Heres a Tip: CCV and "Mayo" ; contains a secret tip

[1MEAN4.8IS]

I have pretty good experience with this,

Many of you out there are complaining of opening your oil fill caps and seeing some "mayo" or moisture build up on the cap and in the immediate area of the fill hole in the valve cover, truth is if you see that chances are the rest of your ccv system is already under siege from the yellow mayo!
ive seen many-a-thread addressing this problem but I have yet to see the complete outlined solution with the help tip that I have.

Specifically those of you with M54B30 engines or 3.0i
what to do if you see this yellow mayo?
- It would be best to start off with checking the hose at the front of the valve cover that runs behind your oil filter housing, its not very hard to take loose but I do caution you it can be very brittle and break easily. check there in towards the valve cover and the opposite direction down the tube, do you see more mayo? is it almost clogged?
-If you can answer yes to that then you most definitely will want to do something about it, not fixing this problem can lead even up to engine failure and hydro-locking.
with that said checking your ccv for clogs an finding them means replacement will most likely be your option, now many threads exist on replacing the CCV and associated hoses, but some don't contain the fact that the real cause can be the dipstick, the updated part from bmw is required as a major change in the way the ccv drains back to the oil pan has been made.
To rid your x of mayo:
-Replace oil separator and associated hoses
-Be sure to get or check if you have the updated oil dip stick
-Remove your valve cover clean it out as best as possible and replace the gasket
,and now for the tip to keep this from getting so bad! once cleaned out of course

temperatures: 37 degrees F or below
TIP: be sure if you live in a mild to cold climate to warm up your vehicle before driving (especially if you drive a short distance aka 1-15 miles) make sure your x gets up to operating temperature on those cold wintery days. be sure to get it up to temperature and keep driving for at least 10 minutes or more if possible, this means doing anything you can to keep driving, explore your area go somewhere you haven't been or do a hot lap around your local highways try to do this at least once a week. so if that means your engine gets to operating temperature just as you reach your destination, warm it up for 10 minutes!

SECRET TIP: really want to keep your CCV clean? at least once a month, go out in your x and get it nice n hot! this is best to do after a long trip or if you prefer you can go out and beat it up a little around town (within legal speed limits of course) be sure that it is at operating temperature and has been for a while remember nice n hot! once your need for speed or long trip is done once you park your x; open the hood and remove your oil filler cap, and watch the moisture evaporate! leave it off for a while (till its almost cooled down entirely) then re-install oil cap and follow the tip for keeping ccv clean!

[tmv]

Kinda disappointed since I've done the secret tip.
Owner Manual says NOT to warm up the car. Start it and drive, take it easy on the gas pedal until the engine reach normal operating temp. That's what I do.
What do you guys say?

[mrbmwx5]

Originally Posted by tmv

Kinda disappointed since I've done the secret tip.
Owner Manual says NOT to warm up the car. Start it and drive, take it easy on the gas pedal until the engine reach normal operating temp. That's what I do.
What do you guys say?

I say .. Bingo ..

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by tmv

Kinda disappointed since I've done the secret tip.
Owner Manual says NOT to warm up the car. Start it and drive, take it easy on the gas pedal until the engine reach normal operating temp. That's what I do.
What do you guys say?

Depends on what you mean by warm-up. I start the car and let it warm-up for 1/2- 1 minutes, afterward I start my drive. I don't let the engine idle until the temp gauge indicates that the engine is warm. Driving the X or any car is the quickest way to bring it up to operating temperature.

[ProfessorX5]

Hmm.. I started doing that bit with the cap recently, no mayo since.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by ProfessorX5

Hmm.. I started doing that bit with the cap recently, no mayo since.

That isn't what you said in your recent thread about how replacing your thermostat, thus allowing the engine to get up to temperature properly, stopped the production of condensate under your oil cap.

Your post was here: http://www.xoutpost.com/974181-post30.html

[ProfessorX5]

Originally Posted by JCL

That isn't what you said in your recent thread about how replacing your thermostat, thus allowing the engine to get up to temperature properly, stopped the production of condensate under your oil cap.

Your post was here: http://www.xoutpost.com/974181-post30.html

Yeah it did, but prior to that, I was already doing the 'secret' method. That's what I meant. I still let it vent on short drives jic.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by 1MEAN4.8IS

I have pretty good experience with this

Respectfully disagree

Originally Posted by 1MEAN4.8IS

...and now for the tip to keep this from getting so bad! once cleaned out of course

temperatures: 37 degrees F or below
...be sure if you live in a mild to cold climate to warm up your vehicle before driving

What fixes the problem is getting it hot, regularly, and keeping it hot for sufficient time that the naturally occurring moisture boils off. Your error is in promoting idling an engine under no load as a way of getting the engine hot. It won't. But it will cause greatly increased wear. And if it is in danger of freezing that day, idling is risky because there is more chance of a blocked CCV due to insufficient engine heat to thaw the CCV.

It is surprising that after 30 years or more of advise from all auto manufacturers not to idle vehicles when cold, that people continue to do so.

And despite the thread title, none of this is a secret.

[TerminatorX5]

I don't idle my cars since the E34 days... unfortunately, when a car is parked outside on a frosty day, to thaw the windshield and drive safely, one has to resort to idling while the glass is clearing, use hot water (big no-no in my book) or use scrapers (i stopped using them after seriously scratching the glass with PLASTIC edge...

is there an alternative to this?? if the car is driven regularly on a highway, at least at the posted speed limits, for anywhere from 1/2 an hour to an hour, is there a risk for the "mayo" to appear from an overnight parking? can it condense at once in otherwise "healthy" engine?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

is there an alternative to this?? if the car is driven regularly on a highway, at least at the posted speed limits, for anywhere from 1/2 an hour to an hour, is there a risk for the "mayo" to appear from an overnight parking? can it condense at once in otherwise "healthy" engine?

No, it doesn't happen overnight. It builds up over time, when the moisture exceeds the oils's ability to keep it in suspension. Think of it as an overdraft on your engine account balance. Get it hot and get the moisture level back down. If it goes on long enough, it will form a paste. If that goes on long enough it will build up under the valve cover. If that goes on long enough it can migrate to the CCV. A CCV freezing is the last step.