DIY: 2006 X5 3.0i CCV Overhaul
 

DIY: 2006 X5 3.0i CCV Overhaul

Disclaimer: if I have to do this CCV again, I’d not keep the stock setup, it is a PITA job. Instead, I’d have done the mod by BavarianE39, it is simpler and better. See link by BavarianE39:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-problems.html


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However, since I have OFH Gasket leak, and I already bought the parts for stock CCV from BMW, here you go. Also, the CCV job is much much easier with the OFH out of the way!

No need to remove intake manifold for CCV job!

Make sure you read the links I wrote in the past, it will make this job easier:

* OFH Gasket for 1998 528i:
1998 528I Oil Filter Housing Gasket & “Freeze Plugs” Repair (E39) - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

* OFH bolts stripping issue for M54 engine:
Help Oil Filter Housing Bolt Stripped?

* Fan Clutch Nut ---> how to install easily using poultry cord:
DIY - Fan Clutch Nut Installation - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums


GENERAL NOTE:

- Make a list (and label) each connector because you will disconnect quite a few connectors!

- During installation, make sure you re-connect them all using your checklist.

- OFH: 2 connectors

- ICV: 1 connector

- Throttle Body: 1 connector

- Alternator: one connector and one 13-mm nut for the red cable.

- Air Mass Meter: 1 connector

- Oil all CCV pipe connector before installation, it is easier to do it with oil!


1. Parts List: #1, #2, #3 sold as a kit. I also bought #4 and #7. Don’t forget dipstick housing O-ring.


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66629


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66630


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66631




2. Oil leak under the car:


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66632



3. Fan Clutch removal. Look up PB Blaster, screwdriver trick on how to counter-hold:


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66633



4. I have hydraulic tensioner, so 8-mm hex socket is the way to go. Make a diagram of belt routing so it makes installation easier.


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66634


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66635



5. “Too lazy” to remove the battery cable (spare tire off, this bracket, that bracket etc.), I did it the ghetto way, simply use a string to tie the alternator cable out of the way. It works great. Saved 15 minutes playing with trunk battery disconnection etc.!


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66636



6. Alternator is VALEO for my car.


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66637



7. Once the Air Mass Meter is off.
- DISA: two (2) T40 bolts
- ICV: two (2) T40 bolts
- Throttle Body: four (4) 10-mm bolts


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66638





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8. CCV unit is held by two (2) T25 screws. I removed the foam and disconnect that pipe first. Install the CCV, then connect the pipe later. Then install the two (2) T25 screws.


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66641


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66644



9. Dipstick housing: 10-mm nut and 13-mm bolt. Once it is out of the car, clean the double-wall channel with brake cleaner. At 116K, mine is still open, no clog, a testament of highway drive. So avoid short trips if you can!
REMOVE the old O-ring from the engine. Install the new O-ring on the dipstick housing first!


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66642


10. For OFH 6 bolts, read on how to prevent galling and stripped threads. Once the 6 bolts are off (label them as you remove them!), I left the PS Pump in place (too lazy to remove the PS Pump LOL). I used a hook tool and remove old gasket. Clean the groove with some Q-tips. Make sure no debris left behind.
Smeared some grease on gasket and laid it in the groove.


11. Clean the engine block well, make sure you don’t use paper towel as this can leave bits and pieces behind. Use a rag.
- Read the link above re how to torque the 6 bolts. Basically do it in stages, be patient, wait 5-10 min between re-torquing to avoid leak later.


http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...chmentid=66643


12. Once done, spray some engine cleaner and rinse with gentle water to wash of oil leak.


13. Check to be sure ALL connectors are re-connected!!!


That is all boys and girls, I don’t want to do this job again, my back hurts LOL!!!


PS: Anyway, since my CCV is now back to stock and the OFH gasket is replaced, I’d report back in 1K miles re oil consumption!!!








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Cam wonderful post my friend thanks for doing it! My back was killing me after doing my CCV in June 2014, I kept all insulation on, did not remove OFH (at 75k miles I am not leaking from it, yet), and replaced dipstick guide tube with single wall updated design. I think I sat in Epsom salts bath for weeks lol!

A few notes before I forget:

1. When d/c the Vanos oil feed (19-mm wrench), since I kept the 2 washers, try to keep the 2 washers in the same orientation because they have distinct indentation from torquing the bolt. I use ZipLoc and rubber band to tie them together and also to keep debris out of the line.

2. In theory, you can do the CCV with the OFH in place, but it is 100x easier if you remove the OFH. Since both of these items (CCV and OFH Gasket) need to be done around 100K+, it is best to do both jobs together. Shooting 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.

3. During installation, the Vanos oil feed line hit the CCV pipe. I had to make minor adjustment to the Vanos oil feed line so it does not collide with the CCV pipe.

4. Clean the throttle body and the ICV since they are out of the car.

5. My DISA Valve looked fine at 116K.


Personally, I don't care for this M54 CCV shitty design and the time involved. I did it simply because I already bought the parts from BMW and perhaps wanted to keep the stock look.

Next time: I'd do the mod using standard hoses as outlined in BavarianE39 posts.

Thanks for this. My CCV kit + dipstick guide tube and OFHG have been sitting in a box waiting to be done.

You must have missed the part where he replaced the OFHG. And what is so dangerous about disconnecting the alt without disconnecting the battery?

let that big exposed end of that alternator charge wire hit some metal with the battery connected and you'll get a nice surprise.

1. Yes Sir, you didn't read carefully. With the OFH out of the car, the CCV job is much easier.
In order to remove the OFH, the alternator needs to come out.
However, as mentioned above, I left the PS Pump in place.

2. No it is not dangerous working near alternator as long as one knows what he/she is doing.
The only source for electrical spark is the big red cable that connects to the back side of the alternator, which I already tied out of the way as shown.

OK,

I am a safety-conscious person and I am not worried, why?

1. That red cable (to the alternator) is very short, it cannot move too much.
Plus the surrounding environment is all plastic (Plastic Intake Manifold etc.). Not too much metal around this cable.

2. Coming from E39 (1998 528i) where disconnecting the battery cable is a snap, the E53 battery cable d/c procedure is a PITA: removing spare tire, this and that just to get to the battery cable. I have back pain, so I skip that non-sense.

3. Worried? Then tie it with some string as mentioned, then cover the end with black electrical tape. Then tie it out of the way. Trust me, if you do it this way, you will save the time and non-sense of going to the trunk to d/c the battery cable.

A random thought for future...

The pain of this CCV job is from the fact that the CCV itself is buried deep under the Intake Manifold, necessitating removing a whole bunch of stuff (DISA, ICV, Throttle body) just to get to the Separator.

I wonder if one can relocate the Separator to somewhere above the Intake Manifold. Then make some kind of hoses to the dipstick housing, and to the intake manifold nipples as designed. So the only difference is in the "new" location of the Separator.
This way, future CCV is a piece of cake.
Plus, with the Separator sitting on top of the I.M., oil has to travel up a slope to get there, so less oil consumption, theoretically speaking!

OK, Sir...

If you know a thing or two about electricity, it needs a ground source for spark.
Put your finger on a battery terminal won't cause anything to spark: in fact, this is what people do all the time to change the battery in their vehicles.

Again, you need ground for spark. I already looked around, there is no metal that this red cable can reach.

I had rubber glove on.
I removed the 13-mm nut.
Then tie the red cable away.
There was no metal nearby to spark, it is all plastic for that matter!

OK, maybe I have been wrenching for 30 years, so I know what spark is. But I am not afraid of this thingy.

Your car, your choice, go to the trunk and d/c the battery.

Do you realize that this step (unscrewing the 13-mm nut on the alternator) is, from an electrical theory perspective, no different than undoing the 10-mm nut at the battery terminal?

PS: I cannot believe this CCV thread is getting into a "electrical fear" session LOL.

Cn90, don't bother with Trader4, he is just a troll. Hopefully a mod will come in here and clean it up.

Trader is going back on my ignore list he is just a friggin lecturer nowadays again, I remember now why he was on the ignore list when he first joined.

Joshdub,

I know about trader4, so no worry. To me trader4 is more or less arm-chair general that I don't care too much about LOL.

trader4 has his points though: safety first, but he blew it out of proportion. BTW, trader4, look around the M54 area:
- Intake Manifold is Plastic
- Intake Elbow is Plastic
- The cable has its limits, and yes I swing it around a bit, it cannot easily touch anything metal.

Like I said above, worried? Simply tie it up and wrap some black elec trical tape around the tip. Easy Peasy. Save tons of time going to the trunk/

Believe me, I am safety conscious person but the E53 battery location turns me off big time, plus I have back pain at the moment, so no thanks about going into the trunk LOL.

OK, I am not feeding the troll further...

PS: Most electrician replace wall switch with the circuit on because:
- They wear rubber gloves
- They know what they are doing.

The rookies (home owner), for the right reasons, go the the basement and shut of the circuit.

I am not saying anyone is right or wrong, all I am saying is do what you are comfortable with.

Me, I have been fixing cars for 30 years, so I know what I am doing (hope so).

trader4,

I never tell anyone it is safe. All I said is "this is the way I do it", and of course, people do things at their own risks.

trader4, the best you can do now is to:
- Review some basic electrical 101.
- And ... shut up.

Lol, I know exactly what'll happen if it grounds out. It'll spark. It'll be a big spark, but it won't kill you nor will it fuse because it simply won't touch for long enough.

So how exactly is it "dangerous"? I'll advised? Possibly, but not because of " DANGER". If it were a tight spot with plenty of places to ground out on sure, but not there as almost everything is plastic.

What "wrench" are you using on the alternator? You mean a ratchet, that is on the front? The cable is on the rear of the alternator. There is zero chance of touching that cable. You may as well disconnect the battery in the X5 while you are working on your weed wacker. And if you just touch the cable with any tool, nothing will happen. So since it won't kill you, and unless you live in an extremely gasus environment, where is the danger?

And the reason people got on you about the starter is that you can easily jump the starter since the terminals are so close. Engaging the starter while under the car isn't going to end well for anyone. You cannot engage the alternator, and if you ground it out, it'll spark, and no one will die.

So TL;DR, it is you that needs to be careful as it is clear you have just enough information to get yourself into trouble, and not a lot of experience to fall back on when shit hits the fan. And just because you have a degree, it doesn't mean you know what you are doing.

Lol, you're an idiot. Seriously put the dorritos down, take a deep breath and read the post. You miss the mark almost every time.

First of all, the "wrench" you use to undo the cable securing nut has nothing to hit. Secondly, my securing nut has a plastic coating. So that argument is null.

No one isn't saying you aren't theoretically correct. It just isn't as nearly as big of an issue as you are making it out to be. Now are you done? Or do I need to call your mother and have her revoke your computer privlages for the evening?

Stupid troll, please keep this thread about CCV.
Forget all those stupid electrical engineering degree bragging.

Hey CN, thanks for doing this. I am collecting parts to do a whole punch of stuff on my MT as well. I plan on moving it into the garage and take as long as it takes to change all of this stuff and your write up is going to help a lot. Especially all of the small little tips you share during some of the steps. I am a noob when it comes to this stuff so I will probably replace the battery anyway so it looks like I get to remove the battery to do this.

Thanx CN, I appreciate the tutorial and this is brilliant work! thanx again!

Update...

- I have since decommissioned the CCV and used the "BavarianE39 CCV Mod", the mod works great...

- I forgot to post the ICV tricks, just did it now, there are some tricks...

1. At 17 yrs/140K, the rubber boot cracked. Happened to see the cracks during routine inspection. No CEL codes at all.

2. The "impossible Rubber Boot screws facing downward".
- No problem, use a Black Sharpie and mark the end of the screw so you know it is turning.
- Use a pair of right-angle pliers and turn the screw, since you are facing the other way, in order to undo the screw, you need to turn it clockwise from where you are standing. This is like turning it CCW if you face the screw.
- After a few turns, tug it and ROTATE the screw upward. Life will be 100x easier now.
- The rubber grommet: at 140K, it looks good, you can re-use it.
I happened to buy a new BMW grommet, so I installed the new grommet.

- Rubber Boot ~ $25 at dealer
- Rubber Grommet ~$23 at dealer (this part is optional). I think this part will last some 20 yrs/200K+. So again, re-use it if you want to.

That is all...


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