Burning Oil Smell and Excessive Oil Consumption

ASAP · 02-15-2013, 04:51 PM

Hi all...

Over the past few weeks I have had excessive oil consumption on my car... to the tone of 1 qt per 800 miles in my 335i. At the same time; I have an oil burning smell inside my car at times. I have catless downpipes but others with similar setups do not smell what I smell. Already had oil pan gasket and oil filter housing leaks fixed. There are no visible leaks anywhere and the turbos appear to be OK. The vehicle is running very strong with no hiccups...

Could this be Oil Blow By? PCV related? VCG related? Valve, piston seal/ring related?? Any other ideas? I would also like to try a compression and leak down test maybe.

enrita · 02-15-2013, 05:46 PM

Blown turbo maybe. Check the plugs as well for oil residues.

nOshi · 02-15-2013, 05:55 PM

could be the vcg, just had mines changed and had the same issue you had.

ASAP · 02-15-2013, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enrita

Blown turbo maybe. Check the plugs as well for oil residues.

Would the car be as strong as an OX?... plus they have been looked at

Quote:

Originally Posted by nOshi

could be the vcg, just had mines changed and had the same issue you had.

sounds more believable

E90Company · 02-15-2013, 07:09 PM

Mileage on your car? What are your oil change intervals? Did you ever mess with your PCV system? Any smoke you noticed? If so, when do you notice it? Do you notice any bearing noises from your turbos?

ASAP · 02-15-2013, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90Company

Mileage on your car? What are your oil change intervals? Did you ever mess with your PCV system? Any smoke you noticed? If so, when do you notice it? Do you notice any bearing noises from your turbos?

72k on car

more frequent than standard oil changes

everything started after catless dp's
never messed w pcv

some smoke

some whine from turbos

turbos were checked and appear ok

aj555 · 02-15-2013, 09:55 PM

Most likely a leak coming from the head gasket. I'm having the exact same problem. I started having oil leak onto the downpipe. It seems to be a typical problem with our cars around this mileage.

ASAP · 02-18-2013, 06:00 PM

bump

neilvosko · 02-18-2013, 06:53 PM

Valve cover gasket. Just changed mine this weekend. It was brittle and In pieces at 60k miles.

30 dollars in parts

ASAP · 02-18-2013, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvosko

Valve cover gasket. Just changed mine this weekend. It was brittle and In pieces at 60k miles.

30 dollars in parts

engine bay is completely clean

neilvosko · 02-19-2013, 06:50 AM

check your spark plug wells........the edges may be okay, but the inner portion is the problem.

it looked okay on the cover, but once i started removing it, it just fell into pieces.

neilvosko · 02-19-2013, 06:51 AM

had the same issues, smelled like oil, even some white smoke here and there.

there is a nice DIY, but its missing a few pointers, so i need to find some time to expand on it, will update

BADS335 · 10-08-2013, 10:01 AM

I am experiencing something similar. But I am getting smoke out the exhaust. Is this excessive blow by? What should I be looking for. No apparent loss in power. No apparent leaks. Just started last few weeks. I notice it most prodominantly when I first start driving (so cold starts) and right after a hard pull at the next light. Also, been going through about a quart of oil a month (about 1k miles or less). I just changed the oil and it didnt go away. I will admit I am not good about changing oil earlier than the computer tells me, but when you go through a quart a month, the oil in there is really not that bad. But filter was pretty bad. Changed it about 4k earlier than the computer was calculating. But had put like 6 quarts into it since the last change. I am FBO and a tune. But spend most of my driving to work and back. However, I do drive it pretty hard.

Any thoughts?

135Pats · 10-08-2013, 10:06 AM

I would lean towards VC gasket or turbine side seals. It sounds like you are burning off oil under vacuum. Pull plugs and see how they look. If there is oil on the threads but not on the electrodes, your VC Gasket is probably shot. Oil on the electrodes is another ball of wax, that would suggest you have oil fouling in the combustion chamber.

BADS335 · 10-08-2013, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 135Pats

I would lean towards VC gasket or turbine side seals. It sounds like you are burning off oil under vacuum. Pull plugs and see how they look. If there is oil on the threads but not on the electrodes, your VC Gasket is probably shot. Oil on the electrodes is another ball of wax, that would suggest you have oil fouling in the combustion chamber.

Thanks, been meaning to check the plugs anyhow for wear. But how would oil get into the engine and out the exhaust if it was a leaking VCG?

ASAP · 10-08-2013, 10:18 AM

Just wanted to follow up since the thread was bumped. My issue was blown turbo seals that were drinking oil. Car ran fine and power was fine but it went through a qt of oil a week. I regret to say this but 99% of oil consumption, burning oil smell and smoke are turbo related in this car.

BADS335 · 10-08-2013, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASAP

Just wanted to follow up since the thread was bumped. My issue was blown turbo seals that were drinking oil. Car ran fine and power was fine but it went through a qt of oil a week. I regret to say this but 99% of oil consumption, burning oil smell and smoke are turbo related in this car.

Thats not good. So what did you do?

rismo · 10-08-2013, 10:24 AM

Or headgaskets....
But you are right all symptoms lineup for turbo seals. When you smell oil within the cabine, this relates in most cases to "" external"" leaks or "sweating" components...

ASAP · 10-08-2013, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BADS335

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASAP

Just wanted to follow up since the thread was bumped. My issue was blown turbo seals that were drinking oil. Car ran fine and power was fine but it went through a qt of oil a week. I regret to say this but 99% of oil consumption, burning oil smell and smoke are turbo related in this car.

Thats not good. So what did you do?

i know this will sound crazy but i replaced the turbos. lol

135Pats · 10-08-2013, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASAP

Just wanted to follow up since the thread was bumped. My issue was blown turbo seals that were drinking oil. Car ran fine and power was fine but it went through a qt of oil a week. I regret to say this but 99% of oil consumption, burning oil smell and smoke are turbo related in this car.

Yea, sadly i'd agree. The seals can go out the door quickly. That's crazy amounts of consumption though, I think at least one bank in my car have shot seals, and I burn off roughly a quart every 1K or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rismo

Or headgaskets....
But you are right all symptoms lineup for turbo seals. When you smell oil within the cabine, this relates in most cases to "" external"" leaks or "sweating" components...

Headgaskets don't tend to go on these cars until you really get up there mileage wise. I'd agree on the cabin smell except if the AC or heater is on, then you could just be sucking in air from around the car. So if it's smoking from the tail pipes, you'd still smell it in cabin. I deal with it every day lol.

surrey 335i · 10-08-2013, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 135Pats

Headgaskets don't tend to go on these cars until you really get up there mileage wise..

I dont see any details of people having to change head gaskets on these cars, my 335i is now on 190,000 miles still on original head gasket and it gets driven quite hard.

enrita · 10-08-2013, 10:47 AM

Better the turbo than a piston

02-15-2013, 04:51 PM	#1
ASAP Major General 10149 Rep 8,622 Posts Drives: '23 X3 M40i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Burning Oil Smell and Excessive Oil Consumption Hi all... Over the past few weeks I have had excessive oil consumption on my car... to the tone of 1 qt per 800 miles in my 335i. At the same time; I have an oil burning smell inside my car at times. I have catless downpipes but others with similar setups do not smell what I smell. Already had oil pan gasket and oil filter housing leaks fixed. There are no visible leaks anywhere and the turbos appear to be OK. The vehicle is running very strong with no hiccups... Could this be Oil Blow By? PCV related? VCG related? Valve, piston seal/ring related?? Any other ideas? I would also like to try a compression and leak down test maybe. __________________ 2 x N54 -> 1 x N55 -> 1 x S55-> 1 x B58
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02-15-2013, 05:46 PM	#2
enrita Major General 161 Rep 7,378 Posts Drives: 335i - Big turbos Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Italian in Sweden iTrader: (0)	Blown turbo maybe. Check the plugs as well for oil residues. __________________ 07 335i AT - MOTIV 750 - MHD E85 BMS flash - BMS PI - JB4G5 - Okada Coils - NGK 5992 Plugs - Helix IC - Snow Stg. 3 - Stett CP - Custom midpipes with 100 HJS Cats - Bastuck Quad - PSS10 - QUAIFE LSD - BMS OCC - Forge DVs - AR OC - ALCON BBK - M3 Chassi - Dinan CP - Velocity M rear Toe arms - Advan RZ-DF - LUX H8 - Level 10 AT upgrade
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02-15-2013, 05:55 PM	#3
nOshi Second Lieutenant 22 Rep 251 Posts Drives: TiAg E90 335i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Central FL iTrader: (4)	could be the vcg, just had mines changed and had the same issue you had.
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02-15-2013, 07:09 PM	#5
E90Company Major General 194 Rep 6,136 Posts Drives: Car Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (2)	Mileage on your car? What are your oil change intervals? Did you ever mess with your PCV system? Any smoke you noticed? If so, when do you notice it? Do you notice any bearing noises from your turbos?
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02-15-2013, 09:55 PM	#7
aj555 Second Lieutenant 11 Rep 251 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW xDrive35i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Tampa, Florida iTrader: (3) Garage List 2000 BMW 328ci [0.00] 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35i [0.00]	Most likely a leak coming from the head gasket. I'm having the exact same problem. I started having oil leak onto the downpipe. It seems to be a typical problem with our cars around this mileage. __________________ 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35i E70 Sport Activity (Wife's Daily Driver) 2000 BMW 328ci E46 - less than 90k miles (Gone) 2007 BMW 335i E90
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02-18-2013, 06:00 PM	#8
ASAP Major General 10149 Rep 8,622 Posts Drives: '23 X3 M40i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	bump __________________ 2 x N54 -> 1 x N55 -> 1 x S55-> 1 x B58
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02-18-2013, 06:53 PM	#9
neilvosko Lieutenant Colonel 89 Rep 1,529 Posts Drives: 335i e92 FBO Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: miami iTrader: (19)	Valve cover gasket. Just changed mine this weekend. It was brittle and In pieces at 60k miles. 30 dollars in parts
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02-19-2013, 06:50 AM	#11
neilvosko Lieutenant Colonel 89 Rep 1,529 Posts Drives: 335i e92 FBO Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: miami iTrader: (19)	valve cover gasket check your spark plug wells........the edges may be okay, but the inner portion is the problem. it looked okay on the cover, but once i started removing it, it just fell into pieces. Attached Images
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02-19-2013, 06:51 AM	#12
neilvosko Lieutenant Colonel 89 Rep 1,529 Posts Drives: 335i e92 FBO Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: miami iTrader: (19)	had the same issues, smelled like oil, even some white smoke here and there. there is a nice DIY, but its missing a few pointers, so i need to find some time to expand on it, will update
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10-08-2013, 10:01 AM	#13
BADS335 Lieutenant 28 Rep 408 Posts Drives: Montego 335i E90 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chicago iTrader: (2)	I am experiencing something similar. But I am getting smoke out the exhaust. Is this excessive blow by? What should I be looking for. No apparent loss in power. No apparent leaks. Just started last few weeks. I notice it most prodominantly when I first start driving (so cold starts) and right after a hard pull at the next light. Also, been going through about a quart of oil a month (about 1k miles or less). I just changed the oil and it didnt go away. I will admit I am not good about changing oil earlier than the computer tells me, but when you go through a quart a month, the oil in there is really not that bad. But filter was pretty bad. Changed it about 4k earlier than the computer was calculating. But had put like 6 quarts into it since the last change. I am FBO and a tune. But spend most of my driving to work and back. However, I do drive it pretty hard. Any thoughts?
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10-08-2013, 10:06 AM	#14
135Pats Major General 456 Rep 6,478 Posts Drives: A few BMWs Join Date: May 2012 Location: Maryland iTrader: (3)	I would lean towards VC gasket or turbine side seals. It sounds like you are burning off oil under vacuum. Pull plugs and see how they look. If there is oil on the threads but not on the electrodes, your VC Gasket is probably shot. Oil on the electrodes is another ball of wax, that would suggest you have oil fouling in the combustion chamber. __________________ E88 N54 Alpinweiss/Coral Red/Motiv HTA 3586r Tial .82AR/Other stuff...652WHP F30 N55 XDrive EBII
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10-08-2013, 10:18 AM	#16
ASAP Major General 10149 Rep 8,622 Posts Drives: '23 X3 M40i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Just wanted to follow up since the thread was bumped. My issue was blown turbo seals that were drinking oil. Car ran fine and power was fine but it went through a qt of oil a week. I regret to say this but 99% of oil consumption, burning oil smell and smoke are turbo related in this car. __________________ 2 x N54 -> 1 x N55 -> 1 x S55-> 1 x B58
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-08-2013, 10:24 AM	#18
rismo Captain 75 Rep 911 Posts Drives: BMW E92 335 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Europe iTrader: (0)	Or headgaskets.... But you are right all symptoms lineup for turbo seals. When you smell oil within the cabine, this relates in most cases to "" external"" leaks or "sweating" components... __________________ BMW 335 E92 09 - Full options - DKG - MHD by Buraq - RB Next Gen - RB Inlets/Outlet - Forge Diverter Valves - AR Catless DP - Afe Intake - Helix IC - FuelIT Stage 2 LPFP - Ar Oil Cooler - PPK Water Cooler - M3 Suspension - JRZ RS1 Shocks - Eibach Pro Springs - Drexler LSD - BMW IS Exhaust - Carbon Endurance Brake Pads - Stainless Steel Brake Lines - M101 Wheels - Michelin PS2 - M-Tech Body - M-Strutbar BMW M550i G30 2019 - BM3
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10-08-2013, 10:47 AM	#22
enrita Major General 161 Rep 7,378 Posts Drives: 335i - Big turbos Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Italian in Sweden iTrader: (0)	Better the turbo than a piston
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