Engine Smoke for a couple of seconds after short ideling time
 

Hey Guys- Maybe you can steer me in the right direction-

I have a 2004 BMW X5 4.4i (Production 4/04) So im assuming its the N62 engine- The car is tight- and rides phenomenal like my E39 Sport.
The other day this is what I began noticing-

Coming to a stop (i.e. Rail Road crossings- car parked and running- ) and then progressing to normal road speed I would see grey smoke? white smoke? nothing to dark- emit from the exhaust of the car only for about a couple seconds- then driving the car would be fine- the Temperature gauge is spot on in the middle- ive looked under the car and have not seen any oil spots-

Could it be valve cover gaskets? The X5 currently has 120k on the clock- mostly high way miles. I am here in Kansas City- So the only dealership is Baron BMW- and i don't want to deal with them- I have a great parts source for german cars- I just want to know what I should do- or expect-

Thanks

I have an 06 4.4i and have been experiencing the same thing recently, especially when in stop and go traffic where I sit idling for a bit before moving.

Fingers crossed for no major problems.

Smoke on take off after sitting idle. Oil usage increase
 

1) Had the same thing happening on my 4.8is. There are CCV valves that can get sludged up. With enough sludge build up, it can stick and cause a vacuum. It sucks up your oil and it gets dumped into your intake manifold while you're idling. You may notice you are burning more oil than normal too. Your engine is fine, it's just the CCV valves.

2) My mechanic says he sees in addition that the valve covers get sludged up over time and cause the same issue since it's part of the same system. The interior of the valve cover has a "labyrinth" of passageways to separate the oil from the air and allow the crankcase to ventilate. Those passages can get clogged to the point that it creates the same oil vacuum affect. Since the valve covers are ~$400 a pop, I started with the CCV valves and put an additive package for sludge removal in my oil.

Thanks for the follow up. On a related note, did you notice any difference with the addition of the sludge removal additive? If so, what brand did you use?

White smoke issues
 

Soo... here is the longer story...

I had the CCV's replaced which took care of almost all of the smoke issue. I still noticed some, however, and figured it was the valve cover labyrinths that were also sludged up that the mechanic said was probably the real problem. That makes sense as it's the same crankcase breathing system and if one area is sludged up, I'm sure it's the same throughout.

My mechanic asked if I do short commutes to work (I do). He said the oil doesn't get warmed up enough to boil off the moisture that builds up and that ends up being sludge eventually. This happens most in wet or cold climates but also short commutes that don't warm the oil up to temp for long intervals. I'm in a wet climate WITH a short commute!

I did not want to spend $400 ea. for new valve covers until I tried something else to clean it out first. I started with Liqui Moly Engine Flush before I drained the oil for an oil change. I let it idle for 10 minutes, revved it up and WOW - loads of smoke. Then I added Auto-RX to the fresh oil (it's highly touted on other forums) as I wanted to use something gentle to "de-sludge" my engine. I used the Fast Track instructions by adding (2) bottles since our X's hold about 9L of oil. There are much harsher engine flushes out there. They can damage seals, etc. I wanted to start gentle. I am almost to the end of the "wash" phase.

At this point in time I have no more smoke after idling! I'm very happy. My next step was to be to remove the valve covers myself and clean the sludge out if needed but I really didn't want to get that far into my engine. I'm very happy now and my car doesn't look like a junker with a bunch of white smoke coming out the back :thumbup:

Thanks again for the reply and info sharing. Any idea on what it cost to replace the CCVs? I also like your idea of looking to remove the sludge gently instead of using some of the more harsh products on the market.

I have an '06 4.8iS with 72k and it started doing the smoke show at idle. I first noticed it when it was being driven out of the car wash and having to sit an idle for about 2 minutes. I was shocked at the plum of smoke.

I figured it was CCV when I first saw it but after reading some of these threads I am now freaked out. I really hope it's my CCV's and not the valve stem seals.

I love my X5 and hope it gives me several more years of non issues as it has the last 72k.

Beside replacing the CCV's should I replace anything else corresponding?

Thanks,

I think CCV's are the place to start. I may still remove and clean my valve covers when I have time, but I'm happy currently with the sludge removal and the CCV's being replaced. My mechanic claims it's almost always CCV's and the valve covers though. They just replace them and pass the $800 part cost on. If I get to it, I'll remove and clean them instead myself.

I can't imagine valve stem seals being an issue at 72,000 miles...

My 2001 at 5 years old would smoke on start up. Just a small puff. It ended up being the vacuum hoses. Unfortunately it is not an easy repair since BMW puts those hoses through the engine because they really consider this vehicle a potential off road vehicle.

My mechs have a theory on this. That oil, that get changed every 3 million miles, that is where people should start. The car doesn't realize that you driving it in harsh conditions when you don't warm it up enough. All it monitors is how many gallons of fuel you burned. That's it. No other car has this issue, because no other car asks you to change the oil every 16k miles. I change mine every 6k, or 9 months.

Mine is an 06 4.8is. NYC, garage kept, no cheese.

I should have mentioned that my X5 is garage kept and the oil is changed at 7500 mile intervals is not driven short distances.

Although I'm hoping my issues are purely the CCV as it was in my E39 the potential cause is baffling. Our temps in the Pacific NW are not so cold that even if it did sit outside that I'd expect sludge build up ever.

jbond007...when you do remove your VC's please post photographs. I'd love to see what is gumming up the inside if anything.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll let you know if my smoke clears when I replace the CCV's

smoke
 

my 05 does it as well, only after idleing a couple minutes. Dealership checked it out under cpo warranty and said nothing was plugged or clogged, no codes, no problem. Yet they saw how bad it smokes after ideling then reving. They told me it was an engine problem requiring a tear down. I would be responsible to pay if nothing was found broken, cpo doesn't pay for worn parts. Their advice was 'drive it like you stold it'.
Halifax BMW terrible.
Most of the threads on here say the problem was valve seals. Some were fixed under cpo, thats burns hearing that. Halifax bmw sucks imo.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the N62 engine is not a 'bulletproof' BMW engine. The VSSeals are a known failure item at low mileage.

To my knowledge, there are no after-market seal kits for the N62.

So this begs the question. Tear down the engine, fix all the other stuff that can go wrong too: Timing chain guides, gaskets, rebuild the heads, coolant pipe!!(another freakishly expensive failure item due to shitty seals and not so great design-from a longevity perspective) and of course the valve seals - If the seals are the same as the original then why bother? Based on my experience they will go again at 45 k miles and I just spent a shit load of money.

Guys the CCV you are talking about, is that this thing?

BMW E53 X5 N62 4.4L > Engine > View All > ES#18560 Pressure Regulator Valve Repair Kit - 11127547058

Julez get yourself some of this "Right Stuff" Gasket Maker

Yup, not sure if this is called the CCV, but in the 4.8is, I really can't find the CCV in the back of the engine. So I replaced this as well for now.

Dealer called me back today and replaced both CCV's and that resolved the smoke at idle problem. He is going to perform more testing before giving it back to me on Monday.

I'm getting visions of the valet in Ferris buelers day off, getting the X airborne....

So after two months of being smoke free it reared its ugly head again. I took the For Sale signs out of it until I get this resolved since I don't feel good about selling a car with a mechanical problem.

The dealer has had my car two days and found the valve cover was the culprit and is replacing it.

I'll keep the car for a couple more months before putting the sign back to ensure the trouble is resolved. Who knows I may end up keeping it since my spouse is nagging me to cancel the order on the new BMW. Trying to smooth things over!

Smoke from start up
 

I too had this exact same problem in my 01 x5 3.0. I wanna say it occured around 80,000 miles give or take 10,000. I wish I could remember what the exact fix was, I want to say something about a regulator...I can't be certain but my mechanic knew right away what the issue was, replaced the parts and it never happened again. I'm at 183,000 and it has not reared its head. I'll try to see if he remembers since it was a few years ago, but i remember it not being too massive of a job. Hopefully i'll get back with a more exact answer

I called my local dealer today and discussed this issue with him. He claims its the exhaust valve guide seals and it's super costly to repair as it requires engine removal and teardown. He didn't seem to think the CCV Valve theory was correct, but I may go that route since ~$30 for each side is much cheaper than an engine teardown. How difficult is it to replace the CCV valves on the 4.4 N62 motor?

Its a quick fix to replace the valves. I gave detailed instructions in another post. Search on here or take a look at all of my posts for the instructions. I still had some smoke after the replacement but after an oil change and about 2k miles the smoke has disappeared for the most part.