Oil Separator Issue - SI B 11 08 03?

[heizervr6]

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.

[Glenn 328is]

This happened to me on my 328 back in '03. BMW has done the repair based on a goodwill gesture? I think for me it was around $350. Basically what you need to do is drive the car for longer periods once a week in the cold. The condensation needs to be burned off. What they did after cleaning everything up and filling up the oil was they insulated that oil tube.

Check out this post from bf.c: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=81663

[heizervr6]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

I doubt BMW will cover the repair even though it is clearly a design flaw and affects a huge number/range of models but I figure it can't hurt to ask. My wife drives the vehicle and usually it is at least 25 km and 30+ min of driving so I was a little surprised to see this happen. If it was consistenly a 10 min. like yours I might have expected it. I've read that newer models actually have heated parts now to cure the problem.

In my case it appears that it blew out the valve cover gasket (I haven't checked the actual cover yet as those have also been known to crack from the pressure) on top of everything so depending on what they tell me today, I'll have to make the determination if I want them to fix all or part of it or if I'll just do it myself...grrr.

[Glenn 328is]

Good luck dude. Blowing out the valve cover gasket? Ouch. That repair is a diy, but not sure about once it is blown out. Let us know what happens.

[heizervr6]

Thanks. Did you ever get reimbursed from BMW Canada like you had mentioned in the other thread?

[Bimmer88]

Dude... goodluck, and a 50/50 fight with BMW Canada. Go call them and see what they can do, and then they'll have to pay you back money if the dealership isn't willing to help you.

[Glenn 328is]

No, I did not. They told me that I need to drive the car longer distances when cold, making sure that the condensation in the oil gets burned off. Look under the oil fil cap - if yellow, you need to drive more - which isn't a bad thing, right....

Originally posted by heizervr6
Thanks. Did you ever get reimbursed from BMW Canada like you had mentioned in the other thread?

[heizervr6]

That's kinda what I figured. There was a little yellow under the cap so I guess I need to tell the wife to haul more ass down the highway in the future.

As for BMW Canada covering it, I'm not holding my breath esp. since they acted like they didn't even know about the problem when I called them. The interesting thing to note is that BMW dealers in Minnesota are covering these repairs...talk about a reason to finally start a class action lawsuit for the rest of us...

[Glenn 328is]

What happened?

[heizervr6]

Got a tow truck to haul the X5 outta there and bring it home. Fixed it all myself on Sat. for $450 including all new hoses, oil separator, valve cover gasket, assorted parts and oil change. BMW wasn't even remotely interested in looking at it after 3 days - for BMW service. It probably didn't help that it is a US-spec vehicle so being below the bottom of the list ensures nothing gets done, fast...or ever. Overall service is the worst I've ever experienced in my life...and not the first time at Crowfoot BMW. It's a good thing these are the worlds easiest cars to work on and repair.

Parts dept however is top notch.

[Glenn 328is]

That is brutal. Why wouldn't they look at it? Perhaps a letter to BMW Canada is needed?

I am glad it is all sorted though.

[heizervr6]

Who knows. I'm done with the dealer and writing letters to BMW Canada gets you absolutely no where. I'm not the only one that has complained about that dealer. All you get back is a letter (and this is paraphrased) from BMW Canada telling you "thanks for your correspondence but there is nothing we can do and we don't care to do anything".

If these cars weren't so damn sexy and fun to drive I sure wouldn't continue to own them that's for sure.