Cabin Air Filter Brackets

[Cooljust]

Is there a trick to keeping the cabin air filter brackets on?
At idle, the engine fumes are pretty strong but clear out as soon as the car starts moving. When I checked under the hood, of course the tubes and brackets connecting the cabin air filter housing were not connected. Upon further investigation, I noticed the brackets that hold the rubber gasket to the filter housing were busted...on both sides (98 540).
Is the only fix (for the most over-engineered piece of equipment ever made) to replace them both? Anyone else have this issue?

[edjack]

Don't know what you mean by "brackets." There is a clamp on the end of the bellows on each side of the duct that fastens to the firewall.

This clamp is part of item 7 http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DE53&mospid=47588&btnr=64_0673&hg=64&fg=10

[Cooljust]

Yes, clamps! Couldn't get the nomenclature right...thanks!

[Groupers]

Here's the deal, BMW knew these sucked and replaced them with a different style. You have to go the junk yard and pull the air filter housings and the big plastic air pipe which connects to the firewall by rotating it. You can see a very visible difference in the way the pipe and filter housing mate, if you find the updated style it's an easy replacement. Just take yours out and put the new ones in.

Here's a picture of what the revised version looks like. I had the same problem you did with fumes in the cabin until I replaced mine with this newer style.
494861

Here's the old style for comparison.

494860

[Cooljust]

Thanks! Do you know what year the fixed them?

[geargrinder]

the other problem with engine compartment smells is, I have found is that dumbbastiches who don't know how to latch the tubes into the firewall just have 'em stuck in their but not clamped in.

you need to pop the engine beauty cover, then undo the clamps that you are talking about, then rotate the tube up, push it in, and then rotate down to get the twist-latching mechanism to grab. you'll then feel they are tight against the firewall instead of flopping around there, and as they rotate down you can re-connect them to the filter box.

that said my wife still complains she smells some engine smell while we drive :rolleyes, I can't smell anything, but I'm still poking around to see if I can find another​ ducting issue...

[philly98540]

Got to check those pesky hood to engine compartment gaskets too. And the ones all around the the air filter boxes. Any smells that come through the rear gaskets will be sucked into the air filters at the base of the windshield and air box areas.

[geargrinder]

good tip phil. will checkitout.

[absentmathis]

This is all good advice, but there shouldn't be exhaust in your engine bay to begin with. Are you sure you don't have a leak?

[Cooljust]

It's not exhaust fumes, just misc engine gases.

[auaq]

It's not exhaust fumes, just misc engine gases.

... such as?

[Cooljust]

When the cabin filter clamps are in place (mine are broken) there are no fumes in the cabin but when they're disconnected, the car smells like an engine room. I can't differentiate the miscellaneous engine gases and their associated smells other than I can smell them or I cannot.

[auaq]

Like the warmth of engine compartment getting inside? Well, anyways first and foremost fix your broken clamps and then see if you still get high ... ahem, I mean dizzy again inside the car.

[Cooljust]

Lol...I'll keep an eye on it. Yesterday, both clamps were disconnected and the hoses were just sucking in engine fumes.

[geargrinder]

yeah, in my case wife claims she smells something. I'm pretty sure I'm all tight for exhaust, but I have flushed PS a couple times recently and the first batch I mighta spilled a few drops here and there and it STUNK bad so I am guessing she might be catching whiffs of that... i also used a sealant on an exhaust flange at one point that stunk, she might be catching whiffs of that... etc. etc. "engine room smells" as you say.

[Cooljust]

Geargrinder, I'm in the Navy so that's what comes to mind.

[geargrinder]

don't get me wrong - that's a solid description!