[DanMZe90]

Hi, I normally only get my indie to touch my car but I've decided to save some money and revisit old habits of 'a bit of diy'!

My car has had flat spots around the 2k mark for quite a while now where the indie has replaced the fuel pump and checked the EGR (he said it was clean) with no difference whatsoever. I've had a look at various postings on various forums and thought that the MAF could do with a clean just to eliminate that.

I got confused the other week about getting to my MAF. I have a 2005 E90 330D with a M57N2 engine and had read on the forums that the MAF on the e90 is 'far from easy to get to', requiring the same steps to get to the air filter as detailed here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279058

As it was more involved than I hoped, I decided that since the air filter hasn't been changed since 2011, so 4 years in situ where CBS says replace it next year, it could do with a new one and I could clean the MAF while I'm in that region.

Whilst I am waiting for the air filter to arrive I get chance to look at the Haynes manual for my car. I then read that to get to the MAF on a M57T2 requires only:

removal of the acoustic cover
undoing 2 bolts
unclipping the hose and pulling the intake pipe forward
Disconnecting the wiring plug from the sensor
Slackening two torx bolts and removing the sensor

So basically far less effort than what is needed to get to air filter! Doh

However, as the air filter has arrived and needs changing I might as well stick to the original plan and get both things done.

Sooo, after my recce and reading I have the following questions:

1. I need to replace a couple of the acoustic cover bolts. What is the part number exactly? The Haynes manual doesn't specify exactly what they are only giving the torque wrench settings for "Acoustic cover-to-engine bolts" which don't seem to be terms that I can locate them with!

2. The air filter removal process requires removal of the "tension braces" and replacement of the bolts. The bolts, according to Haynes, are "Suspension turret/tension brace" M10 (outer) and M12 (centre) - again, does anyone have the part numbers for these?

3. I was a bit worried that after checking my car VIN on realoem.com and finding out I have the M57N2 engine, the Haynes manual for the e90 only mentions M47T2, M57T2, N47 and N57. I'm guessing the instructions for the M57T2 are exactly the same for my engine but is the M57N2 rare or something? I can't see reference to it on the wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M57

Thanks!

Dan

[Aragorn30d]

The bolts for the cover are just M6x20 cap heads. Buy some stainless ones from screwfix or ebay rather than paying BMW stupid amounts of money for crap steel bolts.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_3506

Part 7 on there if you really want BMW ones.

I've had the strut brace bolts off numerous times and never replaced them. Cant see any reason why you'd need to. They're silly external Torx fasteners so make sure you've got the tools to remove them.

T2 and N2 are the same thing, the engine has a few names for some stupid reason.

[DanMZe90]

Thank you for your concise reply to my rambling post!

[DanMZe90]

I thought I would at least try and get the cost of the centre M12 bolts that keep the tension braces in place as the Haynes manual does say to replace them once removed...can I find them, can I buggery?! Every search for 'bmw tension brace bolt' or similar points me to anything but the bolts associated with those. I know it is an M12 (E14?) inverted torx bolt but the Haynes manual doesn't mention the length of the bolt. Short of unscrewing and then measuring, does anyone know the specific size and/or a place I can get a price for them?

Thanks

Dan

[Aragorn30d]

Seriously, dont bother.

Its just a bolt. Why would it need replaced?

Do you replace the wheel bolts every time you remove the wheels? Those are under far more stress than a strut brace is, with much bigger consequences if they broke off...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=51_5875

Part numbers are there.

[DanMZe90]

Thanks again. Don't know why, only going by what the Haynes manual says which, incidentally, doesn't tell me to replace the wheel bolts every time I crack them open