[lowrydr310]

Posting and update to my oil consumption after oil separator and CCV hose replacement. Consumption is exactly the same as it was before, approximately one quart per 1500-2000 miles. New separator and hoses made no difference whatsoever.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

BMW spec is 1L/600 miles IIRC. So I think you can not stress over it.

That's the idea. I've accepted the fact that I have one of the N52s that consumes a bit of oil. It's probably consistent with my driving too. I spend far too much time idling while stopped in traffic, and these engines were made to be driven.

[leif20]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Posting and update to my oil consumption after oil separator and CCV hose replacement. Consumption is exactly the same as it was before, approximately one quart per 1500-2000 miles. New separator and hoses made no difference whatsoever.



That's the idea. I've accepted the fact that I have one of the N52s that consumes a bit of oil. It's probably consistent with my driving too. I spend far too much time idling while stopped in traffic, and these engines were made to be driven.

Wow sorry to hear that! If it makes you feel any better I did trans fluid and pan in my car and about 8 months later I had to replace the solenoids, so I basically had to do the job twice. Sometimes DIY is cruel.

I guess the oil burning may come down to hours the engine is running rather than miles. You can rack up a lot more miles on an open highway rather than being stuck in traffic.

I guess I'll put off the job for now. Can't believe your solution didn't fix the issue.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Posting and update to my oil consumption after oil separator and CCV hose replacement. Consumption is exactly the same as it was before, approximately one quart per 1500-2000 miles. New separator and hoses made no difference whatsoever.



That's the idea. I've accepted the fact that I have one of the N52s that consumes a bit of oil. It's probably consistent with my driving too. I spend far too much time idling while stopped in traffic, and these engines were made to be driven.

I just got all my CCV parts... We'll see what happens.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by leif20

I guess the oil burning may come down to hours the engine is running rather than miles. You can rack up a lot more miles on an open highway rather than being stuck in traffic.

I guess I'll put off the job for now. Can't believe your solution didn't fix the issue.

That's a good point. On weekdays I drive 25 miles a day with about 1.5 hours of engine time. That includes 4 very short trips each day. So based on engine runtime, that 1 quart of consumption isn't too bad!

I was thinking of trying a piston soak though there's no smoke or any other indication of a stuck oil control ring. Before I do that, I'm going to try a different brand of oil, one of the 'premium' brands that I can't get at Walmart, Made in Germany with several reports of other German car owners claiming it significantly reduced oil consumption issues.

I'm not worried about the consumption, just curious if I can improve it.

[leif20]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I'm not worried about the consumption, just curious if I can improve it.

Two months later has there been any improvement? It seems I am still consuming 1l per 2k miles. If anything this means I can likely extend my OCI a bit more since I'm 'topping up' with fresh oil every 2k mi.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I just got all my CCV parts... We'll see what happens.

Have you installed yet?

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by leif20

Two months later has there been any improvement? It seems I am still consuming 1l per 2k miles. If anything this means I can likely extend my OCI a bit more since I'm 'topping up' with fresh oil every 2k mi.

No improvement whatsoever. It's still consuming approximately one quart per 1500 miles.

I removed my spark plugs not too long ago and they're showing signs of oil burning. They're not crusted black or wet with oil, but there are ashy deposits coating the insulator and electrode.

I found one YouTube video of a British guy stressing the importance of doing a piston soak after CCV issues. I may try that just to see what happens.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by leif20

Two months later has there been any improvement? It seems I am still consuming 1l per 2k miles. If anything this means I can likely extend my OCI a bit more since I'm 'topping up' with fresh oil every 2k mi.



Have you installed yet?

Yup. Installation completed last Sunday. I've driven the car just once since then. Will drive it again on Friday. It runs a lot better. To early to tell regarding improved consumption. Valve tops and valve stems were clean as a whistle. Only carbon build up was at the top of the intake ports. The intake had a coat of oil everywhere, especially in the grooves for the runner o-rings. The port where the heated PCV valve sits was clogged as was the other port on the Bank 2 side of the intake manifold.

I do have a seeping oil leak at the oil sensor now. Debating whether to mess with it in the short term.

It think more important for me was my starter was getting weak, so I'm glad I replaced it.

[cparke]

Originally Posted by leif20

How long can I drive like this? I'd rather not do the oil separator for a few weeks, but I also drive about 500mi per week (including weekend trips). I think the only issue is that with enough oil burning the catalyst will have reduced function, and eventually get clogged up, which is obviously not desirable. But I think this will probably take a while to happen. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I don't think the ports will get dirty as the port injection keeps them clean, when I did my starter in the fall they were clean as a whistle.

When the oil separator/PCV/CCV goes bad, oil will pool in the intake manifold. Eventually, this will pour into the engine and you'll get brief episodes of enormous plumes of white smoke and misfiring. Hydro-locking and bent valves is also possible from this oil flooding (which typically will happen after parking or driving up or down steep inclines). Another telltale sign is that fuel economy will also go to ridiculous high levels (like >30 mpg), since oil has become a secondary fuel. There also is a check valve in the oil pipe going down to the oil pan, if that clogs or or the check valve fails you also will have similar problems!

If you have the older E90's like I have (2006 330i) with the external oil separator, removing the intake manifold is a pain since the oil separator is bolted to the manifold, and you have to release the oil pipes and unplug the heater junction and remove a wiring bracket on the back to get it off, both are towards the rear of the engine bay or facing the firewall in a very tight setup. I would replace the starter right beneath along with the oil separator at the same time given the amount of labor involved, and of course replace the associated oil pipes which may break during removal or have developed vacuum leaks. There also is the DISA valve adjusting units (2) mounted into the intake manifold to check, they do break and then there are loose parts blowing around in the intake manifold!

So, how long can you drive with these issues going on? It depends. If you remove the throttle body, you can look into the intake manifold and see if there is a pool liquid oil inside there fairly easily. If not, you probably can get by just adding oil regularly, but eventually this may cause damage the catalytic converters and cause more work and expenses!

[TDF9]

Great thread, as I'm in the middle of replacing all pcv hoses and the separator on my 2006 325i with 215k miles. Just did the starter couple weeks ago and only realized when it was all back together that I must have cracked one or more hoses. So second round removing manifold. Sigh.

Anyway, dumb question: I'm finding it really hard to get the new drain hose to click on to the metal dipstick top. Just won't click for me and hard position to apply much direct force (25 degree weather may not help either). Any tricks or advice? I tried putting a little silicon spray on the top of the dipstick, but can't really reach to spray the inside of the new hose.

[leif20]

Originally Posted by TDF9

Great thread, as I'm in the middle of replacing all pcv hoses and the separator on my 2006 325i with 215k miles. Just did the starter couple weeks ago and only realized when it was all back together that I must have cracked one or more hoses. So second round removing manifold. Sigh.

Anyway, dumb question: I'm finding it really hard to get the new drain hose to click on to the metal dipstick top. Just won't click for me and hard position to apply much direct force (25 degree weather may not help either). Any tricks or advice? I tried putting a little silicon spray on the top of the dipstick, but can't really reach to spray the inside of the new hose.

Sometimes they hoses don't 'click' but the clip teeth might be engaged. Only way to know is to pull on them.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by TDF9

Great thread, as I'm in the middle of replacing all pcv hoses and the separator on my 2006 325i with 215k miles. Just did the starter couple weeks ago and only realized when it was all back together that I must have cracked one or more hoses. So second round removing manifold. Sigh.

Anyway, dumb question: I'm finding it really hard to get the new drain hose to click on to the metal dipstick top. Just won't click for me and hard position to apply much direct force (25 degree weather may not help either). Any tricks or advice? I tried putting a little silicon spray on the top of the dipstick, but can't really reach to spray the inside of the new hose.

From under the car, remove the fuel hose guard mounted to the left frame rail. This lets you get full purchase on the oil drain hose.

[TDF9]

Thanks for the replies, leif20 and Efthreeoh. One more question: would you attach this hose first to the oil separator / manifold, and then to the dipstick - or the reverse, dipstick first and then to the separator as I reinstall the manifold?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by TDF9

Thanks for the replies, leif20 and Efthreeoh. One more question: would you attach this hose first to the oil separator / manifold, and then to the dipstick - or the reverse, dipstick first and then to the separator as I reinstall the manifold?

My advice is, take the extra 15 minutes and remove the alternator, and remove the power steering bracket from the left fender. With those two components out of the way, you'll have a lot more room to work. Attach the CCV vent hose that goes to the valve cover to the CCV body only and plug in the electrical connector to the CCV junction box.

For the oil return hose, plug it into to CCV junction box but leave it disconnected on both the CCV side and the oil pan drain pipe side. Install the intake manifold, then connect the CCV side of the drain hose and then attach the bottom end to the oil pan pipe from the bottom, with the fuel hose guard removed as I explained in an earlier post. Then connect the vent line to the valve cover as the last connection.