e39 white smoke

[kylebdnhrst82]

Hey guys been a while since I've been on taptalk, anyway hopefully someone can help. Today on my way to Wellington my e39 525i touring started balling out white smoke thought the engine had hadit after a minute or two stopped smoking then as I made my way back very light gave puffs of smoke if I drive more the 120kph it balls out again, but not for long then its gone. What going on, I don't have a vacuum from the engine so its not the ccv ,water is good, oil as well slightly worried please help

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[Maljan]

The most likely cause of white smoke is water in the combustion chamber. Could be a blown head gasket.

 

[kylebdnhrst82]

The most likely cause of white smoke is water in the combustion chamber. Could be a blown head gasket.

But why does it come and go ,drove 20km nothing. Won't it continuously smoke if it the top gasket!

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[kylebdnhrst82]

Thanks for the advice will do the head gasket and ccv to be safe!


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[Maljan]

That looks bad. I hope your repairs go well and that you are back on the road soon! :=):

 

[Gizmo]

Head gasket by the looks of it. Do a compression test.

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Does the oil cap look milky?

 

[kylebdnhrst82]

Head gasket by the looks of it. Do a compression test.

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Does the oil cap look milky?

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Funny enough no? oil looks golden brown and see through, there is also no vacuum or a sucking noise nothing. The car isn't misfiring or idling ruff only thing that happens is it tries to stall like for a split second revs up perfectly and after a minute or two smoke is gone and I have no problems heat gauge doesn't move stays in the middle. I was hoping it was brake fluid or something never seen anything like this before!

Head gasket by the looks of it. Do a compression test.

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Does the oil cap look milky?

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[Solo Man]

I had a 1998 E39 528i a while back which had developed a cracked head at about 156k kms. Drove all the way from Upington to my house in Onrus River (940kms) with the temp gauge needle in the middle. (Did not know the head was the problem at the time). Got home, took the plugs out and turned the starter on. The amount of water that came out of the plug nr 3 (iirc) was unbelievable. No water in the oil though! A BMW mechanic took the head off, had it welded, skimmed and tested and refitted it. That was about 6 years ago. Sold the car about 70k kms later to my brother and he recently sold the car to his son (ex BMW mechanic - a friend of the one that did the head). Car is still going like clockwork. Starts on the button. Cost at the time was about R7k which included the labour!! Good luck with your car! Must add, did not notice any smoke at all!

 

[Francoisjl]

A bit off topic but could be the same. As Solo Man said, my old man had the same issues with his audi 500sel slight puffs here and there and major smoke above 120kph with the heat staying constant.

No milky residue on the cap and oil clean as can be.

After a week of fiddling and searching we ended up buying crack detector spray sprayed both heads and heated them up in a curing oven, the results under the black light was a definite crack in the left head just above the valve seat. Took it to a reputable engineering shop and had it welded, replaced both the valve guides and seats on both heads and no more smoke.

Hope you get it sorted, good luck

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[kylebdnhrst82]

Thanks guys will do a compression hopefully that will give me a better understanding of whats going on!

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Thanks guys will do a compression hopefully that will give me a better understanding of whats going on!

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Here she is on idle for the last 15min and nothing water levels are good everything seems fine hope it not a cracked head! I really love my car sad day for me, not the Christmas gift I was hoping for lol!

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[kylebdnhrst82]

Hey guys just a update!
Did the compression all good water and oil on the same levels since the incident, so I did the ccv valve and hoses took here for a drive andall looks good hope it was the problem!

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[Ralf*]

hope that this was your solution
nothing worse than a sick car requiring expensive repairs