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Had near 0 temps the past few days and while it is running at idle speeds, it is making a kind of intermitent squeak, squeal kind of noise. Not super loud but loud enough that it doesn't sound normal. I have the cold weather package and everything seems to be running fine. I popped the hood to try and see if I can locate the origin but can't it almost sounds like air leak, not sure though. Anyone got any ideas?
Correct that sound. It is more like a whistle.
It could be an intake leak. You might get the E3 E4 oxygen sensor out of range error messages with that, though. See:
http://rides.webshots.com/album/555907728PiQlhw
BMW serpentine belts squeak, squeal, or whirr, over time, which is a more likely cause. You may have to replace the tensioner and/or the pulley (sometimes the pulley bearings go bad and make a whirring noise, sometimes the tensioners loose slack and allow belt squeal). Hint: If you change the belt, save the old one and put it in the spare tire well. You never know you might need it one dark and stormy night. Does it do it more when you engage an electrical load (power window for example?) If so, it is probably the serpentine belt.
The secondary air pump should run for the first couple of minutes after a cold start to inject extra air into the exhaust for emissions purposes. If you are not used to this, it may sound odd. They do go bad sometimes, and will sound like a bucket of rocks is in them. It looks like a small shop vac and is located usually on the passenger side fender well or firewall.
That's all I can think of.
Hi Greg,
I'm a loyal Roadfly Inner Circle member on the E31 Forum since 2003 but after picking up an X5 a week ago, I have quickly discovered XOutpost. That's where all the X5 guys are.
Meanwhile, I am a total X5 newbie but a lot of what I've read so far in terms of cold-weahter related issues on the E53, you want to rule out the oil separator valve early on as this is apparently a common issue in the cold with the '00-'03 models and its failure can lead to very expensive repairs.
Hope this helps and good luck.
Rey
Do you have any links or info on the oil separator?
See link below. A good site and some good information.
Issues on the 3.0 engine should be the same for any BMW, however.
As for the resonator DISA, it looks like I am going to be replacing that soon. Not hard to do. It is starting to click.
What are the symptoms of an oil separator problem?
Lots of good info. Sounds more like a problem for higher mileage cars and cold weather cars.
You may notice a honking or "chewbacca" sound when shutting of the car. Some report oil smoke out the exhaust, if this part goes bad/clogs/etc.
Good luck. Guess I should plan on doing this in a few years.
It is interesting how some folks report this as a PITA to replace (10 hours or more) while others say they did it in less than three. I guess it depends on your skill level and dexterity.
Thanks for the tips, I will check them out. The electrical doesn't seem to be putting an extra load on it or anything. I do notice that once the climate control is off the noise is quieter. And it doesn't seem to be running rough or anything. Just don't care for the noise.
Mine has 85k on it so I will definitely get this done. I do notice in the colder weather that there is a small amount of white gunk on the bottom side of the oil fill cap. Do you think that this is a sign that the oil seperator is going out?
I have 100,000 miles on mine with no problems, so far, but it is a southern car - Florida, Georgia.
The white gunk is from moisture in the crankcase and some is normal, I think.
Looks like a beatch of a job, so I'd take a look at the thing first before tearing it apart.
Interesting that there is a regular and "cold weather package" version of the part with insulated lines, apparently.
If it goes off with the climate control, it may be the compressor belt for the A/C or the compressor itself. Does the noise come and go when you turn the A/C compressor on and off?
Also, these compressors can get noisy over time. They whistle a bit, but still work fine. Just noisy.
I'd try to diagnose it before throwing parts at it....
This may be a long shot but I was having a squeak on my X5 when cold and it was the power steering fluid being low. Added some ATF and it fixed the problem. I have a very slight leak that needs to be repaired in the spring. BTW I had the oil seperator failure this Sunday in North Conway NH. The mechanic said he fixes about 3 each year and it should have been recalled. It will cost around $650 at the local workshop to repair.
Thanks for the tip on power steering fluid. I will check that. What were the signs that the oil seperator went out?
I was driving with no problem or warning and had stopped at a traffic light. I began to smell burning oil and saw some fumes. I told my wife that someone's car is making a great deal of smoke. When I turned the corner after the light turned green I realized it was my X5 blowing smoke. It was a gray/white smoke. The guy ar Covered Bridge Motor Werks in Conway knew right away when he looked at it. The car ran just fine but it is not a good idea to try and operate it for very long because I believe it would have run out of oil.
I've read about this on a number of sites, and some folks say the car will make a wheezing or Chewbacca sound when you shut it down.
The separator is just a plastic part and some hoses. It gets brittle and old, and breaks, cracks, clogs, whatever. Not hard to replace, but it is underneath the intake manifold and hard to get at. Some folks remove the manifold to replace it.
$650 seems kind of steep, but with labor rates, probably about right.
There is apparently a cold weather version of it, with insulated pipes.
I am guessing from the postings I am reading on various BMW sites that it seems to fail more in colder climates (??).
I am planning on replacing that and the intake modulator valve in the fairly near future. I probably should do the cooling system at the same time.
Yes the new oil seperator has been updated to help prevent the freezing problem. I think it may be a good preventive manitenance to replace it befroe it happens because you get oil over everything. My only problem now is that the "Check Engine" light has come on. I am hoping that it will eventually go out after repeated operation othewise I may have to deal with another problem. Since the oil was burning and smoking throught the exhaust, I suspect that the ox sensors may have been affected. The car is runnig just fine otherwise.
If you had a code reader, you could read the codes and reset them.
Your local auto parts store might be able to help you there, for free, although their code readers just give generic P-codes.
I suspect it was because the car ran with the crankcase open to the atmosphere.
Embarrassing admission: I once ran the car after changing the oil, with the oil cap off. The cap fell down onto the motor mount (fortunately) so I was able to fix it pronto. But it did set off the check engine light, which I reset with my code reader.
I am going to go back to the place that replaced the oil seperator to reset the codes. If it comes back then i have an independent repair shop I trust in Hudson NH that will check it out for me. The car runns fine so maybe only reseting the code will fix it. Hopefully the oil did not damage the Catalytic Converter.