Check Engine Light OBD code 0800 - Help - United Bimmer Community

**donleycott** · 10-09-2008, 09:18 AM

I have an E36 and I am getting a check engine light and the code is P0080 which according to my manual is Exhaust Valve Control Solenoid Circuit High.

Does anyone know what is causing this?

Thx

Pat

**C Sean Watts** · 10-09-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donleycott

I have an E36 and I am getting a check engine light and the code is P0080 which according to my manual is Exhaust Valve Control Solenoid Circuit High.

Does anyone know what is causing this?

Thx

Pat

Bad control solenoid and/or the circuit that controls it.

**donleycott** · 10-09-2008, 09:40 AM

Thanks, could you help a bit more, what is a control solenoid? I see that description in my OBD code book but I cant find a part on the BMW that has that description

**C Sean Watts** · 10-09-2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donleycott

Thanks, could you help a bit more, what is a control solenoid? I see that description in my OBD code book but I cant find a part on the BMW that has that description

is to get a good repair manual. Bentley publishing prints good ones
http://www.themotorbookstore.com/bmw...1992-1998.html

I'm looking at your bio line and if the car you are talking about is 2007, it isn't an e36.

**donleycott** · 10-09-2008, 02:10 PM

I should fix the BIO, I have a 95, a 97 and a 2007.

I also have the Bentley repair manual for the 95 and 97

Pat

**C Sean Watts** · 10-09-2008, 08:56 PM

Solenoid is a small non circular type linear electric motor. It moves in a short straight line motion. Are there any engine running and driving issues with your car, or is it just a light (CEL)?

**donleycott** · 10-10-2008, 12:02 AM

The engine does not idle smoothly, it seems to idle at a lower speed than it used to.
Where is this solenoid, what does BMW call it?

Thank for helping
Pat

**C Sean Watts** · 10-10-2008, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donleycott

The engine does not idle smoothly, it seems to idle at a lower speed than it used to.
Where is this solenoid, what does BMW call it?

Thank for helping
Pat

With no more than a code reader, it will be very difficult to troubleshoot a poor idle. In order to glean any good info from a forum, be as specific as possible and provide info like; year, engine, miles, exact conditions when the problem occurs, cold, warm, hot, what makes it better, what makes it worse, what you have checked/tested, or not, what corrective action you made, etc.

You will tend to get better answers that way. What you describe now sounds like a vacuum leak.

There are multiple posts that go something like, "I replaced part 'X' with a known good replacement and the problem didn't go away."

Later the 'known good replacement' was replaced with a new dealer part that fixed the problem. So it isn't hard to see fault in how to fix something in the forum?

As for finding it on the engine, a good, high quality manual or realoem.com will have pictures - a picture is worth a thousand words.

Reset the code memory and see how long it takes to come back.