I have a 99' 528i and I believe I need to replace one or maybe all the vacuum tubes in the engine (Mainly Drivers side) I am not sure where they are at, I have worked on cars before Mainly Ford/Chevy. I've replaced the Spark plugs on this car without a hitch. My questions are:
1)Is this something relatively easy to do on the I6? 2)Is there an online diagram that shows where these are located?Why do you need to replace your "vacuum tubes"? Do you have a leak? If not, I would concentrate on the basics like flushing your brake fluid and coolant (using BMW or Saab "blue" stuff) every 2 years; and change transmission and differential fluid (use synthetic like Redline or Purple Royal) every 30,000 miles. Then just drive and have fun!
Oh yeah, don't forget to change your oil AND filter. If you use synthetic, every 5-7500 miles (depending on driving conditions); if dino oil, every 3,000 miles!
Vacuum tubes? This is a car right? Not some vintage TV set...?
I think you mean vacuum hoses... What makes you think you need to replace them? If you have a vacuum leak it is far more likely a loose or cracked intake boot. There are not that many vacuum hoses in the engine compartment of a BMW I6, so I'd imagine it would be pretty easy, if you really need to.
There is a Vacuum leak on the drivers side of the engine. The car has 183K miles on it, so I figure it might be about time to replace them all if one has cracked.
Sorry I did mean Hoses. What are you referring too as the "Intake boot"?
-Branden
Well the entire intake is on the drivers side of the engine if you drive from the left side of the car.
Intake boot meaning the rubber intake pipe that connects the mass air flow sensor with the throttle body. Here is a pic:
Proper synthetic is good for 12-15k in typical use, trust the service indicator and don't use anything else.
My last sump full of Castrol SLX was replaced after just under 13.5k miles, when the yellow light on the service indicator had been on for three days, of mostly fast road use and was maybe half a shade darker than the new oil. A home pour test suggested that its viscosity was also uncompromised.
Buy quality lubricants you can trust, then trust 'em.
A
Yup. 3000 mile oil changes are from the '50s with '50s oil and '50s materials/ standards of machining. Things have moved on.
In my 1990 E34 535i, 5 speed, 103K miles, I use dino oil. I found that at about 2500-3000 miles, my oil is black and very dirty. So it gets changed. I think more important than mileage is the type of driving you do. If you drive mostly freeway with very few stops, then a longer change interval is warranted. However, if you're like me and live in a City with lots of hills and stop and go driving then a shorter change interval is needed.
Btw, I tried synthetic oil once in my car and it burned, fast. At about
1000 miles, I was down almost 2 qts! I added oil and still it burned. At about 2500 miles I changed it back to dino oil and its runs like new....
The service indicator already takes this into account.
Not on my car. The indicators are still in the green when my oil is black and dirty.
The oil is just doing its job. It may not be at its capacity for carrying debris.
DAS
Actually, the current service indicator is run strictly by fuel usage. After so many liters, a light goes out. X's 5 and its the yellow light indicating the oil change. Fuel burn (greater in urban than highway) is a good approximator of the oil's condition, but not absolute. There's no oil analysis going on under the hood.
R / John
On the flip side, the oil in my V8 540i sill look basicly new, just a shade darker after ~6k miles
No, there's no analysis, but the calculation is more complicated than just fuel burned.
Not according to my technically proficient sources. Used to be some other stuff figured into the equation, but BMW determined that total liters burned was a good enough solution.
R / John
You don't want runny 0W30 synthetic in an older motor, but synthetic of the same viscosity (20W50?) as the dino you're using, or as specified in the manual, should show significant benefits.
Black is not the same as dead - diseasels can make their oil look foul in a few tens of miles...
AMy Dad was in car business all the time I was growing up. I worked in a gas station as a kid. I've done all of the general maintenance in every car I've ever owned. And, I've never seen a need to replace all of the vac hoses. To be honest, I've only seen two or three hoses in my life that needed replacement, and most of these were repaired by simply snipping the end off that was cracked.
I gotta wonder if you arrived at this diagnosis on your own, or if a shady mechanic is feeding you a line of crap ...
I haven't dug into it yet. I came to the diag on my own and asking on here. There is a hissing noise from the drivers side of the I6. When Idle over time the RPM's will 'dip' and almost cause the engine to die. As the time goes longer they get worse and after about 15 mins the car dies, i can imediatly restart the car and the prossess starts again. When driving its fine, only time this is happening is when the car is Idle.
-Branden
Well, yau are describing a vac leak, but there is seldom a need to replace all of the vac hoses. Find the one that is leaking and replace it.
Have you considered the power brake booster? I've heard of this developing a tear in the diaphram inside, and it can cause a vac leak. Try applying the brakes at idle and see if anything changes ...
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