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SI B12 18 14
Engine Electrical Systems

September 2015
Technical Service

This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B12 18 14 dated March 2015.
designates changes to this revision
SUBJECT

Engine Misfire Due to Failed Ignition Coil
MODEL

All
With the N51,

N52*, N52K, and N52T engines

*Only N52 produced from 4/2006
SITUATION
z

The Check Engine or Service Engine Soon (MIL) lamp is on with misfire fault(s) stored in
the DME.

z

Intermittent performance or rough running without a relevant DME fault stored

The most likely cause is that an ignition coil has failed, which can be confirmed in many cases with
basic diagnosis.
CAUSE

During operation with high temperature fluctuations, the different materials used in the Bosch
ignition coil construction can deteriorate over time, leading to a failure.
CORRECTION

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The current ISTA misfire test plan for these engines can be lengthy to complete, and does not
provide an effective method to diagnose a faulty secondary ignition component.
If basic diagnosis determines the cause to be a faulty coil, follow the inspection/replacement
procedure listed below.
Make certain to test drive the vehicle after the repair is completed to verify the effectiveness of the
repair.
Only if misfire faults or rough running are still present, continue with further diagnosis as
recommended in the misfire test plan.
Since the remaining ignition coils have been subjected to the same operating conditions, it will be
necessary to follow the appropriate procedure listed below (specific to the engine variant), to ensure

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the best customer-oriented repair.
1.

For vehicles with the N51, N52 (from 4/2006), and N52K engines which have been in
service for over 24 months or 10,000 miles: during the first service visit due to an ignition
coil failure, replace all Bosch ignition coils with Delphi coils as indicated in ETK (March
2015).
If any ignition coil(s) was replaced previously with a Delphi part, it does NOT need to be
replaced.

2. For the F10 and F25 with the N52T engine, replace all Bosch ignition coils with the
replacement Delphi coils under these situations:
{

At the first service visit with for an ignition coil failure

{

Alternator failure (see SI B12 12 13)

{

DME replacement due to a failed Bit Serial Data (BSD) interface circuit

Ignition Coil Identification

PARTS INFORMATION

Part Number

Description

Quantity

12 13 8 616 153

Delphi coil

Up to 6

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle/SAV Limited Warranty or the BMW Certified
Pre-Owned Limited Warranty.
Vehicles equipped with the N51 engine only (PZEV/SULEV): This repair is also covered by the
terms of the state-specific emissions warranty (dependent on the vehicle model, model year and
state of registration).

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Defect Code:

12 13 00 12 00

Labor Operation:

Labor Allowance:

Description:

00 00 006

Refer to KSD2

Performing “vehicle test” (with vehicle
diagnosis system – checking faults)

Refer to KSD2

Connect an approved battery
charger/power supply(indicated in KSD
2 as Charging battery)

Work time (WT)

Troubleshooting

And:
61 21 528
And, as necessary:
12 00 009

If you are using a Main labor code for another repair, use the Plus code labor operation 00 00 556
instead.
Even though work time labor operation code 12 00 009 ends in “009,” it is not considered a Main
labor operation.
Work time (WT) labor operation 12 00 009 requires an individual punch time and an explanation in
the claim comments.
And:
Replacing Coil(s) Only
Labor Operation:

Labor Allowance:

Description:

12 13 511

Refer to KSD2

Replacing one ignition coil

Refer to KDS2

Replacing more than one ignition coil

Or:
12 13 512
Or:
Replacing Coil(s) with Checking and/or Replacing Spark Plug(s) when Necessary
Labor Operation:

Labor Allowance:

Description:

12 12 521

Refer to KSD2

Removing and installing/renewing all
spark plugs

Refer to KSD2 for the corresponding flat rate unit (FRU) allowance.

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Other Repairs
If performing the additional ISTA diagnostics and related test plans results in other eligible and
covered work, claim this work with the applicable defect code and labor operations listed in KSD2.
[ Copyright ©2015 BMW of North America, Inc. ]

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