[Chirho1987]

Hey all, I have a 14 550i, n63tu. A couple months ago, I had a slight fluctuation in my idle rpms and did some research. I noticed a tiny crack in the pcv ventalation valve pipe. part# 111586472. I ordered a new one and replaced it. Car ran well for some time. I then started to notice excessive oil consumption. Now I know the n63 had bad oil issues and that there was a class action set on the n63tu. I received the notice in the mail. Up to this point I had never had a problem with the oil levels until now (after the part switch). Along with this new oil consumption, I have noticed a high pitched whining sound while at idle. I can only hear it if I am outside the car and it seems to be coming from CAI I have installed. Ill post a video if I can figure out how to upload one.

My concern now is every time I am driving, once the engine warms up, all I can smell is oil when I come to a stop. Usually it is just exhaust I smell considering I am catless and muffler deleted. I have been working a lot so I haven't had a chance to look for oil leaks or anything. I have been checking where I park daily and there is no oil on the ground. I do not see any leaks when I open the hood either.

My thoughts are that the new pcv vent pipe I installed isn't working correctly and there is excess blow by and oil getting sucked back into the system and burning off and that's what I smell. My other thought is I have a leak in the engine where oil is being burned off. Whether its the valve cover, head gasket, or (hopefully not) a leaking turbo.

I am reaching out now to see if any one else has had anything similar or has any advice as I dive into this engine over the weekend. Thanks in advance.

[95blkmax]

Originally Posted by Chirho1987

Hey all, I have a 14 550i, n63tu. A couple months ago, I had a slight fluctuation in my idle rpms and did some research. I noticed a tiny crack in the pcv ventalation valve pipe. part# 111586472. I ordered a new one and replaced it. Car ran well for some time. I then started to notice excessive oil consumption. Now I know the n63 had bad oil issues and that there was a class action set on the n63tu. I received the notice in the mail. Up to this point I had never had a problem with the oil levels until now (after the part switch). Along with this new oil consumption, I have noticed a high pitched whining sound while at idle. I can only hear it if I am outside the car and it seems to be coming from CAI I have installed. Ill post a video if I can figure out how to upload one.

My concern now is every time I am driving, once the engine warms up, all I can smell is oil when I come to a stop. Usually it is just exhaust I smell considering I am catless and muffler deleted. I have been working a lot so I haven't had a chance to look for oil leaks or anything. I have been checking where I park daily and there is no oil on the ground. I do not see any leaks when I open the hood either.

My thoughts are that the new pcv vent pipe I installed isn't working correctly and there is excess blow by and oil getting sucked back into the system and burning off and that's what I smell. My other thought is I have a leak in the engine where oil is being burned off. Whether its the valve cover, head gasket, or (hopefully not) a leaking turbo.

I am reaching out now to see if any one else has had anything similar or has any advice as I dive into this engine over the weekend. Thanks in advance.

You mentioned there not being any puddles on the ground (yet, lol). One N63 spot that is a common oil leak that won't make puddles on the ground is actually the turbo oil return lines' block (oil drain block is the common name, see a picture here). It is VERY hidden, under the turbos, in the middle of the "V" towards the front. This will leak into the V of the engine and the puddle there will get extremely hot making the oil smell and turn to sludge. It is a big labor fix as the turbos have to come off to give you the clearance (or at the very least the compressor housings have to come off the center sections... up to the tech's skill level and condition of car really).

I'd suggest you take a peak down there when you have time.

It could also be the N63 is simply burning it off. Pulling spark plugs to check for oil/ fouling on the electrode will give you a better idea

[Chirho1987]

Originally Posted by 95blkmax

You mentioned there not being any puddles on the ground (yet, lol). One N63 spot that is a common oil leak that won't make puddles on the ground is actually the turbo oil return lines' block (oil drain block is the common name, see a picture here). It is VERY hidden, under the turbos, in the middle of the "V" towards the front. This will leak into the V of the engine and the puddle there will get extremely hot making the oil smell and turn to sludge. It is a big labor fix as the turbos have to come off to give you the clearance (or at the very least the compressor housings have to come off the center sections... up to the tech's skill level and condition of car really).

I'd suggest you take a peak down there when you have time.

It could also be the N63 is simply burning it off. Pulling spark plugs to check for oil/ fouling on the electrode will give you a better idea

Thanks for the info. I will take a look at the plugs this weekend. I will also see if I can see any oil down in the V or around the turbos. Since I have the high pitched whistle, Im assuming one of the turbos isnt getting enough oil at idle and is making the sound. Would an oil leak from where you mentioned cause the sound?

I did replace the pcv pipe this weekend with no noticeable differences so I am counting a pcv issue out now.

[95blkmax]

Originally Posted by Chirho1987

Thanks for the info. I will take a look at the plugs this weekend. I will also see if I can see any oil down in the V or around the turbos. Since I have the high pitched whistle, Im assuming one of the turbos isnt getting enough oil at idle and is making the sound. Would an oil leak from where you mentioned cause the sound?

I did replace the pcv pipe this weekend with no noticeable differences so I am counting a pcv issue out now.

Not really. If a turbo is starved of oil it wont make a whistle sound. It will make a bad bearing sound that sounds worse when spooled up.

BUT on that noise subject, N63s do have issues with their PCV lines (which you replaced one of them already), but also as they age (due to the heat of the hot V design) the turbo inlet gaskets dry up and shrink. Creating a post-MAF vacuum leak right at the inlet of the turbo. This is more common than you think, and it will not set off a CEL until the leak grows passed the operating range of the MAF. My recommendation to find this whistle noise is to smoke test both banks so you're not just throwing parts at it. Smoke test will help you pin-point it

Also sidenote- when looking down the V of the engine for oil, be very careful not to touch or move the coolant cross-head vent line. It sits towards the front of the valley of the engine and it has a PLASTIC Y-fitting. Given that it sits in the hottest spot of the engine, it gets brittle and will crumble on you if you sneeze or look at it crooked. I HIGHLY recommend upgrading that fitting this with a brass or S/S Y-fitting from Home Depot/ Ace Hardware. The hose itself is never an issue. It's that plastic Y.

[jfandl]

Originally Posted by 95blkmax

Not really. If a turbo is starved of oil it wont make a whistle sound. It will make a bad bearing sound that sounds worse when spooled up.

BUT on that noise subject, N63s do have issues with their PCV lines (which you replaced one of them already), but also as they age (due to the heat of the hot V design) the turbo inlet gaskets dry up and shrink. Creating a post-MAF vacuum leak right at the inlet of the turbo. This is more common than you think, and it will not set off a CEL until the leak grows passed the operating range of the MAF. My recommendation to find this whistle noise is to smoke test both banks so you're not just throwing parts at it. Smoke test will help you pin-point it

Also sidenote- when looking down the V of the engine for oil, be very careful not to touch or move the coolant cross-head vent line. It sits towards the front of the valley of the engine and it has a PLASTIC Y-fitting. Given that it sits in the hottest spot of the engine, it gets brittle and will crumble on you if you sneeze or look at it crooked. I HIGHLY recommend upgrading that fitting this with a brass or S/S Y-fitting from Home Depot/ Ace Hardware. The hose itself is never an issue. It's that plastic Y.

I second the comments on the Y pipe. I had a F10 550 and now an F15 X5 both of which had that y-pipe fail. My F10 was under warranty which made my life easier but the F15 was not. I saw a tiny drip on the pipe but wasn't going to touch the pipe until I had the replacement in my hand because you're right, blow on it wrong, who knows maybe just looking at it cross and it will break. once I pulled it out, I found the pipe was actually broken in two about 1/4" inside the rubber hose.

[95blkmax]

Originally Posted by jfandl

I second the comments on the Y pipe. I had a F10 550 and now an F15 X5 both of which had that y-pipe fail. My F10 was under warranty which made my life easier but the F15 was not. I saw a tiny drip on the pipe but wasn't going to touch the pipe until I had the replacement in my hand because you're right, blow on it wrong, who knows maybe just looking at it cross and it will break. once I pulled it out, I found the pipe was actually broken in two about 1/4" inside the rubber hose.

eek! Hey at least you caught it and fixed it before anything tragic happened

[Chirho1987]

Originally Posted by 95blkmax

Not really. If a turbo is starved of oil it wont make a whistle sound. It will make a bad bearing sound that sounds worse when spooled up.

BUT on that noise subject, N63s do have issues with their PCV lines (which you replaced one of them already), but also as they age (due to the heat of the hot V design) the turbo inlet gaskets dry up and shrink. Creating a post-MAF vacuum leak right at the inlet of the turbo. This is more common than you think, and it will not set off a CEL until the leak grows passed the operating range of the MAF. My recommendation to find this whistle noise is to smoke test both banks so you're not just throwing parts at it. Smoke test will help you pin-point it

Also sidenote- when looking down the V of the engine for oil, be very careful not to touch or move the coolant cross-head vent line. It sits towards the front of the valley of the engine and it has a PLASTIC Y-fitting. Given that it sits in the hottest spot of the engine, it gets brittle and will crumble on you if you sneeze or look at it crooked. I HIGHLY recommend upgrading that fitting this with a brass or S/S Y-fitting from Home Depot/ Ace Hardware. The hose itself is never an issue. It's that plastic Y.

I have a video of the whistling noise it is making but have no idea how to post it on here.

As for the post maf leak, are you talking about where the cold air intakes connect to the turbos? (part# 13717577451, 13717577452) or is it a different part of the pcv system? I had one of them cracked when I got the car and replaced both of them. I have noticed that I can see the orange part that goes into the turbo intake and they get loose over time. I have thought that that is where the whistling is coming from but I cannot pin point the noise.

The coolant lines for the turbos where replaced by the dealership when I got it. I had noticed they replaced the lines but used a green plastic tee. I don't think its fragile yet but it has been on my list of things to watch and be careful around. I didn't know they had metal fittings. I will need to look into that.

[95blkmax]

Originally Posted by Chirho1987

I have a video of the whistling noise it is making but have no idea how to post it on here.

As for the post maf leak, are you talking about where the cold air intakes connect to the turbos? (part# 13717577451, 13717577452) or is it a different part of the pcv system? I had one of them cracked when I got the car and replaced both of them. I have noticed that I can see the orange part that goes into the turbo intake and they get loose over time. I have thought that that is where the whistling is coming from but I cannot pin point the noise.

The coolant lines for the turbos where replaced by the dealership when I got it. I had noticed they replaced the lines but used a green plastic tee. I don't think its fragile yet but it has been on my list of things to watch and be careful around. I didn't know they had metal fittings. I will need to look into that.

close. I am referring to the seals that are at the end of the part numbers your provided (those PNs are for the actual pipes). I'm talking about seals PN 13718655216. those rubber seals shrink and dry rot over time allowing unmetered air.

There was someone here over a year ago that posted pictures of their N63 in which he showed how he replaced the studs on the turbos that the intake pipes secure to. They crap out with time too and cause the pipes to wiggle. This wiggle- combined with old seals, will cause unmetered air to get in. This CAN create the noise you're hearing.

I'll say it again, too many variables that can cause this noise. I suggest you smoke test it to really narrow it down to the culprit