X5 5.0i - Talk me out of it

[TKR]

Originally Posted by Sophisticated Redneck

...toss your rear engine compartment partition (some fool on here will pay you for it) and your engine cover. You will greatly extend your engines life and all those little hoses and bits life exponentially.
.

I wouldn't recommend removing the partition pieces behind the engine. They are there for purpose. Without those plastic trims all the rain water and car wash water will flow on top of the engine, over pre 02 sensors and down there to both sides to fuel injectors. Your o2 sensors and injectors will literally soak in deep water because they are in holes that keep good amount of water in them.

BMW added aux pump that runs coolant to turbos to transfer the heat out of the v-valley.. It works if you have enough juice in the battery.

But I agree its poor design, runs too hot and all the plastic pieces and gaskets around turbos need replacement every 60k miles.

[boneca]

another note on those partitions, look for somewhat recent threads about it, many including myself applied heat tape on face of the partitions before installing them, it might be not much but something to keep it little cooler!

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by TKR

I wouldn't recommend removing the partition pieces behind the engine. They are there for purpose. Without those plastic trims all the rain water and car wash water will flow on top of the engine, over pre 02 sensors and down there to both sides to fuel injectors. Your o2 sensors and injectors will literally soak in deep water because they are in holes that keep good amount of water in them.

BMW added aux pump that runs coolant to turbos to transfer the heat out of the v-valley.. It works if you have enough juice in the battery.

But I agree its poor design, runs too hot and all the plastic pieces and gaskets around turbos need replacement every 60k miles.

You can toss the rear parition without issue, the rain gutters are separate and those you keep. But your right, the partitions are there for a reason. The do Amazing job trapping the heat and cooking the living piss out of all those nifty hoses and tubes. I'm sure some BMW exec is rubbing one out right now over all the extra ca$h brought in..to bad it's not easy to quantify how much business they have lost by people becoming disenfranchised with the brand over such stupid design choices...I have a feeling their in the red on their business model....

The coolant pump does a great job keeping your turbo bearings from burining up. Doesn't help the oil return lines sitting right next to your exhaust manifolds though. Ditch the partition and ditch the cover and extend the life of everything under the hood, or don't and hopefully your service rep is cute....

[pdX5M]

Originally Posted by TKR

I wouldn't recommend removing the partition pieces behind the engine. They are there for purpose. Without those plastic trims all the rain water and car wash water will flow on top of the engine, over pre 02 sensors and down there to both sides to fuel injectors. Your o2 sensors and injectors will literally soak in deep water because they are in holes that keep good amount of water in them.

BMW added aux pump that runs coolant to turbos to transfer the heat out of the v-valley.. It works if you have enough juice in the battery.

But I agree its poor design, runs too hot and all the plastic pieces and gaskets around turbos need replacement every 60k miles.

If you use automatic car washes or leave your truck parked outside in driving rain then yes I could see some water getting where it shouldn't. But if you exclusively hand wash, the gutter below the windshield that you leave in place catches everything. I washed the car with a foam cannon and pressure washer today and all water was caught by the gutter. Also drove through some mountain passes this week with snow and rain and no water got in.

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by pdX5M

If you use automatic car washes or leave your truck parked outside in driving rain then yes I could see some water getting where it shouldn't. But if you exclusively hand wash, the gutter below the windshield that you leave in place catches everything. I washed the car with a foam cannon and pressure washer today and all water was caught by the gutter. Also drove through some mountain passes this week with snow and rain and no water got in.

I use an automatic car wash every week and when it rains in AZ, it does not mess around. Always dry in the engine compartment. Keep in mind too through vast majority of 50is and Ms running around out there have cracked and busted rear paritions that wouldn't do squat for holding back water anyway, BMW did right with the gutters and it's a very good design. You engine will get noticably more dust and dirt on it though with the rear parition gone..#airflow

[pdX5M]

Originally Posted by Sophisticated Redneck

I use an automatic car wash every week and when it rains in AZ, it does not mess around. Always dry in the engine compartment. Keep in mind too through vast majority of 50is and Ms running around out there have cracked and busted rear paritions that wouldn't do squat for holding back water anyway, BMW did right with the gutters and it's a very good design. You engine will get noticably more dust and dirt on it though with the rear parition gone..#airflow

+1 for dust and dirt increased. They sanded the roads in the mountains and I noticed I had to do some more wiping than normal.
And I stand corrected on the automatic wash