ohhh no.....Passenger side head destroyed...Chunk of head, roller and oil on ground
 

Left work for a quick run to the bank...As I return and pull into the parking lot. I notice a lack of power and my cel flashing... I back into my spot and shut her down. I attempted a restart and it cranked but was missfiring and idling low and shut down. I get out and pop the hood. And notice a trail of fluid into my spot I look under and my heart drops..... I have a large puddle of oil under my baby.....I see nothing from the top of the engine and it's been running fine lately.... I followed the oil trail and it starts when I entered the lot. So it didnt run for more than 2min. And 50ft. Since losing power and kickin CEL....

My good friend and step certified bmw mechanic said it could just be the crankcase oil seperator valve. He said they piss oil when they fail but it usally happens in the winter months here in MN.....

I'm trying not to stress to hard about it but I have had it only a short while and when I see this much oil under my car it is very unnerving.

Any input, advice or kind words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.


TIA
Alex

do not drive the car. you do not know if the hole is tiny or huge... find the source of the leak...
do you get more oil on the ground as the car is parked?

Most. Def. I will not be starting it. I will have it towed to my friends shop today. Yes it does look like the puddle got bigger Term. :(

Pics...

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps375a0672.jpg

Under

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...psbec666ac.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...pse8507494.jpg

I traced the oil drip to when it lost power and kicked CEL when I entered the parking lot and I was very bummed to find this....

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...psf45f7993.jpg

So how bad is it guys?

I'm sorry but the picture is of a valve tappet and either part of a cylinder head or the block. A piece of the tappet is missing which means it is somewhere in your engine.

Unfortunately, this puts your X in critical condition or even terminal. I hope I'm wrong and the pieces are not from your X, but prepare yourself for very bad news.

Roller drag lever decided to leave the head. Curious if that was under casual driving or high load/rpm.

At minimum, you'll be pulling / replacing the head(s). Your mechanic can check for lower end damage with a piston height tool. Check for trash in the sump, filter, and in the drained oil.

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i Valve timing gear, camshaft, inlet

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i Valve timing gear, camshaft, outlet

Good luck man. You may be able to save the bottom end, and perhaps the other head if you're feeling brave, but really best to just service both heads. Do not start the engine.

Thanks for you input man. I really appreciate it! I was afraid of that.......Damn. I was pulling pulling into a parking lot doing 10MPH when it happened. After a casual 2mi. round trip from work to the bank.

I have had this E53 since Dec. it's got 96K on the clock. I bought it from a fellow enthusiast and it has all maint. history. Had a PPI done..I don't beat my car. And I preform regular maint.

Why oh why have the bimmer gods forsaken me :dunno:

Bang out of no where my engine just self destructs....

It really make's a guy question if he should spend several thousand dollars purchasing a replacement motor or rebuilding one that has just randomly destroyed itself with no warning....

I think I'm losing faith in the roundel here guys.... Someone please talk me down :rolleyes:

A replacement motor may be the way to go. Then lube and bag this one away properly for parts down the road.

It's just going to take a bit more inspection right now to determine. Maybe that chunk is valve cover. Maybe the rest is intact. Maybe a cam is scored by the roller drag lever being slapped around the head like a pinball.

Till then just have a rum and coke and enjoy that pretty E38. Love those wheels, btw.

Wow...looking at the broken part made my heart sink...I can only imagine how awful that discovery made you feel.

Before throwing in the towel...with only 96k and a maintenance history...I would call BMW customer service 800-831-1171 and ask to speak to a customer service rep (aka the goodwill cluster spiel). I would tell them what happened, and about the vehicle and it's maintenance history (be prepared to fax maintenance documents, BMW dealership receipts where it was serviced or Indy receipts etc, & pics of the recent damage).

You may be able to get some "goodwill" toward repair...or may even be under one of the warranties...I know the tranny & paint/rust-through warranties run beyond the original 4 yr/50k warranty.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...all they can say is "no, we can't help you"...or "yes, we may be able to offer you some ..." .

Good luck.

That looks bad. really bad(((