[Matrez]

Hello,

Today I serviced my E90 320d pre-LCI. Servide included :

- engine oil and oil filter <- didnt even need a car jack for that, but to un-bolt oil filter cover was horrible, but managed it banging with a heavy hammer on a side of a spanner ;P

- microfilter <- very easy took about 5 minutes.

- screenwash <- a little bit tricky as there is no measuring gauge or note on a computer to let you know the level. I hope the liquid will not expand under temperature that much as I filled almost to the top lol.

- air filter <- ohhh.... and there is my problem and question to you. I stripped most of the engine to get to the filter (took 35 mins.), but there was one bolt of of three for the filter box which I overturned and broke the top of it and had to put everything back as I couldnt do anything Very irritating, ohhh very !!! What can I do now ? I thought about drilling the bolt out with a long drill bit as the bolt is positioned in crap position. The picture underneath shows the air filter box I am talking about and three bolts for it. The bolt I am talking about is the top one on the picture :


Please let me have some ideas of how to cope with it. I will hugely appreciate that. Thank you

[Tunna_uk]

not easy to see from the picture, but don't panic. Is it the bolt that has snapped? Or the nut end?
If its the bolt then should be able to get one from BMW and the broken end might just wind out of the nut......
If its the nut end thats smashed again a part will be available

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by Tunna_uk

not easy to see from the picture, but don't panic. Is it the bolt that has snapped? Or the nut end?
If its the bolt then should be able to get one from BMW and the broken end might just wind out of the nut......
If its the nut end thats smashed again a part will be available

It is round allen bolt and the end where the tool goes is smashed. It looks excatly like this :


I thought of drilling through it or maybe weld some tool to it and get it out. Breaking the filter box is another option but it would be expensive and getting it out with pliers would be horribly hard as it is round allen bolt.

Another idea is to buy 3 liter diesel engine and forget this horrible 2 liter one lol.

What do you think about all of that ?

[AlwynMike]

The 3 litre ones are as bad (if not worse) to do!

Can you get a small cold chisel to it?

[ibanezking]

where in Manc?? I'm in Leigh

A slightly oversize imperial allen key may tap in to allow you to loosen it

Some "easy-outs"

can you get a dremel head to it??? cut a slot and then a flat bladed driver..........

Max

[msport]

If the cap head has sheared you will need to drill it out or if there is enough gap with the rest of the filter box loose to get a small hacksaw blade in under and cut it off, it does make me cringe to see your post tho banging spanners with heavy hammers for the oil filter is not good practice or thinking about welding something to an allen bolt sorry thats wrong but thats just me tho 24yrs as a marine enginner, fair play for doing the work yourself tho.

If a bolt is tight in future try using a ring spanner on the open end to give you more leverage rather than beating it or you will end up with a bigger problem.

simon

[Crazyoyster]

Hi I have managed to undo all the bolts myself but the problem is removing the casing to get to the filter. Im stuck so I put in back together as I needed to get to work.

It just will not come out its loose but something is stopping it.

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by Crazyoyster

It just will not come out its loose but something is stopping it.

Dude, they dont come out, you dont need to remove the casing at all, just remove the air flow sensor asembly at the front.
Couple of screws, leave the wire connected to the sensor too.
In pic 8 its unbolted but resting back in place, but look carefully compared to pic 3 you can see the srews are out of the airflow sensor (black plastic part with a lead attached)



Read this:
http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/...cedure-t67584/

Steve

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by AlwynMike

The 3 litre ones are as bad (if not worse) to do!

Can you get a small cold chisel to it?

I could not even fit my hand in there so whn I was trying un-bolt it with different toold I smashed the head of the bolt as there was not enought strengh going into it. The allen bolt is on the bottom of a small gap.

Here is the air filter box and 2 out of 3 bolts holding it which are easy to unbolt:



And as you can see these 3 allen bolts are in a hollow


The 3rd one which I smashed is on the back of the air box, on the bottom of it and going there with your hands is impossible.

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by ibanezking

where in Manc?? I'm in Leigh

A slightly oversize imperial allen key may tap in to allow you to loosen it

Some "easy-outs"

can you get a dremel head to it??? cut a slot and then a flat bladed driver..........

Max

I live near Sale Moor.
The allen bolt inside is just round, because of many tries and I think a little bigger allen key wouldnt help. I really tried every tool.

Its good idea from you to use a dremel and then screw driver, but the bolt is on the bottom of the gap, so I couldnt fit my hands in there. That is why I smashed it, just couldnt get enought power on a tool

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by msport

If the cap head has sheared you will need to drill it out or if there is enough gap with the rest of the filter box loose to get a small hacksaw blade in under and cut it off, it does make me cringe to see your post tho banging spanners with heavy hammers for the oil filter is not good practice or thinking about welding something to an allen bolt sorry thats wrong but thats just me tho 24yrs as a marine enginner, fair play for doing the work yourself tho.

If a bolt is tight in future try using a ring spanner on the open end to give you more leverage rather than beating it or you will end up with a bigger problem.

simon

Yes, it is all true, but lack of proper tools shows up. I need to buy some proper tools for my next service A spanner needs to be 36/38mm.

It is really hard to get my hands in the gap to unbolt it, so I would need very long tool to unbolt it.

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by Crazyoyster

Hi I have managed to undo all the bolts myself but the problem is removing the casing to get to the filter. Im stuck so I put in back together as I needed to get to work.

It just will not come out its loose but something is stopping it.

For the air filter box you need to undo 3 allen bolts. Two on the front which are easy to undo and one on the back which is positioned on the bottom of the gap. Have you undone it also ? Thats the one I smashed and thats my problem.

If you undone 3 allen bolts holding the air filter box, there is a strut brace above it, and that stops you taking air filter box out.
These 3 allen bolts cannot be taken out as they are attached to the box somehow.

[Matrez]

Hello guys
On my second attempt I managed to replace the air filter on my 320d pre-LCI.
The whole job took around 1 hour.
The allen bolt I have smashed on my first attempt just could not be taken out trying almost everything, but that did not stop me!
I could not do it on my own as one person needs to bend the air filter box so the other person can somehow put it in place. I am glad the plastic box did not break because of heavy bending. It costs 40 pounds at BMW Saloon. I have asked a BMW dealership how much it would cost to change the air filter excluding the price for the filter... I was told 132 pounds !!!!!!!! I asked, why ???? I was told it is not that easy and takes them 1 hour. For 1 hour of work 132 pounds, sorry but what the hell ?!!! BMW is rubbish to be honest with you. I hope the next generation coming out next year will be a lot better.

Here are some photos I took :




The job is not that hard to be honest with you. I figured everything out first time and second time was just matter of time. Do not be scared and use right tools the first time or you will end up like me !

Thanks a lot to those who helped me

PS. There are 4 allen bolts for the air filter box. I made a mistake in my previous comments, sorry :P

[magic77]

congrats, I remember doing this on my e46 320D it was a right PITA, all good having a huge surface air filter but its so restricted it just gunks up on the front entrance bit and its a pain to clean. At least with LCI they went back to normal airbox. Now its 5 seconds to change/ clean it.

[JaySTee]

Did You remove the strutt brace when you changed the filter? Makes it much easier....

[briers]

Holy mother of god

What a shit design

I dont understand why it is so inaccessible. With a bigger engine and other extra bits the 6cyclinder engines seem to fit everything in and make it accessible.

Surely they have even more space to play with in the 320d. I just pop a couple of latches to remove the air filter.

[magic77]

I think hence since LCI models the airbox is now located in bottom left of the engine bay and its case of just 3 clips to remove the cover and change the filter

[m1bjr]

Odd.
The guide I posted up shows its pretty easy.

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by JaySTee

Did You remove the strutt brace when you changed the filter? Makes it much easier....

I could not remove the air filter box as I smashed 1 allen bolt out of 4.
I managed to change the filter magicly
Ohhhh, thanks God its all over

In 2/3 years I will get an engine from 330d LCI with 245BHP
I hope my problems will be sorted...

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by magic77

I think hence since LCI models the airbox is now located in bottom left of the engine bay and its case of just 3 clips to remove the cover and change the filter

Yeah, thats so great, I saw it also on 330d LCI
Why do they always shit up pre-LCI models hmmmm... I suppose to encourage people to buy newer cars

[sim303]

Glad you got it sorted!

Just remember, cheap tools can be very expensive

sim

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by sim303

Glad you got it sorted!

Just remember, cheap tools can be very expensive

sim

It doesn''t matter how much they cost,
if they are wielded by Wurzel Gummidge