CCV failed - oil in combustion chamber - what to do

[karmtec]

Hi All,

I have searched the topic alot but in most of the posts, vehicle ends up at the mechanic

My 2002 X5 3.0 was idling for 30 seconds in -12 so I could move it into the garage, By the time I got in to the garage, it was filled with smoke and the vehicle died. I tried cranking and it made an awful noise.

Took out the spark plugs to find oil as expected. I cranked with the plugs out for a few seconds and oil came out of the holes.

How do I know if I bent a rod or messed up a cylinder wall?

Aside from replacing the CCV and oil, how do I get all the oil out of the combustion chambers and what else would need to be cleaned of oil?

[SlickGT1]

Um, leaking valve cover gaskets maybe.

[FCBuff]

Not sure about the dignosis, but if the CCV is determined to be bad...I just changed my mine. It was a b$tch of a job, but doable. My advice do read all the threads you can find. The key was doing enough dissassembly to be able to reach your left hand around the last manifold runner and apply pressure on the tube connecting with the CCV while rotating it. The other key is to look closely at the way the tube and CCV join and how it rotates etc while out of the car. This is critical because you will be doing it in a tiny, tight dark space with no visibility, it is all by feel.

[JCL]

First do the CCV and hoses. Then look at the valve cover gasket, including the seals around the plugs. Spin it over with the plus out. Clean and dry the plugs. Start it and see how it runs. If it is smooth and quiet, don't worry about a rod.

Many worry about ingesting oil, and it is possible if the CCV freezes open, but it is equally likely that the CCV froze shut, it pressurized the crankcase and blew the valve cover gasket out, then oil ran down around the plugs and they got wet when you removed them.

[Bayerische E53]

Originally Posted by JCL

First do the CCV and hoses. Then look at the valve cover gasket, including the seals around the plugs. Spin it over with the plus out. Clean and dry the plugs. Start it and see how it runs. If it is smooth and quiet, don't worry about a rod.

Many worry about ingesting oil, and it is possible if the CCV freezes open, but it is equally likely that the CCV froze shut, it pressurized the crankcase and blew the valve cover gasket out, then oil ran down around the plugs and they got wet when you removed them.

^+1 I'm with JCL. I think you're likely ok, OP.

[sockethead]

You can look on some of the e46 forums for DIY's too since it's the same motor

[karmtec]

And it happened again a year later...

Driving home from the train station when I experienced loss of power plus tons of smoke out of the tailpipe. Towed it home and pulled the plugs which had a fair amount of oil on them.

I'm going to try and fix it myself this time but wanted to know if I should somehow try and clean the oil out of the combustion chamber or does it leak down when sitting and burn off when started after a valve cover replacement.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by karmtec

And it happened again a year later...

Driving home from the train station when I experienced loss of power plus tons of smoke out of the tailpipe. Towed it home and pulled the plugs which had a fair amount of oil on them.

I'm going to try and fix it myself this time but wanted to know if I should somehow try and clean the oil out of the combustion chamber or does it leak down when sitting and burn off when started after a valve cover replacement.

Two posts in 2 years and both on the same thread. Doesn't look like you're a DIYer and if you never worked on a car I would suggest you take it in. You can do more damage if you don't know what you are doing and that will cost you more money in the long run.

[lhordmclain]

Originally Posted by karmtec

And it happened again a year later...

Driving home from the train station when I experienced loss of power plus tons of smoke out of the tailpipe. Towed it home and pulled the plugs which had a fair amount of oil on them.

I'm going to try and fix it myself this time but wanted to know if I should somehow try and clean the oil out of the combustion chamber or does it leak down when sitting and burn off when started after a valve cover replacement.

Did you purchased the updated CCV with cold weather kit ( insulated oil separator and associated hoses) , the last time you had the issue?

See (per engine spec): bmw breather « Search Results « Case Studies | Atlantic Motorcar Center – Wiscasset, Maine

Also, you need the drive the SUV at least an hour or two on the highway , once or twice a week (preferably avoid less than 3 miles trips, and excessive idling)


If for some reason you can't do the the two items I mentioned above, mostly likely you will hit 3rd to the nth time on this same issue.

Good luck!

Tech Tip BMW - See the "gooey" yellow stuff? That's not peanut butter, but rather engine oil and condensation/water which have mixed to form this sludge. New customers in today with this problem, 72k miles on the car, beautiful auto, but severe engine oil leakage and burning smell. You guessed it, a breather system in need of the update, and correction of subsequent oil leakage issues caused by the crankcase pressure. Thankfully we stock this kit, as we do most BMW parts, and our BMW techs were able to turn the car around in a timely fashion.

With the advent of cold weather we're seeing this frequently on the BMW 2.5 and 3.0 liter engines. If you car has not been updated, you might want to give us a call, BEFORE the failure occurs. The update cost is minimal compared to the damage which can result. Our goal at Atlantic Motorcar, to provide the lowest possible cost by preventing problems first, rather than just repairing them.

Precautions
Here is how you can take some simple precautionary step to take:
1) Upgrade your Separator to the Cold Country Version: Even if it has not failed.
2) If you have no choice but to make short trips, try and take your vehicle on the freeway at least once per week, as this will help burn off condensation.
3) Avoid excessive idling or allowing the car to warm up.
4) Keep Your vehicle garaged at night, if possible, when the temps are very low.
5) Change your engine oil every 5,000-7,000 miles, always using full synthetic.


Tech Brief - BMW Engine Oil Separator Update
Oct 13, 2011 at Atlantic Motorcar Center
Tech Brief - 'Tis The Season - Reminded today of the BMW Oil Separator service issue, and part update, when a good customer car showed up in the workshop with the problem. If your BMW has between 60-100K miles on the odometer, its a very good candidate for this procedure.

The Correction
The BMW Oil Separator/Crank Vent valve issue is not a new one. We'd seen it in the 3-Series (330i, 325i) but in recent years it has been emerging far too often, and in more models. This is not a recall, but BMW has issued a service bulletin and revised parts to address the concern.

The Cause
Cause of this problem - Short Trips, build up of condensation in engine

Getting Technical
Technical Explanation - The Crank Case valve works by taking air inside the engine and separating out the oil vapor that is in the air by swirling it around inside the oil separator. The oil sticks to the outside of the valve and drips back down into the oil pan, where the air is then sucked back up through the intake manifold. What happens when you take a short trip, the condensation coagulates in the oil passages. One of those passages is the tube from the oil separator which goes back into the oil pan.

Over time, the repeated driving on short trips causes the coagulated oil and condensation to build up inside the passage which runs from the oil separator to the oil pan. When enough condensation gathers in the oil separator after the engine is shut off in temperatures below freezing - hydrolock may be caused by oil ingestion.

Prevent
Preventing The Problem - In 2004 a updated and revised part debuted. This part, appropriately named the "Cold Country Kit", which consisted of a revised Oil Separator assembly complete with insulated valves. Surprisingly not every BMW shop knows about this problem, were shocked to find a number of shops were not using this part to treat the oil separator problem. They were simply replacing it with the original part, again and again.

Precautions
Here is how you can take some simple precautionary steps to take in avoiding the Oil Separator/CCV problem:

- Upgrade your Oil Separator to the Cold Country Version: Even if it has not failed.

- If you have no choice but to make a short trip, try and take your vehicle on the freeway at least once per week, as this will help burn off condensation.

- Avoid excessive idling or allowing the car to warm up.

∙ Keep Your vehicle garaged at night, if possible, when the temps are very low.

∙ Change your engine oil every 5,000-7,000 miles, always using full synthetic.

Your Car?
How To Tell If Your Car May Have This Problem - The most obvious sign is yellow "goop" inside your oil filler cap. Check this frequently during the winter. If you cannot have your oil separator replaced immediately, it would be a good idea to have an oil change.

Some other symptoms include:

∙ Engine Not turning off

∙ White Smoke from exhaust

∙ Burning Smell

∙ Yellow "Goop" on filler cap

∙ Rough Idle or Stalling

[bcredliner]

Assuming you have remove the plugs, are the plugs wet with oil or does oil come out of the plug holes when you spin it over?