Member
2002 325xi, 100 kmiles or so.
I'm in the middle of changing the CCV and at this point the new CCV is in place and the next thing to do is reinstall the dipstick tube. The tube was totally clogged and after hours of probing with a wire and brake cleaner, I can barely get 100 psi air through the oil return tube. That alone should be sufficient to buy a new tube, but they're at least $105 plus shipping to Hawaii makes it $115. Not trivial but I surely don't want to do this job ever again.
Apparently the original dipstick tube 11 43 7 502 666 has been superceded by 11 43 7 531 260. The fiche at realoem (and I expect other sites but haven't checked) only shows the later number and doesn't illustrate both, so I can't know which one I have. The part shown on the fiche appears identical to what I have and has the concentric tubes at the lower end, but I don't trust BMW to have changed the illustration just for me. The difference may not matter, as I'll probably drop the bucks for a new tube, but I gotta ask - that's just me.
Can anyone describe the visible difference between the two, or why the later is (rumored to be) better?
How freely should oil (or water, or air) flow through the oil return tube? Surely better than just barely, at 100 psi.
Thanks in advance from hot sunny Honolulu. It's been a real ton of fun to spend almost all weekend in the sun, bent over the engine.
Last edited by Honolulu; 08-28-2017 at 02:41 AM.
Charlie
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Fast
Yes they are different. The new design prevents oil from getting clogged in the air passages within the tube.
Member
I believe the old tube was made up of 2 concentric tubes. The inner tube was for the dipstick while the out tube was used for the "oil" return line. The new design has a single tube. A blocked "oil" return line can cause damage to the engine.
Member
Thanks MarcoZ, that's what I was wondering. How could they screw up such a simple thing? It's just "one of those things" that BMW allows through for customer evaluation.
Having just ordered a new tube, I'll know the difference in a week or so that it takes the vendor to get it in stock, pack and ship. There is no overnight service via USPS... and no delivery on weekends. So my kid's "daily driver" will become a "maybe next week" driver just as she starts her first "real" job clerking with the Intermediate Court of Appeals. It's skateboard time again...
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
Member
You're welcome! I thought BMW engineers overthought the dipstick. They certainly under thought the CCV.
Member
(expletives deleted) trust me.
The new oil dipstick tube came today and it's identical to the old. It has a sticker on it with the later part number: 11 43 7 531 250, but the bottom end has the two concentric tubes, identical to the one that was in the car, with the stuck oil return. There are two differences: it's clean, and I can easily blow through the oil return line. FWIW the superceded PN is 11 43 7 502 666.
Fark me, but I thought the new design did away with the concentric tubes, so then why is the new tube visibly identical* to the old? The local dealer (here in Hawaii the only one for 3,000 miles) doesn't have one in stock to compare.
SO. Can anyone verify the actual difference in the two parts, that is, do they both have the concentric tubes in the lower portion? The oil return is through the outer tube in both cases.
*Identical my arse. The new tube is an easy 1/2 inch longer from the shoulder where it sits on the block, up to where the dipstick sits. The dipstick will sit 1/2 inch higher and read the oil level 1/2 inch low so I'll be putting in near an extra quart of oil. I have no problem with the extra oil, but it suggests these engines are tolerant of that level of oil variability, or their quality control for an item of prime customer importance is no so good. Well that wouldn't surprise me.
Anyone with direct comparative evidence of the difference between the old PN and the new one is welcome to comment. At this point I'll have to install the new part and get my daughter's DD on the road in time for her to start her first real job, clerking for one of the judges here. The little rascal will be making within a few thousand a year of my salary after being a licensed civil engineer since 1984. Yep, 33 years later and she starts at what ... oh never mind. Hawaii is just like that.
Last edited by Honolulu; 09-02-2017 at 08:56 PM.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
Member
There is a new dipstick without the double layer, called "cold climate version".
Member
Check my username. Not likely to be using the cold climate version, now am I? The new one is in the car and will stay there.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
Wagon meister :)
BMW Tech Expert
The tube isn't specifically for the cold climate, but I do notice that my dipstick now catches as I pull it out.
It is designed to reduce the blockage of the CCV drain, and ensure if the CCV does get frozen, not turn into a very small straw.
Darin
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