The winter cheese wiz is back - with photos!
 

OK, now I know that there have been several threads over the past few years on this topic, but I have yet to find conclusively whether the winter cheese wiz is anything to worry about. I know that it's due to moisture buildup within the crankcase and it's a good thing to full-throttle the X once in a while to remove the moisture - I've done that, to no avail, its back. One thing that has me concerned this winter - I found a blob of "cheese" at the end of the dipstick for the first time ever. Is this normal? Pull your oil cap off and check for "cheese". If you find some, snap a photo and post your pics on this thread - let's collaborate and compare notes on this. I'm curious; the cheese comes in the winter and disappears in the spring/summer/fall. Should we be concerned about this??? :confused:

it seems to only happen with the i6?

Yes, it seems like the i6 is prone to this problem, only during very cold winter weather. If you have a v8, twist the cap off and check, but I think it's a 6-thing only. :confused:

that's right 6cyl thing most of the M54,M56 engine does that in winter.
msammy, go get the oil change and keep up with the warm up routine then you be fine.

do you use a different weight oil for winter? i'll check the X in the am - too cold now.

It's funny, I had the oil changed in the fall just before the cold weather, just about 3K miles ago or so.

I use the same oil year-round - Mobil-1 full-synthetic, 5W-30. Check your cap tomorrow and let us know what you find.

He will find more cheese :D

I don't believe it is any more likely on a 6 cylinder than a four, or eight cylinder BMW engine. I have seen it on other than 6 cylinder engines.

For msammy, applying full throttle will have no effect. That procedure has to do with carbon buildup in the cylinders, not this problem. The buildup is because the engine is not getting hot enough, for a long enough period of time, to burn off the moisture within the engine. It emulsifies, and collects. Not getting hot enough, and build-up of condensation, is primarily due to short trips.

This is an early sign that you should maintain your crankcase ventilation valve, as the conditions that produce this are the same ones that lead to problems in that component.

I would get it good and hot, change the oil, and do that again if necessary. Frequent short trips, particularly in cold weather, are a reason to do more frequent oil changes.

Has anyone upgraded to the "Cold Country" version of the oil separator?

I thought I'd read something about a unit which came with a small heater some time ago. Here's a link to the closest kit I could find "Cold Country Version"