P0197 BMW Fault Code

Description:

The issue covered by the bulletin involves a power steering noise/whine or fluid leak from the power steering pump, gear or high pressure side power steering hose during extreme low outdoor temperature operation.

P0197 Code Symptoms :

If your vehicle failed a P0197 test and the P0197 Check Engine Light is NOT on, chances are you have a problem with the OBDII system, a burned out MIL lamp, or a faulty catalytic converter. The converter is essentially an afterburner that cleans up the exhaust after it exits the engine. The OBDII system uses P0197 a ownstream oxygen sensor to monitor the efficiency of the converter, and it should detect a drop in converter efficiency if the converter has been contaminated or is failing (ignition misfiring, leaky exhaust valves, and oil burning can all damage the converter). What you want to look : Any conditions that might cause ignition misfire, an overly rich or lean fuel condition, or loss of compression.

Diagnosis And Repairing P0197

P0197 the main thing to check is to verify the operation of the VCT solenoid. You're looking for a sticking or stuck VCt solenoid valve caused by contamination. Refer to vehicle specific repair manual to perform component tests for the VCT unit.

How to fix P0197 code ?

• Continuous oil flow to the VCT piston chamber
• Faulty ignition coil (s)
• Faulty Air fuel ratio (A/F) Sensor 1 Bank 1
• Spark plugs may be faulty

Circuit High Input codes like P0197 are mostly caused by defective alternators that develop excessive voltages, although there may be other causes as well, such as short circuits that 'leak' current into a particular system from other, unrelated systems that work on higher voltages. Note that in the case of short circuits that leak power into a control circuit, there is likely to be other, seemingly unrelated trouble codes present along with the code(s) being investigated. Diagnosing a 'high input' code will always involve a thorough testing of the charging system as a first step, followed by measures to isolate the system from all other possible sources of power during resistance, continuity, and reference voltage tests.