burnin oil smell

D

domsz4

Veteran
Is there any bit of the 3.0i engine that is prone to spewing out a bit of oil sporadically? not constantly just here and there. almost like a breather gets a pressure block and just dumps a splodge of oil out onto something hot like the exhaust mainfold?

after the car had stood for 2 weeks or so while i was in Myanmar i got in it and got a heavy smell of burning oil (i recognise it well from my westfield which is a different story) it went away quickly then but i did have to have all the windows open. i thought it was from a car infront and then the auto air circulate simply trapped it in the car. it was pretty bad that day, enough to make me stop and peer under the bonnet. im well accustomed to the smell of oil on manifold and the smog it produces and this day it thought something had gone pop.

but its been fine since. put it down to being stood maybe.

today i got another massive wiff of burning oil. again it could be from another car coming in. this time it cleared really quick, there was none of the mist that came in before.

there is no obvious leaks although ive not looked hard. oil level seems ok. no new or bad rattles, no smoke from the exhaust, no foaming under the filler cap or in water. i have recently aqquired a garage which is tricky to reverse in it takes a while so the garage would easily fill with exhaust gas and there is no smell there either.

so just wondered if anyone could point me in a direction. if i didnt know any better i would guess its the dipstic just not located properly and blowing a few drips out onto the exhausts???
 
The dipstick and exhaust are on separate side. I would say its quite likely to be a rocker cover gasket as these can go hard/brittle when old. have a look around the cover for leaks. Its a cheap job even if you don't undertake it yourself.
 
I had a 2.0l and had the same smell when I first got the car, found out it was the vacuum pump at the back of the engine. It had a slight leak and was dropping oil on the exhaust.
Not sure where it is on the 3.0 but worth a look.
 
i was going to post something similar to this. i have a 2.0 and usually smells fine, then every now and then i get a slight smell of burning/burning oil and then after a few seconds it goes.... i was worried the 1st time but then it cleared quickly.

where/how would be the best way to have a look for the above suggestions??

thanks.
 
JINGLE said:
i was going to post something similar to this. i have a 2.0 and usually smells fine, then every now and then i get a slight smell of burning/burning oil and then after a few seconds it goes.... i was worried the 1st time but then it cleared quickly.

where/how would be the best way to have a look for the above suggestions??

thanks.
Click to expand...

As you look at the engine from the front of the car it is on the top left rear, taking of the plastic engine cover will give you a better sight of it.

Its part No 2 in this diagram.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BZ12&mospid=48508&btnr=11_3178&hg=11&fg=15
 
My bet would be valve cover gasket. As has been mentioned the rubber hardens and goes brittle after a few years use. The usual symptom is that the smell of burning oil is after the car has stood unused for a day or two, with everything cold there is a tiny seepage of oil after start up. If its anywhere near manifold or other hot area the oil will smell. Once the engine warms and things expand, the tiny leak usually seals up so no more smell all the while it is hot. It will only get worse over time so best to replace the gasket. I have just done this myself and the whole set from BMW was £56.00. Can be purchased from after market for about £30 but for such a small saving I stuck with OEM.
 
eleflo said:
JINGLE said:
i was going to post something similar to this. i have a 2.0 and usually smells fine, then every now and then i get a slight smell of burning/burning oil and then after a few seconds it goes.... i was worried the 1st time but then it cleared quickly.

where/how would be the best way to have a look for the above suggestions??

thanks.
Click to expand...

As you look at the engine from the front of the car it is on the top left rear, taking of the plastic engine cover will give you a better sight of it.

Its part No 2 in this diagram.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BZ12&mospid=48508&btnr=11_3178&hg=11&fg=15
Click to expand...

thanks, will keep this in mind and try and check or get somebody to check for me at the weekend when i have light (sucks being dark when u get home from work!!)
 
I can more or less guarantee that this is the rocker cover gasket. I've got a 3.0si, more or less same engine in terms of design.

Gasket gost me 50 quid from eurocarparts, had my mate from Aston Martin Chichester replace it for 50 quid cash. :thumbsup:
 
thanks for the heads up, i was thinking some sort of gasket or seal somewhere. im sure a little gasket isnt going to be too much trouble for me :D. anyone know the torque setting for the cam cover bolts if its this?
 
I had this and it was the Oil Filter Housing gasket, a common problem on the M54 - Stick an LED torch down past where the filter goes and look at the front of the block. Look for a gold colour residue. I wouldn't take the rocker cover off until you are sure.

Is it using a lot of oil? If its blowing out, it could mean you have insufficient vacuum (CCV issue).
 
Rocker cover gasket is a common failure. Relatively cheap to fix though

Dan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
yeah thats great. had a quick look at dinner in the car park and it looks a bit like there is some discolouration behind the oil filter housing but its not wet, but then the smell has only been twice. ill have to have a better look at the weekend when i can have a good poke about. there was nothing major tho oil level is fine and not really changed from last time i checked. my m54 doesnt seem to use a lot of oil. its still pretty clean too not black at all which always surprises me.

thanks for the help (hopefully easier to solve than that damn roof of mine :D )
 
Torque for valve (or rocker) cover bolts with their rubber grommets is 8Nm, which is about 6 ft-lb. This is enough to fully compress the covers main rubber gasket without over-compression. Some great you tube video's on this gasket set replacement such as this two part one by BavarianAuto. PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-TLgN... PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MwYa...
 
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