. I buttoned that up and then went to restart... the same light is still lit up. I drive around the block to bring temps up and to check my oil level. Oil level is good, sensor is attached. I then begin the bleeding procedure for the coolant system thinking perhaps the top up introduced air into the system. I successfully complete the bleeding procedure while the car is connected to a battery tender. I restart the car, the lamp is still present. I then downloaded INPA and connect the car to my laptop to pull codes. First time using INPA, I don't speak German. I got this: View post on imgur.com I wrote everything into google translate and it loosely translates to: "2E98 generator, kommunikation no communication via BSD interface test conditions not yet met error currently present, not yet obd-debounced error does not cause the warning lamp (MIL) to light up" Not a clue what that even means. Does anyone know how to get this lamp to shut off? I have to take the car in next week for a tire swap and I also want to take it in for a coolant flush because the coolant that came out wasn't blue. Details about the car are as follows, 79,600km, extremely clean, no lights on dash before my maintenance work, exceptional example of an E90. Any help is appreciated.
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11-11-2021, 06:53 AM	#2
nsjames Brigadier General 2443 Rep 4,330 Posts Drives: 08 328xi Touring Join Date: May 2017 Location: ohio iTrader: (0)	that error is a BSD communication error to the alternator. Check the wiring to the alternator. I would clear the SES and see if it comes back. They don't just go away on their own when you fix the problem. your unplugged sensor was probably the reason it's on.
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11-11-2021, 08:17 AM	#3
e91Owner e91Owner 425 Rep 1,129 Posts Drives: 2011 e91 & 2010 e60 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Out of the Office iTrader: (0)	Also check to make sure you're getting voltage from the alternator with the car running. Could be that you fried your alternator or loosened one of the connections to it.
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11-11-2021, 03:11 PM	#4
mainbearing Lieutenant Colonel 1085 Rep 1,677 Posts Drives: BMW 328i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: LA iTrader: (0)	The alternator is below the OFH, so double check the connectors.
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11-11-2021, 06:29 PM	#5
Fiasco Private First Class 91 Rep 144 Posts Drives: 2010 328xi E90 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Thank you all for the responses, started it up this morning and the light was gone. Add that to the encyclopedia of how those lights work I guess. Just needed some time to figure out the connector was back in the air box im thinking. Unfortunately there's a brand new problem now! I went to use my heated seat, and I have discovered that despite them still lighting up and still being able to cycle through the different levels, the seats are not heating up. I checked both driver and passenger and they are both out .I also noticed that the AC button was activated on my center console which is odd because i've had that off for weeks due to the cold weather outside. Is it possible that clearing codes with INPA could have coded the heated seats off? Im almost certain there is nothing wrong with them as they were working perfectly fine before I started the work. Any ideas? Thanks everyone.
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11-12-2021, 12:58 AM	#6
Serf27 Brigadier General 2853 Rep 4,323 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Sitting in a BMW. iTrader: (-1)	Sounds like a fiasco. ba dum pss. But no, clearing codes wouldn’t disable heated seats. Read codes again. Did you get coolant on the alternator? I’ve seen engine bay pressure washes get the alternator wet and then the alternator fails. And when the alternator fails, a mess of electrical problems arise.
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11-12-2021, 02:28 AM	#8
Serf27 Brigadier General 2853 Rep 4,323 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Sitting in a BMW. iTrader: (-1)	Could have been some liquid drying off the alternator? Careful with them. I’ve seen 3 of them go bad immediately after pressure washing. But yea, monitor the car and can for codes after a few days to see if anyone pops up.
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