Thanks caminifan!

That seems like a very simple test.

So say that there is pressure under the valve cover after the de-install of the OCC... What could possibly cause excessive pressure within the valve cover? Is is it possible that the PCV valve could be bad? If you blow/suck on the end of a hose connected to the PCV.. and it flows when you suck, but stops when you blow, it should be fine... right?

So what could be more seriously engine related that would cause pressure inside the valve cover?

I now have the valve cover off and everything looks normal at the top off the head. Is there anything inparticular that I should be looking for???

Also, I drained the remaining oil from the crankcase tonight and there was actually quite a bit. I would say at least a couple quarts. Combine that with the quart or so my wife said was on the ground after she parked it and before it got towed... and I think that it will be OK.


But Man!.... I just sure would like to find out exactly why this happened before I install a new valve cover and put it all back together. I sure dont want this to happen again!!!

I am also thinking.... Is it possible that the plastic valve cover could of cracked due to cold weather, or the new air diverter sprayer getting water on it and being cold, then getting hot???? The cracking or something....

As you can tell I am digging deep here for answers.... This is just such a mystery to me. WHY!!!!!!

Thanks again for all the support!!!

Presuming you have put everything back to stock (and I would replace the crankcase vent valve (otherwise known as the PCV valve)), positive pressure under the valve cover (and, just to be sure we are talking about the same thing, you are referring the the cylinder head cover (part no.11127513094, or item 1 in the following diagram: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...87&hg=11&fg=15 )) generally comes from a failed (or improperly installed) crankcase vent/PCV valve.

The most likely scenario (and I haven't examined your install, so I am only talking in general terms) is that you replaced the crankcase vent/PCV valve incorrectly.

I don't want to freak you, but one thing that could cause positive pressure inside the cylinder head cover would be an improperly sealing valve (or valves) that are blowing past the valve seals combined with a failed crankcase vent valve.... Right now, you really need to get the crankcase ventilation equation back to stock. That is your baseline.

The first thing I would do is get a replacement cylinder head cover with new seals and a new crankcase vent valve and all of the hoses you "enhanced" with the OCC install replaced and put back to stock. If you get positive crankcase pressure (pressure that is not being vented through the crankcase vent valve) after putting things back to stock, then you have more diagnostic work ahead of you the outcome of which is not likely going to be kind to your wallet.

Hmmm. The quart or so that your wife said was on the ground would have been oil that was not in the engine... that is not encouraging.

Start by getting the crankcase vent equation back to stock. Don't worry about damaging the new cylinder head cover - you aren't going to be driving the car anywhere until you get things fixed.

Doubtful.

Probably not the hot/cold hypothesis. There are a lot of reasons why the valve cover might have been flawed as molded. Also, plastics have a nasty habit of failing catastrophically under repeated low loads, basically due to fatigue crack propagation. A molding flaw aggravates this tendency.

Did you consider that the cover may have imploded due to vacuum rather than exploded due to pressure? Maybe the vacuum inside the cover is greater than in the stock condition when you hook both the breather and PCV to the vac side (as you did by following the Alta instructions)?

Here are pictures of the valve train without the valve cover on. Everything inside appears to be normal and tight. Is there anything in here that I would need to look for?

Also, look inside the top of the valve cover... Is this grey pliable gunk smeared in there normal???

Is it possible that the valve cover had been off before with somebody trying to fix an issue with the cover, then put back on wrong, like not torqued correctly? maybe to tight or something causing it to crack?

If anybody has seen this gunk before or know why it is there... Please let me know..

I am still digging as deep as I can to find out how this could of happened.

Thanks to everybody for all of the support.

Jasun

I think if it was overtightened enough to cause a crack it would be cracked at the edge of the valve cover flange, not higher up on the cover like it is. That gasket compound on the metal baffle is interesting. Maybe someone who has had their valve cover off will chime in with the answer.

in the top of the cover that reduce the amount of flung oil that can get into the vent lines. The smeared grey stuff is some sort of sealant used at some of the edges.

Matt

I'm no longer baffled about that.

check the fittings for obstructions (casting flash ect.) then the teflon tape job. also if the hoses sent aren't rigid ;they will collapse and cause the pressure build . the drivers' side is only for wot so stick to just the pcv side.

So are you saying I should not use the silicone more flexable hoses that are provided by Alta and sent with the OCC?

I have ordered all the replacment parts for the repair. They will be here on Weds.

In the meantime I am having "mod withdrawl".... I am considering installing my new detroirt tuned by pass valve and doing the VGS mod while I have it all apart. Is this dumb??? My wife thinks I am a total moron... I dont even know if the car is still going to run and I am still putting mods on it....
What's wrong with me?????:impatient :impatient

It's an addiction. There's a 12-step program for it:
1) Catch can
2) Pulley mod
3) Exhaust
4&5) Wheels and tires
6) Big brakes......

(you get the idea)

Hope you track this one down - loks frightening but I'm sure it was something simple. If I were you, I'd put 'er back to stock then retrace the issues as listed in the posts above.

Aw Unka J. That sux a$$. I guess you should have just accepted the fact that EVL MINI is faster and not tried so many mods.
Regardless, I have faith that you will have that thing back together in no time, also you'll now have a much better knowledge of how that thing is put together.
Cheers,
Skottoman

some stuff gets past the rings no matter how good the motor is. Go ahead and feel the air coming out of the oil filler in pretty much any car. That's just the way it is...... So if you seal up the valve cover, it will crack or something no matter what, if a seal doesn't go first.

You should start thinking about how you're going to detect if this is happening again. Having the exploding valve cover as a detector isn't the best system for finding out things are bad.....

But as far as the source, I'd bet money that it was with the OCC instal. It's possible that something else happened, but the chance of that happening right when you did your mod are much smaller than the chance the mod did it. Standard troubleshooting. Assume it's the last thing you did and undo it.

Matt

Word. When you hear hoofbeats, expect horses, not zebras.

Two possibilities:
1. OCC was installed incorrectly, causing excess pressure in valve cover.
2. OCC was installed correctly, and hidden subversive pervasive bug timed to go off in the new year spontaneously made itself known, completely unrelated to latest mod.

Now get to work getting all the oil out of the engine compartment.

Could be a very dumb question, and maybe I missed something, but does the OCC have a one way check valve built into it? Could the OCC been installed backwards?

can't be installed backwards, its just hollow inside

Jasun,
Where does this line attach at the other end? It's very long & I haven't seen a breather line from the intake tube used in any OCC plumbing unless there are 2 OCCs.

chuckt-

That line coming out of the side of the intake tube goes along across the top of the engine and attaches to the output fitting on the top of the catch can.

This routing is recommended by Alta but seems much too complicated and involved.

I like the other routing where you just go from pcv valve to OCC then OCC to the plastic grey tube, that you would normally cap off in the Alta routing. The other intake side of the valve cover remains stock with just the hose going from the valve cover to the intake. Much more simple...

I hope that works. Jasun

if you go that route, you need to reinforce the OCC because it will collapse under vacuum. some people have used pvc, alta sells a metal sleeve as well.

If they use the intake tube as the OCC output, what do you do with the gray line? Cap it? Perhaps someone could post a copy of the Alta OCC plumbing diagram.

Yes, I know the can is hollow, but I was wondering if there was a one way check valve installed in the connection, not inside the can itself.

That is the role of the crankcase vent valve (other wise known as a PCV (positive crankcase ventillation) valve - to vent the positive crankcase pressure. With a properly installed PCV valve, the air coming out of the oil filler will be nowhere near the pressure that caused the cover to explode.

So, it would seem that the best approach to getting resolution is to go back to a stock install. I agree that the problem more than likely was with the OCC install. After you get to a stock (properly vented) installation, you can check the install of the OCC by checking the pressure coming out of the oil filler after the OCC has been installed - no change from stock, then you can conclude that the most recent OCC install was successful.

not sure if you are still looking for info,,, but here is how my OCC was installed in my 04S. It was located next to the ABS module in the back left corner.. Mine was the M7 but the hooks should utlimatly the same...Hope it helps.. 8kmi no issues ( a friend now has the car )

I'm very curious to see how this turns out.....plus I wish I'd seen it much earlier since I have an extra valve cover.

OK so the car is back together... I hooked up the catch can the more simple way; leaving the intake tube side stock and running the Alta silicone tubing from PCV to OCC input, then OCC output to grey plastic tube.

The car fired right up and sounded good. I checked the vacuum coming straight off the hose that connects to the PCV. It was strong with good suction. I then put my hand over the oil filler hole and had a good strong steady pulsating of air, but no building pressure. Everything appears to be fine. I then noticied that I had a SES light on the dash. I turned off the car and turned it back on. It went away.

I then went around to look at the engine again while it was running and noticed the OCC really collapsing from the suction/vacuum. Is this normal??? When you get in and off the gas it is really collapsing, like a breathing lung.

One thing about the OCC install that did not seem right to me from the beginning, was all of the foam that I added inside the can. The kit came with a big bag of foam rings that said "add to inside of catch can body". I thought it was alot, but assumed I should stuff them all in there. I mean they went all the way to the top of the catch can and were even kinda pressing against the top. Now I think about it.... the thing might be getting choked. If those rings get saturated with oil and are pressing against the top where the fittings are, they would starve the lines! Right? How much of the foam ring material was I supposed to add to the can?

Could this of caused my explosion or implosion???, especially when added to the older more restrictive routing method ????

So then I jump in the car for a ride around the block. Everything feels normal. I park back at the house, immediately open the hood and feel the oil filler hole for pressure... nothing. I am thinking I am good so I take off to meet my wife and mother in law for dinner. I go through the gears at low rpm all normal. I then jump on the freeway on ramp and go through low rpm gears to 6th. Once I am in 6th at about 60 mph 2k rpm I put the pedal to the floor. I get the typically bogging whine and then a sudden jerk/studder, kinda like the belt slipping or electrical cut out. Ah oh....
I decelerate to the off ramp and just kinda cruise with it feeling pretty normal to the restraunt.

After dinner I get back in the car and leave the joint just going up through the gears to 4th. After the speed limit jumps from 25 to 50 mph I put the pedal to the floor again at low rpm 2-3k, 35-40 mph same thing a jerky sputter... I then mess with the throttle, rpm range and gear selection and realize it is getting much worse... any substansial throttle input just makes the car sputter and jerky with the EML and SES lights on now. I limp it back to the house and right before I pull into the driveway the SES light starts a continuous flashing.

Needless to say I park the car, once again feeling defeated....

The car ran just perfect until the night that I installed the OCC and Alta diverter. The reason for this has to be from these mods. Probably not the smartest thing to do... but while the car was torn apart and I was having mod withdrawl, I installed the DT BPV and did the VGS mod. So the diagnosis is a little more complicated now. I also reset the ECU per the DT BPV instructions before my test drive tonight.

The only motor related mods on my JCW are K N Cai, Alta OCC, DT BPV, VGS, TSW engine dampener, Alta air diverter.

What could be causing this??? It has to be the OCC right?

Tomorrows night of diagnosis will include- taking some foam out of the OCC and reversing the VGS.


Any Ideas????? What was the deal with the limp sputter mode my car went into??? I have heard that the flashing SES light is not a good sign. Apparently that is the last thing Mariokart saw before his car turned into a 69 Camaro..... (read his post, Ouch... I feel for ya brother)

Please help....

Thanks, Jasun

What were you thinking? Putting in more mods after everyone said go back to stock first? Rip all that stuff out and start over. A flashing SES light is a very bad sign.