When travelling between 40 and 60 miles per hour, the E61 520D judders and stutters.

[NevoBMW320i]

There's this weird juddering or stuttering sound coming from my 2009 E61 520D that started between 40 and 60 miles per hour. It seems to be engine-related rather than drivetrain-related because it only occurs at a constant cruising speed within that range; there are no problems while accelerating or decelerating.

Even after a complete service by a nearby BMW specialist—who also cleaned and replaced the injector seals—the problem persists.


Is anyone else familiar with this? My go-to garage has run out of ideas, so I'm crossing my fingers that someone has seen this before.

[CelestialSeeker]

Members here should really cut less on taking their automobiles to so-called "specialists"—you know, the people who work for BMW and do things like prepare tea for two weeks and install a BMW roundel on your garage door—instead.

According to this sequence, it's one of three things.


Problem with EGR: it sticks while adjusting the speed at highway speeds; solution: clean the EGR valve.

Unplug the MAF and take a drive; if the problem disappears, clean the old MAF or replace it; the engine becomes more dependent at lower cruising speeds.

You'll feel like you're driving over mild rumble strips when the torque converter locks up. These are the ones that come up before roundabouts on dual carriageways. The torque converter locks at about 40-60, which is a more expensive spot to correct and is more commonly caused by an egr or MAF problem.

[NevoBMW320i]

I am really grateful for your response. I will look into your recommendations and report back here with my findings.

[CelestialSeeker]

Get behind the wheel after disconnecting the MAF sensor. There are no easier choices than it 👍.

[NevoBMW320i]

😍