P0176 BMW Fuel Composition Sensor Circuit Malfunction
Possible causes
– Flexible Fuel (FF) sensor to Vehicle Power (VPWR) circuit harness open or shorted
– FF to VPWR circuit poor electrical connection
– Open in FF sensor signal circuit
– Short to ground in FF sensor signal circuit
– Fuel contamination
– FF to VPWR circuit poor electrical connection
– Open in FF sensor signal circuit
– Short to ground in FF sensor signal circuit
– Fuel contamination
Symptoms
– Engine Light ON (or Service Engine Soon Warning Light)
P0176 BMW Description
Fuel Composition Sensors are used to determine the amount of ethanol alcohol in the gasoline. Normally, a gasoline engine should not have more than 10% ethanol alcohol in the fuel for proper operation. Some vehicles have a Flexible Fuel (FF) system on them that allow them to run on up to 85% ethanol alcohol in the fuel. The fuel composition sensor sends a frequency modulated signal to the engine controller which is proportional to the alcohol content of the fuel. The injector pulse width and the ignition timing are modified for the increased alcohol content. It takes almost twice the amount of alcohol compared to gasoline to produce the same power.
BMW Vehicle:BMW F650GS,BMW F800S,BMW F800ST,BMW G450X,BMW G650 Xmoto,BMW R1200GS,BMW R1200R,BMW R1200RT,BMW R1200S,BMW K1200LT,BMW K1300GT,BMW K1300R,BMW K1300S,BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL,BMW S1000RR,BMW E36/5,BMW E36/7,BMW E36/8,BMW E38,BMW E38/2,BMW E38/3,BMW E39,BMW E46/5,BMW E46/4,BMW E46/3,BMW E46/2,BMW E46/C,BMW E52,BMW E53,BMW E60,BMW E61,BMW E62,BMW E63,BMW E64,BMW E65,BMW E66,BMW E67,BMW E68,BMW E70,BMW E71,BMW E72,BMW E81,BMW E82,BMW E83,BMW E84,BMW E85,BMW E86,BMW E87,BMW E88,BMW E89,BMW E90,BMW E91,BMW E92,BMW E93,BMW F01,BMW F02,BMW F03,BMW F04,BMW F06,BMW F07,BMW F10,BMW F11,BMW F12,BMW F13,BMW F15,BMW F18,BMW F20,BMW F21,BMW F22,BMW F25,BMW F26,BMW F30,BMW F31,BMW F32,BMW F33,BMW F34,BMW F35,BMW F36,BMW F80,BMW F82