CCV Replacement FYI - M54

[timcooper62]

Jason

How did you know your CCV needed replacement? Was this PM or did your CCV fail? What are the symptoms of a failing CCV?

Thanks

Tim

[Jason5driver]

just to keep this thread up to date
here is BMW Service Information Bulletin regarding CW CCV

Jason

How did you know your CCV needed replacement? Was this PM or did your CCV fail? What are the symptoms of a failing CCV?

Thanks

Tim

Did you read the above?
In my case, I could hear a hissing sound when accelerating, burning oil, poor performance, and gunky hoses.
You can check the CCV hoses and oil dipstick for goop.
That's always a sign.
And, it is not a matter of 'if' the CCV fails, it's a matter of 'when' it fails.
The CCV a is BAD design/ over-engineered part that WILL fail, even with the new cold-weater CCV.
However, I think driving technique (not drive like an old lady), type of oil/ 5k-7.5k interval changes, and the new oil dipstick tube design can all help to prevent the CCV from failing.

Bimmfiver's example of a failed CCV, and what can happen:
Towed for the 1st time - P1373, P0171, P0174 ( 1 2)
bimmerfiver

Another great thread by JackCat559:
For God's Sake There's A Service Bulletin About This ( 1 2)
Jackcat559

[bimmerfiver]

Jason, you linked my other meltdown of my car this past winter lol. Bad timing for my car. The link above references axle-ish, rear diff-ish, transmission-ishy meltdown.

Here is what occured earlier in the winter and I believe my CCV was the direct cause:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1596455

Replaced CCV. Replaced all six coils for shotgun therapy.

[rdl]

Jason

How did you know your CCV needed replacement? Was this PM or did your CCV fail? What are the symptoms of a failing CCV?

Thanks

Tim

A properly functioning CCV will maintain a vacuum of 10 - 15 millibar in the crankcase at idle per BMW. If your feel any pressure from the dipstick tube or the oil fill port, it has failed. If you feel anything more than miniscule vacuum, the same.

For an accurate check, a slack tube manometer is easily jury-rigged with some clear plasitc tubing and water. A vacuum of 4 to 6 inches of water column corresponds to the millibar spec. Outside that, problems are brewing.

I checked mine last October & got 9 inches. I decided it was close enough for a while until the spring & warmer. Wrong in spades. By January I had a brutally rough idle and the CEL on with 10 misfire and lean codes. Vacuum was 100 millibar. A new CCV and 4 hoses got me back to "check tach to see if the engine is running" and a vacuum reading of 4 1/2 inches water column.

Regards
RDL

[champaign777]

pictures ?

[timcooper62]

A properly functioning CCV will maintain a vacuum of 10 - 15 millibar in the crankcase at idle per BMW. If your feel any pressure from the dipstick tube or the oil fill port, it has failed. If you feel anything more than miniscule vacuum, the same.

For an accurate check, a slack tube manometer is easily jury-rigged with some clear plasitc tubing and water. A vacuum of 4 to 6 inches of water column corresponds to the millibar spec. Outside that, problems are brewing.

I checked mine last October & got 9 inches. I decided it was close enough for a while until the spring & warmer. Wrong in spades. By January I had a brutally rough idle and the CEL on with 10 misfire and lean codes. Vacuum was 100 millibar. A new CCV and 4 hoses got me back to "check tach to see if the engine is running" and a vacuum reading of 4 1/2 inches water column.


Regards
RDL

Hey Thanks. It is good that I can measure something to tell if my CCV is OK or not. I can borrow the slack tube manometer from work.

[timcooper62]

Did you read the above?
In my case, I could hear a hissing sound when accelerating, burning oil, poor performance, and gunky hoses.
You can check the CCV hoses and oil dipstick for goop.
That's always a sign.
And, it is not a matter of 'if' the CCV fails, it's a matter of 'when' it fails.
The CCV a is BAD design/ over-engineered part that WILL fail, even with the new cold-weater CCV.
However, I think driving technique (not drive like an old lady), type of oil/ 5k-7.5k interval changes, and the new oil dipstick tube design can all help to prevent the CCV from failing.

Bimmfiver's example of a failed CCV, and what can happen:
Towed for the 1st time - P1373, P0171, P0174 ( 1 2)
bimmerfiver

Another great thread by JackCat559:
For God's Sake There's A Service Bulletin About This ( 1 2)
Jackcat559

Thanks Jason. I did see that as part of this thread. My car is has none of these symptoms. It seems like this is a PM item like the cooling system that people are replacing. I will check the pressure as the other poster suggested.

[Jason5driver]

Thanks Jason. I did see that as part of this thread. My car is has none of these symptoms. It seems like this is a PM item like the cooling system that people are replacing. I will check the pressure as the other poster suggested.

Also note that if the CCV is original, it is more than likely giving you vacuum leaks, and will be very brittle from the constant heating and cooling of the engine.
Plastic = garbage for our cars IMO.

[Jason5driver]

my friend from BMW department told me that even cold wheather CCV will not totally solve this issue and i need a new type of Dipstick #9

The new type dont have small pipe inside dipstick ( where o-ring #12 ) which was the main issue for yellow crud




now ask how much it cost ... ~200$ what the crappppp

see BMW #11437565437






still not decided to buy it or not ... what guru's say ?
Mark do you have this new Dipstick and if yes how much it costs ?

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manifold is off
CCV is off

now i have space to work also on oil filter gasket

Here is your $200 dipstick (top p/n: 11437565437) versus the original $30 (bottom p/n: 11437531258) comparison. Now you wonder why oil gets sucked into the intake if your CCV is clogged (with the original dipstick guide tube), huh? What kind of retarded engineering is this?

I just did an overhaul job on my E46 that has an M54. OP, did you replace your starter and vacuum lines? I'd hate to do this job ever again. I went ahead and replaced everything under it--cooling pipes, hoses, and sensors.

Did you clean your intake manifold? It took me about a week or so to clean it. I know it was impossible to get it completely cleaned because of the design--the lobes that come down to form the throttle body opening probably still has a little but of oil grime in but I emptied over a dozen Berryman carb cleaner, a gallon of Purple Power and Simple Green, and about half a liter of Dawn dishwashing soap, and finally several gallons of water with a pressure washer for each of those items I used. Additionally, I also submerged it in baths of those items overnight.

I am REALLY debating getting the new Cold-weather dipstick tube design for $165 from the dealer... unfortunately...
It is like a ripple affect...
Once the dipstick clogs, then everything else starts to clog up...

[genuity]

I am REALLY debating getting the new Cold-weather dipstick tube design for $165 from the dealer... unfortunately...
It is like a ripple affect...
Once the dipstick clogs, then everything else starts to clog up...

Try ebmwparts.com for $132. Dipstick guide tube is not really cold whether or not cold weather. It was just a redesign from a service information bulletin (SIB) with those going to the stealer for warranty work on repeated clogged CCVs. A little over a year ago those tubes for $200+ even from the cheapest stealerships. I ponied up for it.

[Jason5driver]

Try ebmwparts.com for $132. Dipstick guide tube is not really cold whether or not cold weather. It was just a redesign from a service information bulletin (SIB) with those going to the stealer for warranty work on repeated clogged CCVs. A little over a year ago those tubes for $200+ even from the cheapest stealerships. I ponied up for it.

Yes, Tischer BMW also has it for that price, however, after shipping, you still end up paying close to $165.

[genuity]

Yes, Tischer BMW also has it for that price, however, after shipping, you still end up paying close to $165.

ebmwparts.com, Peabody BMW of MA, doesn't rape you with handling fees and what not with what Tischer and Faulkner pull. Peabody will probably just charge you about $12 for this and no other BS. Stick to your Tischer if you keep on wanting to be bent over. Just my $0.02, for saving you money.

[Jason5driver]

ebmwparts.com, Peabody BMW of MA, doesn't rape you with handling fees and what not with what Tischer and Faulkner pull. Peabody will probably just charge you about $12 for this and no other BS. Stick to your Tischer if you keep on wanting to be bent over. Just my $0.02, for saving you money.

LOL!

I will give them a call...
Thanks!
Jason

[gnilson]

YIKES! I changed the CCV and the 2 hoses in under an hour by removing the airbox and moving some wires. Is a single VANOS 1997 528 that much easier? If so, than I'm glad I have it...

[Jason5driver]

I found this awesome thread with some interesting info...!
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...7#post13417197

[MaitreG]

"Turn the S hose back so that it is parallel the ground, which then allows you to twist connect to the CCV."


I need to get this right before I break something. What have they done to BMW with all this plastic?
All I have to do is bring the CCV valve to a parallel and pull it? What did you do to hold the tube in place? I need to twist remove. This one is driving me crazy. It has been hours and it's a back killer.
Nice write up by the way. A great deal of information.
Thanks!

[Jason5driver]

Here is some very good comparisons between the new oil dipstick tube design, and the oil one...

Since water condensation builds up within the CCV system (which is supposed to burn off later - I'm sure you've seen vapor or water dripping out of a tail pipe - which btw means the car was just recently started) there are times when you will temporarily see the "mayo goo" in various places (such as underneath the oil cap). Heat the engine up and all that goes away.

The oil separator (bottom funnel part of the CCV gizmo) is supposed to collect larger droplets of oil from the fumes inside the valve cover. These drops then slide out the bottom, down the hose and into the dipstick tube. But... this means at times you could pull out the dipstick to check your oil level and see the "mayo" or "coffee cream" goo and scream "agghh my headgasket blew!!@#$%" (when it didn't).

To avoid this, the oil separator drained into an outer sleeve of the dipstick guide-tube so the dipstick wouldn't ever get goo on it. So the old design had a tube within a tube. The outer sleeve into which the oil separator drained was very narrow, and mayo goo tended to freeze inside as it slowly oozed down the hose and hit a cold metal dipstick guide tube. Hey, BMW later fixed all that by getting rid of the dipstick altogether.

Just so you know, the dipstick does not go all the way down through the guide tube and out the bottom. Instead the oil goes up into the guide tube when your oil level is correct. In the old tube, the goo would have mixed with the oil way down in the oil pan. With the new design, it looks like goo might ooze down through the nipple and get on the dipstick (when there is goo).

Here you can see how narrow the outer sleve is on the old guide tube at left. I've seen pictures where the ice accumulated right up the hose and into the oil separator itself. (The new design is on the right.)



In addition, the old tube in tube idea required a vent hole:





So if anybody thinks they solved the freezing hydrolock problem by just putting a foam jacket on the CCV, well....

[02Pilot]

I've got a whole thread on this problem in the General Mechanical section, but on the specific topic of the dipstick design, I recently chopped up my old one to replicate the new style. A few relevant tidbits:

- The piece is entirely overbuilt. The tack welds are simply an artifact of the manufacturing process; the unit is actually held together and sealed by brazing. There are significant areas of very solid brazing at the top and around the "vent" hole.

- The vent hole isn't, at least in that it doesn't vent the CCV drain at all. It is pinched down between the inner and outer sections and brazed together at that point. This makes the drain for the CCV even smaller than it looks at the bottom. As an interim measure, one could drill through the existing hole through the inner and outer sections opposite it, which would at least provide a vent for the CCV drain relatively high on the guide tube.

- Taking it apart is a pain. I cut it in two places: just below the join between the inner and outer sections, and at the vent hole. The vent hole area needs to be ground away (or heated hot enough to release the brazing) and rewelded. Since you are retaining the outer sleeve and removing the inner, you wouldn't want to remove the brazing connecting the two. Make sure to ream or grind the remnant of the inner sleeve smooth or the dipstick will catch on it when trying to pull it out.

The end result, however, gives a clear path for the CCV drain to the oil pan. I was surprised by how much crud was still in between the two sections, given that I had cleaned with manually, with brake cleaner, and high pressure compressed air not long ago. The original is a truly awful design. It remains to be seen if my oil consumption is reduced, but I'm satisfied the drain is far clearer than it ever was, even when new.

[ramitchell]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to take and post the pictures! Mine will be close to the 100k mark next spring and I've been thinking about doing a ccv then.

[Jason5driver]

Just a little update...
I recently talked to one of my local mechanics, and found out what they do to remedy the poorly designed dip-stick tube...
I will make a sketch, and take a picture of what they do/ did for the fix.

The fix makes a LOT of sense, and should prevent any future blockage of within the (2) inner tube weeps.

I am very excited to get this done/ fixed, and it should be very easy for anyone to do too!

Thanks!
Jason

[Doru]

So post already that design, will ya?

[Southpaw M]

So all the cold weather package ccv and hoses do is prevent it from freezing by being insulated?

[Doru]

So all the cold weather package ccv and hoses do is prevent it from freezing by being insulated?

That's the idea.

Jason, when will you upload the promised sketches?

[champaign777]

his mechanic is busy

[Steve530]

How about a description?