Cleaning S55 intake valves?

JoeFromPA · 02-25-2014, 12:19 PM

There is no fuel treatment, or fuel, that makes a difference. If you don' thave atomized fuel washing over the intake valves, but you do have crankcase ventilation being circulated back into the intake track, then you have oil that will very slowly coke up on the intake valves and stay there.

It is a trait of direct injection without port injection.

....

Regarding the top mount intercooler - we shall see if that adds much labor. I've had a Subaru with a top mount intercooler that took 3-5 minutes to uninstall (just a few hose clamps and a few securing fasteners readily accessible).

I've seen other intercooler setups that take much longer. BMWs being water to air intercooling indicates there may be fluid-containing hoses that need to be removed, but maybe it can just swivel out of the way. Don't know.

Jockey · 02-25-2014, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

If that's Hayden Panteieree (or whatever the hell her name is), yeah, I'd happily smell her.

aus · 02-25-2014, 01:45 PM

Engine manufactures are aware of the issue now.
There was a prety long article in one of the mags (I think Road and Track) that included engineers from a few manufactures and they were all doing things to try to clean up the crank case gases before it gets back to the intake side of the engine.

.

Beemerm3 · 01-26-2020, 12:45 AM

If we remove the intercooler and spray into the intake manifold would this be a slight fix?

FlyingLow78 · 01-26-2020, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3classic

If we remove the intercooler and spray into the intake manifold would this be a slight fix?

Spray what? Normally it requires pulverized walnut shells to break up the carbon, and the intake manifold has to come off to provide direct access to the intake ports. Something like carb cleaner is completely ineffective.

I haven’t seen any posts yet of S55s with carbon buildup. The revised oil separator did a good job cleaning up the crankcase ventilation versus prior engines.

Why do you think you need this?

GearRex · 01-27-2020, 12:27 AM

The cylinder head cover of the S55 is designed to separate the oil from the blow-by gases and route clean air - free of oil, back into the intake manifold. It is essentially a oil catch can of sorts.

Below is the explanation of the design as per the S55 Engine Technical Document:

“The blow-by gases reach a settling chamber in the cylinder head cover through an opening in the rear of the cover. The blow-by gases are then directed through holes on an impact plate which the oil hits, at a high flow rate, and drains down. The blow-by gases, cleaned of oil, now flow via the pressure control valve through the non return valves (depending on the operating mode - NA or Boost) to the charge air intake pipe before the exhaust turbocharger or the intake manifold before the intake valves. The separated oil is directed via return duct to the oil sump”. (Chapter 4.1.3)

I surmise from the explanation, that this is to be the reason why the S55 is not as susceptible to Intake Valves carbonization, as it was on N54 or N55 engines. I am not suggesting it is inmune, I am only saying these engines will go significantly longer before walnut cleaning of the intake valves is needed.

I remember doing this every 40K miles on my N54, as it suffered from hesitation during acceleration when it was needed.

S55 Engine Tech Doc PDF:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/att...6&d=1406475520

jmciver · 01-28-2020, 06:44 AM

I do this to help address this issue and keep my engine running clean....

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=25130485

Ray Khan · 01-31-2020, 08:45 PM

My shop recommends this service for all DI motors. Not much detail on the site but apparently it's a comprehensive service. It's about $250, takes about 3 hours and is recommended every 25k - 30k miles.

https://www.valvoline.com/recommende...s/fuel-and-air

FlyingLow78 · 02-01-2020, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Khan

My shop recommends this service for all DI motors. Not much detail on the site but apparently it's a comprehensive service. It's about $250, takes about 3 hours and is recommended every 25k - 30k miles.

https://www.valvoline.com/recommende...s/fuel-and-air

This sounds like a very profitable job for the shop, especially at that interval.

There aren’t many threads with photos of S55 intake ports, but here’s one:

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1359169

I couldn’t find any YouTube videos or Google images of S55 intake ports with carbon build-up. Anyone want to guess why?

jmciver · 02-01-2020, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingLow78

This sounds like a very profitable job for the shop, especially at that interval.

There aren’t many threads with photos of S55 intake ports, but here’s one:

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1359169

I couldn’t find any YouTube videos or Google images of S55 intake ports with carbon build-up. Anyone want to guess why?

Yup, saw the same thread as well. BMW apparently did a good job addressing this issue. That said, I still don't mind doing the CRC GDI cleaner every 5k miles in conjunction with my oil changes. Simple preventative maintenance for ~$14 and 25 min or so of time...

rentien · 02-04-2020, 05:39 PM

Hi, I searched forever online to see exactly how bmw is cleaning the blow by gas.

Best visual representation I could find is here:
http://s3.bimmerfile.com.s3.amazonaw...nical-Docs.pdf

Refer to page 20 of the attached doc.

Item #3 called out "Perforated plates" as a way to block oil from getting into the blow by gas when it returns down the intake manifold, etc.

If you look closely, you can see oil draining down under the perforated plates back to item 9, the oil drainage valve.

Cheers.

02-25-2014, 12:19 PM	#23
JoeFromPA Colonel 1795 Rep 2,997 Posts Drives: '15 AW M3 6MT Stripper Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: SE PA iTrader: (0)	There is no fuel treatment, or fuel, that makes a difference. If you don' thave atomized fuel washing over the intake valves, but you do have crankcase ventilation being circulated back into the intake track, then you have oil that will very slowly coke up on the intake valves and stay there. It is a trait of direct injection without port injection. .... Regarding the top mount intercooler - we shall see if that adds much labor. I've had a Subaru with a top mount intercooler that took 3-5 minutes to uninstall (just a few hose clamps and a few securing fasteners readily accessible). I've seen other intercooler setups that take much longer. BMWs being water to air intercooling indicates there may be fluid-containing hoses that need to be removed, but maybe it can just swivel out of the way. Don't know.
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02-25-2014, 01:45 PM	#25
aus Major General 892 Rep 9,032 Posts Drives: Odysse Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Seal Beach, CA iTrader: (10)	Engine manufactures are aware of the issue now. There was a prety long article in one of the mags (I think Road and Track) that included engineers from a few manufactures and they were all doing things to try to clean up the crank case gases before it gets back to the intake side of the engine. . __________________ Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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01-26-2020, 12:45 AM	#26
Beemerm3 First Lieutenant 59 Rep 345 Posts Drives: 16' BMW m3 Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Sacramento iTrader: (0)	If we remove the intercooler and spray into the intake manifold would this be a slight fix?
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01-27-2020, 12:27 AM	#28
GearRex First Lieutenant 194 Rep 310 Posts Drives: G80 M3, E46 ZHP, 991.2 Cabrio Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Miami iTrader: (6)	The cylinder head cover of the S55 is designed to separate the oil from the blow-by gases and route clean air - free of oil, back into the intake manifold. It is essentially a oil catch can of sorts. Below is the explanation of the design as per the S55 Engine Technical Document: “The blow-by gases reach a settling chamber in the cylinder head cover through an opening in the rear of the cover. The blow-by gases are then directed through holes on an impact plate which the oil hits, at a high flow rate, and drains down. The blow-by gases, cleaned of oil, now flow via the pressure control valve through the non return valves (depending on the operating mode - NA or Boost) to the charge air intake pipe before the exhaust turbocharger or the intake manifold before the intake valves. The separated oil is directed via return duct to the oil sump”. (Chapter 4.1.3) I surmise from the explanation, that this is to be the reason why the S55 is not as susceptible to Intake Valves carbonization, as it was on N54 or N55 engines. I am not suggesting it is inmune, I am only saying these engines will go significantly longer before walnut cleaning of the intake valves is needed. I remember doing this every 40K miles on my N54, as it suffered from hesitation during acceleration when it was needed. S55 Engine Tech Doc PDF: http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/att...6&d=1406475520 Last edited by GearRex; 01-27-2020 at 12:37 AM..
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01-28-2020, 06:44 AM	#29
jmciver ///M SubDriver 1836 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: 2017 M3, 2020 X7 40i Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: DMV iTrader: (0) Garage List 2017 BMW M3 [10.00] 2020 BMW X7 [0.00] 2019 BMW X3 [0.00] 2009 BMW 128i [0.00]	I do this to help address this issue and keep my engine running clean.... https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=25130485 __________________ ///M3 *COMPETITION 6MT* - 2017 F80 Smoked Topaz Metallic BM3 / MP-HAS / GC Camber Plates / Carbonstructure Interior X7 XDrive 40i ///M-SPORT - 2020 G07 Arctic Grey Metallic X3 XDrive 30i - 2019 G01 Mineral White (wife's) / 128i 6MT - 2009 E82 Jet Black (son's)
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01-31-2020, 08:45 PM	#30
Ray Khan Private 19 Rep 53 Posts Drives: 2010 Audi S4 6MT, 2019 X3 M40i Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Melrose, MA iTrader: (0)	My shop recommends this service for all DI motors. Not much detail on the site but apparently it's a comprehensive service. It's about $250, takes about 3 hours and is recommended every 25k - 30k miles. https://www.valvoline.com/recommende...s/fuel-and-air __________________ 2020 M4 Convertible 6MT, 2010 S4 6MT, 2019 X3 m40i
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02-04-2020, 05:39 PM	#33
rentien Enlisted Member 14 Rep 40 Posts Drives: 2013 328i, 2020 M2 Competition Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: San Francisco, CA iTrader: (0)	Hi, I searched forever online to see exactly how bmw is cleaning the blow by gas. Best visual representation I could find is here: http://s3.bimmerfile.com.s3.amazonaw...nical-Docs.pdf Refer to page 20 of the attached doc. Item #3 called out "Perforated plates" as a way to block oil from getting into the blow by gas when it returns down the intake manifold, etc. If you look closely, you can see oil draining down under the perforated plates back to item 9, the oil drainage valve. Cheers.
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