u/Memeboi69_420

▲ 2 r/e39

I need your help

At the start of the month I bought a bmw. I am not a car guy,I fell in love with the car from my dad 523iA from 1997 and wanted the same car.I knew what I was getting into as the seller was really transparent.But a friend of my dad says it's no big deal and I should get it.I bought it as it was in really good condition and had parking sensors and was cheaper than most e39s.The first owner had it for 20 years and has all services documented,then the second owner had it for 3 years and had it sitting for 6 months before I bought it.The car is German. Did I fucked up or not?I hope you save me guys😭😭

Car:

2003 BMW 520i (E39) manual with BMW M54 engine

176k km

Symptoms:

Cold start misfires on cylinders 2 and 6

Shakes heavily when cold

Cold idle starts around 900 RPM then drops to ~700 RPM

If restarted warm, problem disappears

No ticking

No knocking

No overheating

Good power when warm

Sometimes slight whining noise under acceleration when warm

Fault codes:

Misfire cylinder 2

Misfire cylinder 6

Already replaced by previous owner:

VANOS

Valve cover gasket

Spark plugs

NGK ignition coils

Intake boot

CCV / crankcase ventilation system

Previous owner’s theory:

Possibly clogged hydraulic lifters ( hydraulic valve lifters)

Or oil passages/VANOS-related issue where cold thick oil causes problems until warm

Questions:

Could this still be vacuum leak / injector / MAF related even after those parts were replaced?

Could hydraulic lifters or oil pressure behavior cause cold-only misfires on cylinders 2 and 6?

What would you check next on an M54 with these symptoms?

Edit:The mechanic did a pressure test on the cylinders and he said that the pressure is good

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u/Memeboi69_420 — 2 days ago