Okay boys. I've got a problem with my e46. 2003 330i/5. 318k miles. I bought the car in 2008 with 50k miles on the dot. It's been my daily and as far as I'm concerned is part of the family. Here's a little story that includes some of my dumbassery and thinking I know better than the engineers at BMW:
It's has the stock breather replaced twice I think....I know at least once around 150k. BUT it kept eating oil. So I ended up replacing the valve cover and breather with the M56 stuff. Metal > plastic right? I replaced the CCV valve in the valve cover with whatever the one was that someone on the internet was making. Ran well for a while, no more oil consumption, well very little. Was around 1, 1.5qt/1000 miles or so. Got it down to around 1qt in around 5k miles.
Well one day it started just PUKING oil from everywhere. HEAVY crankcase pressure. I determined that the aftermarket CCV diaphragm had fucked up. It worked fine for around 20-30k miles. Removed it and no more pressure....but now what to do to get some vacuum back in the crankcase?
Catch can and PCV valve. Ran a line from the valve cover to a catch can that's mounted where the SAP used to be (I have had headers on the car for longer than I remember, maybe put on at like 100k miles in 2010?). Then there is a PCV valve, and from there the hose runs to the stock distribution piece on top of the intake manifold. It has A LOT of vacuum, probably excessive, maxxes out the electric manometer, but my oil consumption went down to almost nothing. Maybe 1qt every 6k, maybe....basically ended up if I needed to add some it was close enough to the oil change interval I just changed the oil. All was well for a while....50k miles or so?
Now, my problem.....I started getting a flickering oil pressure light. Swapped in a new sensor because easy. No dice. It's mostly when it's burning hot (40+ miles commute, interstate). On a whim, I vented the crankcase to the atmosphere after the PCV valve. Pressure light doesn't come on under the same conditions as before. Hook up the line to the intake and immediately, oil pressure light. Bumped the idle to 800, helped a little, but not really. Of course now I'm eating oil again with the lines venting to atmosphere.
My question: what the fuck. Go back to the shitty BMW CCV system and eat oil? Leave it vented and eat oil? I don't get how this shit is all related and what to do at this point. I'm 99% sure there is a pressure loss. Haven't installed a gauge yet but all the evidence supports it.
Driving me nuts. IK it's got a ton of miles, but I'm religious in my maintenance....obviously since the thing has lasted me this long.
It's has the stock breather replaced twice I think....I know at least once around 150k. BUT it kept eating oil. So I ended up replacing the valve cover and breather with the M56 stuff. Metal > plastic right? I replaced the CCV valve in the valve cover with whatever the one was that someone on the internet was making. Ran well for a while, no more oil consumption, well very little. Was around 1, 1.5qt/1000 miles or so. Got it down to around 1qt in around 5k miles.
Well one day it started just PUKING oil from everywhere. HEAVY crankcase pressure. I determined that the aftermarket CCV diaphragm had fucked up. It worked fine for around 20-30k miles. Removed it and no more pressure....but now what to do to get some vacuum back in the crankcase?
Catch can and PCV valve. Ran a line from the valve cover to a catch can that's mounted where the SAP used to be (I have had headers on the car for longer than I remember, maybe put on at like 100k miles in 2010?). Then there is a PCV valve, and from there the hose runs to the stock distribution piece on top of the intake manifold. It has A LOT of vacuum, probably excessive, maxxes out the electric manometer, but my oil consumption went down to almost nothing. Maybe 1qt every 6k, maybe....basically ended up if I needed to add some it was close enough to the oil change interval I just changed the oil. All was well for a while....50k miles or so?
Now, my problem.....I started getting a flickering oil pressure light. Swapped in a new sensor because easy. No dice. It's mostly when it's burning hot (40+ miles commute, interstate). On a whim, I vented the crankcase to the atmosphere after the PCV valve. Pressure light doesn't come on under the same conditions as before. Hook up the line to the intake and immediately, oil pressure light. Bumped the idle to 800, helped a little, but not really. Of course now I'm eating oil again with the lines venting to atmosphere.
My question: what the fuck. Go back to the shitty BMW CCV system and eat oil? Leave it vented and eat oil? I don't get how this shit is all related and what to do at this point. I'm 99% sure there is a pressure loss. Haven't installed a gauge yet but all the evidence supports it.
Driving me nuts. IK it's got a ton of miles, but I'm religious in my maintenance....obviously since the thing has lasted me this long.
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