CCV Replacement on an M54 (E39)

Thank you for the response Robw530i. I have not noticed any leaks around the vanos though there does appear to be a leak around the base of the oil filter housing....the only visable leak I can identify other than a little minor seepage around the power steering reservoir. It also appears the car started using a little oil when it got cold... When I picked up the oil from the dealer the parts guy says that's normal. The times when I have smelled the burning oil is typically five or six miles into my morning commute on very cold mornings.

It is forcast to drop below zero here within the next day or two and I am hoping I don't end up with a catastrophic failure...like the one you experienced. I removed the oil filler cap while the car was running yesterday and I noticed some suction...which I believe is good. I also took the car out for a good drive (about 30 miles yesterday) and no longer notice mayo around the filler cap area. Worse case scenario I have access to a good indy and I my just need to bite the bullet and have someone else do the work.

Ya, hopefully you won't have any major problems. I would keep a close eye on the oil level and make sure it doesn't burn to much as it starts to get colder and colder.

You may just have a tiny leak somewhere on your valve cover or another seal and it's burning off on the exhaust. As for the oil usage, I am adding a half a quart every 3-4 months, and my mileage is absolutely horrible. I am lucky to get 325 miles out of a tank, with a 50/50 split of city and highway miles.
You may have given yourself enough room to wait til it's warm out to change yours, let's hope.

We carry the cold weather CCV at our site, PM me if you need assistance getting parts.

I have a 525i coming in this weekend for this job, he wants to change it as preventative maintenance. Looks like I am in for a treat.

Originally Posted by Mark@EACTuning

We carry the cold weather CCV at our site, PM me if you need assistance getting parts.

I have a 525i coming in this weekend for this job, he wants to change it as preventative maintenance. Looks like I am in for a treat.

Give me a call!
I can help clear some stuff up, and make the job easier IMO.


Try following the tips I posted on the other page of this thread.

I'm thinking about not selling my '03 540i now and having my cooling system replaced instead. Should I have him do the CCV at the same time? Approx how much am I looking at parts and how many labor hours for the CCV? I have 80k miles on it now. TIA.

Thanks everyone....I will be following up on this repair fairly soon.

hts, here is my parts list, yours will be a bit different since yours is a v8 but I can't see it being more or even less than a few bucks difference.

Pressure regulating valve (ccv) $84.37

Vent pipe $41.02

Connecting line $54.05

Return pipe $54.05

Vent hose $22.15

The dealer was going to charge me $378.00 for labor

The subtotal with tax would have been $666.54 if I hadn't done it myself. It took me about 4 hrs, not sure about a v8, might be much tighter. There is a DIY on here somewhere, where a guy detailed his swapout.

The DIY is the first post on this thread! But it's for I6s (M54).

Originally Posted by Fudman

The [M54] DIY is the first post on this thread!

Lately, I've been putting the best links to refer others to in the E39 Links section for future reference ....

This CCV (aka PCV & CVV I think) thread certainly qualifies for that referral!

Originally Posted by bluebee

Lately, I've been putting the best links to refer others to in the E39 Links section for future reference ....

This CCV (aka PCV & CVV I think) thread certainly qualifies for that referral!

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1376457

Originally Posted by Jason5driver

How did it go?

Did you use the cold weather version?

Thanks!
Jason

How do you know the diffrence? if it is cold or hot weather version. i did mine less than a year ago and it seen to be going bad again i live in the Bahamas and it is mostly hot here but i don't what version i installed.

Originally Posted by sangeej

How do you know the diffrence? if it is cold or hot weather version. i did mine less than a year ago and it seen to be going bad again i live in the Bahamas and it is mostly hot here but i don't what version i installed.

The cold weather one is encased in a removable relatively smooth foam covering.

Originally Posted by sangeej

How do you know the diffrence? if it is cold or hot weather version. i did mine less than a year ago and it seen to be going bad again i live in the Bahamas and it is mostly hot here but i don't what version i installed.

You won't need the cold weather version in the Bahamas!

You are the man!! I thought I would never find this info after looking everywhere! Thanks!

I can not edit my original post so here's an update. Someone else tried this and found it made the job much easier. Instead of removing the intake manifold and distribution piece, he removed the oil filter housing only. This is a lot less work and gave him much better access to the CCV. Plus it allows you to replace the OFH gasket, which is prone to leakage. I haven't done this but it made sense to me.

Thanks. It makes sense.

i used fudmans technique on the ccv replacement, took me two hours in my garage, very helpful especially the return line on the manifold, did the practice on the bench and did exactly as explained . one of the best DIY !

I just got this done thanks to the various DIYs here and elsewhere.

One problem.. I found a mystery o-ring under my car while everything was apart.



Its dimensions are 12mm outer diameter, 8mm inner diameter, 2mm thick. It's not the dipstick o-ring because that is about the same diameter as the nickel. I looked through some realoem diagrams which didn't help. It was clean and dry when I found it, so it was either in a non-dirty location or it fell off the new CCV.

I want to say its an O-ring from a fuel injector.

I didn't take off any fuel injectors. I took off the air intake hoses, throttle body, ICV, DISA valve and of course the ccv.

It looks like an o-ring from one of the air equalizer tubes.

In case anyone has trouble on realoem.com finding WHERE to look for their car's CCV info:

Engine-->Cylinder Head

Originally Posted by Fudman

12. Installing the connecting line is the most difficult. It requires you to rotate the line about 1/3 turn to lock the line onto the CCV (practice this connection process on the bench). The other hoses use the locking snap connectors that just insert and snap to lock. After trying for over 2 hours to assemble these parts in their location , I was unsuccessful and decided to modify the locking mechanism. Use a Dremel tool and a sanding cylinder to sand the two retaining ridges on the CCV nozzle smooth from about 1” long to about 1/3 inch long (see photo). This simply reduces the rotation required to lock the connecting line to about 1/8 turn (~45 degrees). Mark the spots with paint where the connecting line aligns with the CCV nozzle to aid in assembly (see photo). Insert the connecting line into the original position from above the intake manifold. Much wiggling and bending of the line is required to get it into place. Once the lower connection is in place, insert the CCV into place. Align the marks, insert the hose into the CCV and rotate the 1/8 turn. This whole process took 10 minutes (vs. over 2 hrs!) with a minimum of effort after modifying the parts! Insert the upper connection line to the engine nozzle until you hear a click. Insert the CCV screws and tighten.

I finished the installation tonight on the crankcase ventilation/oil separator and it wasn't too bad on my 2001 530i.

I quoted the above step because I was able to rotate the connecting line (#3 in the part blow-up) and get it connected without too much trouble and with no modification.

Playing around a bit, I found I was able to insert the top of the connecting line (the section with the right-angle snap connector and smaller offshoot) from under the engine and kind of rotate it in place. When you play with how this connects on the bench, you'll see why this is important as fudman alluded to above: it connects to the CV/OS and then to lock it into place, one rotates the line.

So with the connecting line in place ready to be rotated into proper position, I inserted the CV/OS into its spot. I then pushed the connecting line into the CV/OS and then rotated it up through the available hole and into position.

To the best of my ability and triple-checking, that connecting line was indeed locked snugly onto the CV/OS. I then bolted down the CV/OS and snapped on the other lines.

Funny thing, I think trying to get the vent pipe (#2 on the diagram) snapped onto the CV/OS was tougher than the connecting line for me. It probably took me 15 minutes but eventually I got the click.

My car has been in California since day one and I did see that dreaded "mayo" in some of the lines. My M54 engine also uses about a quart of oil per oil change (~7500 miles).

Anyway, thanks for a great write-up...everything did go smoothly. My engine is still apart as I'm now going to tackle the VANOS seal replacement next.

Just did my leaking VCG came out great...

now I would like to tackle the ccv


my email is


steveh1159@hotmail.com