replacing oil breather/separator every third service

[Horizon]

No it's not associated with short trips, any pressure in the crankcase is released via this breather. The air in the crankcase is contaminated with oil, so before it is released to atmosphere it needs the oil removing. This is filtered through an oil removal filter element in the separator housing at the top of the engine. As with all filter elements, they get blocked over time. This then causes the crankcase pressure to build up as it cannot get through the filter.
Increased pressure then is put on other parts eg, the turbo oil seals pushing them out, allowing the oil under pressure to be injected into the engine . As a Diesel engine will run on atomised hot engine oil it will rev and rev , and continue to rev at full tilt until it has invested all the oil from the sump.
The engine on an auto can't be stalled, and on a manual, you try stalling an engine revving at 10000 rpm.
Then no oil in the sump. Bye bye engine, and cat converter
The new type vortex breather does as it says on the tin. So no filter membrane to block, no back pressure.
At £30 its the best mod to do, a no brainier

[Smeeagain]

[quote="4687ah"]
Part no for my 2006 E53 3.0d shows on the invoice as being B11.12.7.799.366 oil separat. Hope that helps.
Edit- it was £23.98.
[/quote]

Ok, that is the part I have fitted now. Am I right in saying from reading other posts this this part number DOES NOT need to be replaced every third service, or even at all?

Smee

[4687ah]

My understanding is that this part will not block due to the improved design over the foam type so doesn't need to be changed. I have come to this conclusion as i decided that there was no "filter" as such in it and no wearing parts.
Happy to be corrected though as thats just my opinion.

[Sanj]

[quote="4687ah"]
Happy to be corrected though as thats just my opinion.
[/quote]

No need - correct. ;D