white smoke coming out of engine after driving..

[jc1surf]

hello fellas, thanks for all and any chimes in advance. update on mileage 122k, first i do have a few leaks. there's coolant leaking below the expansion tank(very slow leak, leaks more in the morning when engine/weather is dead cold does not drip after driving or engine is warm/hot), power steering leak-slow(reservior full), and seems like engine oil leak. I'm assuming gaskets. and need new thermostat(temp gauge takes long to reach middle) Sadly, new job has me working 7days a wk. so no time to drop off to indy.
past few days i have noticed white smoke coming out of the hood vents. every time I park/pull over, pop the hood open, i cant find the source or the thickest part of where the smoke is coming from. no change in throttle and acceleration, dip stick is good at the max, coolant level is topped off. no new codes from the OBD reader besides the last one which is cylinder 6misfire 2months ago.
Would the smoke be due to the oil leak burning off? I want to say white is from burnt oil. I know any leaks on these X are not good, but is it safe or even ok to drive a few more day until my day off gets granted?
thanks again for all inputs, and sorry for long write up.

[bcredliner]

Could be from the oil leak. White smoke is more often coolant. Blue smoke is usually oil. What does it smell like? Did you check for the source with both the engine running and off?

[jc1surf]

hi bcredliner, Thank you. i want to say it odorless. I have stuck my nose into the engine bay to see if its burning oil and not much smell like burnt oil. This morning, after i parked its smoked, then went away, then 2minutes later, smoke again.. kind of like. oil is dripping onto something and burning. this also happens dle at red lights. It's only white smoke not thick. would the coolant be leaking elsewhere causing the white smoke besides from the expansion tank area?
No i have not had a chance to bring to indy to find out the source. Would you recommend things like liquimoly temporary? i was reading other post for their valve seals, but seems like their time of smoking is different.
thanks again

[jc1surf]

hi bcredliner, Thank you. i want to say it odorless. I have stuck my nose into the engine bay to see if its burning oil and not much smell like burnt oil. This morning, after i parked its smoked, then went away, then 2minutes later, smoke again.. kind of like. oil is dripping onto something and burning. this also happens dle at red lights. It's only white smoke not thick. would the coolant be leaking elsewhere causing the white smoke besides from the expansion tank area?
No i have not had a chance to bring to indy to find out the source. Would you recommend things like liquimoly temporary? i was reading other post for their valve seals, but seems like their time of smoking is different.
thanks again

[bcredliner]

The valve seal smoke exits the exhaust and is usually a 8 cylinder problem.

Any oil will smell, far from odorless. Coolant also has a distinctive smell, can't miss it. Steam will dissipate, smoke will not--check in a closed place.

Yes, there are coolant hoses that run to the heater behind the engine and, of course to the radiator. The coolant is pressurized so it can continue to leak for some time after the engine is turned off.

Not seeing anything on the ground or on the bottom of the X?

[AquilaBMW]

I would suggest doing a pressure test on the cooling system. You can get a tester on loan from places like Autozone or O'Rielly's. Test it at no more than about 15 psi. You just want to see if there are any leaks in the system.

Bcred is right... unless it is just steam, there has to me a smell of some sort. Oil is easy enough to distinguish. Coolant would have a slightly sweet smell to it. From your descriptions, I am inclined to say this is probably a coolant leak of some sort. Small leaks don't show up immediately as the coolant has to drop to a certain level before a warning will show up - like a COOLANT LOW warning, etc.

Also, you say once you open the hood you can't seem to trace it.... coolant leaks clear faster than oil leaks. Look around areas like the back of the engine towards your heater core and the auxiliary water pump for traces of dried coolant or leaks.

[jc1surf]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

The valve seal smoke exits the exhaust and is usually a 8 cylinder problem.

Any oil will smell, far from odorless. Coolant also has a distinctive smell, can't miss it. Steam will dissipate, smoke will not--check in a closed place.

Yes, there are coolant hoses that run to the heater behind the engine and, of course to the radiator. The coolant is pressurized so it can continue to leak for some time after the engine is turned off.

Not seeing anything on the ground or on the bottom of the X?

i've been reading all morning on here, seem like most of the 8cylin smoke is coming from exhaust. Mine is only the engine. it kind of burns like oil. on after about a 20miles drive and park, i can smell sort of burnt plastic in the engine.
even after the engine is off, it will continue to have smoke and it slowly slowly fades away.On the driveway, there are drops of oil seems to be directly under the engine block and only the drop of coolant is directly under the exp tank. I've had the oil leak for quite some time now. would it matter that it due to me driving to work is less than 20miles and would it accumulate sludge of somesort in the oil?

I would suggest doing a pressure test on the cooling system. You can get a tester on loan from places like Autozone or O'Rielly's. Test it at no more than about 15 psi. You just want to see if there are any leaks in the system.

thanks aquila, i ran a pressure test few weeks ago, seems only area that had coolant leak was the water cooling connector (T-shape connector under the expansion tank) i was looking for other signs of coolant leak, but couldn't find anywhere else.

thanks again guys. would this be due to i topped off M1 5w-30 the other day? It does feel like it's consuming more oil than usual. Should i do an oil change and use the high mileage?
i appreciate all the tips, i can definitely check when i get home tonight if there's a specific area you guys recommend to look at.

[AquilaBMW]

Originally Posted by jc1surf

i've been reading all morning on here, seem like most of the 8cylin smoke is coming from exhaust. Mine is only the engine. it kind of burns like oil. on after about a 20miles drive and park, i can smell sort of burnt plastic in the engine.
even after the engine is off, it will continue to have smoke and it slowly slowly fades away.On the driveway, there are drops of oil seems to be directly under the engine block and only the drop of coolant is directly under the exp tank. I've had the oil leak for quite some time now. would it matter that it due to me driving to work is less than 20miles and would it accumulate sludge of somesort in the oil?


thanks aquila, i ran a pressure test few weeks ago, seems only area that had coolant leak was the water cooling connector (T-shape connector under the expansion tank) i was looking for other signs of coolant leak, but couldn't find anywhere else.

thanks again guys. would this be due to i topped off M1 5w-30 the other day? It does feel like it's consuming more oil than usual. Should i do an oil change and use the high mileage?
i appreciate all the tips, i can definitely check when i get home tonight if there's a specific area you guys recommend to look at.

No worries... and not to give you a hard time here, but from what you first said, it sounded more like a coolant leak because you said there was no odor.

If you can actually smell the oil and burnt plasticy smell... then yep, it probably is an oil leak. It might be from the valve cover gaskets, once the oil is warm and under sufficient pressure, it might be leaking out onto the headers and that creates your smoke in the engine area.

Have you checked your gaskets to or around the engine block to see if there is oil residue or traces? Look around the valve cover gaskets and around the headers.

[jc1surf]

Originally Posted by AquilaBMW

No worries... and not to give you a hard time here, but from what you first said, it sounded more like a coolant leak because you said there was no odor.

If you can actually smell the oil and burnt plasticy smell... then yep, it probably is an oil leak. It might be from the valve cover gaskets, once the oil is warm and under sufficient pressure, it might be leaking out onto the headers and that creates your smoke in the engine area.

Have you checked your gaskets to or around the engine block to see if there is oil residue or traces? Look around the valve cover gaskets and around the headers.

no worries. my apologizes for the info. I havent really smelled burnt oil before or am not fimiliar to it. i do appreciate the help.
I'm not ruling out coolant for sure yet, just because I do have a coolant leak and a Tstat going bad. there can be other places as bcredliner mentions towards the back that coolant can leak.
There is however that scary burnt smell. that is 100% with or without the smoke. it's not very strong, but i can smell it.
Would i have to remove the top trim cover to see if there is gasket going bad? i've read on bavvauto it's a simple DIY, is it really. I have never worked on the engine part before around the spark plug, so should i take it to the indy?

thanks again, i appreciate the help.

[jc1surf]

Is there anything temporary I can add to the oil for a temp fix, something i can pick up on the way home tonight at Oreilly or pepboys like a sealant or additive?
I know this is against the recommended by BMW.