[ovni]

Hi all,

No i am no mechanic, lol. This is a 2008 535i.

I put in (myself) the Afe Stage 2 air system and when I started the car I noticed
after a few minutes the cooling fan started running non stop until the car threw the "Engine overheated" error!

It was NOT doing this BEFORE IO did the install.

After closer inspection, I have found a leak that I never noticed before!

I need someone to tell me what this part IS and if my install if the Afe could have caused this to start leaking.

Also, would this leak be the cause of the overheating warnings?

And finally should I put the OEM air box back on before taking it in to BMW?

Thanks!

[barrett]

the oil filter housing gasket is probably leaking.there are two different gaskets to the oil filter housing. the gasket from the oil cooler return lines to the oil filter housing looks to be the one leaking. the other gasket is the one that mounts to the engine block.

[ovni]

Thanks, yeah I finally figured out what it is.

Would that leak cause he cooling fan to run in overdrive and the engine overheat warning messages in iDrive to trigger?

[barrett]

Not that I can think of. My first thought would be is that your water pump went out. Just a coincidence that it happened after you installed the dci. I have the same afe dci and i cant see how it could cause an overheating issue like that. Did it throw a check engine light? what code?

[ovni]

It threw 2 errors within 5 minutes of each other. This was at night in southern California it was about 68 degrees last night when it happened.

Error 1 said: Engine Malfunction Notification, Engine Overheated ... To Drive Moderately, to cool down the engine. I was only a block from my home so I just headed that way.

Then the second error came up and said Engine Malfunction Notification, Engine Overheated ... To turn off engine and let cool. If problem persist, see repair shop.

So I shut it down immediately and sat a few doors down from my garage.

30 minutes later cranked it and get it back into the garage. No warning came on BUT the cooling fax was going non stop and what seemed like a higher intensity and louder. I'm sure indicative of the same issue gearing up again.

Im gonna flat bed it into BMW this Monday.

Should I pop the OEM airbox back in before going in?

Somethings telling me to do so. Better safe, than sorry kinda thing, right?

[ovni]

sorry for typos, keyboard is mush and forgot to check for accuracy.

[Chad McCan]

That's what happened to me when my water pump failed. Fan on full blast. If you can check for codes, it will throw the water pump RPM code.

I replaced mine myself. $500ish for the water pump. Took a couple of hours. It wasn't fun, but it was far cheaper than taking it in, since I'm out of warranty.

[Chad McCan]

PS. I have the same gasket leaking. I think the intake has to come off, so I'm just adding oil when necessary until I get a chance to replace the oil gasket.

[ovni]

I had that oil low message pop up and then go away a few times last week so I dropped a quart of synthetic in there as per the manual suggests.

I will put the OE air box back on also.

I will post here what the outcome is after the service.

Original warranty ran out on April fools day!

Luckily I purchased the additional extended when I purchased the car CPO a few years ago.

It better cover this or im gonna be pissed! LOL.

[Socaltech]

I would not go in to the dealership with anything aftermarket on the car. I'm just telling you that there are some technicians who will find any excuse not to deal with these cars now. If it's all stock, they have no choice but to fix it if it's under warranty. Also, one quick way to find out if the electric water pump has gone out or is not working to spec is to remove the expansion tank cap, engine off but key setup for radio position and then hold the gas pedal down for at least 10 seconds and release. This is the bleed procedure for technicians who don't use the test plan in the testers. It activates the pump and cycles it from 0-100 percent to bleed the air in the cooling system. If the pump is operating properly, you will see a stream of coolant that cycles back and forth for about the next 5-10 minutes. If it hardly does it or struggles, odds are your electric coolant pump is out.

[ovni]

I agree Socaltech on the aftermarket stuff. When you say "radio position" do you mean car off, but key in and I-drive set to say FM radio, then do the procedure?

[Socaltech]

Ya, key on with engine off. Radio does not need to be on.

[ovni]

Roger that!

I will give that a shot tomorrow and thanks for the tip! I will report all findings here.

Cheers,
Lo

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Socaltech

I would not go in to the dealership with anything aftermarket on the car. I'm just telling you that there are some technicians who will find any excuse not to deal with these cars now. If it's all stock, they have no choice but to fix it if it's under warranty. Also, one quick way to find out if the electric water pump has gone out or is not working to spec is to remove the expansion tank cap, engine off but key setup for radio position and then hold the gas pedal down for at least 10 seconds and release. This is the bleed procedure for technicians who don't use the test plan in the testers. It activates the pump and cycles it from 0-100 percent to bleed the air in the cooling system. If the pump is operating properly, you will see a stream of coolant that cycles back and forth for about the next 5-10 minutes. If it hardly does it or struggles, odds are your electric coolant pump is out.

+1

[MS-56]

Originally Posted by Chad McCan

PS. I have the same gasket leaking. I think the intake has to come off, so I'm just adding oil when necessary until I get a chance to replace the oil gasket.

Chad, it is a 45 minute job. Replaced mine a month ago. Went to Baron and bought the gasket and that weekend did the job. I actually ordered an extra one, so if you are ever in OP or Lees Summit I can sell it to you $10, and give you a rundown of how to do it.

Here is a DIY I typed up in a different forum.


Maybe this will help someone out. Fix is cheap and easy. $16 for a new gasket. Maybe an hour worth of work.

Had a leak on my oil cooler on my 08 535xi and it was getting annoying. Finally after another issue with an oil leak (another story, my own fault), I decided to fix this one.

Parts Needed:
#11427525335 (Oil Cooler to oil filter housing gasket, my dealer (Baron) charged me $18)

Tools needed:
6mm allen wrench
Torx T27
Inverted Torx socket. (I used a 3/8" any socket)
3/8" drive ratchet for Sockets

Optional, but recommended:
Intake Cleaner
Shop Rags
Knife/awl



Remove the Radiator Support cover using the T27, set it to the side. No need to disconnect the hood latches. (10 bolts)


Using 6mm Allen wrench, remove bolt holding the bracket for the oil return and supply lines to the cooler housing. This is the most difficult bolt to remove, as with the fan still in it is difficult to get the allen wrench to turn correctly.




Now using the inverted Torx, remove the 3 bolts holding the housing on. the 3rd is in the center of the housing on the bottom, this is the reason we removed cooler lines previously.





Remove the housing and look for any mars or reasons it may not seal, good time to clean the housing as well.


Remove the old rubber gasket. Use a hook, awle, or knife to get the old gasket out.
Replace with new gasket. DO NOT USE RTV SILICONE



Reverse the order to install everything back.

Tighten it all down, then turn your engine on and check for leaks. I use thread locker on all my bolts, this is a personal preference though.

[Chad McCan]

Thanks for that. I bought the gaskets a while back, so I have them. I feel like mine is leaking from a different gasket though, behind the oil filter (towards the windshield). I've seen other DIY's talk about pulling the intake, which isn't that big of a deal, but mine doesn't leak much at all, so I've been waiting it out.

[MS-56]

I did mine, got that leak solved. Then my front seal started leaking from when I threw my belt. I'm trying currently to figure out what is involved in that. Tired of leaving oil spots everywhere I park.