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P1188, P1189, etc Codes Fixed Easily (1 Oil Separator Hose) (*Pics*)

299K views 126 replies 54 participants last post by  Francescan 
#1 · (Edited)
For some time, I have had these codes with the SES light on:
P1188
P1189

Usually, but not always, with one or more of these codes:
P1250 (especially this one)
P0170 (P0171 on M54 & M56 engines)
P0173 (P0174 on M54 & M56 engines)
P0150
P0130

Freeze frame data on my scanner recorded lean conditions at idle, such as:
STFT B1: 18.75%
LTFT B1: 8.59%
STFT B2: 17.97%
LTFT B2: 8.59%

Bottom line: it was the easily accessible, and commonly broken, lower oil separator vent hose. Here is the story***8230;

Only symptom was a slightly rough idle just after start-up, but idle okay when warm (people in colder climates may have more severe symptoms, however). Usually these codes denote a problem with a vacuum leak, probably either due to a crack(s) in the large rubber air intake boots between the MAF sensor and the engine block or due to a problem with the oil separator (also known as the pressure regulating valve, crankcase ventilation valve [CCV, CVV], PCV valve, cyclone separator [some spell it "seperator"], etc) or its 4 associated vent hoses. In my case, the intake boots were okay (checked during a very recent intake control valve (ICV) cleaning). I did not have any "chewbacca/walrus" noises coming from the engine when the oil filler cap was removed at idle, which would be evidence of a bad oil separator itself. Since many people find a broken lower oil separator hose (the one that goes to the oil dipstick tube) during their oil separator replacements, I decided to check this hose first.

I found that it was indeed broken just below the oil separator in the usual spot. Replacement of this one hose fixed all my codes and service engine light (it's been ~2 weeks now), and finally allowed me to get my smog inspection! :woot: The BMW part number is 11157532649, which I think is correct for all E46 models except the 316, 318 and M3 (but check it on realoem.com or parts company websites for your particular car). The hose with pinch clip connector is only about $10 from your favorite online parts company. The hose is part #4 in picture #4 (oil separator is part #1; picture from realoem.com), although the shape of the hose is not curved as shown, but rather is straight with a plastic angled elbow at the oil separator end.

I strongly suggest that people who are thinking of replacing their oil separator (a big job) to check this hose first -- it could save (or at least postpone a few years) you a LOT of time and trouble. It's an easy and fast replacement. This hose can be checked visually and replaced after removing only the air filter box and MAF, if you know where to look (a light helps). The attached pictures should help you locate it. This hose has one of those pinch-clip connectors at the connection to the oil separator, so just squeeze it to disconnect (check your new hose if you're not familiar with these). The lower part just has a friction connection to the oil dipstick tube (some silicone lube will help you connect this end). No need to remove the dipstick tube. You can also view and work with the hose/dipstick connection from beneath with the splash pan removed.

When I replaced mine, I had first removed the braid-covered hose (the large one in all of these pictures) from the steering fluid reservoir, because it was causing a steering fluid leak (separate issue). This gave me more room to work, but I think you can push things (wires, tubes) out of the way as you work your hand in there without removing this steering fluid hose. If not, you can always unbolt the steering fluid reservoir and tilt it and its hose out of the way (after removing some reservoir fluid with a turkey baster if necessary).

For reference, my car is 10 years old but only has ~60,000 mi.

Pic #1: General area of lower oil separator hose location.


Pic #2: Closeup showing break in hose.


Pic #3: A closer closeup showing break in hose.


Attached Pic #4: Realoem.com diagram of oil separator system.
 

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#71 ·
Well, probably not, I'm afraid.
White smoke from the exhaust pipes or from your engine is almost always steam due to a coolant leak.
Where is the white smoke coming from exactly? How much is coolant is down from normal?
Hope that you dont have thick chocolate milk (oil/water emulsion) floating around in your water, or have chocolate oil -- that's a cracked head or blown head gasket (gasket is best of the 2).
Maybe it's not serious and is just a thermostat or water pump leaking a bit, but definitely you need to attend to this right away. Like today, before your expansion tank explodes and sends your temp gauge into the red zone in about 1 second.
Attend to it right away, because your cooling system is what prevents your multi-thousand dollar engine (and automatic transmission) from running low on water, overheating, cracking and then turning into a expensive pieces of scrap metal worth practically nothing at a scrap yard.
Then you are just left with the choice of getting it repaired (not advised), buying another car like it for parts (maybe), or swapping in a used low mileage engine (not a bad choice).
You just have one purpose now... find out why you have white smoke pronto while keeping your coolant full with bmw coolant + distilled water. Sounds like the damage is done, but you might get lucky as mentioned above.
BEST OF LUCK TO YA!
 
#72 ·
Thanks for the help, while I have no room to dispute (with my very limited mechanical experience) I do have to say that all the symptoms I was experiencing I posted about and people were saying that a bad vgc could be the culprit. I changed that out and the white smoke is non existent, hope it's not just a coincedence. I also am NOT noticing any coolant leaks or any type of odd heating of the engine (except for when the s belt was fried.....) as of right now I'm def noticing disa symptoms (rough idle, marbles in intake sounds, hiss like a vacuum leak from disa area.) did ccv tests, oil is good, went to dealer and bought a disa but was given the disa for 330 not 325 (pain!) also have a slight hole in upper intake boot that I'll change out with disa swap. Thanks for your help an please keep the info coming!!! (any tips on above are greatly appreciated also) :)
 
#74 ·
The REAL gift that keeps giving: gsbmw's post!

Chasing lean mixture codes for a year; rough idle and hissing noise in last week. Prepared myself for a weekend in the garage and lots of cursing. Found this post right before I dove in. Checked and VOILA., large hole just below separator. Temp sealed with gasket sealant and problems (and codes) disappeared!!

Trip to dealer parts dept will save me $$'s and embarrassing the neighbors with my profanities!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! Karma headed your way!
 
#75 ·
I justed started getting these codes p1188 and p1189 after doing a CCV overhaul changed all the hoses to the CCV I have checked the the oil dran back use twice it is brand new and connected.. is there anyway this hose could be getting squezzed towards the middle?
 
#76 ·
From my experience I had the same thing happen. I put new hoses, But no change, I actually had to take out and replace the CCV because it was cracked on the bottom tip, but I couldn't see it until I took it out ( buy a new one first before you take it out)I had to tear mine out. Anyway after that the check engine light came But not the 20 codes that were there before, So then I changed the O2 sensor located towards the front right (the shorter one)and it worked, I erased the codes drove 70 miles so the car can reprogram itself. No Codes, and then I got my car Smogged, but sometimes check engine light still comes on and off because I know I need to change the back O2 sensor and spark plugs..
 
#78 ·
I just finished up doing the whole CCV job. If you have any hesitation about doing it....as others have said....Don't do the whole thing if its just that one hose that's cracked. It's too big of a pita. My symptoms were that I had a small crack in the bottom hose #4 similar to others and I was getting a small amount of oil leaking but no codes.
Now....I'm usually the overkill type that replaces everything in sight....as I did this time but I wish I would have just changed that one hose.
Other lessons learned:
-I am glad though that I pulled the dipstick as that little feeder tube was clogged. So, you may want to chk that. You'll probably need a screw driver to remove the old o-ring and it's definitely down in there but just very hard to see.
-Be sure to fully connect the throttle body electrical connector or you'll get all kinds if scary codes.
-I've got the M52TU so my distribution piece does not have the second connector that the #7 hose connects to towards the firewall. So, I just plugged the nipple on the #3 hose at the other end.
Anyone know if there's any benefit to getting the newer style distribution piece with the two ports?

Sent from my EVO
 
#79 ·
nimmo,

That nipple is not used on all applications. If your original CCV did not have this, you need to plug it.
 
#80 ·
Add ANOTHER to the "replace the hose before the whole CCV" list! All I can say is "WOW" and "THANK YOU!" Like many others, I've replaced MAF, intake air boots, DISA valve - all chasing down those 'too lean' codes. Yes each has made an improvement for a while, but now with idle getting worse everyday and over 140K miles on the clock... it was looking like the next job was to replace the CCV and all hoses.

Well, before digging into that long troublesome DIY I did some looking as gsbmw suggested and my oil separator hose was severed straight in half -- PRECISELY as in his picture. I was in my garage and started yelling and laughing so loudly that my wife came out to see if my 330 fell on me or something!

While I wasn't able to quite get to it myself, I brought it to my local indie shop to do it. At first he recommended replacing the whole kit but since there haven't been any other CCV symptoms and I'm selling the car soon I was fine paying $45 labor just to try.

My old 2001 330 is just purring along now and so far the SES light has stayed off. Runs so nice I almost don't wanna sell it.
 
#81 ·
You're very welcome editwizard (and jssamm earlier)!

Your description of yelling and laughing in your garage gave me a nice chuckle, because I think I did just about the same thing when I first looked in and saw the broken hose. It was a huge relief, since I had been having lean codes for months and my smog inspection (and therefore license tag renewal) were already expired for a month. :eek: That's when I started reading CCV replacement threads and noticed that, in those that had pictures of the old parts, hose #4 was frequently (if not always) broken. I knew that a broken CCV hose could cause those codes, so I decided to take a look to see if mine was broken, and....

It's been over 2 years now, and no further lean codes or CCV-related issues for me. I'm definitely happy I didn't have to tear my intake apart to replace that CCV! And I'm also glad the thread seems to be helping out a bunch of folks.
 
#82 ·
Thanks for this thread, this is my son's first car @ 14 years old. 2000 BMW 328i. This is far, far cry from my first vehicle, but I AIN'T SKEERED OF IT! He and I went out this evening after dinner and homework and replaced the lower CCV hose to the oil dipstick in less than 30 minutes and only 3 curse words (me, not him) I didn't want to take the time to order the part via the internet, so I remembered I had a short peice of silicone hose left over from a little emission job I did on my Duramax and just so happened to be the correct size. This car runs like a top now and CEL is out! You nailed it!!!! Thanks Again!
 
#83 ·
I believe this post is on-topic, but I took my car to the local dealer to service the transmission recently and they performed a "safety check." The most expensive item they recommended ($709) was to "replace oil strainer for engine vent cyclone separator and hoses." I have read a lot here about the CCV (which I assume is the same thing), but I haven't found where anyone has mentioned replacing the oil strainer. Is the oil strainer a euphemism for the CCV and are they saying it should be replaced? From what I have read in this string all the way back to 2010, all I need to do in the way of preventative (my favorite kind) maintenance is replace the hoses. Is that correct? They also recommended replacing the cylinder head cover gaskets ($630) & the oil filter housing gasket ($412). This sounds like the kind of thing that would be good to do all at the same time since it's in the same area and removing the oil filter housing might give me better access to the CCV hoses. Any help is greatly appreciated. I've already finished the cooling system and power steering pump and reservoir, so after this I should be in good shape. I have a 2003 325ci with a little over 100k and haven't had any SES messages, but I have noticed a burning oil smell on occasion. Thanks in advance.
 
#84 ·
BeemerGSPilot- I have had my sons 2000 328I torn apart nine ways to Sunday and I learn something new each time I dive into it. I too have replaced all of the cooling hoses, coolant recovery tank, oil, oil filter, valve cover gskt, Trans fluid, rear diff fluid, lower control arm bushings, brakes (front and rear), 2 ingnition coil packs, complete tune up AND inspected the infamous CCV and associated hoses. The CCV was in good condition but the hose leading from the bottom of the CCV to the pipe that is part of the oil dipstick was all but gone. I was getting CEL with 1188, 1189 code pestering me everytime I turned the key. NO MORE! There was a special hose connector on the bottom of the CCV, the other end was just hose slid over the tubing at the bottom of the oil dipstick tube. All codes left immediately and the car runs like new! This repair cost me 45 min time and approx. $2.00 worth of oil resistant hose which happened to be silicone hose left over from a job I did on my DMAX.
I have heard of the CCV cracking, but most of the ones I've read are all from cold climates. Down here in the South, not a problem. All of the problems mentioned in your post are not difficult ones if you are just a little bit mechanically inclined. Hardest thing is bending over for a long period of time. That's why my son gets involved. It is, however, his car!!
 
#86 ·
another thumbs up for this DIY! The '99 323i with 185k threw the 1188 and 1189 codes a couple weeks back. Even though I had checked the hose 3 months ago, I could feel that it was still the original factory hose with the poorly designed 90 degree elbow, so I got one ordered and installed. Everything went great! There was just a small hole about the size of a popcorn kernal at the end of the elbow, and the rubber was soft and disintegrating. The hardest part of the job was getting the old hose off the dipstick tube, I ended up using a box cutter to split it lengthwise and it came off fine after that.

The power steering hose doesn't need to get moved at all. The 2 electrical connectors are easily moved and provide enough access to get to the fitting. 30 min job.
 
#87 ·
Since the above posting in April, I have finished replacing the valve cover gasket, the oil filter housing gasket, the CCV valve and hoses, the oil level sensor, the forward O2 sensors (pre-cat converter), the air filter, cabin filter, throttle body gasket, rebuilt the disa valve and changed the oil and filter. Most things went well, although they always took longer than expected. I found information on this forum to be very helpful, but with one caveat, which is that information is often presented as though all e46s are the same and that is definitely not true. I found significant differences in several instances between my 2003 325ci and what had been posted for a generic e46.

One case was for replacement of the CCV valve and hoses. Although it is good to do that at the same time you replace the OFH gasket, that alone will not be enough for you to have the necessary access. On my car, you will also have to remove the disa valve and throttle body in order to get to the screws that hold it in place as well as to be able to route and seat the hoses onto the CCV so you get a solid 'click' and tight connection. As far as replacing the hoses is concerned, IMO that is a no-brainer. I found my hoses to be very hard and brittle to the point it would have been ridiculous to try to save money on hose replacement.

Also, in order to replace the oil level sensor, you will have to work a lot harder on my year model than you apparently do on earlier models where the sensor was pictured to be out in the open in the forward part of the oil pan. In my case there was a large, thich, heavy aluminum plate that covered the oilpan and sensor that was held on with 8, 17mm bolts and the sensor was at the rear of the pan on the driver's side. Since I was working alone in my garage with a jack and jack-stands, it was pretty difficult to get that plate out of the way enough to have access to the oil level sensor. I left one loosened bolt holding it in place so I could rotate it out of the way because I knew it would be a bear to get it back in place and get a bolt started while trying to hold it in place with one hand. Then, after I had finished replacing the sensor, I re-tightened the loose bolt and guided the plate so it would line up with the other holes and then added a couple more of the bolts across the front of the plate. I would highly advise anyone working under those same conditions to either do the same thing or have someone help you. On the plus side, removing the alternator so I could get access to the OFH was a piece of cake compared to what some other people said they had to do, so that went pretty smoothlly.

If anyone with a 325 close to the same year as mine is about to tackle any of these jobs and would like more information, feel free to contact me and I can go into more detail if needed.
 
#88 ·
Well, add another one to the list. I had p0171 and p0174 and after doing some research, found this thread and thank goodness my hose was split almost in 2! I was so happy and thankful. Ordered the hose from rockauto and did the install today. If anyone has problems installing, like me, I may have another access point. My hands were far to big to get in from the top, so i went in from below. I already had the bottom cover off for some other maintenance, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The only issue I had was I had to work by feel. I could see it, but not when my hands were on it. There was a loom of wires in the way below the nipple, so I reused the 90 degree elbow in the new hose and it worked fine. I could not get the 45 degree elbow on there because of that wire loom lurking just below the nipple. Hope this helps someone in the future. Thanks
 
#89 ·
Thanks for this thread. Add one more to the list. CCV to dipstick hose 11157532649 was completely cut below the elbow. RockAuto had the URO replacement hose for $7.07+ship. With the airbox out, I also cut an inch off both PS reservoir hoses to stop small PS leaks.

Symptoms:
- low idle surges when cold (I'm unsure if this is fixed yet.....)
- P1188,P1189,P0170,P0173,P0150

2000 528i/5 M52TU 121k miles.
 
#90 · (Edited)
Updating my previous post above. Another cool Florida morning (50's F) -- low idle surges remain and codes are back:

P0170 fuel trim bank 1
P0173 fuel trim bank 2
P1188 fuel air meter
P1189 fuel air meter
P0305 Cyl 5 misfire
P0306 Cyl 6 misfire

I believe the misfire codes only appear if the car sits and idles with low surges before it is warmed up.

I thought the CCV to dipstick hose may have fixed P1188 and P1199 but they are back. Onward with more vacuum leak hunting... I ordered an intake boot (elbow is prone to leak) and will replace that when I do my idlers / alternator / and OFH gasket next week. Original CCV / DISA / VANOS at 121k but no failure symptoms.
 
#91 ·
Just wanted to say THANKS!! This fixed my cold idle & misfire issue throwing 1189, 1188, and 2 misfire codes. Replaced DISA valve and same issue. Found this thread and bought the hose for $25 at local BMW stealership. Mine was broke in the same spot. Problem solved car runs better and no SES light. Cold idle is perfext now. Thanks for posting this!
 
#92 ·
mtx1, it's very likely the start of a long row of rubber hose cleanup. My '99 has what looks like endless plastic and rubber projects ahead. I'm going to kit the entire CCV next. I just may get disgusted enough to pull the entire intake off and go through the rubber piece by piece. Sheesh, what messy situation BMW has given us.

John/Fresno
 
#95 ·
On my e39 you can see the bottom of the hose where it attaches to the dipstick with a flashlight so it's easy to keep an eye on. I was surprised when the other end of the hose was split just as bad. It could be bad luck but I won't take the chance on URO again.

Plus, the fitting on the OEM part snapped on the CCV much better.
 
#96 ·
I had the P1188 and P1189 codes as well, for quite a long time actually. Just a couple days ago I had a misfire and went down to check things under the intake manifold. This hose as all of you was torn in two, took it off, used some fuel line I had, used the original top plastic elbow, and back on it went.

Now I still have the P1188, P1189, P0170, P0305, P0306, P0304, P0301, and P0130.

Time to keep hunting. The CCV seems like the culprit now.
 
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