POPULAR TOPIC THIS TIME OF YEAR Help - Oil Separator

[FAT_X5]

The high was 18 this week. I started my X and I noticed smoke in the cab. Popped the hood and heard squirting coming from the passenger side rear of the engine bay. looks like oil. Oil pressure dropped and I shut the car down, the message center told me to.
oil under car and all over passenger side of engine..

anyone?

4.4i 2001

UPDATE - It is the oil separator. Must have froze from the cold weather. They (BMW) make a kit that insulates and warms that part, it plugs right into the harness. I'm not buying it though.

[m5james]

Pics would definately help. What have you had done service wise lately? Can you see any oil leaks from the top of the engine bay...around the filter housing, coming from the back of the intake manifold or maybe the valve cover gaskets? Check for something simple like the oil drain bolt? This is tough to diagnose w/o some more detail.

[Weasel]

Maybe the crankcase vent valve froze up and pressurized the crankcase, forcing oil to squirt out of the valve cover gasket. I remember seeing threads on that last winter...

[FAT_X5]

Here's what I saw:





I just had a 100K mile service done, full tune up spark plugs etc, oil change all of that a week ago. Car sat in Freezing temps for a couple of days without being started.

The oil was spraying out, someone said they saw black smoke coming from the tail pipes.

I got the message and shut it down, oil pooled on the ground, not very much.

Spraying sound...

[jst2878]

Im telling you again my friend. The northeast and everywhere with freezing temperatures is susceptable to this oil seperator pandemic. Poor engineering has led many to change to a newer designed seperator(if they even make one), or the need to install electric heaters for them. Ive taken my X5 off the road from november to april for this exact problem.

Originally Posted by Weasel

Maybe the crankcase vent valve froze up and pressurized the crankcase, forcing oil to squirt out of the valve cover gasket. I remember seeing threads on that last winter...

[dragoncoach]

Originally Posted by jst2878

Im telling you again my friend. The northeast and everywhere with freezing temperatures is susceptable to this oil seperator pandemic. Poor engineering has led many to change to a newer designed seperator(if they even make one), or the need to install electric heaters for them. Ive taken my X5 off the road from november to april for this exact problem.

Wow! An SAV you can't drive in the winter or during really cold weather! Sounds really crazy but I can see your reasoning.

[m5james]

That's where the OSV valve is, but you should take the cover off and look closer. In the meantime, here is some light reading

engine noise, whine, howling, oil separator valve
OSV [Oil Separator Valve] replacement enclosed.
Notes/Photos for replacing the BMW E38 (M62) Valve Cover gaskets.

All found on www.e38.org. Very useful information since we share the same motor, and the V8 w/ all it's problems have been discovered and remedied for around 6yrs before the 1st X5 was even born

[jst2878]

Time to replace oil seperator, Crankcase vent, all rubber hoses, and possibly valve cover gaskets. Goodluck

[FAT_X5]

That is all great stuff, does the OSV sit on the passenger side towards the back of the engine bay/ hood compartment?

[FAT_X5]

How much should a OSV replacement cost at a shop? 1 hour job? $100 parts?