Today I took some time to remove some parts to try and get a look at the CCV and area.
I have not removed the CCV but rather the filter box, fan cover, plastic under guard, DISA valve, and MAF hose so that I could get a closer look. I need daylight and more time/tools to get at the ccv. The fricken hose clamps connected to the y boot thingy (that connects to the throttle body, and the MAF hose) are facing downwards and away from me. Even with a flexible hose driver how the hell am I suppose to manage that?
Anyhow, it seems dry as a bone around the CCV and throttle body area. Using a flash light I could just see the side/front of the the CCV and it looks dry. In fact that area seems to be the cleanest of all.
There was quite a bit of grease and oil around the p/s reservoir. And basically on all the lines related to the cooling system.
So now the question is, could this be a p/s atf leak?
The fluid does not smell like oil, it is pretty odourless. It sure looks like engine oil. It does not smell pungent and is not as red as the p/s oil I compared it to from the reservoir.
Are there any tell tale signs to figure out whether this fluid is engine oil or ATF? I will work on cleaning up the area, and perhaps connecting everything up and firing up the engine (with 5w30 on hand) to see if I can find any leaks in real time. The leak is fast, so I should be able to see where it's coming from. I am just worried I might be doing damage running the engine with such a fast leak.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can ID this leak better, or how I can do so without doing something stupid and wrecking things further?
JUST GOT AN IDEA:
EDIT 2:
How to test the BMW E39 pressure-controlled crankcase ventilation system (CCV)? - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums I might try these tests.
What if I pour engine oil into vent pipe, and see if it leaks out?
The logic is that the oil was leaking so fast that there must be a gaping hole somewhere. This somewhere is possibly the CCV it self. My understanding of the diagram is that there are only two hoses which oil flows through from the system. When I pour oil into the vent pipe, if the CCV does have some sort of crack or loose hose, I should see the added oil flowing out shouldn't I? Or does the engine have to be running to create a vacuum or something?
