dinan cold air intake question
 

Hey out there, does anyone know if I can use K&N filter oil on my Dinan Cold air intake? It is Sunday and I was doing some PM on my new to me X5. I have used many K&N filters on other vehicles and have the cleaner and filter oil but cannot contact Dinan to find out until tomorrow. So I have cleaned the filter and before putting it in was hoping to be able to use the K&N stuff. I searched the forums but did not find anything. Anyone???

Is there any maintenance on the Dinan mass air flow meter. My son told me a lot of guys get bad air flow readings if they don't clean the air flow meter but I looked at it and don't see what should be cleaned unless it just gets blown out with air. Thanks in advance.

doug

just answered my own question
 

Over the weekend I cleaned my dinan CAI filter and used some K&N oil on it. Since it was the weekend I was hesitant to drive it until I got the answer. No one responed to my question so I called Dinan today and sure enough they told me I could fry the MAF if I oiled the filter. The air filter resembles the K&N so I assumed cleaning and oiling was normal protocol. I also learned that the Dinan CAI filter is designed for 25K miles and then gets replaced (kinda disappointing since K&Ns can be used forever), so I ordered one today. I took the freshly oiled one off and re-cleaned. Once it dries I guess I will re-install and drive until the new one arrives.

I also learned that there is a special cleaner for the Dinan MAF meter. It supposedly is designed not to short out the contact sensors. Dinan told me that canned compressed air will work in a pinch to blow of dust and other particles off the sesors. Hope some one can use this knowledge in the future. A new Dinan MAF will cost about $400.

There are various aftermarket filters that are dry and don't require oil. Foam filters use a more gummy type substance, but also tend to flow more.

As for the $$Dinan$$ MAF, why would you have to replace the whole entire unit when it's just the sensor that needs replacing. E39 M5 guys have been able to use VW MAF sensors in the $80 price range, so I'd never consider replacing the whole thing. What else $$Dinan$$ have you done? If you haven't done the intake manifold, you can purchase one from ebay for under $50 and it's the exact same thing $$Dinan$$ charge thousands for.

M5James

I just bought this X5 a few months ago and it had 60K+ miles on it with the dinan stage II software, throttle body, CAI, MAF sensor, and strut brace. I am not all that familiar with it all and unaware of maintenance issues, costs, pitfalls, etc. I have picked up some good info on this forum but I will be honest I don't have that much experience with it.

I don't plan on spending any more on mods, it runs great as is. I did learn that the air filters are designed to be replaced at 25K miles and the dinan rep told me many people do oil their air filters and thus fry their MAF because the sensors short out from the oil that is blown thru the filter. Just passing on what the dinan rep told me.

Congrats on the new rig, especially w/ some decent mods. If you ever decide to finish the breathing upgrades, you can swap on the intake manifold from older V8's and get the same benefits for a fraction of the cost for the $$Dinan$$ unit, then you'd only need another software upgrade to complete the job.

Welcome to the forums, there is a lot of information on here. I always like to mention that www.e38.org will have a lot of the same maintenance information we need here. The M62 (non-VANOS) and M62TU (VANOS like you have) has been used in 540's and 740's for about 6yrs before the first X5 was ever made, so all the problems have been discovered, fixed and compiled already on the site.

Take care.

Thanks for the advise, much appreciated.

:thumbup:

The Dinan CAI Filters (Blue) are made by K&N. Dinan does not recommend cleaning & re-oiling (as you would a typical Red K&N Filter) because of the issues regarding fouling the MAF Sensor with the re-applied oil

Buy a new Dinan filter and save yourself a headache of a busted MAF Sensor. You should not have to replace the filter under 30k miles. If you live in dusty area get an air filter cover for the the Dinan filter.

Thanks for the input. I ordered the new filter from dinan already. You have a nice X5, I would love to see it in person and take a ride. It would be a treat to see the difference from my wife's stock 4.4. You seem to be quite knowledgable about dinan mods. Do You know what the tiny filter (2" in diameter and 1" high) that sits below the air filter does? Does this one get replaced when you replace the air filter?

One last question that maybe you can help me with. I keep getting a "service engine" light that comes and goes. The previous owner told me that since the added the stage II mods it has always done it. This answer does not sit well and I believe it might have something to do with MAF sensor but the car runs great. To be honest I have not taken it in to find out what code is. I live two hours from the dealership and besides they charge over $50 just to find out what the code is. First and last time the wife's X5 SE light came on, I took it to dealer and it said the gas cap was not put on properly. So I am hesitant to take it in. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

I believe it's also a Dinan (or K&N) filter for the recirculation pump valve. Depends on year/model if you have one.

My Service light has NEVER come on because of the Dinan mod's. Take it to the dealer or a local BMW shop and have them put it thru the OBD/DIS computer.

Search the threads here.....there is a wealth of information at your fingertips on this site, there a ton of bright people who own these vehicles and just about ANY issue with your X can be found here.

Off topic for a second...

Hey bsprtgrp, you mention in your signature that the BSW Stage 1 speakers are actually MB Quarts...is that a fact?

When I purchased the STAGE 1 from BSW, MB Quarts were my speaker of choice.

I don't understand. MB's are my speaker of choice also because I love they bright highs, especially all 14 of them in my 7! I'm still curious as to who BSW uses for their speaker replacement for the X though...I know they're not manufacturing the tweeters themselves.

Then let me clarify........When I purchased the Stage 1 setup from BSW in 2006 you had a CHOICE of speakers to choose from.....MB Quarts OR Rainbow. I choose the MB Quarts (Tweets & Mids)...midrange were OEM from BSW

From the looks of their website TODAY, they seem to be now manufacturing their own speakers (Mids)

When I got the BSW Speaker upgrade for my wife's '04 X5 in '07 you had no choice & they are Rainbow speakers.

Ok, I had no idea they gave you a choice.
A Google search of Rainbow speakers brought me here BMW speakers from IQ Car Audio. Interesting. I'm going to have to see what price differences I can find now...

EDIT - $130 difference between BMW E39 Car Speakers by Rainbow Car Audio from IQ Car Audio. and BMW Speakers Upgrade for E39 BMW 528i, 540i, 525i, 530i, M5 Sedans & Wagons | BSW: Audio Upgrades For BMWs. God, I love the internet.

Either way, whenever I decide to start upgrading my speakers in the X, I'll look for MB's and make them work.

Sorry for the interruption, back to our regular programming :)

I don't know where "taos nm" is located, but do you have autoparts stores there that might let you use their code reader? Sure, it's not as good as the DIS/MODIC machines, but it'll get you in a ballpark and we can definately work from there.

m5james,

taos is about 75 miles north of santa fe. We do have an indy that I have used for some other minor repairs. I guess I will take it in and see what is causing the SES to come on. Just before my COP ran out I took it to dealer (SES light was on at time) and they diagnosed a couple of bad hoses near the intake manifold. They also did a complete once over and replaced some other things that most dealers would have let slide. The SES light has gone on and off several times in the last two months and I have not noticed any difference in the way it runs.

Can anyone out there tell me what the MAF sensor actually does? I was under the impression it senses air flow and makes milisecond changes to the computer to control fuel/air mixtures, timing inputs, etc. What kind of signs exist if your MAF is not working properly? Anyone

I figured NM, but I wasn't sure since there are people all over the world on here.

Google or Wikipedia could probably give you a better definition, but here's a shot...

It's a heater wire sensor that, as flows across it, the engine determines how much more or less fuel is needed based on the airflow. So if you've got a highflowing cold air intake, it'll notice, or if your filter is due for replacement from being clogged it'll also notice. It's also helpful when doing heavy elevation changes where the air is getting thicker or thinner as you go.

There is also an air temp sensor that ties into the MAF (seperate unit) that measures how hot or cold the air is for density purposes. Early E39 M5's had the temp sensor located too close to the radiator, so it would get false high temp reading. The aftermarket caught onto this and sold relocation kits, but since then BMW figured it out and relocated them also, solving the problem.

Some ways you can tell if the MAF is failing is by using the OBC and watching the fuel consumption, but I don't remember where the breakdown tables on based on our engine size. Meaning that if your using plenty of fuel, but the car doesn't feel as fast as it could, that maybe the MAF is slowing loosing it's sensitivity to flow changes and your just wasting gas, in turn ruining your catalytic converters (common problem in earlier M62's). They're kind of like 02 sensors, after time of repeated heating and cooling cycles, they don't adjust to changes as quickly. If you're having starting problems, rough idle in the morning, flashing SES and backfiring through the intake (the worst to have), then try unpluggin the MAF and see if that fixes things. If it does, then you've found your culprit. One thing to note though, if you've got these issues, especially the flashing and backfiring, you'll be worse off if you reset the codes as opposed to just driving w/ the MAF unplugged until you get your replacement. Reseting the codes erases everything the computer learned when the MAF was functioning normally, so if you leave your bad MAF plugged in, then try to drive around on it w/ it giving bad readings, you'll definately be worse off that if you had left it w/ at least some amount of good learned settings.

It's a heater wire sensor that, as flows across it, the engine determines how much more or less fuel is needed based on the airflow. So if you've got a highflowing cold air intake, it'll notice, or if your filter is due for replacement from being clogged it'll also notice. It's also helpful when doing heavy elevation changes where the air is getting thicker or thinner as you go.

There is also an air temp sensor that ties into the MAF (seperate unit) that measures how hot or cold the air is for density purposes. Early E39 M5's had the temp sensor located too close to the radiator, so it would get false high temp reading. The aftermarket caught onto this and sold relocation kits, but since then BMW figured it out and relocated them also, solving the problem.

Some ways you can tell if the MAF is failing is by using the OBC and watching the fuel consumption, but I don't remember where the breakdown tables on based on our engine size. Meaning that if your using plenty of fuel, but the car doesn't feel as fast as it could, that maybe the MAF is slowing loosing it's sensitivity to flow changes and your just wasting gas, in turn ruining your catalytic converters (common problem in earlier M62's). They're kind of like 02 sensors, after time of repeated heating and cooling cycles, they don't adjust to changes as quickly. If you're having starting problems, rough idle in the morning, flashing SES and backfiring through the intake (the worst to have), then try unpluggin the MAF and see if that fixes things. If it does, then you've found your culprit. One thing to note though, if you've got these issues, especially the flashing and backfiring, you'll be worse off if you reset the codes as opposed to just driving w/ the MAF unplugged until you get your replacement. Reseting the codes erases everything the computer learned when the MAF was functioning normally, so if you leave your bad MAF plugged in, then try to drive around on it w/ it giving bad readings, you'll definately be worse off that if you had left it w/ at least some amount of good learned settings.[/QUOTE]


Thanks, I sort of figured it had to do with fuel mixtures but this explanations really helps. I don't think my MAF is out of wack because I do not experience any of the symptoms you mention above. Once when I started her, there was a puff of bluish smoke out of the exhaust and a nasty smell emitted but it cleared up in a few seconds and never done it again.

My fuel consumption on the 4.6 runs about 18 to 19 mpg with straight interstate type driving. Just went on a long trip about 4k miles and averaged 18.1 for the whole trip. Running around town I am getting about 14 - 15 unless I get on it and it drops monumentally. The wifes 4.4 gets about 17 round town and as much as 23 on the highway. So long story short, I am getting about what BMW states on their sticker. I figured the difference in mpg between the two is the fact the at 4.6 has a little lower gear ratio 390 vs 360 for the 4.4 (and it is kinda fun to punch the 4.6 now and again). My old 840 had 282 gears (I think) and it would get over 25 on the highway at 85 mph (about 2500 rpm). The 840 would run 100 mph and the tack would not even hit 3K.

Oh I am getting off topic but thanks for the explantion. I took the beast by the indy shop today and they wanted $125 minimum to run a diagnostic. They said they would find the codes and then diagnose the problem. That is more than the stealership charges. We have an O'Rielys and an Autozone, so I will check and see if they can give me the trouble code(s).
Thanks again.

Absolutely outrageous. :mad:

Here's a solution, if you're a DIY type....

OBD Diagnostics, Inc. - OBD2 All-In-One Scan Tool w/ USB

Thanks J.
Do you have this diagnostic tool? Does it work well, and do you need any code deciphering literature to understand trouble codes? I have never used anything like this but since I have a couple of X5s, it might be a good investment. I will call the 800 number and check into it. Thanks again for the insight and advice.

$125?!?! I'm sorry, but that's f-ing stupid!! Autozone and O'Reilly's/Schucks will let you use there for free. Sure, its not the same DIS/MODIC that the BMW dealerships use, but the P code you get can at least get us in the ballpark w/ what I've seen in the past.As for your puff of smoke at startup, that's classic signs of needing the OSV valve replaced on the intake. It's a bitch to do it w/ the intake manifold installed, but it can be done. If you're going to remove the manifold, replace the valve cover gaskets and valley pan gaskets while you're in there. Hope it works out for ya.