So the wife's X5 exploded oil the other day after having spent a cold night outside.
Has anyone here in Calgary had this problem fixed under a goodwill gesture by BMW? If not, how much $$$ can we expect to pay? If there is no chance they'll cover it I'll consider doing it myself but I'm not sure I can get it back to the house without having it towed.
Here's a copy of the SIB:
SI B11 08 03
Engine
February 2005
Technical Service
This Service Information bulletin supersedes S.I. B11 08 03 dated December 2003.
[NEW] designates changes to this revision
SUBJECT
Oil Separator - Cold Climate Conditions
MODEL
E39 5 Series, E46 3 Series, and E53 X5 with the M54 Engine
[NEW] SITUATION
Certain areas of the US experience extremely cold climate conditions during the winter months A small number of vehicles in the above series listed have experienced problems ranging from leaking or broken valve covers to complete engine failure.
[NEW] Cause
Moisture accumulating in the engine oil separator, hose to oil dipstick guide tube or the orifice in the dipstick guide tube can freeze. When this occurs, depending on the position of the internal valve, this may either cause high crankcase pressures (stuck closed) resulting in valve cover leakage/breakage or cause an oil hydro-lock condition (stuck open) which could result in engine damage.
[NEW] CORRECTION
In case of a customer complaint, replace the crankcase vent valve, crankcase vent hose and remove and clean the oil dipstick guide tube orifice.
[NEW] PROCEDURE
Repair/replace all affected components. Access to the oil separator is best achieved by removal of the intake manifold. Refer to Repair Instruction 11 61 050 for details.
1. Replace the oil separator and hoses (1) with the new insulated style (2).
2. The oil separator repair kit fits all the affected models. One additional hose needs to be ordered:
^ (1) E39/E46 PN 11 15 7 532 629
^ (2) 53 PN 11 15 7 532 628
3. Obtain a thin piece of metal measuring approximately:
^ = 2.50 mm
^ = 0.8mm
^ Length = 30 cm
Using a wiper blade metal reinforcement will be sufficient.
4. Remove the oil dipstick guide tube and clean the upper crankcase vent tube orifice using the metal device (1).
Note: The guide tube orifice can be restricted by a build-up of oil, water and ice. Using a brake cleaner solvent will aid in the process.
5. The lower end of the dipstick tube has a double-wall. The outer orifice needs to be cleaned using the metal device (1) as noted above and brake cleaner solvent.