M56 Valve Cover Retrofit - X5 Specific

nick325xit 5spd · #1 02-01-2023, 12:20 PM

OK, I was asked to put my commentary on this in its own thread, rather than buried in the "what did you do..." thread.

I'm not attempting to make this a comprehensive DIY, rather you get my notes on the process.

In short, this is a pretty easy retrofit on the X5. Perhaps the most annoying part of the retrofit in an E46 or E39 is the coil harness. You have to modify an MS45 harness, or find one of the very few MS43 pencil coil harnesses that shipped. For the X5? Odds are that you already have a pencil coil harness, and if not, well, I show that they came in at 10/02 (model year 2003), so you can find them pretty easily. Edit: Note that the X5 does not have the clips for bolting it to the cover. The regular E46 harness clips can be used with some modification, or the M56 clips transplant over. I have a scrap E46 M54 harness that I've been harvesting wire and connectors out of for at least a decade, so I got them there.

Why do this?

1) No more warped valve covers. The aluminum valve covers are unlikely to warp and leak.
2) Much higher quality valve cover gasket.
3) Rebuildable PCV in the valve cover. It isn't going to freeze, and you don't have to contort yourself trying to get at the factory unit under the valve cover.
4) Some folks like the way the beauty cover looks. I'm kind of neutral on it, but it definitely looks more like the modern covers.

Annoyances:
I don't love the oil cap location, but it's workable. For any oil change, you have the duct cover off anyway, and there's plenty of access for top ups.

Installation Notes:
For the moment, I have abandoned the old PCV system in place. Eventually, I'll get around to replacing the intake manifold gaskets and various hoses and I'll pull it all out then. Just chop the valve cover to PCV connector off, pull the hose off the dipstick tube and leave it.

I have currently used this hose to hook the air distribution rail to the valve cover: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...se-11617504535

It's working fine, but I don't like all the vacuum caps. (One on the hose, one at the rear of the rail.)

You will need a 3/8 to 10mm vacuum cap for the dipstick tube. Plan on warming and expanding the cap before you try to shove it on. Also, throw a towel over the intake boot if you don't want to scrap your arm on the plastic brackets at the back. I like these a lot better than the shitty caps you get at the parts store: https://www.amazon.com/HPS-Temperatu...083QJNZDZ?th=1

Conclusion:
Well, I no longer have a big vacuum leak or oil draining down the side of my engine from a busted PCV. So that's a win. I took the X5 on a 300 mile round trip this weekend and everything worked great.

nick325xit 5spd · #2 02-01-2023, 12:21 PM

Reserved for if and when I decide on my final PCV to distribution rail hose design.

Bdc101 · #3 02-01-2023, 12:59 PM

Nick, thanks for typing this up! I have a few questions:

-Do you know if there is only one specific part number for the valve cover from the M56 SULEV engines, and if so what is it? Or are there multiple part numbers?
-How did you source it? New, used, junkyard, ebay etc
-Do you know how you go about rebuilding the PCV and how you determine that it needs to be rebuilt?

Thanks again! I hope to do this upgrade in the next year or so as well, since I am on year 7 with the replacement cold-weather CCV I put in.

nick325xit 5spd · #4 02-01-2023, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bdc101

Nick, thanks for typing this up! I have a few questions:

-Do you know if there is only one specific part number for the valve cover from the M56 SULEV engines, and if so what is it? Or are there multiple part numbers?

One, so far as I know.

Quote:

-How did you source it? New, used, junkyard, ebay etc

Used - eBay. They actually were sold around here, but they're pretty rare in the yards. Probably worsened by the expense of repairing certain SULEV components like the sealed fuel tank / pump assembly. Net-net, it's not really worth my time to cruise the yards anyway.

Quote:

-Do you know how you go about rebuilding the PCV and how you determine that it needs to be rebuilt?

You buy a new cap and diaphragm from the Ukrainians on eBay and it arrives... Eventually. As far as testing goes, you unbolt the chamber cover off the bottom and clean things out as thoroughly as possible with a good degreaser - Spray Nine Grez Off or Castrol Superclean are pretty good. Do NOT remove the cap without a replacement on hand as it will break. After cleaning, I threw an inspection camera into the pcv chamber and didn't see any holes, so I left it. Once you've cleaned it out, there's no reason to replace the diaphragm unless it's damaged.

Quote:

Thanks again! I hope to do this upgrade in the next year or so as well, since I am on year 7 with the replacement cold-weather CCV I put in.

Effduration · #5 02-01-2023, 03:37 PM

Nice.... Keep an eye open for any extra oil leaks...thru valve cover, vanos, etc.

I hooked up the m56 on my '03 530i just like you did and an the Hose you referenced to the intake. Like yourself I capped the smaller nipple on that hose.

But I have a bunch of oil seeping out the vanos area, and my OFHG seems to have failed early, I wonder if don't have enough vacuum on the M56 CCV port.

I think the M56 CCV needs a lot of vacuum...I haven't measured it, but I was thinking of running a second small vacuum hose from the nipple on the hose you used to the distribution pipe that runs across the top of the manifold... Thoughts?

nick325xit 5spd · #6 02-01-2023, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Effduration

Nice.... Keep an eye open for any extra oil leaks...thru valve cover, vanos, etc.

I hooked up the m56 on my '03 530i just like you did and an the Hose you referenced to the intake. Like yourself I capped the smaller nipple on that hose.

But I have a bunch of oil seeping out the vanos area, and my OFHG seems to have failed early, I wonder if don't have enough vacuum on the M56 CCV port.

I think the M56 CCV needs a lot of vacuum...I haven't measured it, but I was thinking of running a second small vacuum hose from the nipple on the hose you used to the distribution pipe that runs across the top of the manifold... Thoughts?

I’m likely going to do that when I make a better hose. I’m not convinced that there will be more vacuum, though.

Also, I don’t really see how the OFHG would have anything to do with that? That’s at oil pump pressure, not crankcase pressure.

bmw540san · #7 02-02-2023, 09:21 AM

I considered this for a while but gave up because of the somewaht PITA to source it all plus it's not exactly cheap IMO.

I've never personally had issue with leaking cover because it warped, rather it was always gasket. I've heard they warp but never in my case.

I do hate CCV location under the IM and I've actually sourced correct size rubber hoses (engine oil compatible) and relocated the CCV next to 12V jumper location on driver side.

It looks factory (IMO) and now I can change / inspect CCV in matter of minutes vs hours.

Effduration · #8 02-02-2023, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmw540san

I do hate CCV location under the IM and I've actually sourced correct size rubber hoses (engine oil compatible) and relocated the CCV next to 12V jumper location on driver side.

It looks factory (IMO) and now I can change / inspect CCV in matter of minutes vs hours.

Can you post a picture? (if you already did, I apologize)

Is the increased length of hoses - maybe 4x the distance - a problem ? maybe not as it is just oil laden crankcase air you are filtering in a CCV

nick325xit 5spd · #9 02-02-2023, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Effduration

Can you post a picture? (if you already did, I apologize)

Is the increased length of hoses - maybe 4x the distance - a problem ? maybe not as it is just oil laden crankcase air you are filtering in a CCV

Given all the cold weather issues with the PCV, I'm skeptical about this for a northern vehicle.

Bdc101 · #10 02-02-2023, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Effduration

Can you post a picture? (if you already did, I apologize)

Is the increased length of hoses - maybe 4x the distance - a problem ? maybe not as it is just oil laden crankcase air you are filtering in a CCV

It is oil-laden crankcase air mixed with water vapor just the same as when it's in its normal location, so it most definitely will exacerbate the sludge problem. Those longer hoses are just more cool places for the water vapor to condense. Bmw540san may just live in a warmer climate or change his CCV more often though. Which he is correct, it definitely makes it easier to get to.

The sludging issue is highly dependent on your climate and driving style as well, so it may be that he has no issues because he always drives long trips or mostly drives in warm climates.