Overheating 2018 35d

[stocktree]

Is bmw going to cover all the repairs?

[Harv]

Originally Posted by stocktree

Is bmw going to cover all the repairs?

From the EGR failure yes but I’d like them to compensate me for the head gasket failure that I’m sure this caused in the first place.

John

[milkyway]

Wow! The dealer/BMW basically says equivalently that the new EGR from the recall replacement fails and doesn't fix the issue the recall tries to address at least in your case. Your new EGR was just about half a year before it failed and caused this fiasco. You said the coolant didn't lose when the intake manifold was burned. I would think either new EGR cooler didn't work/cool for some reason or/and the the old/heavy soot was not cleaned.

[Harv]

Again, all the repairs from the failed EGR cooler were covered.

However I’m fairly certain that the cooler was failing initially and that caused coolant in the combustion chambers and caused the failed head gasket. I’m also concerned about the health of the DPF at this point.

Oh, and it’s back in service as of yesterday.

John

[Harv]

Why do my pictures go 90°?

John

[milkyway]

The bright side of this is that at least your EGR and intake manifold are brand new now without worrying about their carbon buildup in them for long time. If you don't know your current DPF ash accumulation/remaining life, I would suggest to use ISTA to check it.

BTW, I had my EGR recall done few days ago, and also replaced DPF sensor per its extended warranty (MIL was on, ISTA showed it was the faulty DPF sensor) . As I expected, the dealer upgraded the software to the latest (I-level is late 2022) per the DPF sensor replacement SIB. I'm going to install/upgrade my ISTA to almost the latest version to work with my X5 35d again.

[mrrsharma@yahoo.com]

I was looking at the picture with the head off and the oil filter housing looks like it has a hairline crack forming…. Did it get replace or looked at closely? I haven’t really heard of them cracking, so it might be shadows or dirt buildup

[Harv]

Not that I know of. I think you’re seeing is the mold line.

Hope it’s not cracking!

John

[Harv]

Just completed a 1300 mile trip towing.

No problems.

I did watch the EGT’s and coolant temp on my Banks Igauge.

[Clifton]

Glad you are back in action Harv . What did the dealer fix/correct on the last visit? Any details or items that the rest of Diesel guys should keep an eye on?

[Harv]

Originally Posted by Clifton

What did the dealer fix/correct on the last visit? Any details or items that the rest of Diesel guys should keep an eye on?

Well 2 weeks after the head gasket repair the egr cooler failed melting the intake manifold.

That was all covered under the extended EGR warranty.

John

[marcelh]

Hey!

Thanks for sharing this story harv!

Is yours still going strong few months after the repairs?

I think I'm having a similar series of issues with mine. I bought it (2016 x5 35d, 110k miles) this June. It started to be low on coolant the minute I drove it off the dealer lot. It then ran low again every 100-300miles. When towing / over mountain passes, it would overheat all the time. Eventually the check engine light came on - codes (240500 + 290900) for low EGR volume.
I initially though it's just the EGR cooler recall that's pending. However it turned out the EGR cooler had been replaced a year ago.

Quick overview of what happened since:
- BMW dealer diagnosed it as "not overheating, just low on coolant", presented me $2200 estimate for a bunch of random stuff (air intake housing, coolant reservoir, brakes) - I declined
- I tested coolant for combustion gases, and it was a very clear positive
- I monitored engine behavior using Bimmerlink and noticed that the EGR flow is sufficient when the EGR cooler bypass opens (cold engine), but drops to 0 once it closes. Hence I concluded the EGR cooler must be clogged.

- I removed the EGR cooler and opened it. It was clearly clogged.

- presented with this evidence, BMW agreed to replace the EGR cooler again under warranty. When I picked it up, they told me engine runs fine now but still a bit hot, they recommend replacing thermostat.
- After this, the engine ran reasonably fine. It did sometimes run hot when going over mountain passes (I live in SLC and there are lots of steep canyons), but you could deal with it by going slower / running cabin heating. It lost some coolant, but much less than before.
- It drove like this for about 6,000 miles. It had a whole bunch of other issues that kept me busy (mostly unrelated things like air ride bags shot, particle sensor malfunction, brake pads, battery - but also the coolant outlet flange gave up so it lost all coolant again), so I never got to changing the thermostat
- Eventually EGR code came back (290900 - low EGR volume)
- I decided to finally change the thermostat as the dealer recommended, and also replaced the coolant reservoir cap because that seemed to be leaking
- after that, everything went worse - it overheated all the time, MIL came back on with code 240500 (no EGR volume)
- I concluded the EGR cooler is shot yet again and unwilling to pay $800 for a new one and unsure I could go back to the dealer with another warranty ask, ordered two used ones off ebay. The first one turned out to be broken, the second one seemed fine (no clogging)
- Putting that new (used) EGR cooler in changed nothing. The coolant system builds up pressure rapidly (I installed a gauge)
- I blocked off the exhaust and the inlet side of the EGR cooler, and it is building up coolant system pressure at same rate.

--> Seems like the engine now definitely has a head gasket / head / block issue. One can speculate whether this problem has existed all along and caused the EGR coolers to fail, or whether it developed given all the overheating episodes it got exposed to.
I'm wondering whether I should try to fix it / get it fixed, or give up on this particular car.....
I love it if it drives, but it has been soooo unreliable so far that I'm not sure I want to deal with it anymore.

Any advice is welcome!

Best,
Marcel

[dani802]

The problem of the intake manifold catching fire in the diesel engines its a well known problem, because of the soot that is building inside it.

[marcelh]

Update on my post above - I took it apart and turns out that the cylinder head has two cracks at cylinder 1 (front of car).



I wonder if this has been caused by a failed EGR cooler?

[jbfrancis3]

Originally Posted by marcelh

Update on my post above - I took it apart and turns out that the cylinder head has two cracks at cylinder 1 (front of car).

I wonder if this has been caused by a failed EGR cooler?

If its cracked its hard to convey in photos. If you attempt to share with anyone like BMW/dealership, you'll need better photos. To a regular viewer it just looks like regular casting marks. Also, cracks don't tend start and abruptly end in short distance.