[gT-BMW]

hey guys i think my engine is toast. well what i mean by that it burns alot of oil. I have no oil leaks but i can see and smell the oil burning through my exhaust. Even though it burns oil to me the engine feels strong just really hate adding a oil almost every 2 weeks. I bought the car like this, the PO failed to disclose this issue to me so ive been dealing with this ever since.

Should i get rid of this car or should i swap the engine out for a lower mileage n52? They seem to go for around $500-$800 around me. Im an average DIY so im going to attempt to do this myself. If i do decide to swap to a lower mileage n52 would it be a direct swap?

[desertman123]

You have checked all the common oil leak spots right?

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by gT-BMW

hey guys i think my engine is toast. well what i mean by that it burns alot of oil. I have no oil leaks but i can see and smell the oil burning through my exhaust. Even though it burns oil to me the engine feels strong just really hate adding a oil almost every 2 weeks. I bought the car like this, the PO failed to disclose this issue to me so ive been dealing with this ever since.

Should i get rid of this car or should i swap the engine out for a lower mileage n52? They seem to go for around $500-$800 around me. Im an average DIY so im going to attempt to do this myself. If i do decide to swap to a lower mileage n52 would it be a direct swap?

Have you checked the CCV?

https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...eplacement.htm

[Volasko]

Originally Posted by Taskmaster

Have you checked the CCV?

https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...eplacement.htm

+1 on this. When my oil separator failed my 3SIM was full of oil. I could hear a "glub glub glub" noise when idling. The clogged separator was just dumping the oil directly into my intake instead of back into the crankcase. Also the gaskets are notorious for failing early so you could easily have a combination of both these issues.

[nsjames]

compression check the motor.

if it has good compression it's not burning oil from blowby.
possibly valve stem seals, or some other gasket failure, but if it has good compression there's no reason to just replace the entire unit. Just fix what's broken.

[Noir]

+1 on CCV..
That was my dilemma.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by desertman123

You have checked all the common oil leak spots right?

yes, i dropped the plastic skid plate and started searching for any leak i took some pics, i did find oil on a bolt but everywhere seems dry.

Originally Posted by Taskmaster

Have you checked the CCV?


https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...eplacement.htm

I dont know how to check a ccv, i just replaced it with this one when i did the 3im swap

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Crankcase-B...72.m2749.l2649

It seems like a good price but dont bother believing in that 2 year warranty its a scam. the seller doesnt return my email when i asked about honoring the warranty and ebay wont help me since its past the 30 day money back guarantee . ebay customer service rep basically told me to beg the seller lol

Originally Posted by Volasko

+1 on this. When my oil separator failed my 3SIM was full of oil. I could hear a "glub glub glub" noise when idling. The clogged separator was just dumping the oil directly into my intake instead of back into the crankcase. Also the gaskets are notorious for failing early so you could easily have a combination of both these issues.

When i removed my 3im about 2 weeks ago, it did have oil inside but it didnt make any noises or anything. I thought it was normal to have some oil in the intake manifold?

Originally Posted by nsjames

compression check the motor.

if it has good compression it's not burning oil from blowby.
possibly valve stem seals, or some other gasket failure, but if it has good compression there's no reason to just replace the entire unit. Just fix what's broken.

I will compression check the motor tomorrow and report back.

Originally Posted by Noir

+1 on CCV..
That was my dilemma.

Where did you buy your ccv?


I also took a pick of the waterpump. Does that 11 mean it was made in 2011?

[hassmaschine]

Rings and stem seals are pretty rare on the N52B30, even at very high miles. It sure sounds like he CCV system to me.

Also every time I see this thread I think you're talking about swapping he N52 into another chassis.

[Volasko]

Originally Posted by gT-BMW

yes, i dropped the plastic skid plate and started searching for any leak i took some pics, i did find oil on a bolt but everywhere seems dry.

Those pics show you're bleeding oil from the oil pan gasket. The oil looks fresh too from the splash pan. Pretty common spot, I've basically replaced every gasket aside from the rear main seal on my engine.

It is common to have an oily residue inside the intake manifold but not physical pools of oil in it, which is what I had.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by Volasko

Those pics show you're bleeding oil from the oil pan gasket. The oil looks fresh too from the splash pan. Pretty common spot, I've basically replaced every gasket aside from the rear main seal on my engine.

It is common to have an oily residue inside the intake manifold but not physical pools of oil in it, which is what I had.

actually that was just water in the skid plate, i freaked out when i saw that thinking it was oil but it was just water.

But now that you mention it, some oil did pour out of intake runners, i guess thats not normal?

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

Rings and stem seals are pretty rare on the N52B30, even at very high miles. It sure sounds like he CCV system to me.

Also every time I see this thread I think you're talking about swapping he N52 into another chassis.

n52 330i engine in a lightweight e46 perhaps? that would be pretty cool.


So i did a compression test on my engine today. i let the engine warm up to 180ish degrees, held the gas pedal all the way down while cranking and also did a wet test on 2 cylinders. Did feel like doing wet test to all cylinders. only to the highest and lowest one. I needz ma oil lol here are results
cyl 1 135 w 147
cyl 2 130
cyl 3 130
cyl 4 135
cyl 5 120
cyl 6 120 w 132

Also here are pics of my spark plugs. cyl 5 and 6 have a sheen to it so its burning oil in those 2 cylinders

So what do you guys make of this? Is this motor healthy or worn? It barley fails into the 10% range

[nsjames]

5 and 6 are down a tad, but it should run fine.

oil in the intake is definitely not normal, and it points to some sort of CCV issue.

that's where your oil is going and the smoke is coming from.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by nsjames

5 and 6 are down a tad, but it should run fine.

oil in the intake is definitely not normal, and it points to some sort of CCV issue.

that's where your oil is going and the smoke is coming from.

It does run fine, it traps 97mph the last time i took it to the track. I suspected CCV so when i did my 3IM swap i replaced the CCV with the one pictured below. It still burned oil. btw that 2 year warranty is a scam. its actually 30 days. I should of bought mine from rock auto. for $155 you atleast get a 12 month warranty.

ive read that when 2 adjacent cylinders experience same low compression numbers it could be headgasket. Ive been reading that the cylinder head bolts snap from being over torqued from the factory on these n52. So maybe that could be it? I dont know. So even if i decide to swap the n52 for another one, could be possible the same thing happened to that one. I always thought these engines were bullet proof wtf man..

Well its been fun guys but i decided the get rid of the car, ive listed the car for sale. If it doesnt sell ill trade it in. Now do i sell the car with or without the mods?

[nsjames]

you can test for a headgasket issue with a leakdown test.

you replaced the breather hoses, but I don't see the actual bit that goes in the valve cover there.

that's the bit that would keep the oil in while allowing air to vent.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by nsjames

you can test for a headgasket issue with a leakdown test.

you replaced the breather hoses, but I don't see the actual bit that goes in the valve cover there.

that's the bit that would keep the oil in while allowing air to vent.

Thats interesting. whats that bit you were referring to? do you have a pic of it or is it in this diagram?


My starter died this weekend, so i bought a brand new one from royal battery. Its not a reman thats sold at autozone or advance. Its new. The new starter cranks over the car about 5x faster than my old starter so maybe thats why my compression numbers seems a bit low?

I also checked my intake manifold, checked both disas, they were fine nice and stiff not loose, but was a bit oily. The intake manifold had a little bit of oil in it, none leaked when i turned it upside down. I also checked the CCV diapram by sucking and blowing into the vent hose, seems to hold the pressure. I can hear the diaphragm moving up and down. seems like the ccv is working?

[CTinline-six]

I really doubt it's your head gasket. The bolts that break are the ones near the timing chain that are outside the cylinder sealing area of the head.

[nsjames]

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...MaAq3nEALw_wcB

it's that piece, it goes into the valve cover.
it keeps the engine from simply free flowing vapors to the intake, and only allows release when the pressure set by the spring is reached.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by nsjames

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...MaAq3nEALw_wcB

it's that piece, it goes into the valve cover.
it keeps the engine from simply free flowing vapors to the intake, and only allows release when the pressure set by the spring is reached.

I dont think the 2006 models with the metal valve cover has that. I dont see it anywhere on my valve cover?


In a last ditch effort to solve this mystery oil burning issue i bought some seafoam, removed all the spark plugs and poured it down the spark plug holes to let it sit over night. Im hoping it has stuck oil control rings and this frees it up. i'll update again after 1500 miles.

[nsjames]

I'm unfamiliar with the metal engine cover. I didn't see that you had an 06.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

I really doubt it's your head gasket. The bolts that break are the ones near the timing chain that are outside the cylinder sealing area of the head.

thats great to know. Ive checked the cylinder head bolts in the front or whatever ones that i can see, they seem fine.

I confirmed i dont have a ccv issue. its much worse than that.

I did a leak down test on cylinders 5 and 6. cylinder 6 has some leakage but it passes. cylinder 5 however has moderate leakage. I confirmed the air is escaping through the rings, i can see and hear the air escaping from the oil filler cap.

Im sure when the engine warms up cylinder 5 would be in the 40% range which would be borderline engine rebuild/replace.

so there you have it, an n52 can have ring issues.

now just have to wait about 2 weeks or 800-1500 miles to see if seafoam treatment actually works

[tlow98]

Well, sorry to see that, OP. pretty rare to see this. Bummer it caught you.

Great analysis, tho. Did your homework and found the culprit.

If you like the car, just swap the motor. They're cheap as chips and pick up an 09+ for the updated head which eliminates the lifter tick. All of your sensors, electronics and mechanicals will swap directly over.

[Taskmaster]

You’re not driving the car with Seafoam in it, are you?