[wtfamidoing]

Hello guys looking for some wisdom on replacing the OFHG and the Oil Cooler gasket on my 2011 335is. I'm seeing a lot of mixed information online so thought I'd come here to ask.

While I am in there I am going to replace the mickey mouse flange with an aluminum one from FCP Euro.

I do not plan to change oil/filter as it was done 250 miles ago, and I do not plan to drain coolant, as a shop flushed it 2k miles ago when I had water pump done.

My biggest concern is priming the oil system. Is this standard procedure for N54? Is there a cable I can uplug at DME for the injectors instead of unplugging each injector individually? Is pulling fuel pump fuse before I do the job and then letting the engine die on its own viable to do the priming procedure after the gaskets are replaced?

I am pretty inexperienced as far as all of this goes, only really done spark plugs, brakes, oil changes stuff like that in my driveway, so please let me know if I miss anything or if you have any additional tips. Thanks!

My general plan is as follows:
First, unscrew oil filter cap slightly to let it drain before I begin working. Remove intake manifold bolts so I can lift it slightly to remove the bolt hidden on the back of the housing.

Then I will remove the two oil lines and the bolts and take off that oil cooler on the front along with the gasket.

After that, mickey mouse flange comes off, bolts for the filter housing come off, and take the entire housing off the block (leaving upper rad hose attached). Remove the second gasket and clean all mating surfaces with brake clean and shop paper towels.

Then I will hand lubricate both gaskets (OEM, no elring) with some oil and insert them respectively, hand tighten the oil filter housing bolts evenly (all new bolts), and then torque them down (24nm i think?). Ill put the oil cooler back on and hand tighten, then torque down, and reinsert oil lines with new o rings. Also replace oil pressure switch since it came with the kit i guess?

Finally I will somehow attempt to get the plastic flange off and the metal ring that holds the hose on to the flange off and replace it with the aluminum one. After that, bleed procedure for coolant, and possibly prime oil system? Should I pour a quart in the filter and let it drain a little before I torque the filter down?

[suspect]

Originally Posted by wtfamidoing

Hello guys looking for some wisdom on replacing the OFHG and the Oil Cooler gasket on my 2011 335is. I'm seeing a lot of mixed information online so thought I'd come here to ask.

While I am in there I am going to replace the mickey mouse flange with an aluminum one from FCP Euro.

I do not plan to change oil/filter as it was done 250 miles ago, and I do not plan to drain coolant, as a shop flushed it 2k miles ago when I had water pump done.

My biggest concern is priming the oil system. Is this standard procedure for N54? Is there a cable I can uplug at DME for the injectors instead of unplugging each injector individually? Is pulling fuel pump fuse before I do the job and then letting the engine die on its own viable to do the priming procedure after the gaskets are replaced?

I am pretty inexperienced as far as all of this goes, only really done spark plugs, brakes, oil changes stuff like that in my driveway, so please let me know if I miss anything or if you have any additional tips. Thanks!

My general plan is as follows:
First, unscrew oil filter cap slightly to let it drain before I begin working. Remove intake manifold bolts so I can lift it slightly to remove the bolt hidden on the back of the housing.

Then I will remove the two oil lines and the bolts and take off that oil cooler on the front along with the gasket.

After that, mickey mouse flange comes off, bolts for the filter housing come off, and take the entire housing off the block (leaving upper rad hose attached). Remove the second gasket and clean all mating surfaces with brake clean and shop paper towels.

Then I will hand lubricate both gaskets (OEM, no elring) with some oil and insert them respectively, hand tighten the oil filter housing bolts evenly (all new bolts), and then torque them down (24nm i think?). Ill put the oil cooler back on and hand tighten, then torque down, and reinsert oil lines with new o rings. Also replace oil pressure switch since it came with the kit i guess?

Finally I will somehow attempt to get the plastic flange off and the metal ring that holds the hose on to the flange off and replace it with the aluminum one. After that, bleed procedure for coolant, and possibly prime oil system? Should I pour a quart in the filter and let it drain a little before I torque the filter down?

Cant help you much with OFHG but would be interested to know if pulling the fuel pump fuse and pouring oil down the oil filter housing is good enough to prime the engine. I need to do mine at some point.

The only tip I can give is when removing the plastic coolant flange (aka mickey mouse flange) be careful don't use too much force while it is still in the block as this plastic flange starts to crumble easily. The plastic pieces can then make their way into the cooling system. I think in my case the flange came out with the hose and then I pointed it downwards into a drain pan while removing the flange. This way I let as much coolant drain out as possible in case I did get some plastic pieces in there. 2x 1.5L concentrated (not mixed) coolant from BMW was more than enough to replace the lost coolant. Follow the bleed procedure after
https://blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-use-...ding-procedure

[wtfamidoing]

Originally Posted by suspect

Cant help you much with OFHG but would be interested to know if pulling the fuel pump fuse and pouring oil down the oil filter housing is good enough to prime the engine. I need to do mine at some point.

The only tip I can give is when removing the plastic coolant flange (aka mickey mouse flange) be careful don't use too much force while it is still in the block as this plastic flange starts to crumble easily. The plastic pieces can then make their way into the cooling system. I think in my case the flange came out with the hose and then I pointed it downwards into a drain pan while removing the flange. This way I let as much coolant drain out as possible in case I did get some plastic pieces in there. 2x 1.5L concentrated (not mixed) coolant from BMW was more than enough to replace the lost coolant. Follow the bleed procedure after
https://blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-use-...ding-procedure

Appreciate the flange tip, I will definitely follow that.

As far as the fuel pump fuse, I read that normally its not a good idea because the residual fuel in the system will still combust so you cant crank it, but I was thinking if i pull the fuse and let it run prior to doing the repair until it dies, there will be no fuel residuals. So I can crank it a few times and then put the fuse in when I'm done. If anyone sees this lmk if thats a good idea or not!

[Mustafa.e92]

Your good to go stop sweating it. All your research and steps are correct. Have rags ready to try and prevent stuff getting on the belt if it is not in need of replacement. If the ofhg has been leaking onto it I would replace it with the pulley kit as preventative maintaince. The oil cooler lines like to keep dripping out oil. Make sure socket is fully onto the heads of the bolt. Mostly the one you need to remove the Mickey Mouse to get access to fully. Good call on the oem gaskets the Elrings like to squirt oil when it’s cold. If the top rad house going into the oil filter housing hasn’t been replaced in a while I would also add that to the list. The internal O ring on that hose going into the filter housing swells. Nipple at the top going to coolant tank also likes to snap off at the most inconvenient time. I wouldn’t worry about a coolant flush or oil change although I do reccomend oil changes after it I can understand your situation given it’s just been changed. Priming the system after a ofhg isn’t really an issue on n54. Few documented cases on n55’s. Yes you can pull the fuel pump fuse but it will start for a few seconds before the rail runs fully dry. I like to disconnect the injectors it takes like 20 seconds. If you angle them to the side you can just slide them out without messing with the clip. To answer your question yes cranking the car without it starting will prime the oil system. 2-3 seperate cranks of 4-5 seconds will be plenty enough. If in budget I would look into the nexsys motor sport oil pressure sensor off a n55 and throw away the junk n54 sensor

[Jaronbwall]

You don't have to prime anything on the N54. Good chance you don't have to on the N55 like mentioned above.
Good tip; buy a little syringe or fluid extractor so you can suck up excess oil before removing parts.

[GSB]

Originally Posted by Jaronbwall

You don't have to prime anything on the N54. Good chance you don't have to on the N55 like mentioned above.
Good tip; buy a little syringe or fluid extractor so you can suck up excess oil before removing parts.

Agreed. Once the OFHG job is done, partially fill the oil filter housing with fresh oil and if you're changing the filter, prime the filter itself with fresh oil before installing.