325i Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 What is a definitive way to test if the CCV is faulty? Ive done some searching but getting some contradicting information. Some are saying if there is a vacuum when the oil filler cap is a sign of it failing whist others are saying if it blows than that is faulty. What is a correct way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Anyone know what is the correct way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 (edited) I did a quick test today. So with the engine running, I removed the oil filler cap and it made no difference. The revs did not drop and the engine did not run any different. I believe this is a good thing. With my hand over the oil filler, I could feel a very slight air coming out against my hand. Is this a good thing or not? Edited November 9, 2013 by 325i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeD Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 That's normal mate, if it was sucking in from oil cap then you have an issue with the CCV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Thats good to hear. It was definetly not sucking in from the oil cap. The reason I wanted to double check was there is abit more smoke coming from the exhaust during idle. But I guess this is down to the cold temperatures? Is this the same for others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeD Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Yeah white steam in cold conditions is normal, greyish is CCV, black smoke Is overfuel and blue is burning oil, e46s love to steam when it's cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 That's normal mate, if it was sucking in from oil cap then you have an issue with the CCV Not sure this is correct? Reading this thread prompted me to check mine which sucks a little but no issues with sludge, running, grey smoke etc. Gave my friend a call also and asked him to check his dad's for comparison (330i) who had his CCV changed approx 5k miles back and his does the same... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Actually I stand corrected, apparently sucking does indicate a faulty CCV (found further info on other sites) but does not indicate the level of wear / blockage ie minor / very clogged. Poor running, misfires and plenty of smoke indicate that it needs to be changed but in the early stages apparently not. Wonder why my friend's still sucks despite being changed... hmmm... unless the garage lied... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Actually I stand corrected, apparently sucking does indicate a faulty CCV (found further info on other sites) but does not indicate the level of wear / blockage ie minor / very clogged. Poor running, misfires and plenty of smoke indicate that it needs to be changed but in the early stages apparently not. Wonder why my friend's still sucks despite being changed... hmmm... unless the garage lied... LukeD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Got me worried there for a second. Its just the smoke/steam in recent weeks that got me thinking about this. Its not burning any more oil than normal, about a litre every 1000 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeD Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Yeah I get though that as well Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeh Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Mine had some suction going on until I replaced the valve cover gasket, now i can hardly feel any suction there :/ i've got the ccv kit but it's a pain the ass job to do, so dont really want to do it unless I have to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I'm still paranoid about the CCV. When I remove the oil filler cap or dipstick, the engine does not run any differently.<br /><br />Am I right in saying if it was faulty, the engine would of run rough?<br /><br />Also there is no suction or blowing on the dipstick tube when I removed it. Is this a good or bad thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCS Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 From what I've read my understanding is this; if the CCV system is functioning correctly (not blocked) the engine will run rough when the oil cap is removed. This is because the engine is seeing un-metered air through the CCV system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Think your right. Also, why isn't it running rough when the filer cap is removing? I would of thought it should as its running lean. <br /><br />The valve cover gasket is leaking and also the oil filter housing cap. <br /><br />A the seal on the housing cap was replaced but it's still leaking. I suspect there is a buildup of pressure which is causing leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCS Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Think your right. Also, why isn't it running rough when the filer cap is removing? I would of thought it should as its running lean. <br /><br />The valve cover gasket is leaking and also the oil filter housing cap. <br /><br />A the seal on the housing cap was replaced but it's still leaking. I suspect there is a buildup of pressure which is causing leaks. It would only run rough if there is un-metered air entering the engine through a functioning CCV. If the CCV is blocked (in need of replacing) no un-metered air can enter the engine with the oil cap removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Cheers, looks like it is a faulty CCV then. Im looking at the kit from C3BMW, http://www.c3bmw.co.uk/StockItem.asp?categoryID=138&subcategoryID=0&productID=1672&oRef=-1§ion=2&Item=unassign The kit comes with 4 hoses. I thought there were 3 hoses, one to rocker cover, one to dipstick and the other to inlet manifold. Where does the 4th one go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCS Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Here you go bud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 (edited) Cheers for that. Edited November 30, 2013 by 325i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Roughly how long should the job take? Is it around 5 hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Roughly how long should the job take? Is it around 5 hours? Two to three hours at most, if you are half decent with the spanners and follow the Bavarian autos guide on YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Thats not too bad. A couple more questions, do you have to remove the ICV for better access? The guide here does not, http://www.e46zone.com/forum/topic/41420-how-to-replace-your-ccv-valve-m54-engine/ Also, the hose on the CCV that needs to be twisted on. Does the whole hose have to be twisted when fitting or is it just the conector that needs to be rotated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewharvey Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 had mine done 10 days ago - they removed inlet manifold...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 I found the only way mine would go on was to place the hose where it should be then put the valve into position, rotate it through 90 degrees pop the hose on and rotate it back to its final position. It's easier than it sounds. I removed the icv as its easy to do once you have all of the rest of the stuff stripped off, ideal chance to check its operation and give it a good old clean too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
325i Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 (edited) What a long day! Made a start on removing the CCV, took about just over 3 hours to do it. Will be fitting the parts when they arrive in a few days. Couple of points, the two difficulties I had was removing the lower intake boot due to the orientation of the host clips. And the other was the ccv itself.The ccv pipes didn't look blocked but they did have a coating of mayo around them. The faulty ccv is causing a few issues including an oil leak around the oil filler cap. I suspect this was due to pressure building up in the crankcase and therfore damaging seals. But before I started I decided to test out my theory by removing the ccv hose that goes to the rocker. I started the engine and the oil filler cap was still leaking. Any views on this? Edited December 1, 2013 by 325i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
