E90Post
 


The Tire Rack
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > NA Engine (non-turbo) / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications > Brief burnt oil smell this morning.



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      11-08-2012, 08:13 AM   #1
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Question Brief burnt oil smell this morning.

Seems my issues will never end This morning I was parked at a slight incline. I turned the engine off and ran inside for less than a minute. I came back out and started the car and got a waft of burnt oil smell from the vents. It dissipated in less than a block and never came back after that.

Now if you have been following my other threads I recently had the water pump replaced after it failed on the way into work. Could my little incident be related? Could it just be the valve cover gasket at 80k? All input is appreciated.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:27 AM   #2
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
If your valve cover gasket is not leaking, next thing to check is the filter housing gasket - coincidentally right above the water pump...
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:40 AM   #3
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I View Post
If your valve cover gasket is not leaking, next thing to check is the filter housing gasket - coincidentally right above the water pump...
Well I can tell you its not the oil filter housing gasket. I replaced that last year:-) As for the valve cover gasket, I do see some weeping on the passenger side of the engine by what looks to be some kind of electrical plug/cable (valvetronic motor harness maybe). I am going to have to remove the upper engine bay cover to see further back. After I got home and parked the car, I turned the engine off and popped the hood. I did not smell any burning oil. It would seem that being on the incline caused the issue?
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:44 AM   #4
N0OS3
Colonel
N0OS3's Avatar
United_States
141
Rep
2,217
Posts

Drives: E90
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oak Harbor, WA

iTrader: (5)

i had this same [similar] after i changed my water pump! Make ABSOLUTELY sure the radiator drain plug is fastened tightly! These were warning signs that my plug was inching its way out and leading up to the whole thing falling out and my coolant dumping out into the middle of the road; leaving me stranded and looking like an asshole.

Also, if you spilled coolant onto your engine at all, it could be the liquid burning when it touches the engine block.
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:45 AM   #5
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by N0OS3 View Post
i had this same [similar] after i changed my water pump! Make ABSOLUTELY sure the radiator drain plug is fastened tightly! These were warning signs that my plug was inching its way out and leading up to the whole thing falling out and my coolant dumping out into the middle of the road; leaving me stranded and looking like an asshole.

Also, if you spilled coolant onto your engine at all, it could be the liquid burning when it touches the engine block.
Thanks NO0S3, but it wasn't burning coolant, but a burning motor oil smell.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:49 AM   #6
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snyperx View Post
Well I can tell you its not the oil filter housing gasket. I replaced that last year:-) As for the valve cover gasket, I do see some weeping on the passenger side of the engine by what looks to be some kind of electrical plug/cable (valvetronic motor harness maybe). I am going to have to remove the upper engine bay cover to see further back. After I got home and parked the car, I turned the engine off and popped the hood. I did not smell any burning oil. It would seem that being on the incline caused the issue?
Maybe with the engine cover off, check the spark plug holes - gaskets there tend to leak too sometimes. My Wife's E46 320i is suffering from a burnt oil smell and I have got all the bits and pieces together to do the valve cover gasket, but on closer inspection I found absolutely no traces of any oil leaking all around the valve cover gasket and for that matter the gaskets in the holes for the spark plugs. Then some more fishing about and after removing the air filter box I spotted the traces of leaking oil from the filter housing.

What about the PCV?
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 08:55 AM   #7
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Well I also changed my spark plugs here a month or two ago and the old ones looked almost new with the plug holes looking spotless. I have not checked my PCV.

Should I be looking at #1?

__________________
Regards,
SnyperX

Last edited by Snyperx; 11-08-2012 at 09:02 AM..
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 09:01 AM   #8
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snyperx View Post
Well I also changed my spark plugs here a month or two ago and the old ones looked almost new with the plug holes looking spotless. I have not checked my PCV.
And no obvious signs of oil dripping on the garage floor etc? Also, out of interest, what is your car's oil consumption like, now and say before this burnt oil smell?
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 09:03 AM   #9
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I View Post
And no obvious signs of oil dripping on the garage floor etc? Also, out of interest, what is your car's oil consumption like, now and say before this burnt oil smell?
No oil dripping from what I can tell, but I have not had the spash shields off yet. This just happened this morning. I have never had to add oil between the 5-8k interval I go by. Please keep in mind that the car had 64k on it when I bought it a little over a year ago and now has 80k.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 09:27 AM   #10
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snyperx View Post
No oil dripping from what I can tell, but I have not had the spash shields off yet. This just happened this morning. I have never had to add oil between the 5-8k interval I go by. Please keep in mind that the car had 64k on it when I bought it a little over a year ago and now has 80k.
Miles (not Kilometres)? Still decently low mileage. Wonder then where it could be coming from...
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 09:38 AM   #11
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I View Post
Miles (not Kilometres)? Still decently low mileage. Wonder then where it could be coming from...
Yes, 80k miles.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 09:51 AM   #12
fravel
Colonel
fravel's Avatar
United_States
1645
Rep
2,494
Posts

Drives: Monaco Blue '06 330i
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: The Nasti 'Nati

iTrader: (1)

I had a similar experience recently after changing the oil. It turns out that I spilled some oil and it ran under the engine cover. This allowed the oil to pool in some areas on the top of the engine block. I took a sharp turn the next day and suddenly had smoke pouring out of my hood. I nervously pulled in to a parking lot and tried to figure out what was going on.

Turns out, when I took that turn, some of the pooled oil spilled out of the various crevices it was in and was being burned off as it dripped onto the headers. Pop your engine cover off and see if there's any oil sitting under there.
__________________
Appreciate 0
      11-08-2012, 12:27 PM   #13
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Worth checking this out! Often the simplest of things can cause an issue like this!
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-09-2012, 11:05 AM   #14
N0OS3
Colonel
N0OS3's Avatar
United_States
141
Rep
2,217
Posts

Drives: E90
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oak Harbor, WA

iTrader: (5)

I cleaned out all the oil in the little crevaces around the spark plug housings... seems i had a lot of spilled oil down there and i didn't know it... i ended up using a clear brake-bleeding tube (or a clear straw works just as well) and stuffed a bit of a paper towel in the end of it (about 1/2") in order to "suck" it out... made things a lot easier and quicker instead of trying to cram a rag or whatever down there.

I still get the burnt smell in the morning, but i think eventually it will go away after the last of the oil residue gets burnt away. I cleaned all around the head gasket and no leaks (after running the car around town for 30 minutes) so that's a good sign. I ordered a new cabin filter too as mine is all blacked from when my car overheated and sprayed coolant everywhere.
Appreciate 0
      11-09-2012, 02:25 PM   #15
Three_thirty_I
Lieutenant Colonel
Three_thirty_I's Avatar
South Africa
200
Rep
1,834
Posts

Drives: '05 E90 330i Manual
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by N0OS3 View Post
I cleaned out all the oil in the little crevaces around the spark plug housings... seems i had a lot of spilled oil down there and i didn't know it... i ended up using a clear brake-bleeding tube (or a clear straw works just as well) and stuffed a bit of a paper towel in the end of it (about 1/2") in order to "suck" it out... made things a lot easier and quicker instead of trying to cram a rag or whatever down there.

I still get the burnt smell in the morning, but i think eventually it will go away after the last of the oil residue gets burnt away. I cleaned all around the head gasket and no leaks (after running the car around town for 30 minutes) so that's a good sign. I ordered a new cabin filter too as mine is all blacked from when my car overheated and sprayed coolant everywhere.
Okay, that's a good sign! The smell will eventually clear! Maybe just leave the bonnet open when parked in your garage at night for the next few days...
__________________
BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) | (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03

Appreciate 0
      11-15-2012, 12:16 PM   #16
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
So has anyone done this themselves? I keep reading that the VCG on the N52 can be difficult to change. I really need to be able to do this myself since I do not have the funds for another shop repair (just spend $1200 on the water pump and stat last month).
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      11-15-2012, 12:27 PM   #17
benzo23
Colonel
benzo23's Avatar
74
Rep
2,848
Posts

Drives: 14 F30 AW MSport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: FL

iTrader: (1)

Thats the only thing I dont miss about my old e90 was it seemed like it was always leaking something lol its amazing how one drop of oil can travel so far
Appreciate 0
      12-03-2012, 12:18 PM   #18
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
So I still haven't had a chance to get under the hood and have a good look around. I have gotten the burnt oil smell a couple more times since, but have been less faint then the first time it happened.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      12-03-2012, 12:34 PM   #19
benzo23
Colonel
benzo23's Avatar
74
Rep
2,848
Posts

Drives: 14 F30 AW MSport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: FL

iTrader: (1)

Damn man you must be busy as shit for it to almost be a month and have no time to even open the hood lol
Appreciate 0
      12-03-2012, 12:38 PM   #20
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by benzo23 View Post
Damn man you must be busy as shit for it to almost be a month and have no time to even open the hood lol
I did open the hood...LOL. The only thing I saw was oil that had weeped around a electrical connector on the passenger side below the valve cover.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
      12-03-2012, 12:53 PM   #21
GoRomeo
Brigadier General
GoRomeo's Avatar
United_States
892
Rep
3,781
Posts

Drives: 330i, 135i
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Diego CA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 BMW 135i  [9.50]
2006 330i  [6.75]
Wash your engine and start from there....
Appreciate 0
      12-03-2012, 12:54 PM   #22
Snyperx
Lieutenant
United_States
97
Rep
513
Posts

Drives: 2006 325i (SOLD)
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Stoughon, WI

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
2006 BMW 325i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoRomeo View Post
Wash your engine and start from there....
Every time I hear wash the engine I shutter. LOL. Last time I washed a car engine it didn't turn out to well. Haven't tried it since.
__________________
Regards,
SnyperX
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:23 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST