HOW TO BMW N55 Valve Cover , Oil Filter Housing, Transmission Service 2013 F25 X3
What a wrench fest! It’s a good thing we knocked out these repairs, some monkey got into this engine and left everything loose!
In this video I will show you how to replace the valve cover, reseal the oil filter housing and oil cooler, prime the oil system, replace the upper radiator hose, replace the belt tensioner, belt, and idler pulley, bleed the cooling system, and fully service the transmission on this 2013 BMW X3.
I will link everything I can below :) I hope you enjoy
Tools -
Autoline Pro Smoke Machine & Adapters:
spn.so/l/i1meefgr
amzn.to/3DBRAsj
Foxwell Scantool:
amzn.to/421o5tG
Sil Glyde:
amzn.to/3NzuJUf
Silicone Spray:
amzn.to/3Vccl5n
Cooling System Pressure Tester w/ Adapters:
amzn.to/44inrtU
Oil Filter Cap Tool:
amzn.to/3LyiHsw
Magnetic 11mm Socket (Deep):
amzn.to/3NhqX1n
Fluid Evacuator:
amzn.to/3LhgiRA
N55 Oil Prime Details Link:
blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-si-b11-0...
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Guys I just bought a neglected e60 530i with a M54 engine, and this guy is one of the youtubers I blame!!!
LOLOL if it drives you crazy you can sell it to me :)
Oh my lord, finally a detailed F25 wrenchfest... N55 to boot! I was starting to think I was the only one who owned it 😅
You found it! Maybe it needs a new title to be found easier. Welcome to the channel!
Guys I am a retired BMW tech I must say kudos on the valve cover procedure and oil housing reseal
I appreciate it! Thanks!!! :)
“Gotta have a clean mating surface, in the garage and in the bedroom”😭 I was having a bad day until I got your notification thank you!
Thanks mate, appreciate the comment!
Some mechanics don't care that's why they get a bad reputation we need more guys like you
Thank you! I try to do my best
Bro Another great video, keep it up man. You cut right to the chase and keep it packed with great content! Case in point: All of your videos!✊✊🤟
Thank you! Great to see you in the comments again, appreciate the support
The n55 f25 is one of my fav bmws
Its a great car! handles real well for a small SUV
Nice work man, i didn't even own a bmw, but that was a nice service!
Thank you!!!
Awesome!!! Love the N55 content (I have 2 of those things)
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Charles!!!
another excellent video Bro!! 👏👏👏
Thanks Ryan, always appreciate your comments and support 👍🏻
Great video 👏👏👏
Thank you!!!
Nice job i love your videos...,keep it up ...
Thank you! will do!
Hope you covered that electric steering rack when power washing the engine, ask me how i know 😂!
I did not but it didnt give me any issues! Havent had one act up on me yet, but i can imagine that would be a righteous pain!
Another great video, bro. Just bought a '19 X3 with B48 engine. Depending on what/who you watch, B48 might be problematic, might not. I am dutiful about maintenance, so hopefully the latter. Also own a "06 Z4M roadster with S54, so I can bury myself in analog technology when I need to get away from the rolling computer X3. Always dig our how-to's. Thanks.
Thank you buster! What a score on the ZM Roadster! I bet that car is a blast to drive and very valuable!
52:45 that control arm is shot
yeah i saw that too. Add it to the list! lol
Dude. you know your ish. and I just watched this whole video intrigued the entire time. I want you to work on my motor lol.
Thanks mate! Appreciate it
Please list this as a F25, 35i. I just did the valve cover on my F26 and realized, there aren’t a lot of videos on this platform, and this is on of just three videos that work on this platform with an N55. It’s different than any other N55 setup and should be explored further.
Thanks for the info! Ill be sure to tweak the title
Niceeee, dude!
Thank you!
Great video! Personally when doing the OFHG and the upper radiator hose, I’ll also do the Mickey Mouse hose that blocks the bottom bolt on the filter housing assembly. Because they get oil saturated like the upper rad hose.
Agreed, its a good idea to replace it while you're in there, I think ill be addressing it with Josh in the next run
@@DayOffDIY change it the aluminum one! Plastic goes in the garbage.
@@SDE90 Ill have to try it out, I always used OE at the shop, we tried to stay away from aftermarket for the most part. Budget wasnt there for this trip but maybe in the future for the X3
@@DayOffDIY Rein makes it! As you know, Rein is an OE supplier of hoses for BMW - so technically you're still keeping that car "a BMW" ;) - any plastic that you can change to aluminum is a no brainer on the German whips! Worst plastic in the industry lol.
I would've pulled the crankshaft position sensor plug
I forget if the N55 is exposed to oil or not… I think it’s buried underneath the starter somewhere
Good time to replace the coolant "Mickey Mouse" flange in front of the cylinder head while the oil filter housing is off. My upper radiator hose was still in perfect condition when I did this same service, but the coolant flange totally disintegrated, when I pulled it off the head.
Agreed! We didnt have the budget for it this visit but Im sure we will address it in the near future. They do love to crumble apart, maybe an aluminum replacement next time?
@@DayOffDIY I bought an aluminium flange in preparation since it wasn't that much more expensive than the OEM plastic one. I had a new upper radiator hose also just in case it would have crumbled or the expansion tank nipple broke off. But that new one still remains in my spare parts bin.
@@ilesoft82 awesome, im going to give that a try!
Great video man!! Thought you can't fill the gearbox when the car isn't level. Was the car level up in the air? Looked like it wasn't.
You’re correct, I should’ve had it level but I topped it off extra to make up for it
Nice work mate. I just need ur advice for choosing best engine oil for n52 for summers.
N52s Ive always used 5w-30! Castrol, Total, or Liqui Moly all good brands to go with!
@@DayOffDIY mine is 211k miles. So should i change the grade or stick with 5w30?
It consumes almost 2 quarts oil in every 7000km
Great video! Very informative! Going to do a oil change on my N52 this weekend. Do you happen to know what i can do to get my electric waterpump running. Foot on the gaspedal for +-10 sec does not seem to do anything. I have the ignition on and blower on lowest, temp on highest.
hmmm... Ive seen check engine lights preventing the water pump from entering the bleed procedure. With the right scan tool or ISTA you can command it, but if theres an issue with the electric thermostat or water pump it wont allow you to bleed, or sometimes if theres a disconnected sensor in the cooling system.
@@DayOffDIY none of that luckily. I'm doing the radiator soon, so will try again then. Thanks for answering!
@@TheDailyEG maybe there will be some info online for ya! cheers
Nice work! Wonder how do you tell the Transmission fluid temperature is at the range for topping the fluid?
For this job I used my Foxwell scan tool and pulled up the Live Data through the Transmission module, and was able to watch the trans temp increase through my scan tool
@@DayOffDIY Nice. I have a Foxwell NT510 too.
@@wishfulbuy nice! its been good so far!
I see that you put a screen on that BMW X3, can I know which one it is? because I was watching your channel and you don't have a video about it
i didnt install the screen, the vehicle came to me with it already installed
Thx! Just curious, when refilling the transmission is it required to keep the front end of the car higher, instead of level? Or does it not make difference in trans fluid level.
Its best to keep the car at level height, It skipped my mind and i shouldve had the car level
You better go chase that car down, it definitely has the wrong amount of fluid in it, especially with it wildly overrunning out the fill whole while you were putting the plug in. ZF8 is super sensitive to fill level, and that just wasn’t right.
@@ScrubRadius had the front end up a bit higher than the rear, shouldve had it level but i overfilled it due to that reason. will recheck next visit
love the way you handle you business to bad you to far from me I would love you service my cars, you earned my respect.
Thanks Jerry! hoping I can work with more subscribers in the future
@@DayOffDIY you will 👨🔧👨🔧
You can work flat rate at any dealer and make money ..😂😂😂😂❤
hahah you can tell ive done a few of them, even at a salary shop Im all about repairs in the easiest shortest time possible! Thanks John
8:58 😂
lol glad you caught it :)
Would be better to clean the throttle body & replacing the intake manifold six gaskets!
I agree! I was trained up at the shop to remove as little as possible to not disturb gaskets if they aren’t leaking, so that’s kind of how I tackle things.
Aren't you supposed to prime the engine before starting, even after valve cover gasket replacements on these engines, not just OFHG? I read a lot of forums and even FCP Euro says not doing that starves the engine of oil thus potentially causing rod bearing failure as you know for OFHG but also valve cover. Anyways- thanks for positing this video, very helpful! I'm looking to buy one of these X3s and considering doing my own DIY or using a local shop.
Yes, I went through the priming procedure in this video, you can pull the individual connectors to the direct injectors, or you can pull the fuel pump fuse like I did and crank it over. I’ve had an N55 seize on me because I didn’t prime it before hand, I wasn’t aware 4-5 years ago working at my old shop. We ended up replacing the engine :/
@DayOffDIY yeah I commented before I watched the rest of the video when you did it- whoops lol. But then I realized you said only while changing the OFHG do you need to prime not with valve cover gasket also?
@DayOffDIY How reliable has the x3 been for your friend? I'm looking at a 2012 model year with pretty high mileage at 170k but I also drive a lot for work. Would you recommend it?
No need to prime it for the Valve Cover. only with the OFH because you disrupt the oiling system and it no longer has pressure built.@@ikburd
theyre decent! depends on what engine it has. The N55 can be a high maintanence engine sometimes. Not to mention, they are prone to rod bearing issues + all the usual leaks, VCG, OFH, OPG, and the labor is more for something like the oil pan, because you have the front axles running through the pan. for a non X drive oil pan, labor is 4-6 hours, for a X drive its closer to 10 hours@@ikburd
Guys 0W40 really.....5w30 liquid moly
Bro yesterday for some reason I popped the hood and listened to my M54 on idle and what do I hear? Rattling coming from the DISA 🤦♂️ why did I buy a BMW?? 😂
its not too bad! i found a cheap replacement online or you can rebuilt it relatively easy
@@DayOffDIY I'm not cheaping out on my E46, I want to keep it tip top. I ordered a new febi bilstein aftermarket DISA valve. Let's see... maybe I clean the idle valve while I'm in there. Is brake cleaner also effective? Or mass airflow sensor cleaner? I don't have carb cleaner around.
I use brake cleaner to clean out the idle air control, and I’ve never had an issue with it!
Why does these hi priced premium German vehicles Have so many annoying issues?