How to Replace Intake Cam Sensor 2001-05 BMW 325Xi
Created on: 2019-09-05
Watch this video to learn how to replace the intake cam position sensor! 1A Auto shows you how to DIY and save money!
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step 1 :Removing the Cabin Air Filter Tray
- Disconnect the negative battery cable by loosening the 10 mm nut
- Unlock the three twist locks to release the cabin air filter cover at the rear of the engine compartment
- Remove the cabin air filter
- Remove the four T30 screws along the rear of the cabin air filter tray
- Pry the tabs along the wiring retainer to remove the wiring
- Remove the cabin air filter tray
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step 2 :Removing the Variable Valve Timing Solenoid
- Remove the two 10 mm bolts to remove the middle engine cover
- Disconnect the valve cover breather hose
- Disconnect the variable valve timing solenoid electrical connector
- Remove the variable valve timing solenoid by twisting it counter clockwise with an adjustable wrench or large pliers
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step 3 :Removing the Air Filter Box
- Remove the air collector push pin retainers
- Remove the air collector
- Disconnect the MAF electrical connector
- Loosen the air filter box hose clamp
- Disconnect the air tube from the air filter box
- Release the air filter box lever latches
- Remove the air filter box lid
- Remove the air filter
- Remove the two 10 mm bolts securing the air filter box
- Disconnect the wiring from the retaining tab
- Remove the air filter box
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step 4 :Removing the Intake Cam Sensor
- Disconnect the intake cam sensor electrical connector (trace the wire from the sensor if you have difficulty locating the connector)
- Remove the 5 mm hex screw
- Remove the intake cam sensor
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step 5 :Installing the Intake Cam Sensor
- Clean the area around the intake cam sensor opening
- Feed the intake cam sensor wire through to the connector location
- Install the intake cam sensor
- Install the 5 mm hex screw
- Connect the electrical connector
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step 6 :Installing the Variable Valve Timing Solenoid
- Install the solenoid, and tighten it with an adjustable wrench or large pliers
- Connect the solenoid electrical connector
- Connect the valve cover breather hose
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step 7 :Installing the Air Filter Box
- Lower the air filter box into position
- Install the two 10 mm air filter box bolts
- Install the air filter
- Slide the air filter cover onto the air tube
- Secure the air filter cover with the lever latches
- Reconnect the MAF electrical connector
- Tighten the air filter cover hose clamp
- Insert the air collector into the air filter box
- Secure the air collector with the push pin retainers
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step 8 :Installing the Cabin Air Filter Tray
- Install the engine cover and secure it with the two 10 mm bolts
- Reinstall the cabin air filter tray and secure it with the three T30 screws
- Reinstall the wiring harness and hose into the retaining bracket and close the locking tabs
- Reinstall the cabin air filter
- Reinstall the cabin air filter cover and secure it with the three twist locks
- Reconnect the negative battery cable and tighten the 10 mm nut
Tools needed
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5mm Hex Wrench
Adjustable Wrench
Side Cutters
Socket Extensions
Flat Blade Screwdriver
5mm Hex Socket
T30 Socket
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Needle nose pliers
Okay. What's up, guys? I'm Andy from 1A Auto. In this video, I'm going to show you how to replace the intake cam sensor on this 2001 BMW 325xi. If you need this part or other parts for your vehicle, click the link in the description, head over to 1AAuto.com.
With the trunk open over on the right side or the passenger side, there should be a cover that goes right here. This vehicle doesn't have one, but you're going to want to remove that cover. The battery is located right here. First thing I'm going to do is take a 10-millimeter socket and ratchet, loosen up this nut for the negative terminal. When that's loose, slide off the cable, slide it out of the way.
I'm going to take this cover off right here. Take these clips, twist it to the side, just like that. Grab this and slide it out. This weatherstrip might be in the way. It should slide forward and take the cabin filter out. It slides out as well. I need to remove these wires from this housing right here. You can either take the cover off or you can slide it up right there. I like to take this cover off. Just take a screwdriver, slide that off like that, pull that out of the way.
Grab these wires, pull that down, pull this one down. Now I'm going to use a T30 socket, extension, and a ratchet, and I have four screws right there. Take those off. So it's all loose and just slide this panel up. Slide it out of your way. We're going to take this cover off. Normally, you'll have some little covers over here, kind of like these. You just take a screwdriver and pop those out. And then there's two 10-millimeter bolts, I'm going to use a 10-millimeter socket, extension, and a electric ratchet. You can use a regular ratchet if you don't have one. Loosen those up.
Use a magnet, grab my bolts. Grab the cover, slide it off. I'm just going to disconnect this hose right here. Just squeeze the tabs, just try to slide it out. Be careful, generally, these hoses crack, they get pretty brittle. This one's okay. There's a connector right here. We want to disconnect this connector. Push down, just trying to slide it off just like that. Slide that out of the way. The size of the wrench you're going to need to use on this is going to be bigger than 1-1/8. I'm not exactly sure on the size, so I'm just going to use a large adjustable wrench, and then just loosen it up.
Once you loosen it, you should be able to do it by hand and slide it out. There you go. So now I can access the intake cam sensor right there, but I can't get to the connector, so I have to take this airbox out. I going to take these push pins out right here, just going to use some side cutters. Get this center pin, pull that up and then slide it out. Be careful not to cut it. Get those out. Just grab this piece and slide it out. Just going to disconnect this connector to the mass airflow sensor. Push down on this tab, wiggle it out. Take a straight blade screwdriver, loosen up this clamp right here. We should be good. Can push that snorkel off right there. And there's all these clips. Pulling the top of the airbox off, I'm just going to take the top off.
And this last one over here, it's kind of tricky to get to. Pull the dip stick out of the way. And just grab the airbox and the filter out. I'm going to take these two bolts out and use a 10-millimeter socket, extension, and an electric ratchet. You can use a regular ratchet if you don't have an electric one or an air-powered one. Loosen them up, take them out. And just grab the airbox. Slide it up. This wire is on it. There's a little grommet right here, just try to slide that out. All right. Take that off and just slide this out of the way.
So now I can access the connector underneath here. So just push down on the tab. It is the gray wire right there, at least that connector. And now we'll disconnect it up top. All right. To take this bolt out, I'm holding the cam sensor in, I'm going to use a hex key. I'm going to use a five-millimeter hex key. It's a little bit easier than using a socket. There's not a lot of room in here, if you were going to try and get a ratchet in there, so just be patient and take your time, be able to get it up, or if you have a hex bit that will work on a ratchet wrench, then you can use that, or even sometimes they have little socket sets that will work, so you can do that. Whatever works for you.
And once it's loose enough to do it by hand, you can do it by hand. Just take this bolts out. I'll just grab the sensor, try to wiggle it a little bit. I can use some needle nose pliers and just try to pull it out. And it should slide right out, just like that. And we have disconnected underneath, so just fish the wire through, and just slide it up just like that.
Here's the old part. Here's the new intake cam sensor from 1AAuto.com. As you can see, the sensor part is the same, it's the same depth. The wire's the same length. And connector, the connector is the same, has the same tabs and terminals. Get yours at 1AAuto.com and you'll be ready to rock and roll.
Before I install the cam sensor, I just want to wipe the surface area where the cam sensor is going to get installed. Just wipe it down. There's a little bit of dirt right there. All right. That's good. We're just going to fish the wire through here first. Slide this down pretty much the same way it came out. And over near the oil filter housing. All right. So now it's in position. Now we'll reinstall the sensor. You're just going to tip it down like that a little bit. And slide it in position. And just press it down so that it's flush with the head of the engine. So that's good. While I've got the connector down here, I'll plug that in. It's kind of hard to see, but it's plugged in way down here. Just like that. Lock it in place. Now there may be some retainers that held that wire in and there may have been some wire ties. This vehicle did not have those, so keep that in mind when you're taking it out and when you're reinstalling it.
Take the screw, line the screw back up. you might have to wiggle the sensor back and forth to line it up with the hole. And then I'll take that five-millimeter hex bit and my ratchet wrench and tighten it up. And then just snug that bolt down, not too tight. That's good. Take the solenoid, just slide it in position and twist that in. Then I'm going to take my adjustable wrench and just snug this up, not too tight. You really can't get a torque wrench on this. All right. It should be good. Take the connector, slide the connector in position, and lock it in place. Take this hose and just lock that in position too. That's good.
Now we're just going to slide this side of the lower airbox in here. Yours may have something that this connects to. This vehicle doesn't. It just slides into position. And then this lower part slides there. And makes sure these holes are lined up. Take these two bolts, get these started. Take a 10-millimeter socket and a ratchet and tighten these down. I'm using an electric ratchet. If you don't have an electric ratchet, just use a manual one. Get the air filter, reinstall it. I'll take the top part of the airbox, I'm going to slide it onto the snorkel first, just like that. And then there's all these clips, take these clips, lock this part down. Connect the mass airflow sensor or airflow meter. I'm going to slide this clamp right here. Take a straight blade screwdriver and tighten it down, just snug, not too tight. Give it a shake, make sure it's good. Take this piece, slide this into the airbox, just like that. And there's retainers right here. I'll take those push pins and lock them down.
Take this cover, there is some tabs on the backside, so that's going to slide underneath right there. And then take the bolts, install those, take this bolt, get that lined up and the one in the back. Just use a 10-millimeter socket, and just take a ratchet and snug it down. And snug down the back one. And then your vehicle may have covers, so you want to put those covers back on. This one does not have those covers. All right. Now we want to install this. Just get this lined up. You can get these screws started. I'm going to take a T30 socket, extension, and a ratchet, tighten these up. Now reinstall these wires in this cover right here, just like that. Take this cover and line it up. And that's good.
Take the filter. We're going to slide it in with the curved side towards the vehicle, so the bowed side more towards the out of the vehicle. Just slide that in position like that. We'll take this cover, that's going to just slide in underneath this weatherstripping. Just push it in. Get these lock tabs to line up and lock them down. They're spring-loaded, and the last one, and you're good to go.
And we can take the negative side, connect the negative side. Take the same 10-millimeter socket and ratchet, tighten it up. That's good. At this point, if you had that cover, you're going to want to put the cover back where it goes.
Thanks for watching. If you want the parts to do it yourself, check out 1AAuto.com, the place for DIY auto repair.
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