what is this? what up with my oil filler cap??

[stackz]

went to add some oil yesterday and saw this on my cap. Is this frothing condensation due to all the crazy temperature swings we've had in charleston lately?

engine runs too good and isnt using coolant or getting hot. never seen this before is all and I dont like when I see things that arent normal.

is this a symptom of something else that might possibly be about to fail? crank case vent?

[upallnight]

The problem is short drives. So no more driving the kiddie to schools on those cold school days, no more running to the grocery store for a gallon of milk, and unless your work place is a hour away switch to a bicycle.

BMW the Ultimate DIY machine.

[stackz]

so this is normal then? just wipe it off and go about my business? life is full of short drives lol. as long as its not a sign of a head about to crack or a gasket about to fail I'm cool with it.

[tmv]

That's normal. Condensation results from short commute as upallnight said. Take the SAV on a 30 min highway about once a week in winter time to burn the condensation off.

[upallnight]

It is normal, but eventually it will build up in the CCV and if you don't replace the CCV the mayo will freeze on one of those cold winter day and the engine will start sucking up oil from the crankcase and before you know it you will hydrolock the engine. Do a search on this forum on hydrolock. Two people have already ruin their X within the past month on this forum.

[StephenVA]

You live in SC and this past winter has been C O L D even down by the coast. Short drives where the oil temperature never has the chance to heat up to the point of vaporizing the moisture that occurs when an engine is cooled down after driving.

Over time (how long? - who the hell knows) this crud will build up in the vent system (CCV) of your engine's cam cover (valve cover)/oil system and create either a LARGE oil spill when the pressures exceed the covers ability to hold it it, or cause catastrophic failure of your engine. To understand more, just review any of the more than 10 threads posted from our friends up north on their experiences in the winter of discontent.

Solutions:
Change your oil & filter more frequently. Most on this board change at 5-7500 miles or every year regardless of mileage. There are a few on this board who travel long distances and rack up high mileage in a short period who run the recommended oil change intervals with no issues. Most of us do NOT drive anything close to ideal. Most of us drive what in automotive terms is called severe. “Automobile manufacturers have begun to include additional factors in determining how often oil changes should be performed. Things such as how much time is spent idling, the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine and the oil temperature history have led to considerable increases in the number of miles between recommended oil changes”, quotes one of the many articles up on the internet suggesting longer is better.
In your case, your car needs more oil changes and a good long trip each week up the highway. Welcome to the real world of variable challenges of ownership where one size (one solution) does not fit everyone.

Change the oil and have a sample test done by Blackstone labs so you will know YOUR oil change cycles.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ “Oil analysis is a quick, nondestructive way to gauge the health of an engine by looking at what's in the oil. People use oil analysis for different reasons: to see if there are any problems developing, to see if their oil is working well in the engine, and to see if they can run longer oil changes. Get started with your analysis by ordering a free test kit.”
In the meantime: Say the word "ROADTRIP", you and your X5 need a break from the ordinary.

[JCL]

It's been said above, but it is condensate paste. It can help to understand the process.

Every time you start and stop your engine it goes through a warm up cool down cycle, and condensation occurs. This is normal, but it is also normal that your vehicle gets up to operating temperature and stays there for a period of time, and that burns off any condensate, a normal process.

You are fine doing short trips, as long as that is not all the driving you do. The engine needs to get good and hot, and stay there, sometimes. There is no precise time, but maybe an hour or so once a week. If not, over time, the condensate will emulsify with the oil and form a paste. The paste isn't hurting anything when it is formed (it is a symptom, not a problem itself) but if it builds up it can collect in the crankcase ventilation system (CCV). If it does that, and then we get very cold weather as we have had, it can freeze since it has water in it. If the CCV freezes in the closed position it closes off the crankcase vent, and then pressure will build and the engine will force oil out, usually through the valve cover gasket. If it freezes in the open position then when you have high vacuum (on over-run, for example) sump oil can be drawn into the intake tract, and that is when a hydraulic lock can occur. That isn't as common, but it can happen.

So it starts with your driving cycle. Lots of five minute trips, without any one hour runs, is hard on it. With colder weather operation, it can be even harder. Leave it and the paste can build up. Park it in a very cold area and it can freeze. That is the full combination of events that causes more significant problems.

Start with a hot oil change to flush it out. Consider checking the CCV to see if any has accumulated there. And read up to know what the causes are and what you can do about it.

Note that the CCV doesn't cause this, as many believe. The CCV can fail due to this paste freezing. Cause vs effect.

I'd skip the oil analysis as that tells you more about your engine wear rates over a longer time than it does about your oil.

[stackz]

yeah, figured it might be that as I've read through a couple of the CCV threads which is why I mentioned it in my first post.

Just sends up red flags when I see stuff like this is all.

I'm actually right at the time to change the oil and went to pick it up last friday but couldnt remember which type to get. online while my phone was dying at walmart it was showing all kinds of crazy weights. completely forgot I had a quart in my car with me at the time lol.

going to be changing it this week with 5w-30 synthetic. only reason I was topping it off is because my valve cover and oil filter housing both leak and I dont like running my car low on oil. hoping to finally have some time in the next couple weeks to fix those issues but man life just keeps getting in the way of wrenching time.

Kind of curious as I know people say the CCV will clog up over time from the frothed mix but when I'm doing the oil housing and the ccv is out anyway...cant you just clean it out?

[tmv]

Originally Posted by stackz

Kind of curious as I know people say the CCV will clog up over time from the frothed mix but when I'm doing the oil housing and the ccv is out anyway...cant you just clean it out?

I didn't have to touch the CCV when replacing the oil filter housing gasket on my old 3.0i.
It isn't that easy to remove the CCV. You drive the SAV nice and hot as suggested to get rid of the built up in the CCV and the associated hoses.

[BMWX5CHI]

If you do go on a short trips, remove the oil cap after your done using your X. This will help with the condensation issues. I've been doing it this whole winter and haven't had any problems. Just MAKE SURE you put it back on before you drive her. I would try to clean that crap out with a vac. Someone posted something about cleaning it out with a vac maybe you can search for it. It wouldn't hurt if you can try to manually clean some of that stuff off with a rag and some WD-40. As other suggested, take her on the highway and try changing your oil. Hopefully that can help you out.