[quote=J


The idling problem has to do with the crankcase ventilation valve freezing, but it doesn't happen after one or two occurences. It is statistically more likely, that is all. I don't think there is anything unique about a BMW in the cold vs another vehicle. It is just that the parts (and repairs) are more expensive, and BMW really doesn't have much experience in very cold weather. They are naturally cautious.[/quote]
I have the impression that BMW does VERY little cold weather testing on their vehicles. Maybe their engineers are afraid if they get further north than Bremen, their beer will freeze :dunno:. Volkswagen does extensive cold weather testing here where I live, they ship up entire fleets of Jettas, Passats, Bugs, Eos and even Bentleys!! (The only way you'll ever see a Bentley up here.) The cars get driven all over the place, they are left outside and cold started every morning.

I think a viable solution to the crankcase ventilation lines freezing is take the lines of once a year (maybe even more often if the car is subjected to lots and lots of cold starts and short trips) and clean them out. It is not terribly difficult to do. (see post #45 here: http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...=oil+seperator)

I recently was looking at a friends Cat skid-steer loader, as the small turbo-diesel engine in it had spewed oil all over the engine compartment. Turns out it has a oil separator set up that is very similar to the BMW 4.4l engine. The oil separator looked very similar, but about 50% bigger, and it is connected with two lines that are about 1.5 feet long. Very similar to the 4.4 liter engine design. And guess what? It is prone to freezing up also!! :confused: So CAT says to pull the oil separator and lines off a couple times a winter and thaw them out!! Go figure.

I'm convinced that the whole problem is the fact that the oil separator lines are too damn long. They should be a few inches long max.

To answer the OP's original question (seem to have strayed a bit off topic here...) I'd go ahead and drive your X5 in the winter, install the Webasto heater since you don't have access to power to plug the car in and just accept the fact that since you are driving around in an Arctic environment, your car just isn't going to last as long as in would in some dry southern climate.

When I let my x warm up, the temp gauge always will go into the RED. I know that it is not really overheating. I just turn off the car and then restart it. The temp gauge will reset and usually be less than half.

Another thing to mention is that cold metal parts are getting smaller as the temp decreases, shortening the pitches of various gears, including the gears of gas-distributing mechanism etc. Which may cause belt slipping and shot the whole mechanism.

On a second thought, implementing a key into the car for distant starts is not safe and would lead to severe problems with the insurance company if the worst case happens.

My decision is Webasto+AGM battery.

It will give enough heat to warm up the oil and metal parts (though it warms coolant mostly but I guess it would be enough to heat other engine components as well).

.. all of which still bounds me to inspect CVV tubes and oil separator regularly.


Car would be in place in 10 days, so I will post my experience here a bit later on.

Oil pan heater and transmision heater do the job even in our -52C. Not expensive and very effective solution .

This seems to be the most sensible post regarding this issue. After MANY years in Colorado and living at 10,000 ft, this post makes the most overall sense. Now, the vent it seems, can be an issue and a periodic cleaning is necessary.

Block and transmission heaters are a benefit. You have to recognise the effectiveness of what you are using and proceed accordingly. A block heater is not going to warm your transmission etc... Warm oil is going to lessen the damage caused by a complete frosty engine. The warm oil is going to pump better and provide more protection, quicker than a flat cold start.

Sorry, but stating that an engine will not warm up by idling is absolute nonsense. Yes, putting load on the engine will cycle it quicker, but it will also increase the damage from the added stress of the cold metal.

Personally, I seem to cut a line in the middle of the two camps here. Let it idle to achieve some sort of functionality from the defroster, and proceed slowly. Idling the motor at a safe rpm is going to warm it up and you will be able to drive away safely.

I wonder if the people stating drive away cold have ever lived in a freezing environment. It is just not an option at times. Your breath's condensation can freeze and glaze the inside of a windshield. Thinking that when leaving work at 5 pm on a 15* day, you can start and go is not realistic.

i usually let my car idle for like a minute..so i guess i sholdnt nxt time

It isn't nonsense at all. At normal ambients, no problem. Idling isn't good for it, but it won't hurt it much. At -25 to -40, which is what we were discussing, many engines won't warm up, ever. That is why we use winter fronts, and other devices, to keep the heat in.

Many studies (SAE, manufacturer's, and others) have shown that cold engine wear on start up is closely correlated to the duration of the warm-up cycle. It has far less to do with load on the engine (assuming you aren't lugging it, everything within reason). Wear does correlate with high engine rpms during this warm-up cycle. Putting load on the engine is beneficial, not harmful. You don't need to worry about fatigue stress, you need to worry about boundary layer lubrication and the relative fit of the parts. You can use a thinner oil to improve lubrication and pumpability. You can't change the issue of the fit of the parts. What you can do, above all else, is reduce the duration of the warm-up cycle.

BMW know this. That is why they tell you not to idle the engine to warm it up, same as all the other manufacturers.


Yes, lived there. See my posts above. Does north of the 60th parallel count? I also acknowledged that it isn't an option at times. Safety first. :thumbup:

I stand corrected.
It seems that one thing to keep in mind has to be the tolerance changes in modern engines. Gone are the 50's, 60's and 70's American Motors.

Thanks for the tips. What suggestions for how long to have all components "warmed up" maybe 15 minutes each segment of a drive? My commute is so short 2 miles and I can take the long way to work. Weather is 5 degrees in the morning recently.

You can get it warm enough to make heat for the heater in a few minutes. Any drive of 2 miles will never get the engine really hot enough, however. 15 minutes is better, but not by much. You need to go for a longer drive every now and then, to boil off the moisture that collects in the oil. All of this remote diagnosis over the web is subject to a fair bit of personal experience and opinion, so take it for what it is.

If you check your oil filler cap, you may find a white/gray semi-solid (like petroleum jelly) under the cap. That is a sign that you have too many short trips. Because of your 2 mile drive, and -15C ambient, and given that you have a 2003 model, I recommend you have the oil separator cleaned and serviced as a preventative measure.