Chewbacca mating call from my engine bay.

[Green Dragon]

Let me start off by saying, I love Wookies, but not from an engine bay. Sounds like my CCV is trying to take a dump on me. It only makes the sound for a second upon a cold start up.
We have had quite a cold winter here in the Rockies. Some days we barely get above zero. I hit negative 33 below zero the other night. The coldest this beast has seen yet.

I tried to shop vac one of the CCV lines coming from the valve cover with very little yellow "cheese whiz" coming out. So crap. Very little cheese whiz under cap as well. Must be an accumulation built up inside?

I got to thinking, and I came up with a solution for getting warmer quicker, and a little hotter. It seems to have really helped and I thought I would share my little remedy that my dad taught me.

I put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator, between the radiator and the a/c condenser. You can't see it at all from outside the vehicle. I have effectively reduced the exposed radiator by 50-60%, only covering part of it. It has really helped to get it hotter, thus giving a better advantage against the problems that arise from not getting the engine hot enough, and/or short trips during the winter. After I put in the card board, the heater could finally keep up as well. As cold as it is, I don't think I'm stressing the cooling components outside their normal range of operation.

I drove it 200 miles the other night without the cardboard (-16) and the heater couldn't keep up very well, and I'm guessing the engine wasn't able to maintain optimal temp either. My thermostate might be for a warmer climate.

Soooo....since I started doing this, Chewbacca went away, the car runs better and hotter, electric fan hasn't kicked on. This trick may help you guys in the cold climates deal with the potential of a frozen CCV and other related issues. Just remember to pull it out when it warms back up. Very easy!

Dose anyone know if BMW ever came out with a heated CCV other than the better insulted cold climate version? I saw that G.A.S is coming out with a remote mount serviceable unit for the M54. I will think I will be changing mine out soon.........

[X5SND]

I find it interesting that you say the heater couldn't keep up....we get those kind of temps regularly up here and have never had an issue with heat; I have no troubles driving In a t-shirt comfortably on a regular basis during highway runs.

[Ricky Bobby]

nice "good ol boy" remedy there!

I would make sure to do a hot oil change and definitely no more than a 5w-30 viscosity with those temps, maybe you dont have much cheese whiz but there could be some dried up gunk inside from 9 years of previous driving with that CCV?

Best way to find out, even if you don't have the sound at startup, is to pop the oil cap off with the engine running, and see if Chewbacca returns. If its quiet, your CCV has life in it.

[Zulu95]

Are you sure you do not have a problem with the Secondary Air System that only operates for a short while on cold starts and also you might need to change out that thermostat.
Never had a problem with low heat through 5 CT winters where it was colder than your mother-in-law's breath.

[upallnight]

You need to change the thermostat if it can't hold the temp in the engine, once the engine has warmed up. Make sure you bleed it well after you change the thermostat.

[TerminatorX5]

i ran the 4.6is in Moscow, in the winter of '09-'10, one of the coldest they had in a while... and when russians complain of cold, i guess, it was really cold!!! the remedy you are mentioning is a very common in there - they "scarf" up their engine bay vent openings in the front, to keep the heat inside the bay... i never had to do so but I guess it is an "accepted" remedy... Just never heard it being done in the "civilized" world... lol...

[scottg7511]

my 52 plate does the same noise when i was under the other day replacing tie rod i noticed air con belt missing id check that ?

[Green Dragon]

Thanks for all the replies.

As a few of you have pointed out, and I think your right on the money, my thermostat has most likely failed in the open position. I never had problems last year with thermal regulation during some cold snaps. I bet its time to replace the thermostate.........add that to a door handle carrier, and hot oil change.

While I'm at it, I will descend below, to the hell hole that BMW decided to stick the CCV Valve, pull it and all lines for a deep cleaning and finally silence any chance the wookie will come back and haunt me anytime soon.