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Today I tackled a the job I was not looking forward to, the replacement of the Y duct.
It is not a hard job, but it is NO FUN. The problem is getting access to the clamps, they are very tight to the engine and there is very little room to get your hands in there from above or below.
I had been told don't even try loosening the clamps with a slotted screw driver so I didn't try that, it would have been very difficult.
I tried an 8 mm socket with a small ratchet from both above and below and I just could not either get the socket on the clamp or keep it on the clamp. I fought it for about a half hour.
I finally decided a nut driver would be the best tool because it is in a straight line. I only had an SAE set and though it was working it was occassionally slipping. I then used a nut driver handle out of my 1/4" drive set with a 8 mm socket on the end of it and that worked like a charm. I did some of the work from above and some from below. The problem is when the clamp is loosened and you put pressure on the nut driver to keep it on the clamp the clamp turns out of range. I found that if I just kept the most minimal pressure on the nut driver the clamp did not turn and then I had success.
I was worried about putting the clamps back on, but using what I had learned taking the clamps off the job went very fast.
I spent 2 hours on it, 1/2 hour taking all the ducting out and then figuring out how to do it. About an 45 minutes actually working on it and the balance cleaning in areas not normally accessable.
I did clean the Throttle Valve and Idle Speed Control with some Carb & Throttle Body Cleaner, but they were not very dirty.
On one of the product reviews I read of the Y duct someone said they did it in 20 minutes. I could do that now, but not before this education.
BTW, my forarms are all chewed up from the close quarters, but once again I have kept the X5 away from the Dealer.
The first photo shows the old torn Y tube that Y's between the Throttle Valve and the Idle Speed Control. (I am attempting to point at it)
The second photo shows the Throttle Valve and the Idle Speed Control with the Y duct removed.
The third photo shows the job complete.
The X5 fired right up, idled perfectly and drove great.
I hope this helps someone.
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