Blue smoke and antifreeze smell - Page 2

supersteve · #11 12-08-2006, 10:18 PM

If your not due for an oil change I wouldn't change it. Just pull the oil filter cover off and look at the oil. If it's still brown, it's good. If it looks like Kalua and cream, put the cap back on and grab a beer and figure out who is going to take the heads off.

As far as the antifreeze, if you don't see any white or greenish white stuff caked on the items I mention before, pull the engine cover off. Look down through the intake manifold onto the top of the engine block with a flash light. You should see a silver colored pan under the manifold. If you see green you have found you antifreeze leak. That would be the valley pan.

If you still can't find the leak pull your spark plugs. If your head gasket has failed from a water jacket into the combustion chamber the spark plug for that cylinder will look clean, bright white and brand new. What happens is the anti freeze steam cleans the entire combustion chamber. Unfortunatly that means the oil lubing the cylinder wall goes too.

If this has happened and your oil is not white, that means the water hasn't reached the oil yet. A good thing. Your rings are still in one peice. If your still interested in confirming the obvious, you can do a compression test; But, if you find a spark plug that looks brand new compared to the other seven I would just refer to the last sentence of the first paragragh.

Sponsored Links

BMWguy · #12 12-09-2006, 04:52 PM

Let just say I'm having a glass of red wine. I was due for an oil change and when we pulled off the cap, guess what we saw :-( I'm very good about changing my oil every 3K and even a little over a month ago when I added the 1/2 qt. the cap was clean. The oil seems fine, I guess you can say I caught it in time, I guess :-(. I have a very good machanic, we work side by side. Timing belt on the E30 etc. He has done head gaskets before but not on and X5. He has a 5 series though so I'm sure he's familer with the engine.

Anybody ever done a haedgasket on an X5 before? I don't really want to get a dealership $1500. Again you guy have been great.

Gotta break the news to the wife, I think she likes the truck as much as I do.

supersteve · #13 12-09-2006, 05:52 PM

I'm funcused. Is there water in the oil?

vinuneuro · #14 12-09-2006, 05:56 PM

So what did you see??

BMWguy · #15 12-09-2006, 06:15 PM

Sorry guys, When we took off the oil cap it had a kinda yellowish milky gunk around the cap. Not much but enough. We change the oil and I came home and parked it.

My machanic said the make a powder of some kind that you can put in the radiator. I'm against it and said lets just plan the job.

I can drive the E30 until we work out the details.

supersteve · #16 12-09-2006, 06:47 PM

Don't count your chickens yet. The white gunk can happen if you start and stop a lot. If the internals of the engine don't get up to full operating temp the water formed during combustion doesn't burn off. If the oil you drained was still brown you haven't confirmed it yet. The quickest way to confirm a head gasket now is to pull the plugs.

Pull the Plugs before you start doing the heads, Please, please, please!!!!!!

vinuneuro · #17 12-09-2006, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWguy

Sorry guys, When we took off the oil cap it had a kinda yellowish milky gunk around the cap. Not much but enough. We change the oil and I came home and parked it.

My machanic said the make a powder of some kind that you can put in the radiator. I'm against it and said lets just plan the job.

I can drive the E30 until we work out the details.

Have your mechanic do a leak down test to pin point the leak. You don't want to change the headgasket and have it be a cracked head or block.

BMWguy · #18 12-09-2006, 07:45 PM

I think it's gonna warm up a little tomorrow. I'll pull the plugs tomorrow. It appears to be running fine, not missing. I should be looking for a wet plug of somekind. Correct.

supersteve · #19 12-09-2006, 08:08 PM

Nope.

If the headgasket failed from a water jacket into the combustion chamber the resulting steam will clean the plug in that cylinder. It will look brand new. The center electrode will be bright white.

The other plugs will look normally worn. Their color will be light tan to brown on the center electrode. If all six plugs are identical your head gasket and block are fine. You can confirm it with a leak down (compression test) if your unsure.

I'm not sure how a leak down test (compression test) will tell whether its a head gasket or block. My experience shows if you hear the leak in the intake, it's an intake valve. If you hear it in the exhaust it's an exhaust valve leak. If you hear it in the oil cap it's the rings. If you have either a cracked block or a blown head gasket you'll hear it in the radiator cap and maybe the oil cap.

The only way I know to to confirm one way or the other is to pull the heads at look at the gasket.

BMWguy · #20 12-09-2006, 09:08 PM

Steve thanks again. The game plan is to to pull the plugs tomorrow around noon (take some digitals). After the Sunday paper and before football. I can't let this stress me out before the holidays. I'm lucky to have another car to drive and this is just another BMW story. Sounds like I'm taking it well. Right? :-(

Sponsored Links