[emrliquidlife]

In doing some wrenching I found out just how brittle the airbox nipple is. I was removing the small hose and the nipple just snapped off.

I'm thinking I could install a new nipple assembly with thread locker or teflon to keep it from coming off. Or I could get a plastic unit with a nipple.

Would there be a danger of drilling off the old assembly and putting a new one there? I thought that I could just pull off the cap portion on the exterior, but It doesn't seem to come off.

Should I just get a new/used box assembly?

[kahnfucious]

Originally Posted by emrliquidlife

In doing some wrenching I found out just how brittle the airbox nipple is. I was removing the small hose and the nipple just snapped off.

I'm thinking I could install a new nipple assembly with thread locker or teflon to keep it from coming off. Or I could get a plastic unit with a nipple.

Would there be a danger of drilling off the old assembly and putting a new one there? I thought that I could just pull off the cap portion on the exterior, but It doesn't seem to come off.

Should I just get a new/used box assembly?

I did this as well - my intention is to just drill it out and use a metal pipe that I cut threads into and screw that in. The only question I have is how to get the shavings out.

[Killakittie]

So today as I was replacing my serpentine belt I broke this exact nipple on my airbox. Here's what I did to fix it.

First I went to Home Depot and purchased the following two items.




Next drill a small hole using an 11/64 drill bit in the elbow in this location. TAKE CARE to drill in a spot where you will come through on the inside of the elbow in one of the circles. Look inside the elbow and you will see what I'm talking about. Just want it to line up.



Remove one brass fitting and from the inside push it through until the flared end is about 3mm from sitting flush on the inside of the elbow. Now apply a small amount of glue between the inside of the elbow and the flared end of the brass fitting and then press it firmly the rest of the way until it sits flush and looks like the picture above. Then without having to cut any of the hose simply reattach it to this brass fitting. It will now appear like this below.



I used a small amount of glue to plug the broken hole left by the nipple.
Car runs great with no cels.

[emrliquidlife]

Originally Posted by Killakittie

So today as I was replacing my serpentine belt I broke this exact nipple on my airbox. Here's what I did to fix it.

First I went to Home Depot and purchased the following two items.
[img]

View post on imgur.com

[/img]

[img]

View post on imgur.com

[/img]

Next drill a small hole using an 11/64 drill bit in the elbow in this location.

[img]

View post on imgur.com

[/img]

Remove one brass fitting and from the inside push it through until the flared end is about 3mm from sitting flush on the inside of the elbow. Now apply a small amount of glue between the inside of the elbow and the flared end of the brass fitting and then press it firmly the rest of the way until it sits flush and looks like the picture above. Then without having to cut any of the hose simply reattach it to this brass fitting. It will now appear like this below.

[img]

View post on imgur.com

[/img]

I used a small amount of glue to plug the broken hole left by the nipple.
Car runs great with no cels.

Interesting. So you are post AFM. (Not sure if our N20 is a AFM or a Mass airflow sensor.

I think I may mount it to the clean side above the air cleaner. No shavings problem. I can simply plug the old one with silicone. I have it disconnected and no CEL, even though I changed my plugs and did a few spirited runs.

[Killakittie]

Yep it's after the maf.I wanted to put it before but there's no way to press the fitting in anywhere on the box there because it's all sealed. I could have done it on the air filter lid somewhere but that would require a longer length of hose i didn't have.

I'll probably relocate it to the lid somewhere pre maf once i get some hose. That's the correct way technically to do it.

[Killakittie]

I couldn't get it out of my head that it's supposed to be pre-maf so I went ahead and relocated it just now. Here's what I did. Located it into the air filter lid shown below.


Drilled hole..


Inserted flair and applied epoxy




Looked like this...LET EPOXY SET AND CURE.


Rerouted original line and ziptied it into new location. (wish I had black zipties though)


And the final product located upstream of maf like it's supposed to be.

[max2me]

Hello,

I'm in the same boat ( https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/b...-hose.1451488/ ) and going to attempt similar repair.

I was wondering -- what's the purpose of this line? Can I drive for a bit with it being disconnected from the airbox or does it introduce some major risks?

[linkysys]

The nipple is not a replaceable part from BMW, only the complete airbox assembly. It is possible to pull the nipple and plug off of the airbox with a pry tool or a pair of plyers. Find a jeweler's screwdriver or small round rod to fit the inside of the nipple. Use the rod to preserve the I.D. of the nipple while using a soldering iron to melt the broken parts back together. You will need to melt all the way through the crack the full circumference, then squeeze the nipple against the base with the rod inserted to prevent collapse. After fusing, drag molten plastic from the raised ridges on the plug to reinforce the area where the nipple cracked. I press fit it back on the airbox but you may need a dab of silicone to hold it. You could also reinforce the part with JB weld epoxy putty (scuff sand to improve adhesion).

It's disappointing that there are no aftermarket parts for this. It would be possible to 3-d print just the nipple out of carbon fiber. If someone on this thread has a 3-d printer and a scan tool such as a Kinect, there may be a niche market for this small part. The full airbox is $400. A carbon fiber nipple would be much stronger than the ABS plastic that is on the car.

[sqwinny]

This nipple Doesn’t do anything, it’s for emissions compliance. The air intake box isn’t a 100% sealed system. Plug the “nipple” add a metal valve and just tap into the air box + apply plastic epoxy to keep it in place. Should cost less than $5.

[max2me]

linkysys thank you for sharing how you approached it!

I went a route closer to what sqwinny describes by insert thin 3/32" brass tube (from the hobby store) into broken nipple and fixing it in place using superglue ultragel. Waiting for it to cure really well before hooking the line to the of it. It probably does impact air throughput a bit but I'm hoping that it's not an issue.