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My CVV (Oil Separator) DIY Journey in Pictures

344K views 232 replies 94 participants last post by  iglon 
#1 ·
This is the journey I would not take again. Major PITA. Oil separator is a "tricky sucker" like somebody commented. But I hope the pictures of every step of the way will make this diy a little easier for somebody else. I followed these 2 wonderful DIYs that contain everything you need to know:

The one by Lbert - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323335&highlight=lbert+oil+separator

And the one by djmcmath - http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=536123&highlight=

I took more pictures and included my comments making it a separate DIY. Enjoy!



























 
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#2 ·
Dude - Out-effing-standing job, well written and documented, another home run. Wiki-fy that beeyotch!

(and since I will be doing this some time in the next ~6 months, THANKS!
 
#5 ·
Thanks, guys!

I think I'm done with preventive maintenance after this one for a while. This one got me :)
I was also hoping to improve my low idle situation (my idle in drive is 625 rpm and I'd like to see it at 700rpm). Obviously cleaned ICV and throttle body, cheched DISA. All vacuum lines seem to be good. But alas...Must be torque converter. What ever...
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thank you.

For 2 reasons: you can change the separator without removing the intake manifold. It's a pain, but do-able. And second being the difficulty level of the job of removing the manifold. It would take me like 8 more hours to do that. Here is what djmcmath from Fanatics says about the job:

"Removing the intake manifold. This is a bear. You***8217;ll need to have a new gasket set and a torque wrench that***8217;s good for 11ft-lbs (you really want these torqued right), as well as a magnet-on-a-stick, some small screwdrivers, a pair of circlip pliers, and probably some other stuff. I should emphasize the difficulty here: I***8217;ve rebuilt transmissions, I***8217;ve pulled engines from cars with nothing but a floor jack and a socket set by the side of the freeway, I***8217;ve built whole brake and suspension systems from the ground up. But even with all that experience, I dorked this process up twice in a row. If this is your daily driver and you have to drive it tomorrow, and you***8217;re not entirely confident about how this process will work, maybe pulling the manifold isn***8217;t for you tonight"

So, I left it alone.
 
#15 ·
Man, thats a really good DIY!! This DIY makes it look easy but you can still see its a tough job!
Well, taking stuff apart is easy. It's the OS itself that's difficult to remove and even more difficult to install mainly due to it's extremely inconvenient to reach location deep under the intake manifold in a very tight space. On the photos you can not really see the depth but the the wrench with the torx bit at the end on one of the pictures gives you an idea. And you have to be positive that all the OS hoses are attached securely to it otherwise you'll have a leak and you'll need to start all over again which, trust me, you do not want to do. Not very difficult technically but requires lots of patience and attention. That's it.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for this writeup...I used it extensively today in doing this on my E39...
 
#20 ·
I assume this process is similar on a 1995 525i E34? Can anyone confirm? I did the vanos rebuild and broke the rubber hose that goes from vanos to cvv. I could not retrieve the distal end to attempt a reconnect. At 192K the cvv is long overdue anyway.
Great write up!:)
 
#21 ·
While I can't confirm that they are similar, I did my CCV for the same reason, those plastic tubes are very brittle later after a few miles... Because it broke I learned all about the CCV and in the process found that the tube that attaches to the dipstick was completely clogged in the metal portion of the dipstick.
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
Great job on the DIY Alex...I just did this yesterday and you're DIY was key.

I would like to point out one observation though. On re-installation, I found it easier to install hose #2 first while in place in the car as this hose must be rotated.

This allowed me to connect all hoses within 10 minutes!

Let me point out that I have a MY 2000 323i with an M52 so install may be a little different.

Again, thanks for the DIY, Great Job!:thumbup:
 
#23 ·
Great job on the DIY Alex...I just did this yesterday and you're DIY was key.

I would like to point out one observation though. On re-installation, I found it easier to install hose #2 first while in place in the car as this hose must be rotated.

This allowed me to connect all hoses within 10 minutes!

Let me point out that I have a MY 2000 323i with an M52 so install may be a little different.

Again, thanks for the DIY, Great Job!:thumbup:
You are very welcome. Glad everything worked out for you. As for what hose to connect first, it's whatever works better for you. I tried hose 2 first and had no luck, but I'm glad it took you 10minutes, it took me much longer :) :thumbup:
 
#25 ·
I'm grateful for all the great pics. I'm fortunate that I have a second bimmer to drive, so when I get frustrated I can just walk away and return the next day, fresh. I broke the vanos down into four days, and it went quite well. But with the vanos there wasn't any really tight spots. Everything is easily accessable. From what I've read this cvv is going to be a bear.:tsk:
 
#30 ·
I had the occasional "Dead Frog" groan and over 100k miles so I bought the parts last month. Today I had my Indy shop (Valley Motorwerks in the Sacramento area) install the new parts for only 2.1 labor hours. A good deal if you ask me considering I was expecting over 4 hrs based on other's estimates.
 
#38 ·
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