white smoke
Printed From: Bavarian-Board.co.uk - BMW Owners Discussion Forum
Category: Technical & Model Specific Forums
Forum Name: BMW 5 Series
Forum Discription: This forum will deal with any issues on the BMW 5 Series (E12, E28, E34, E39, E60 & E61)
URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=860
Printed Date: 29-April-2024 at 15:15
Topic: white smoke
Posted By: micky_h
Subject: white smoke
Date Posted: 17-February-2003 at 14:49
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Hi there im new to this forum and I'm looking for a little advice. Recently bought myself an e34 4 litre v8 (approx 4 weks ago), and im starting to notice occasional plooms of white smoke coming out of the the exhaust (couple of times under hard acceleration, once or twice while parking up).There seems to be no loss of power whatsoever ,no overheating problems (needle moves up to the centre and stays there) and no sign of any unusual noise. Since buying the car i've topped up the header tank twice,and was starting to wonder if i've got a faulty cylinder head gasket or something more serious. Cheers in advance for any advice or info on the subject. |
Replies:
Posted By: Steve W
Date Posted: 17-February-2003 at 18:10
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My 540 also emits white smoke on cold days, but mine is steam from the heat of the exhaust in this weather. However I am not losing any water. How much water are you losing? ------------- 
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Posted By: Jonathan Cox
Date Posted: 17-February-2003 at 21:16
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White smoke on acceleration means piston ring wear, white smoke on overrun, means worn valves. However, it does sound like steam at the moment. How many miles has the car done? Do you have a water leak somewhere, this could be a possability also. Let the car idle at normal temperature, and rev it. If the smoke smells like burnt oil then you have your answer, if not then it's water. ------------- Jonathan, Manchester. |
Posted By: micky_h
Date Posted: 18-February-2003 at 08:51
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So far its been about a cup and a half of water each time (twice in a month).I so far haven't noticed any deposits on the ground under the vehicle,but it does look as though a new radiator has been fitted at some stage so i'll check to see if there are any leaks. As the car is an auto and has only done 88000 miles I wouldn't have expect much wear on an engine like this.Are things like piston ring wear and worn valves common faults on the V8s ? I'll have a sniff of the smoke today and see what it smells like, hopefully its not burnt oil because it sounds as though its going to be expensive if it is. Thanks for ur replies,much appreciated.
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Posted By: Jonathan Cox
Date Posted: 18-February-2003 at 21:52
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I wouldn't start worrying too much just yet, it's when you have to start topping up the oil as well as the water that you should. See how things go over the next few weeks, if you think the white smoke does smell like burnt oil then post a msg, and I'll give you some advice on tracking down the problem. ------------- Jonathan, Manchester. |