BMW B58 Lifespan?

The BMW B58 engine has a heat management system which encapsulates heat for up to 36 hours. My question is does this system reduce engine and cooling component life compared to the N55? It's too soon to tell but I want to know if faster warm up and better emissions means shorter engine lifespan.

E90 Electric Fan Removal and Installation Tips

I've seen posts that say removing the E90 electric fan and fan shroud is super easy and others that took several hours.

For me, it was a huge hassle because of the rubber piece that is attached to the pipe after the intercooler. The electric fan would not come out no matter how hard I pulled. Removing the two torx bolts and the plastic clip above the rubber piece were super easy but I got stuck after that.

I circled the rubber piece in orange below. It is located on the driver side of the electric fan.

Here is how I finally got the plastic clip loose and fan free:

• I got a very long flat head screwdriver
• Placed screwdriver between rubber and plastic clip on intercooler pipe. 
• Pushed and pried plastic clip off rubber piece. It may help to get one side of the clip loose first and then pry from the center. 

Installing the fan did not go smoothly as well. I kept getting snapped on the plastic part of the brace which I circled below. 

Some other things to be aware of:

• Be careful to not snag or pinch wiring or fan controller underneath brace
• Pull coolant hose towards engine as you are lowing electric fan
• The plastic clip on the intercooler pipe was causing issues for me and bent the rubber piece. I used the screwdriver as a guide and straighten the rubber piece. 
• It helps a lot to have another person on removal and installation since the clearance is so tight. 

Removing the cooling fan and shroud will make life a lot easier in removing and replacing the tensioner, pulleys, and belt. I strongly suggest using the Continental belt. 

BMW Transmission Malfunction Warning

BMW Transmission woes.

I was driving a E90 335i and merging onto the highway when a yellow gear with an exclamation showed up on my dash. iDrive said "Transmission Malfunction. Drive moderately and Reduced Acceleration."

The transmission was stuck in gear and would not downshift or upshift. This was particularly scary going from 75 mph to 45 mph and driving way too slow on the highway. I got off at the nearest exit and quickly pulled over. I shut the car down and then restarted and the warning went away.

Everything seems normal and I have made a service appointment at the dealer to see what is going on. The 335i is under CPO warranty. I will keep you posted on what BMW says.

Symptoms: I noticed the 335i was awkwardly shifting and slipping before I got on the highway. A month ago I was stopped at an intersection and when the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and the car lurched forward. When I am coming to a stop on a downhill road, the car will shudder and I hear a grinding noise.

Result: Transmission fluid was two quarts low and the fault only occurred once.

BMW Oil Filler Cap Leak - E90

The seal in the BMW oil filler cap will begin to harden and deteriorate which allows oil to leak. Judging by the amount of posts I see in BMW forums, this seems to be a very common issue.

To stop the leaking:

1. Buy and replace the oil filler cap. The new cap comes with a seal. 
• Part # 11128507153 for E9X BMWs with the round oil filler cap. Earlier E90, E60, E85, and late model E46s use this square oil filler cap.
• Part # 11127509328 for earlier model BMWs with the square oil filler cap.  
2. Carefully remove the existing seal. Clean and reinstall by reversing the ring. I would only try this if the leak is very small and I don't want to spend $15.

My leaking oil filler cap:  

I changed my oil and the oil level read max in iDrive. A couple of weeks later, the oil level dropped and it didn't seem right that I would lose oil that quickly.

I noticed dried oil around the oil filler cap and oil leaking down onto the valve cover area. I pulled my oil cap and it looked like mustard. After doing some research and asking some friends, I came to the conclusion that my oil filler seal was bad and condensation was coming in and mixing with the oil and looking like mustard on the cap. I replaced the oil filler cap and oil consumption is now normal and no more weird mustard looking oil under the cap.

Below is what my old oil cap looks like and the seal that is indented. There is caked oil all around.

N55 HPFP Failure

Can the HPFP fail on a N55?

• Yes, my HPFP failed at 38,000 miles. 

What were the symptoms? 

• Very long cranks, rough idle, engine would randomly surge between 600 - 1800 rpm at idle and low speeds. The latter is particularly scary when pulling into or out of tight parking spots and the car would lurch. 

What did I do?

• I believed failing HPFP were confined to the N54 and were resolved with the N55, I was wrong. I brought my car into the dealer and they diagnosed my HPFP was failing and replaced it. My car issues went away with the new HPFP.

Why am I posting this? 

• Every once in a while I will see a post on the internet asking if the N55 fixed all the HPFP issues. I would say probably with the newer BMWs. Model years built right after N54 may still have the faulty HPFPs. 
• If you are looking to buy a used early model N55, the HPFP has a warranty of 10 years/120,000 miles and yes it can prematurely fail on you.  

How to Change Engine Oil on a BMW 3 Series E90

Tutorial for replacing engine oil & filter on BMW 3 Series E9X (06-12) with N51, N52, N54, N55 engines.

Tools:

• 17 mm socket and ratchet
• Lisle Oil Drain Pan
• Assenmacher Oil Filter Housing Wrench
• 21 mm socket and ratchet if using Assenmacher oil filter wrench
• RhinoRamps (Pair, 12,000lb. GVW Capacity)  

Parts:  

• Mann Oil Filter (Comes with drain plug and two O-ring gaskets) 
• Synthetic motor oil, options below:
• Genuine BMW 5W-30. Part number 83212365946
• Mike Miller from Roundel Magazine uses Red Line 0W40 Motor Oil - 12 Quarts 
• 2 x Castrol EDGE 0W-40 - 5 Quart European formula
• 2 x Mobil 1 Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-40, 5 Quart 
• Shell PurePlus synthetic oils

Recommended:  

• Rags, shop towels, jack and jack stands if you don't have ramps.
• I use Scott Shop Towels Pack of 2.
• Camco Wheel Chock - Pack of 2. If you jacking the front or using ramps, chock rear wheels to prevent your BMW from sliding. 
• Flat head screwdriver or General Tools Scriber
• Lumax Plastic Funnel

Steps:

• If engine is cool, start your car for 5-10 minutes to warm oil. If engine is hot, wait around 30 minutes to prevent being burned.  

• Lift BMW with a jack and jack stands or drive onto ramps. 
• Driving onto ramps is preferable if equipped with sports suspension and/or aerodynamic package due to low clearance.
• Jack one side and place jack stand or a ramp. Repeat on other side if  front bumper will be damaged driving up ramp or low profile jack cannot access the front jacking point. 
• Use a BMW Jack Pad Adapter to prevent destroying plastic side jack points.  

• Open hood and remove oil filter using Assenmacher Oil Filter Housing Wrench.
• The oil filter cap is shown below and the oil filter wrench goes on top. Place a 21 mm socket where the red circle is and loosen filter cap. 
• Place rags or shop towels around the oil filter to minimize spills when pulling out filter. 

• Locate oil drain plug access door. Door is located behind the front jacking point on RWD models and behind the transfer case beef up plate as shown below. Use a flat head screw drive and turn screw counter-clockwise to unlock shown in red circle below.

• Place an oil drain pan beneath door.

• Use a 17 mm socket and remove oil drain plug. Around 7 quarts (6.5 liters) of oil will drain out. 
• Drain plug is highlighted in red below. 
• I suggest wearing gloves to protect your hands.

• Remove and replace oil filter and two rubber O-rings while oil is draining. 

• Remove old filter from cap by pulling.
• I use a scribe to remove the old O-rings. Be careful not to damage the oil filter cap, especially the threads.
• Install new oil filter and two O-rings. Refer to the picture below from the Bentley BMW 3 Series Service Manual.
• Coat sealing O-rings with new oil
• Place large O-ring in correct location. Do not place in gap between cover and threads, place it in the correct gap below.

• Install new filter into oil filter housing and torque to 18 ft-lbs.

• Remove and replace copper washer on drain plug.

• Reinstall drain plug using 17 mm socket and torque to 18 ft-lbs. Do not over tighten. 

• Close access door and lock with screwdriver.

• Remove drain pan and lower BMW. 

• Remove oil fill cap and refill crankcase with 7 Quarts (6.5 liters) of oil.
• I pour 1 quart of oil into oil filter housing and 6 quarts into the engine. 
• Oil fill cap may be round or square depending on year and engine. N55 is pictured below.

• Reinstall oil fill cap and start engine. Check for any oil leaks and confirm the oil warning light is not on or goes out. 

• Check oil level in iDrive or the information center on the dash. Two conditions must be met to show oil level:
• Oil must reach normal operating temperatures 
• Start engine and idle or drive around for at least 6 minutes

Notes:

• Dear BMW, bring back the oil dipstick.
• Wipe away old oil in the oil filter housing after removing the filter.
• Many enthusiasts like Mobil 1, Castrol Edge European formula, or Shell PurePlus 0w-40 synthetic oils. As long as BMW's oil requirements are met you will be fine. Please refer to the owner's manual. 
• I recommend using wheel chocks for safety. 
• Picture below has useful information from Bentley's BMW 3 Series Service Manual   
• To reset CBS go to CBS explained

DIY: BMW E90 Power Steering Reservoir Gasket

How to change the power steering reservoir cap gasket for BMW vehicles.

The power steering reservoir tends to leak up top because of two main reasons.

• The reservoir is made out of plastic and there is a crack where the two halves come together. 
• The reservoir cap gasket has deteriorated, lost its elasticity, etc. I have heard the gasket is not compatible with the Pentosin hydraulic fluid and the gasket deteriorates over time.

Luckily the reservoir is cheap and so is the gasket.

Below is a picture of what the power steering reservoir looks like in almost all modern BMWs. 

  

BMW started using Pentosin CHF 11S Synthetic Hydraulic Fluid - 1 Liter power steering fluid after '06 with their E9X models. The Pentosin fluid is not compatible with ATF! Do not mix the two. The required fluid is stamped on the top of the reservoir cap as shown below.

 

 To replace the power steering reservoir:

• Remove the cap and suck out all the power steering fluid using a turkey baster
• Remove the two nuts and bolts holding the power steering reservoir in place
• Break the two clamps holding securing the hoses to the reservoir at the bottom. 
• Part number for clamps: 07-12-9-952-109
• Part number for hoses built after 09/01: 32-11-6-750-155 and 32-41-6-796-390
• Part number for hoses built before 09/01: 32-41-1-095-526 and 32-41-6-796-390
• Installation is the reverse of removal. Install the clamp and install the two nuts and bolts securing the power steering pump reservoir. Fill the reservoir with the appropriate steering fluid up to the max fill line. 

The reservoir part number can be found and purchased here: BMW Power Steering Pump Fluid Reservoir Tank + Cap Hamman OEM Qualit 32411097164. If your reservoir requires Pentosin I would keep your old cap and put it on the new reservoir. 

To replace the power steering reservoir cap gasket:

• Remove the cap
• Remove gasket by using a scribe, pick, or small screwdriver. Be careful not to damage the cap
• Lube the new gasket with the hydraulic fluid and place into cap
• Install cap
• Below is a picture of where the gasket is located and the fill lines on the cap