CCV Valve - Oil Separation Failure due to cold weather...anyone else?

[Technomage]

I just got this issue 2 weeks ago, it scared the crap out of me. It was 18F out and I warmed up the car for about 2 mins, I then headed off to work and while I was on the highway after about 10mins I looked behind me and saw a cloud of blue smoke, I pulled over immediately very nervous thinking there was fire in the engine bay since smoke was coming out from under the hood. I opened it up and a waft of smoke came out but no fire... you can say I was relieved however there was oil everywhere. I had the car towed and luckily i didn't get any engine damage and was able to drive the car after the shop cleaned the oil off and added 2 liters of oil back. Are there any known fixes besides the wrap? I wish BMWNA would say something about this since there was a good chance of my car catching on fire from this. I'm considering a Jap car next, getting tried of all the BMW issues.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Technomage

Are there any known fixes besides the wrap?

Glad it worked out OK for you.

The wrap and/or heated CCV is addressing the symptoms, not the problem. I think it can help, but there are owners who have had repeat problems after installing the updated parts, so I don't think it is in any way a guarantee of no future problems.

The real issue is short trips that don't get the engine hot enough, and which don't give it enough time to boil off the condensation. Suggest you don't warm up the vehicle at idle. Also, if you see smoke under the hood, have a fire extinguisher handy before you open the hood and give it more air. That isn't specific to BMW, it applies to any car.

For your X5, the best path forward is to add an inspection of the CCV to your annual maintenance schedule, and get it cleaned out if there is any condensate building up in it.

[mysweetx5]

There is much more engine wear during the warm-up cycle than when the engine is hot. By idling it that long, you are simply extending the warm up cycle and causing that much more wear. The least wear is with a quicker warm-up cycle, as the engine doesn't heat up unless it has load on it. When you start the engine, you should wait until you have oil pressure (less than 30 seconds) and then drive off. Drive gently, and keep the rpm reasonable and use a light throttle application until the engine is warm. This presumes that you can see out the windshield; if it is frosted up and you need to wait for heat, that is safer. It just causes more engine wear.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mysweetx5

Oh nooo my friend! warming any car for about: 2minutes and just take off is totally NOT acceptable!

....For this reason, it's fully recommended specially for this type engine system to let it run atleast around: 15 to 30 minutes before you can take off.

Idling a vehicle to warm it up is not at all good for it. Suggesting to let it idle for 15-30 minutes is very bad advice. Look at your owner's manual, and see what it says. This is not specific to BMW, it applies to all modern vehicles.

There is much more engine wear during the warm-up cycle than when the engine is hot. By idling it that long, you are simply extending the warm up cycle and causing that much more wear. The least wear is with a quicker warm-up cycle, as the engine doesn't heat up unless it has load on it. When you start the engine, you should wait until you have oil pressure (less than 30 seconds) and then drive off. Drive gently, and keep the rpm reasonable and use a light throttle application until the engine is warm. This presumes that you can see out the windshield; if it is frosted up and you need to wait for heat, that is safer. It just causes more engine wear.

If your vehicle feels heavy, it is also due to the steering, suspension, transmission, etc. None of those systems (ie everything other than the engine) are warmed by idling the vehicle.

[X5 Meister]

The fix for your engine isn't a heated wrap. You have the 6 cylinder engine (M54). See here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...under-cpo.html

Originally Posted by Technomage

I just got this issue 2 weeks ago, it scared the crap out of me. It was 18F out and I warmed up the car for about 2 mins, I then headed off to work and while I was on the highway after about 10mins I looked behind me and saw a cloud of blue smoke, I pulled over immediately very nervous thinking there was fire in the engine bay since smoke was coming out from under the hood. I opened it up and a waft of smoke came out but no fire... you can say I was relieved however there was oil everywhere. I had the car towed and luckily i didn't get any engine damage and was able to drive the car after the shop cleaned the oil off and added 2 liters of oil back. Are there any known fixes besides the wrap? I wish BMWNA would say something about this since there was a good chance of my car catching on fire from this. I'm considering a Jap car next, getting tried of all the BMW issues.

[dave762]

Originally Posted by JCL

You actually drive 3 minutes to work, on a regular basis? And you warm up your vehicle by idling it with no load on it? Those are both terrible for the engine, as I am sure you know since you own a repair shop.

Sorry to hear about your engine failure, but a 4.6 is not well suited to that type of driving.

Yes its a 3 min drive , actually 2 mins if I run the stop signs , I would never walk to work , thats too healthy ! besides we always have a ton of stuff to bring back and forth including kids and back packs because the school is right beside the shop, I refuse to leave the X5 parked while I drive some little Jap car , I paid too much money for the X5 to just have it sit in the garage at home, yes i am a mechanic and have a repair shop, I think I know engines inside and out and would never suggest to get in something in cold weather and just drive it ! you must give everything a chance to warm up equally and the oil to start flowing .
While my engine was out I studied the CCV carefully and I believe there are numerous causes of its failure , one the hoses/pipes and valve build up with carbon and sludge from poor quality oil then the oil cant drain back to the pan so it collects in the intake (missfires and oily tail pipes will be noticed) , second is the metal drain pipe on the RH side of the engine cant warm up so the oil wont flow back down , plus the pipe is too small, the valve will fill with cold heavy oil and carbon blocking the crank case vent , if the crank case does not vent then enough pressure will build up in there to push a valve cover gasket outward and oil will run down on an exhaust manifold causing smoke under the hood. Third is a vacuum leak , if there is no vac to the valve it can not keep itself clean .
As far as a proper fix I may experiment with removing and plugging off the whole thing and just vent the LH valve cover to the ground with a large diameter hose , there are two reasons why the engine is vented back to the intake , one is for a clean enviroment to be sure all "gases" are burned before they go to the atmosphere , second is so you do not smell the odor in or beside the vehicle , I suppose there could be a slight bit of steam and the odd drip if it were to the ground but big deal ! old 70's cars and trucks were vented this way and today Dodge Cummins/IHC Ford Power Stroke/GMC Duramax and all highway trucks/Ag tractors just vent to the ground.
This is only my opinion
Dave

[hbhavsar]

While so many X5 owners frustrated with oil separator valve problem and especially pain in a neck job to replace it, I was thinking of making some modification to mount it somewhere easy to reach location within the engine compartment. In this caase, we can not use OEM hoses but we may use oil resistant flexible hoses and attach them to the valve and place it at some place within the engine compartment so that one can easily remove and replace whenever it needed.

Anyone please reply how this idea sounds. Has anyone done such a remedy?

[dave762]

Originally Posted by hbhavsar

While so many X5 owners frustrated with oil separator valve problem and especially pain in a neck job to replace it, I was thinking of making some modification to mount it somewhere easy to reach location within the engine compartment. In this caase, we can not use OEM hoses but we may use oil resistant flexible hoses and attach them to the valve and place it at some place within the engine compartment so that one can easily remove and replace whenever it needed.

Anyone please reply how this idea sounds. Has anyone done such a remedy?

Being it relies on gravity to drain then the only place I can think of is to tee it into the dipstick tube but that is a cold spot due to the cooling fan, I am thinking it will ice up.
Dave

[JCL]

Originally Posted by dave762

As far as a proper fix I may experiment with removing and plugging off the whole thing and just vent the LH valve cover to the ground with a large diameter hose , there are two reasons why the engine is vented back to the intake , one is for a clean enviroment to be sure all "gases" are burned before they go to the atmosphere , second is so you do not smell the odor in or beside the vehicle , I suppose there could be a slight bit of steam and the odd drip if it were to the ground but big deal ! old 70's cars and trucks were vented this way and today Dodge Cummins/IHC Ford Power Stroke/GMC Duramax and all highway trucks/Ag tractors just vent to the ground.
This is only my opinion
Dave

It wasn't the '1970s, it was 1961. Some road draft tubes were still around in '62 through '64 until they were all replaced by PCVs. Early diesel pickups weren't subject to the same emissions regulations (depending on GVW) so some had road draft tubes, but those have gone away now too, as they are equipped with the diesel equivalent of a PCV.

I had a '63 GMC pickup with a straight six and a road draft tube for a while, just used it to clear some property. I never thought of turning my BMW into a GMC farm truck, but I guess it could be done.

[Technomage]

Originally Posted by X5 Meister

The fix for your engine isn't a heated wrap. You have the 6 cylinder engine (M54). See here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...under-cpo.html

unfortunately my CPO ended in 2010