Put BMC Filters in....

[Tourbillon]

Originally Posted by aculeg87

I have been getting a orange check engine light that just stays on. It does not display any reason for it and performance is not limited. It goes away after a day or two, and then will come back on in a day or two. ????

I'm just living with it for now.

Mine appears to be doing something similar. It went off to my relief this afternoon and came back on shortly after. I may put the original filters back in.

I'm still not sure if I like the sound. I LOVE hearing the turbos spool, but now it sounds like I have a pissed off rattle snake under my hood!

[avlnch]

You cannot put oiled filters into the M5. They will mess up the MAF's and throw a CEL.

[Tourbillon]

Originally Posted by avlnch

You cannot put oiled filters into the M5. They will mess up the MAF's and throw a CEL.

Fantastic

[akh23456]

can anyone tell me any advantage of getting the BMC over the stock filter with charcoal delete?

BMC are oiled vs Stock filter which isn't right?
How much louder with BMC vs Stock?
Any Power gain?

[Pazzo009]

Power gain? Hard to say. Sound change is noticeable. I do not have the block off plates and after I put in the BMCs I noticed I was able to hear spooling under heavy load more than before when I just deleted the charcoal.

[Poleposition]

Originally Posted by avlnch

You cannot put oiled filters into the M5. They will mess up the MAF's and throw a CEL.

Incorrect. This statement is plain false and misleading. Ive had mine in for many months now as has my service tech at BMW in his new M5. They have performed flawlessly since install. No issues here or with anyone else I know local that has done this same mod.

[akh23456]

Originally Posted by aculeg87

Power gain? Hard to say. Sound change is noticeable. I do not have the block off plates and after I put in the BMCs I noticed I was able to hear spooling under heavy load more than before when I just deleted the charcoal.

thanks for the info.

[thebishman]

Originally Posted by Poleposition

Incorrect. This statement is plain false and misleading. Ive had mine in for many months now as has my service tech at BMW in his new M5. They have performed flawlessly since install. No issues here or with anyone else I know local that has done this same mod.

The problem may well be that certain oiled filters from the aftermarket are coming with too much oil on them causing a MAF issue which is throwing the CEL.

There's a way to resolve this for those of you using oiled air filters and having occasional CELs: replace them with the OEM filters and see if the issue is resolved. Hopefully the MAF sensors aren't too heavily oiled, (if indeed this is the issue), and the problem would be diagnosed if the CEL doesn't recur. You may then be the 'victim' of purchasing a filter too heavily oiled from the supplier. Regardless IF the MAFs are getting oiled and do need to be replaced, you'll probably be out of pocket for the replacement.
Bish

[BLACK MARKT]

Hmmmmmmm ....

The info above makes me really appreciate informative forums such as this ...
Without this info I probably would've ordered the BMC replacement filter set and would have been kicking myself in the ass when/if I got a engine light.

Thanks to the info here I'm going to wait and see what happens saving myself $200 for the filters and however much it would have cost to replace the MAF sensors ...

[Northern X5M]

In the past I just cleaned MAF sensors with a brake cleaner. Was a very common problem on the Trailerblazer SS MAF's with oiled filters. Now I am just too lazy to deal with oiled filter issues.

[Pazzo009]

I think the bottom line is no one is really certain. However here are some factors to consider.

1-The BMC's are not heavily oiled
2-MAF's can easily be cleaned with MAF's cleaner, see if this improves and it will prove Bish's theory.
3-In my personal experience when there is MAF's issue the light will not go away on it's own.
4-This could be a software issue.
5-Performance is not hindered therefore it is not serious
6-Could be a issue with the amount of air the ECU is reading. This could cause CEL.

Since there is only two option as far as intakes go, maybe someone with the GruppeM could shed some light on this.

[wdimagineer]

I'm now experiencing a constant CEL after installing the BMC filters. It happened just the other day and has not extinguished. I probably put several hundred miles on the car after installation.

I'm taking it by the independent shop I work with to see if they can pull any codes and help me diagnose/fix the problem. As much as I love the improved sound and perceived gains in my "butt dyno", I plan on reverting back to stock if need be.

[boots]

What is wrong with your transmission. Hope they can fix it.

[Pazzo009]

My car is at the dealer right now for other minor issues. I reported this CEL problem and asked to inform me of the fault code. I will issue my findings once I retrieve my car.

[Pazzo009]

As suspected the CEL is being caused by the filters because of the oil hitting the MAF. I'm gonna leave it in place for now. Question...How can I safely remove the oil off the filters.

[Tourbillon]

Originally Posted by aculeg87

As suspected the CEL is being caused by the filters because of the oil hitting the MAF. I'm gonna leave it in place for now. Question...How can I safely remove the oil off the filters.

I've ordered new stock filters and gonna put those back. Hopefully no more CEL after that. I hope its not too late and the MAF sensors aren't ruined....

[bobblehead]

that's exactly what 'thebishman' commented about the aftermarket filter ... post #30

[Tourbillon]

I just put the stock filters back in. Crossing my fingers the CEL won't come back on. The intake tubing inside did feel oily so hopefully the MAF sensor won't need to be replaced.

[py0413]

I have had those BMC filters for about 5000km of usage now. The ORANGE CEL did came on twice so far and both occurred during trips with long distance; however, the CEL went away almost as soon as I came back in town (reduced speed, with more frequent stop/go). Interestingly, I took another trip which was further the distance than those previous 2 trips and no CEL this time.

This is my first BMC filter though. In the past, I have used K&N most of the time ( on every single cars I had owned in the past, including e90 M3, 135i, 997.2 911) a trick to ensure that the filters ain't over-oiled, I tap a workshop paper towel lightly on the surface of the filter before installation. Never had problem with MAF on all of them. I didn't do the same prior to install the BMCs this time and I should really take them out just to wipe it down but that hidden screw really scares me.

[Tourbillon]

Since I've put the stock filters back in, I haven't had the CEL come on anymore, which I find odd. If the MAF sensor had oil on it causing the CEL, then it shouldn't matter what filters were in there.

[Pazzo009]

Originally Posted by Tourbillon

Since I've put the stock filters back in, I haven't had the CEL come on anymore, which I find odd. If the MAF sensor had oil on it causing the CEL, then it shouldn't matter what filters were in there.

It matters if there is oil on it. I was going to clean my filters with Filter cleaner but the light stopped coming on...So I will let it be.

[wdimagineer]

I had the car at Performance Technic recently and all is well. No CEL any more. No real oil buildup on the sensors but everything was cleaned and we did a once over on the filters to soak up any excess oil. I'm still really pleased by the quality. The car seems to have adjusted well to the change.

I also stopped by the dealer to return a key case I ordered and had them look at the car while I was talking. They applied a few updates for me and the car is running great. I had a concern about the transmission and shift timing. They updated the software for that and a few other things. No change in B&O lighting like some had mentioned in another thread but the iDrive system seems a bit snappier. Could be in my head.

I guess the trick is to just dry the filters a bit before installing and be patient while the computers work out the change. BMW's techs didn't mention anything about the filters and I fully disclosed it to them.