[hamzawm]

Hello everyone! New to the forums.

Im having some trouble with the engine. No check engine lights, nothing. But everytime i drive and come to a stop, i get this smoke coming from the lower end left side of the engine. The smoke ends up coming through the vents and i have to constantly open the windows to air it out.

Anyone else ever have a problem like this? I just had the car in for service at my mechanic, and he didnt see the smoke, but took a look and said there were no visible leaks that he could see.

My only guess is that something is leaking, and its a small drip, and everytime it hits the exhaust piping it causes this smoke? But ive really got no clue!

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The first part of the video shows the smoke:

[benzo23]

Is that oil all over the top side of your skid plate?

[hamzawm]

Oh no, its water, its raining and slushy outside. No oil for sure.

Like i said i had it at my mechanic on saturday and he took a good look and there was no signs of leaks at all.

[JuppiOne]

does it smell like oil burning? if it does, its leaking something, check all the hoses around that area and check the valve cover too

[apme123]

head bolt is broken or valve cover gasket 99%

[hamzawm]

Its a strong smell, i cant really tell if its oil burning, but its definetely burning something.

The problem is that its coming from way down below, an area that i cant reach to see if theres any hoses etc leaking :/ I guess the only way is if i get it up and pull off the skid plate?

The problem is that its not consistent. Some days i drive and it never happens, somedays it can happen once, other days its all the time. Its been happening over the last 3 weeks, and if it was really leaking, then by now id say that whatever it is that is leaking would have been empty, or at least decreased enough to throw a light on the dash ??

[apme123]

take the engine cover off, that will allow you to inspect all the head bolts, valve cover bolts and the gasket. The smoke is blue so it is most likely engine oil.

ohh and dont forget to get a new mechanic, because I can see engine oil on the side of the engine from the video

[hamzawm]

Ill pull off the cover tomorrow and take a look. Hopefully its not too cold out tomorrow. Ill report back what i find. I had a valave cover gasket repalced not too long ago at the dealer as well, and replaced all my spark plugs while i was at it.


Will report back. Thanks alll .

[hamzawm]

Just checked the service records, i had the valve cover gasket repalced under warranty back last may. If indeed it is the gasket cover again, would they cover it ? Usually covered for a 1 year period correct?

My car is out of warranty so it def wont be covered under original warranty. But as for the warranty of the gasket itself. ?

[bsamoul]

Originally Posted by hamzawm

Just checked the service records, i had the valve cover gasket repalced under warranty back last may. If indeed it is the gasket cover again, would they cover it ? Usually covered for a 1 year period correct?

My car is out of warranty so it def wont be covered under original warranty. But as for the warranty of the gasket itself. ?

They should cover it for a year, I think. At least in the US they do. When you pull it off, always replace the bolts and torque them down to the correct torque. That smoked looked blue, which is burning oil. Somewhere, oil is seeping through something.

[apme123]

the valve cover might be kinked, valve covers on some vehicle are reusable. I do remember though on the e46 when I changed the cover gasket I had to use sealant with the replaced gasket, it might be a similar procedure for the e90. I personally think that the valve cover gasket is leaking due to broken head bolts. On the work order does it say anything about them replacing the head bolts when they replaced the valve cover gasket?



http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...=181743&page=3 take a look here

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...=181743&page=4

[hamzawm]

So i took the cover off yesterday, and found fresh oil in the small "indents" and "compartments" that are right below the main oil cap. I called up the dealership since they were to the last to do the oil change, and they asked the mechanic who worked on the car. He said there was a crack in his funnel, and when he was pouring the oil he had some spillage. He cleaned up the mess he made down below at the skid plate and what not, but i guess he just left those " indents" full of oil. Either way, i shoved some toilet paper down to absorb whatever was down there.

At the gasket, on one side (towards the right most half ), its clean with no residue, on the left most side , i can tell there has been some oil leakage. But what i dont know is if its actaully leaking from it, OR from the spill the dumb*** had at the dealer. I tried watching it for a good 15 minutes but nothing happend and no smoke. I guess ill just have to wait until i smell is in the cabin, then quickly go out and check ..

How can i actually check if its coming from the gasket because it doesnt happen constantly.

[axztx]

I would take it back the dealer and let them figure it out. You shouldn't have to pay for it if it is a leaky gasket/spilled oil - i think the warranty on a gasket replacement is 1 or maybe 2 years.

[apme123]

Get some brake or carburator cleaner. spray a bit on the valve cover side that has the oil residue and then wipe it down with a clean rag, another option is to spray the rag with some carburator or brake cleaner and wipe down the areas that have the oil residue and valve cover gasket, do it while the vehicle is cold. After you wipe down the gasket and area it should look dry matte. Start the car and take it for a nice hard drive on the highway. Running it hard at high rpm. After its nice and hot take a look at the gasket to see if its wet again or smoking

[hamzawm]

I would take it back to the dealer, but then again theyll charge me for diagnostics . If i find its the gasket ill definetely be back there. I checked with the dealer and its 2 year / unlimited milage on the gasket which is good.

Thats a good idea, ill spray it down tonight and have it clean for the morning. Actually now that you say run it hard, the smoking only happens i noticed whenever i run it hard. Regular granny driving doesnt cause it. Makes sense since the oil prob under more pressure .

Ill let ya know!
Thanks for all the help , really do appreciate it.

[apme123]

you won't see smoke if its driven lightly, not enough oil pressure in the head. I think the oil channel for the head is only 3-4mm big.

[hamzawm]

Makes sense, guess ill see tomorrow.

I just cleaned it out with brake cleaner, everything clean and matt. Only thing is , far in theres an area that has a bunch of electrical connects and what not crowded around an area where i cant reach. Cant see it either. I cant tell whether or not there is any oil back there or not. Tried moving the wiring but its almost as if its mounted in there. Dont wanna fuss around unless i know what im doing.

Just ignore it and see if it does it to the area i cleaned out i guess?

[apme123]

take it for a nice hard drive and see if it smokes, don't worry about the brake cleaner getting close to the wires, it will evaporate, spray some by that area just in case. Right after the drive pull over where its safe and pop the hood, shine a flash light in the area where you saw smoke, make sure the car is running when you check it.

[apme123]

Any updates?

[Wires]

Possibly unrelated, but my Acura started have a burning plastic/smoking everytime I stopped in the garage. Turned out to be a plastic bag blew underneath, and melted to the cats.

Scared the crap out of me when you smell burning plastic on a hot car, in your garage!

[hamzawm]

I honestly didnt get around to driving it today, the weather was just terrible. Freezing rain all day. Tomrrow should be dry sunny weather. Ill get it out on the highway and see what happens. Will update tmorrow!

Haha yea i can imagine , makes you start to freak out when you smell something burning. Glad it was just a plastic bag and nothing major

[apme123]

While driving a 2000 BMW 740 I started to smell and see smoke from the AC vents, I pulled over on the side of the street and popped the hood. Holy shit, when i opened it a 3 foot flames shot out. A power steering hose burst and sprayed power steering fluid all over the exhaust header which in turn made the sound deadening material burn super hot and fast. The front end was engulfed in a matter of a minute. I never thought tha5 cars can engulf this freaking fast. Its super scary when that happens to you.