ARE THESE PLUGS NORMAL??

[scourtaud23]

In other world, press on the gas pedal fully while cranking

[Bmwtvboy]

OH crap. SO, then the accelerator is pressed down an open. Darn. OK, that being said the number used air being sucked in through the intake valves then? IN which case they're about right? I figure the pressure necessary to suck air through the intake with the tb closed is fairly high, with open TB it's another 40-60 psi I am missing. Just shooting at the dark now.
Probably do it again tomorrow.

[StephenVA]

You got it.
Test 1.
Air in, compressed, PSI reading DRY
You are looking for a result of more than 20% difference between cyls.
example: 140, 138, 139, 120, 145, 100 PINGO!
Test 2
add a spoon full of oil through the plug hole and crank a few times Then retest = More than 20 % increase? Y/N (compression Ring test)

There will be no change if the valve is burnt as the cyl never compresses all the air which escapes through the valve/seat area.

Next step is a "Leak Down Test" you will need a compressor and a gauge set. Google that test and you will see what is required. This is really the only best practice for engine mechanical health

[scourtaud23]

At the very least you should do the dry test again to see if your cylinders are all in range and similar.

[bcredliner]

In your first post you state--no excessive oil burning. How much oil are your burning?

[Bmwtvboy]

I use about a pint every 1000 or more miles and that's at 2800-3000 rpm in final drive.
I avg. 20 mpg mixed. It has a puurrfect idle. Accelerates smoothly and quickly in the top gear when you step down to highway pass above 70. Other than the loss of small amounts of coolant recently this engine and transmission have both been flawless.

[scourtaud23]

If you've got no issues, just drive. If you want to do some diagnosis, get INPA, it'll let you see smoothness at idle, sensor values and much more.

[Bmwtvboy]

Ok, what's INPA ? Where do I get it? I like to be as preventive as possible. I'll admit sometimes I over react, but it is rounding up 234567K miles. And 90 % is original. So what's common? When you read some of these posts it's a bit bizarre. INPA, I'll google. Thanks

[scourtaud23]

INPA is bmw software that will allow you to monitor a bunch of sensors and values from the engine to the lighting.

You need to buy the cable, probably jump pin 7&8 and install BMWEasyTools.zip (google it).

There's a recent thread in this very forum "INPA wanted ... "

Its good to take care of your car but when something will be wrong, you'll feel/know it and INPA will help pinpointing the issue with the data and BMW specific error codes.

[Bmwtvboy]

This is great to know. But it is just Windows PC compatible? Not a problem. Are the posting s on eBay for the cable and software reputable?