BMW E60 Front Oxygen Sensors - 2004-2010 5 Series

Affiliate link disclosure – The BMW Repair Guide uses affiliate links in their site. For more information on affiliate links, please click here.

Repair Summary
Repair Difficulty and Cost
Parts Diagram
Repair Steps

Repair Summary

This article gives detailed instructions on replacing the front oxygen sensors in a BMW E60 5 series vehicle. Even though we used a 2005 530i to perform this repair, this article can be applied to any 2004-2010 5 series vehicle with minor modifications to the repair steps.

See all vehicles this article applies to

E60 5 Series M5

E60 5 Series 523Li

E60 5 Series 550i

E60 5 Series 545i

E60 5 Series 540i

E60 5 Series 535d

E60 5 Series 530xi

E60 5 Series 530xd

E60 5 Series 530Li

E60 5 Series 530i

E60 5 Series 530d

E60 5 Series 525i

E60 5 Series 525xi

E60 5 Series 525Li

E60 5 Series 525d

E60 5 Series 523i

E60 5 Series 520i

E60 5 Series 520d

E60N 5 Series 550i

E60N 5 Series 525xi

E60N 5 Series 540i

E60N 5 Series 535xi

E60N 5 Series 535i

E60N 5 Series 535d

E60N 5 Series 530xi

E60N 5 Series 530xd

E60N 5 Series 530Li

E60N 5 Series 530i

E60N 5 Series 528xi

E60N 5 Series 530d

E60N 5 Series 528i

E60N 5 Series 525Li

E60N 5 Series 525xd

E60N 5 Series 525i

E60N 5 Series 525d

E60N 5 Series 523Li

E60N 5 Series 523i

E60N 5 Series 520Li

E60N 5 Series 520d

E60N 5 Series 520i

BMW E60 front oxygen sensors should be replaced every 100,000 miles to avoid an "Increased Emissions" iDrive warning and a "Service Engine" light on your dashboard.

The BMW E60 front oxygen sensors (also known as O2 sensors or lambda sensors) are an important part of the vehicle's emissions system but are often ignored during regular maintenance intervals due to their cost. Due to the high cost of the sensors and the labor charged by the dealership to install them, many BMW owners elect not to replace their O2 sensors and just live with the irritating dash light and iDrive warning message.

The BMW E60 front oxygen sensors are in charge of reading the O2 levels in the engines exhaust gases and transmitting this data to the engine control unit (DME). Oxygen levels in the exhaust are a precise measurement of fuel mixture - if the oxygen levels are too high, then the engine is running too lean. Conversely, if oxygen levels are too low then the engine is running too rich. The DME processes these measurements from the oxygen sensors and adjusts the engine's combustion as needed.

When the BMW E60 front oxygen sensors fail, the emissions system will trigger a fault code usually indicated by an error on the iDrive display and a "service engine" light on the dashboard. Please note that the BMW Repair Guide strongly recommends using a diagnostic scanner to confirm any error messages prior to doing the repair.

If you need to replace the front (pre-cat) oxygen sensors on your BMW, there is good news. Even if you have just basic mechanical knowledge, you can easily replace your pre-cat sensors. Unlike your rear (post-cat) sensors, you do not need to jack and support your vehicle. Your front pre-cat O2 sensors are easily accessed from the engine compartment.

View the detailed parts diagram for this repair.

Includes detailed part diagrams, part numbers and links to purchase all of the required components needed to complete this repair.

Section 1 - Removing the Cabin Air Filter Assembly

The cabin air filter assembly must be removed from the rear of the engine in order to gain access to the oxygen sensors. Always disconnect your battery when doing this repair.

Use a socket wrench to disconnect the negative terminal from the battery before starting this repair. Always cover the terminal with a clean rag to avoid accidental contact during the repair. If working on a vehicle with 2 batteries (8 series), disconnect the negative terminal from both batteries. ALWAYS disconnect the battery(s) before performing any type of repair that includes disconnecting electronics, especially in the engine compartment.
You will need to begin the BMW E60 oxygen sensor replacement by removing the cabin filter containers from the back side of the engine. The cabin filter containers must be removed to gain access to the oxygen sensor wires.
Start by removing the rubber engine gasket.
Remove the cabin filter cover by pressing the side tab and sliding the cover off.
Starting with the right cabin filter, use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the metal retaining clip securing the cabin filter container.
Disconnect the hood sensor switch located on the front of right cabin filter container.
Using an 13mm socket, turn the plastic nut counterclockwise 1/2 turn to release the cabin filter container from the right air inlet. Remove the cabin filter container from vehicle.
Starting at the center, continue loosening the rest of the plastic nuts (1/2 turn only) that anchor the right air inlet to the engine compartment.
Use an 8mm nut driver to remove screw anchoring the right air inlet to engine compartment. Note - this screw may be a T20 torx on certain model vehicles.
Remove the right air inlet from vehicle.
Repeat the above steps to remove the left cabin filter container and air inlet. The only difference is there are no electrical connections on left side that need to be disconnected.

Section 2 - Front Oxygen Sensor Removal and Replacement

Removing and installing the O2 sensors is a very straightforward procedure. It is important that you do not get the plugs mixed up when you disconnect the sensors from the engines wiring harness. We suggest marking them with tape to avoid any issues.

1. Remove the wiring harness from it's plastic mounting tray at the back of the engine compartment. Remove the plastic tray by simply pulling it off of the strut supports. Tuck the wiring harness back out of the way.
2. Use a metal pick to remove left engine cover caps. Use a 10mm nut driver to remove cover bolts. Remove left cover from engine compartment.
3. Identify the electrical connections for the two front oxygen sensors on top of the intake manifold.
4. Pull the connections loose from their brackets.
5. The oxygen sensor wires run behind the engine block to the exhaust manifold on right side of engine. Carefully pull the wires loose.
6. Pull the wires out of the clips anchoring them to the side of the cylinder head cover. If the clips pull loose from the cylinder head cover, do not lose them! They are very important. Remove them from the old oxygen sensor wire. See step 14 below on how to correctly reinstall them with new wires.
7. Identify the two oxygen sensors in the exhaust manifold. Use a piece of tape to mark the front and rear oxygen sensor connections for future identification. This will keep you from getting confused and connecting them backwards.
8. Disconnect the oxygen sensor connectors.
9. Using a special 22mm oxygen sensor removal socket, remove the two oxygen sensors from the intake manifold.
10. Add a little bit of anti-seize lubricant to the threads of the new sensors, being extremely careful not to get any on the sensor itself. Anti-seize lubricant on the sensor will most likely cause an error code and you will be taking the engine back apart again to cure it. Note - Genuine BMW E60 front oxygen sensors usually have anti-seize lubricant already applied.
11. Install the new oxygen sensors. Try and get them as tight as possible by hand before torquing with the 22mm oxygen sensor removal socket. Torque sensors to 47 Nm (35 ft-lb).
12. Reinstall the oxygen sensor wires around the back of the cylinder head and back to their connectors. Take your time, paying close attention to the labels placed on the oxygen sensor connections in step 4 above.
13. Make sure the new oxygen sensor wires are correctly clipped to the side of the cylinder head cover. The clips are very confusing and are often installed incorrectly. The following image shows how to correctly reinstall the BMW E60 front oxygen sensor clips. Note that there are square cut outs in the lip of the cylinder head cover that the clips engage into.
14. Reassemble vehicle following above steps in reverse.