oil separator changed, though questions open

[tonydan1]

So, I have story to tell. Last Saturday it was cold, around -15 C. I started the X5 and it made that grinding noise upon startup and then it started. On my way to work, the car started to smell of burnt oil. I made it to my dad's place and oil was leaking. I already knew what the problem was. The oil separator froze. So, I called the dealer and had them send over the "revised" part and a new valve cover gasket. My dad is a mechanic and it is the first time he does this. We put it in and there must of been a hose that was not connected properly. This caused engine misfires and the engine ran really, really bad. So, he took it off again and the hose from the seperator to the valve cover was not tight. He put it back and presto, it worked fine.

Though, when he took off the sperator for a second time, there was water inside the new one also? We found that odd. Is it supposed to have water leaking from the bottom hole. It is the last hole that drips into the dip stick. does anyone know if it should be this way as that I need to know if there is something we missed.

Also, I read another thread that the grinding noise upon start-up was supposed to go away after the new separator is changed. I started it a little while ago, it is -5 c outside, and the noise was there. Any comments on that?

Thanks for your help.

Regards