Motor Still Smoking

[Golgade]

Hello,
I know I have recently Posted this but I thought I would do it again. My 530i has been producing white smoke out the back of the car no matter how long I drive it, and Im trying to nail down what it could be. It is much more notice able in humaid conditions, and for some Odd reason when im at a stop the smoke is usally travels up the drivers side and to the lane to the right of me, I just thought I would add that in because I thought it was wierd that it never stayed behind me (no there is no exaust leak). I thought it might be coolant getting burned and I am loosing coolant but not that much, and it smells like coolant in the engine bay, so I think I have a leak somewhere. The smoke coming out the back is white, but doesnt smell like coolant, it actually smells kind of like battery acid. The Coolant gauge also doesnt ever fluctuate so Im kinda leaning away from a broken head gasket. I do also have the CEL on with code 1222, but that started a few months after it was smoking. I was just wondering what you guys think. Anything I could test to see if I was running rich or something.
Thanks
Dan Lafley
95 530i

[632 Regal]

Dan
Thats steam and completely normal in cold weather. The code 1222 is most likely intake leaks.

[Ross]

You might be loosing coolant from the tubes that run under the intake manifold, there is an o-ring at either end.
Did I see mention of an intake leak as well? Do it all together.

[Tiger]

What have you done so far in attempt to fix it?

[Golgade]

What have you done so far in attempt to fix it?

Not too much, I just tried disconnecting the MAF, which it still idled, not as well, but not really bad eather. I have also been getting milage around 13.5, but I havent been leaving town at all. I know every one says there car "steams" but mine does it all the time, more so in the cold, where its really coming out, like where the car behind me can see when I leave a stop sign.

Dan Lafley
95 530i

[Tiger]

I told you last time my car did the same. Not anymore after I changed the spark plug boot. That smoke you are seeing is raw fuel being burned by the cat converters... soon you will melt your cat converters.

[Bill R.]

battery acid ,thats typically sulfur you smell... which means a rotten egg smell. Your catalytic converter is probably being overloaded with raw fuel and will meltdown soon, if it hasn't already. Fix the misfire problem that you have, since its a nikasil block most likely you can do double the damage, helping to wash away the cylinder bore... I'd fix it now.

[Golgade]

Boy, I dont know why I didn't just do it, but you scared me into ordering the parts today. I have read a few people crossthread the plugs, and I have no intention of doing this, so I was wondering if you guys have any tips to avoid this, and any for the changing of the boots and plugs in general.
Thanks
Dan Lafley

[Tiger]

The only way to guarantee no crossthreading is simply install the plugs by hand... do not use the ratchet until all the way to the end. You will know in the beginning if you are crossthreading... the plug will not go in easily.

Do this on cold engine only.

[632 Regal]

have you even re-booted the computer to get it out of gimp mode where the CEL will go off when you drive it?


Boy, I dont know why I didn't just do it, but you scared me into ordering the parts today. I have read a few people crossthread the plugs, and I have no intention of doing this, so I was wondering if you guys have any tips to avoid this, and any for the changing of the boots and plugs in general.
Thanks
Dan Lafley

[Ross]

Not to worry. Be sure the engine is cold before removing them. Start them by hand to feel for any tightness and final tighten with a wrench. No biggie.

[Golgade]

have you even re-booted the computer to get it out of gimp mode where the CEL will go off when you drive it?

Yeah, I did that two days ago. It never ran bad, but I wanted to try it just to see what the hell would happen. There was no change. The light came right back on in a few minutes of driving. I was suppose to disconnect the harness closest to the firewall right? Actually the CEL has been turning off a little more frequently since it has warmed up a little but it is still on more then 75% of my drive time. I Had kinda given up on caring about that since I thought I might need a new headgasket, but hell maybe ill get lucky and this will fix both problems, but with my luck it wont do a damn thing. We'll see......
Dan Lafley
95 530i

[Tiger]

Now you have a CEL you neglect to tell us?

[632 Regal]

typical intake leak
Now you have a CEL you neglect to tell us?

[Golgade]

Wow, its much easier to bring back old posts then start new. Well I changed the plugs, no real change, still shooting out lots of white smoke. There was alot of oil on the plugs, on the outside, not in the cylinder, just more stuff that I can't afford to fix. The smokin actually only gets real bad right when it gets to its highest temp, 1/2 mark. Head Gasket is looking more and more likely. Damn.
Dan Lafley
95 530i

[632 Regal]

i really dont think its a head gasket, thats really rare on a V8. If you think it is then why isn't the coolant level constantly going down? Mine "smokes" every time I run it here even when hot and also after long jaunts on the expressway. When I first got the car I freaked but many years later I dont even pay attention.

Hope and think you dont have a problem, a couple years ago someone claimed the same thing and went to change the gasket, we never got a reply after that...

[DaveVoorhis]

There was alot of oil on the plugs, on the outside, not in the cylinder, just more stuff that I can't afford to fix. The smokin actually only gets real bad right when it gets to its highest temp, 1/2 mark. Head Gasket is looking more and more likely.
That doesn't sound like a head gasket, unless you're also losing coolant, finding oil in the coolant and vice versa, and the cooling system is overheating and/or over-pressurising. It sounds like you've got a valve cover gasket problem which is leaking oil into the plug wells and causing mis-firing. It's relatively easy and cheap to fix.

[Tiger]

You said you changed the plugs but not the coil boots?

[Golgade]

I did change the boots as well and It did make a real difference in performance. I think you guys are right about it not being a headgasket, I was just loosing my nerve over it because I was having alot of problems at once. I feel much better about it now because i finally took it out for about a 40 minute drive the other day, and when I started driving home I saw nothing behind me. Im sure this is typical first time e34 owner syndrome, time to put the issue to bed. After all it did this in the mornings when it was cold months ago, over 6,000miles ago, im sure I would see some serious signs by now.
Dan Lafley (worry wart)
95 530i

[Tiger]

Good to hear and hope it stay that way... smokeless.

[Omega]

Boy, I dont know why I didn't just do it, but you scared me into ordering the parts today. I have read a few people crossthread the plugs, and I have no intention of doing this, so I was wondering if you guys have any tips to avoid this, and any for the changing of the boots and plugs in general.
Thanks
Dan Lafley

Always work on a cold engine.

Fit the plug to an extension bar WITHOUT the ratchet. Place it in the hole and rotate slowly counterclockwise without any added downwards pressure, you will feel a slight jolt as the open ends of the threads pass one another. Start tightening clockwise, by hand. If it feels wrong, it is wrong so back the plug back out and try again. You only need the ratched for the final torque down.