BMW 330i 325i E46 CCV Replace & Intake Removal DIY (Part 1) - See It Clearly! P0171 P0174 Repair

Frustrated with those other CCV replacement videos where they basically tell you to fish those tubes through the intake manifold blind? Well in my video I go ahead and remove the intake manifold, which lets you get access to replace a lot of vacuum lines and other components, and in doing so I give you a view of exactly how to fish the CCV tube through the manifold and connect it to the oil separator so that you can SEE what you need to do clearly, should you decide not to remove it.

In this video I work on my 2002 BMW 330i.

To see the video on how to remove all the usual suspects:

I also clean the throttle body and idle air control valve, which really gave me a boost in responsiveness, by the way.

In part 2 I will show you the various vacuum lines you can replace as well as the intake manifold gasket and I show you how to put everything back together. Look for that next week!

To get a set of the cold climate CCV components:

Which consists of:
11617533400 - oil separator
11617533398 - valve cover to separator tube
11617533399 - intake manifold to separator tube
11157532629 - oil dipstick drain tube
11617504536 - intake manifold return tube

To get a set of the standard CCV components:

Which consists of:
11617501566 - oil separator
11611432559 - valve cover to separator tube
11617504535 - intake manifold to separator tube
11157532649 - oil dipstick drain tube
11617504536 - intake manifold return tube

To get an Intake Manifold Gasket Set:

[chicagocars]

For anyone who is planning on doing this, don't panic. The steps are overwhelming but can be done, you just need time and Patience. I did mine today and took 8hrs, i know...thats a lot. But for someone who is new to diy mechanics, I'm pretty happy with the results. I would like to thanks The50's kid for is great tutorial, could not have done it without it!!!

[stephenheichelbech]

50s kid: Thank you so much for your videos. I was able to replace the CCV over a 10 day (following your video to a "T" and ordering all replacement parts/correct tools. I really appreciate you doing this: you've saved me thousand of dollars. *** A note: When I fired the car back up, the ABS, DCS lights came on. I checked on Youtube for those areas and the fix was to: put the car in "N" and turn the wheels left and right....I guess air bubbles where in there? Bam, lights went out in about 8-10 seconds. Once again, you are the best and thank you very much for the video/s.

[tonys]

I just completed this job because I had a leaky water pipe under the intake manifold and a CCV covered with oil.  This was a well edited video that is riddled with insight and information. Every detail must be followed otherwise you'll waste hours if you follow your intuition.  It took me a period of ten days (after day job, weekends) but was about a 16  hour effort. Unfortunately, there is nothing repetitive about the job, each step has a different challenge and you must be careful to not break things( e.g., electrical connections, DISA valve, throttle components) in the process of removing and installing.  I experienced two very difficult issues that I never thought would take 7 hours of my effort and a couple of notes not addressed in the videos.

1. The ground wire that looks like a O2 sensor took me 4 hours to figure out how to connect to the intake manifold bracket.  Look carefully how 50sKid tilts the manifold in order to hook it.  Intuitively you think you can do it after the manifold is mounted but you can't because the casting on the engine block and the starter motor are in the way.  You must insert prior to mounting intake. (Part 2 of his video)

2. The second delay I experienced was the installation of the fuel rail.  I did it per the video (Part 2) but my injectors didn't line up and I could not insert the clip correctly.  I knew something was wrong when my engine cover did not align with rail holes  Had to undo work which is difficult and time consuming, but had to do it  to see what was really going on. For what ever reason my injectors seemed too short, so I removed my injectors and attached them to the fuel rail first and then inserted into intake all at once and enough for o-rings to attach firmly into manifold.     

3. 50sKid is very detailed but doesn't show the removal of the two connections that are in front of the engine.  They are connections that run between the power steering reservoir and oil filter.

4.Car had a rough start after job was completed but computer eventually got everything squared.  My car even stalled as I went around the block for testing. Started up again gave the car some more time.  Two hours later no check engine light and car running like a champ. 

This video saved me about $2500 in labor, not including parts   My DISA was falling apart, my CCV and respective connections were a mess, vacuum lines had holes, and both water pipes and hoses needed replacement. My intake gasket was as thin as paper.  I spent $500 dollars in parts, so I know mechanics would of had a field day with me and justifiably so. There is a lot of work involved. 

Thank you 50sKid!  Look forward to other videos. Would like to see you tackle steering and suspension issues and maintenance.

[Dame]

Sir, YOU SAVED MY WALLET AND MY LIFE with this video. I fixed all of my vacuum leaks and my car purrs like a kitten now. My level of confidence for getting deeper into my engine has increased tremendously. Now that I have done this, I’ve noted several other jobs that I want to undertake to fix my 2004 325CI. Thank you!!

[geekpilotsoundworks]

just did the procedure on my 330 just like you've shown on the video. Went like a cakewalk, took about 4 hours. Fixed the rich condition and rough running when starting cold. MIL light is out. 50sKid, you are the best. :)

[BTNHarmony]

50s kid, couldn’t have done it without you. A couple critiques and words to the wise. I greatly regretted not marking my electrical harnesses. It takes mere seconds to set up a key system with duct type. Just mark both the female and male connectors with 01 or A, whatever. Putting everything back together will be much simpler. Also, it is very important as you go to mark plastic baggies with wear the bolts/nuts come from. Again, this makes everything so much easier and less stressful on the backend. I had some trouble identifying vacuum lines because they were already severed. If any one needs help on that just message me. Lastly, I did not remove my fuel rail, I simply pushed it to the back, worked fine. Thanks for you me hard work buddy.

[Tammar]

I've been having p0171 - p0174 for about a year and I searched all over YouTube and Google for CCV guiding video and couldn't find any, until you uploaded those two awesome videos.
I'm planning to do the job tomorrow as I have received my parts today.
thank you so much for the videos.

[myxipitlik]

Just want to say thank you Jason for your video, It was very helpful when I had to do this job over the weekend to replace the leaking heater pipe under the manifold. Your video is spot on and very detailed, there were no surprises. It's rare to find someone who is very knowledgeable, detailed and excellent camera & editing skills. You saved me a ton of $$ again, so thanks! To other people doing this job, consider what TonyS mentioned on an alternative way to install the injectors and if your car has over 200k, consider replacing the o-rings on the injectors and the manifold orange rubber gasket as well as they were already hard on my car.

[rafd]

Wow, thank you sir!!! Your videos are the BEST! I love how you think and explain your thought process. I'm an engineer and I really appreciate your rigorous and detailed approach. You are making quite a difference in the world helping us to cope with the crazy BMW implementation of it's exotic engineering ideas (and vulnerable, inadequate plastic and rubber hoses, clips and seals!!!).

[deanr]

Hey 50sKid, thanks for all the careful detail! It was very helpful. I just completed the job, could not have done it without this video. I did not remove the intake manifold because your video educated me in knowing how it all came together.

[dannymatthews]

I want to thank you for your excellent, detailed and user friendly videos. This video outlined every detail telling me what to watch for and how to proceed at each step. There are a lot of YouTube videos on the BMW e46 but none that equal yours in quality and content. Thanks again for saving me hours of work.

[rtwilliams]

Just wanted to let you know your video was awesome and accurate! I just got done doing the CCV replacement. Saved a friend of mine $800.00 in labor costs. They wanted $150.00 for the CCV kit. The CCV kit was $40.00 online.

[Purvis]

I've been working on a BMW that would misfire on start and idle badly. I replaced the plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, and then it only misfired at idle with fuel cut-off (P1343 and P1351). I didn't think it could be a vacuum leak from a cracked CCV until I watched this video. I checked under the engine, and sure enough, the CCV is covered in oil (along with half my face lol). So, now I need to immediately replace the CCV system. I can swap that then hope it will idle smooth again. If nothing else, I'll know the CCV is not going to cause problems!

Thank you 50sKid for this video! It's a great resource for us DIY mechanics.

[cya]

Thank you so MUCH for all your E46 videos! Your step by step tutorial and Torque spec mentioned are so helpful.
watched video couple times, took notes and took pictures on Iphone during the process just in case. The job itself was not difficult at all.
I have also done the OIL PAN gasket and transmission gasket replacement with your videos. i have to say, the OIL PAN gasket was the hardest job ever, but now i know what to do in order to get the engine re-align with the bolts and sub-frame. Could not have done any of this without your vids.
Thank you so much!!

[grahambanks]

Big day today, Some TLC for my chariot - 2001 325i 133K kilometres, full cooling system refresh (except heater core), all new gaskets and vacuum lines, CCV, crankshaft sensor and both camshaft sensors, clutch fan delete, OFHG, Oil and filter change, Transmission oil/filter change and pressure valve 11 hours to do the job including fixing things that broke when I tried to remove them... the plastic pipes under the intake manifold broke when I tried to move them. But all worth while, the old girl is running like a Swiss watch now. My thanks to those who put up videos especially the 50sKid....I appreciate your efforts Jason, makes it easier when you know what to expect and how to do it... saved myself about AU$1.5k in labour charges.

[chuckviladevall]

Thank you soooo much 50's Kid! This video AND Part 2 helped IMMENSELY! I needed to replace the CCV and hard coolant lines...I kept a laptop on the workbench and referred to the vids often! Not only with the information invaluable...the the narration, video quality, and camera angles were exceptionally superb! Keep up the GREAT work!

[paulkatieglenn]

I just did this and I can’t believe the car works perfectly. Tried to do it without taking off the intake but it was impossible. Thank goodness for your video. It was pretty easy. I am shocked I completed this repair all by myself! Thank you.

[elizcepeda]

Thank you so much for your videos. Just bought my first Bmw and determine to learn to do the maintenance my self since I had a bad experience with an 05 A6. Never done more than oil change and spark plugs. I'm getting code p0174 inspected the car and notice the drain tube from the ccv was cracked closed to coming off. After looking at lots of info & videos, yours gave me the confidence to tackle this. Just got it done this morning and glad I did it since the drain hose was clogged. Your videos are easy to follow. Next VCG. Thank You!

[johnnyhernandez]

Been a mechanic about 40 years. But never worked on BMW. But now that I own one it's a must. Ur information was very helpful and explained perfect as I went through the process. Great job👍
Thank you

[herrbrahms]

Having just reattached the fuel rail and injectors, I have some recommendations:

First, you can pull the fuel rail with the injectors still attached if you leave the clips on. That way you don't risk contamination in the fuel system. If you want to replace injectors or the upper o rings, detach them at the bench.

Also, don't bother detaching the fuel hose from the fuel rail. Instead, pull the other side of that hose off at the fuel filter output. It's under the car next to the left lower control arm bushing, and the access is loads better. You're going to have to pull your skid plate off for this job anyway most likely, since you'll drop things down on top of it that are hard to recover with a telescoping magnet.

Pull the rail, injectors, and hose off as one connected piece. The hose attaches to two brackets between its ends. One goes to the intake manifold near the firewall. You can't see it from above, so detach that connection from below. There's also an attachment to the dipstick bracket. Reattach the fuel hose to both the manifold and the dipstick from below during reassembly.

Some people say it's possible to leave the fuel rail on the manifold when you remove it, but I wouldn't do that for these reasons. The manifold is dirty and the fuel system needs to stay clean. You have to wrestle with the manifold and turn it all over to disassemble and reassemble the CCV system. Finally, the manifold to head nuts are a lot easier to access without dodging the fuel rail.