did i seize the engine???????
 

Can anyone help?? I have a 2001 X5 3.0 with 105k miles. It was very cold today and I didn't take it for my usual 35 mile commute, so I decided to warm it up when I got home from work. Started up with no issue, except it sounded a little rough, but that was normal in really cold weather. after about 15 minutes I went out to see how warm the engine had gotten and noticed the SES light came on. I thought perhaps I should move the car as it was parked on a slight incline in my driveway. That's when it rattled a bit and stalled. I tried to start it and it wouldn't start. I left it for about 10 minutes while I went to call my mechanic. The interior lights came on so it wasn't the battery, but it couldn't engage or turn over. I noticed just before it stalled that there was a huge cloud of white smoke at the exhaust. I checked the exhaust pipe for oil and there was oil residue. ANd since I was able to back up a little, I then saw a puddle of oil in the driveway-about a half a quart worth. There was no oil level warning light prior to this. Could I have siezed the engine? Or is there enough intelligence built into the onboard computer to shut the engine down so as not to cause any more damage?
Any information anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to sell my beloved X5 as I cannot stand having to worry that it's too cold to use my car!

Oil regulator/crank case valve, is gonzo...
20 pages of threads on this issue: hit Search Tab and do some reading.
Will probably have to be towed.

That "15 minutes" warm up only added to the problem, imo.
GL,mD

so you don't think I seize the engine???
and towing is the least of my worries..mechanic is right down the street. if i could push the car there i would!
what kind of price tag am i facing?

Hard to diagnose from your description; hard enough to diagnose
in person w/out some tests.

My guess is the oil regulator valve, (hundreds of threads and pics and
fixes here in Search), plugged with frozen water/oil condensate and
thus the engine "quit". You also could have tossed the valve cover
due to the hydraulic pressure.

If it's "just" the oil reg valve and/or valve cover, it is fixable and not
a 2nd mortgage...

I really rec'd doing some reading here under the Oil Regulator in Search
Tab. If you are looking for comfort, that's free...I would get it to a good
BMW oriented mechanic, (not necessarily a dlr), asap.

It is quite common in very cold weather with low driving distances and
never fully warming up.
GL,mD

I'm doing your homework for you:
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...rank+case+vent

Just one of hundreds of Threads here, on this topic...

am researching now-in addition to looking at a new subaru
I drive 70 miles a day 3 days a week-ny suburbs to new jersey. I thought warming the car in these cold temps (NYC) was beneficial. we've had below 0 temps. i thought these high perf. cars needed to be started when doing that kind of driving.

Imo, the 70 miles a day should have kept an oil reg prob. to a minimum,
but the 105K mileage was not on your side: I suspect it has the orig.
oil regulator, hoses, etc.

Thus, time caught up to you, in combo with the very cold weather which
exacerbates that weak link. That 15 min of idle probably pushed it over the
edge, but the oil reg would have gone sooner or later.

The 3.0 engine is an excellent one, but any high mileage BMW has its built in
set of potential glitches and gremlins waiting to show themselves.

A new car is big dough; hopefully your oil reg and related components
can be repaired reasonably, and I hope it is no more than that problem.
GL,mD

one last question. how would i know if i seized the engine or can't that be determined until futher examination?
I hate the thought of parting with the x5, but I cannot afford the worry every time i get into the car-nevermind the expense each time it needs to be fixed (just had the door carrier replaced) I'd love another one.
I want to thank you for all you quick responses. You have been very helpful.

70 miles a day is a short trip?

If you have some tools, remove all 6 spark plugs then either turn the engine over by hand with a big ratchet on the main crank bolt, or try with the key again. If it is hydro-locked by oil from a stuck oil separator valve then that will let it turn/rotate. It may or may not have bent rods if that is the case. If it doesn't the engine can be brought back to as good as it was before without breaking your kids piggy bank open. But if it does have a bent rod, then you'd likely need a new short block to get her going.