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Help confirm if I understand the rationale for running oils and change intervals not specified in my Shop/Service/Owners manual. I have a 140k 2016 BMW X3 n20 engine (first year of redesign to avoid the timing chain failure). Recommended oil is 0W20 LL14FE+. Common advice here and on other...

Thanks again to everyone who helped out on this thread. Here's my hopefully last update. I bought a subscription to Mitchell1 manuals (fan-freaking-tastic, BTW). The manual screenshots I posted are the same as on my Mitchell1 manual subscription. Total recommended = 35ml for hose replacement +...

Yes, I am replacing the Compressor-to-Condenser line. Which also means the desiccant in the dryer/accumulator needs replaced. The saga of that whole history is in another thread. This issue seemed soooo widely useful to 'the next guy' that I put it in a different thread here. The backstory is...

Great! Finally something got easier on this repair job. Thanks guys.

Well this question got interesting. I found a 2,500+ page service manual online, I think it's from Mitchell1. It looks legit. Buried in this giant PDF is a procedure to do exactly what I'm doing - "Part replacement due to sudden leakage". I copy/paste the procedure below. With my PDF...

I determined I need to add a bit of oil and leak-finder to my AC system (2016 BMW) during a leak repair. Since the system is empty, could I just pour the oil into an AC hose, reattach the hose, and proceed as normal - put a vacuum on it, verify no leaks, then recharge refrigerant. The...

Nukeman, you are a stud! I called TWO dealership parts counters and couldn't get a straight answer on that. (But they could confirm it's a ~$1500 part). There are multiple lines of reasoning pointing to "variable displacement compressor". Situation normal, nothing to see here.

I read up on variable displacement compressors yesterday. It'd be nice if BMW or anyone else made an accessible shop manual so I can verify if I have on on this engine. I'm still checking. :mad: The belt misalignment is an optical illusion. Here's a 45 second clip of the motor running. The...

Perfect question! I have not figured out why the belt broke. And now I'm noticing the clutch plate on the AC pulley is always engaged, even when the AC is turned off. Even when the engine is not running. I am unsure if this is how this AC compressor is supposed to work, or if this could be...

Whoa. Totally blown away by my BMW dealer. I talked to the parts counter. They sell one PAG oil for recent-ish R134a systems. In big 10 oz bottles. And the bottle doesn't identify viscosity, it just reads "PAG Oil". He speculated likely PAG-46, similar stuff to what parts stores sell. But he...

It's my wife's 2016 BMW X3. The AC ran fine. It was a broken/spinning serpentine belt that tore the compressor-to-condenser high pressure hose. She's had the car ~3 weeks and I can't find a good service manual for it to save my life. Info online conflicts regarding the proper amount of oil in...

I'm debating if the risk from not adding oil and *possibly* being a little low on oil is greater than the risk of adding the wrong oil. Figuring out what type of oil to add is all sorts of fun. The AC sticker on the bottom of the hood says "PAG 9407724" and "SAE J639". The PAG 9407724 doesn't...

I'm chuckling that the answer (of course) is "it depends." It's remarkable how I don't see any oily residue. I haven't cleaned that area at all. I may have gotten lucky.

2000 BMW 323ci w/ 85,000 miles. The cooling system components wear out waaaaaay faster than the coolant ever will. :mad::mad::mad: Using the usual European blue coolant.

I've read here and elsewhere that AC compressor oil does not escape significantly when an automotive A/C system leaks slowly. But what about a sudden decompression? My serpentine belt broke and spinning belt fragments took out the compressor-to-condenser line. Tore it nearly in half, instant...