Blown Engine...not blown, fine now

Bostonblux5 · #1 01-23-2008, 04:29 PM

A couple weeks ago thick white smoke started pouring out of my exhaust pipes. The engine shut off and I managed to pull over to the side of the road. When I tried to start it again it would not crank at all...

So the day before I was set to leave the country I towed it to a family friend's shop. They do not usually work on bmw's so they recommended sending it to another shop (Autobahn Auto in Natick MA). I just returned from my B-school class in India to find the X5 back at my house...still dead.

So today I briefly talked to my family's friend and he said that the shop in Natick checked out the engine and basically said I need a new one along with some other "supporting parts." They do not do the work themselves however so I'm again looking for a new shop. They estimated the damage to be about $5-7k.

I don't know too many details yet; I'm planning to go to the shop tomorrow to find all that out.

I'm not sure what to do and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I read a few posts about an oil separator problem but other than that I haven't seen anything about a blown engine.

FYI its a 2001 3.0i with about 72k miles.

One idea I had was to fix it up as inexpensively as possible and trade it in at a dealership. - however my friend said that the engine must be replaced to get it to run.
I was also thinking about trying to sell it as is but I heard I will get next to nothing for it. Anyone know how much its worth with a blown engine.
The last option would be to fix it and keep it but I fear sinking $7k into it just to have it break down requiring more money.

Again any ideas would be appreciated ... as well as any rec's for shops / dealers to do the work.

Thanks
-Rob

mrbmwx5 · #2 01-23-2008, 04:37 PM

I'm not sure what to do and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I read a few posts about an oil separator problem but other than that I haven't seen anything about a blown engine.
if the vent valve stuck open will cause valve cover gasket to lick and if it stuck closed will damage the engine.

JCL · #3 01-23-2008, 04:38 PM

White smoke indicates that coolant entered the combustion chamber. It could have been a head gasket, or a crack in the head or block, without seeing it or knowing more details.

BMW engines tend not to be tolerant of overheating; cooling system failures and overheating are often accompanied by major repairs ($$$)

While the oil separator issue is a possibility, it wouldn't be my first area of investigation.

One option is to buy a used engine from a wrecker.

Sorry but I don't know any shops in your area to recommend or point you at. I wouldn't go to the dealer for this, I would look to an independent shop with experience with BMW vehicles.

Good luck

mrbmwx5 · #4 01-23-2008, 04:39 PM

I'm not sure what to do and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I read a few posts about an oil separator problem but other than that I haven't seen anything about a blown engine.

Bushman2 · #5 01-23-2008, 04:44 PM

I don't know if this may help, but it is a start!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-01...em260206199215

Bostonblux5 · #6 01-23-2008, 04:48 PM

... Thanks guys, I should have an update tomorrow morning.

LI-X5 · #7 01-23-2008, 05:41 PM

get a used one from the junkyard , dump it in then get to a dealer right away and trade that sucker in !!

vinuneuro · #8 01-23-2008, 05:48 PM

Something sounds wrong. Even if it was a headgasket failure and the block and/or cyl head surface warped, it would still at least turn over. Did they tell you what actually failed?

JCL · #9 01-24-2008, 12:23 AM

Headgasket failure or crack, then coolant goes into cylinder. White smoke ensures.

A non-compressible liquid in a cylinder tends to stop the engine from turning over

Or, it could just be seized.

we350z · #10 01-24-2008, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

Headgasket failure or crack, then coolant goes into cylinder. White smoke ensures.

A non-compressible liquid in a cylinder tends to stop the engine from turning over

Or, it could just be seized.

does this cause hydrolock? I thought a cracked head gasket just usually causes loss of compression (as compression bleeds between to adjacent cylinders). Sounds like something more serious, like a blown head.

I wonder how long the engine was running overheated and if this was the first time. My Nissans have been quite tolerant to this, sounds like BMW's are not.