exposing vacuum lines behind M54, to find a mystery leak

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by workingonit

... So, here's my question: when I remove all the obstructing covers over the rear of the engine, can I expect any difficulty upon reassembly, or possible breakage of 22+ year-old plastic pieces? ...

I doubt it - it all come apart and goes together very easily. The only exception might be the quarter-turn clips that hold down the scuttle section. These are a two-part deal, with a quarter-turn fastener fitting into a plug-in plastic "nut". I've had to replace a few of these nut - although not from breakage but from previous ham-fisted mechanics losing them while servicing the air filter (inc. the dealer!).



There's a few videos around showing how the filter housing comes out - like the one below. In this video, they remove some items I don't think are required to be removed (I never have) - the washer tank and battery cable. In fact, the way they remove the battery cable is downright dangerous! You also don't need to completely remove the rubber seals - I just pull them up and push them to one side.

https://youtu.be/JGYcwZSPFXw?si=Zq2anddoseTyRZJa

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by wpoll

...There's a few videos around showing how the filter housing comes out - like the one below. In this video, they remove some items I don't think are required to be removed (I never have) - the washer tank and battery cable. In fact, the way they remove the battery cable is downright dangerous! You also don't need to completly remove the rubber seals - I just pull them up and push the to one side.

https://youtu.be/JGYcwZSPFXw?si=Zq2anddoseTyRZJa

I found another video https://youtu.be/Eq00ZAOwc88 that shows what I need, though not featuring a 3.0i. Looks like no parts are subject to stress or breakage, so I think I may be OK doing this. I hate accidental breakage, especially when parts are rare.