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Thread: Burning oil and idling rough...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Seattle, WA
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    1995 BMW 530i, 1969 Camaro Z28/RS

    Burning oil and idling rough...

    I tried to search but didn't find anything that really addresses this. I drove down to Seaside Oregon and back this weekend which was roughly 450 miles all told. The car ran pretty flawlessly and had plenty of power as always. About half way home, the car threw error code 1212 which is for the .02 sensor. I have seen this error before recently and it was a vac leak that may or may not have come back. Car was idling fine, and all the gages seemed fine, so we kept driving. Next morning (yesterday), the CEL had gone out and the car was running great all day long with no issues.

    This morning on my way to work CEL comes on and idle gets so bad it almost dies, and this happens instantaneously. I was thinking, ok it must be another vac leak somewhere, I'll look for it tonight. Then the car starts burning oil like its gasoline and smoking all over the place. I was about a mile from work so I just drove the rest of the way. I shut the car off, and started it up again. No smoke, or VERY little if there was any, and the idle seemed quite a bit better. I put it in drive and gave it some gas to see what happened under load, still no smoke. CEL was still on the whole time, and the idle is slightly rough.

    The smoke bit is whats throwing me, head gasket (seems unlikely), some sort of pcv issue?

    95 540i, I do not know if its Nikasil or not actually
    136k miles on it
    Last edited by camaroguy; 05-26-2009 at 02:18 PM.
    Jon
    '07 BMW 550i Titanium Silver Sport 6-Speed M-Sport Bumpers
    '15 Electric Mercedes
    '69 Camaro Z28/RS Hugger Orange/Black, 400hp, 4 speed manual

    Previous:
    '07 BMW X3 Arctic Silver Premium/Cold Weather Package Adaptive Bi-Xenon
    '95 BMW 540i M-Sport Hellrot 6-Speed Dinan Engine/Diff Goodies Moonroof
    '98 BMW 740i Biarritzblau stock

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Vancouver, Canada
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    3,397
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    95' 530i, 90' 500SL
    maf, o2 sensors, or pcv plate. Replace your o2 sensors. When one of mine went it really made the car run like absolute shit. I replaced my maf with a used one, and my o2 sensors with new OE bosch and now it runs good.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    1,209
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    318i/5
    I can't pin point what's going on but from what I have been reading lately:

    My fuel pump or the fuel pump relay is bad on the 540i and it doesn't start. When I do stomp test, it throws the 1221 code at me, which is also the O2. I was told that the car can do that if the fuel pump is going bad...however don't let this scare you since I don't really know if you're having the same problem...

    Also, do this:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=589747

    Maybe this will help. Best of luck to you.



    *****I've been running WITHOUT O2 sensors for good 6 months and the car runs great******
    Last edited by acet; 05-26-2009 at 02:27 PM.
    -Леха

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2005
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    OH
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    A bad PCV will dump significant oil into the intake. I'd be looking at that.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    1995 BMW 530i, 1969 Camaro Z28/RS
    I took the ICV off to look into cleaning it this evening and found a bit of oil sitting on the intake side. I shined a light inside my intake and there looks to be oil coating the entire inside. I am guessing this is the source of the oil being burned. I guess it must be coming from the PCV, there really isnt any other explanation I can think of.

    How do you even get to this on the M60? I cannot really find much on it in the bentley.
    Jon
    '07 BMW 550i Titanium Silver Sport 6-Speed M-Sport Bumpers
    '15 Electric Mercedes
    '69 Camaro Z28/RS Hugger Orange/Black, 400hp, 4 speed manual

    Previous:
    '07 BMW X3 Arctic Silver Premium/Cold Weather Package Adaptive Bi-Xenon
    '95 BMW 540i M-Sport Hellrot 6-Speed Dinan Engine/Diff Goodies Moonroof
    '98 BMW 740i Biarritzblau stock

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Vancouver, Canada
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    95' 530i, 90' 500SL
    if you can disconnect and move the coolant res you can have access to the back of the intake manifold where the pcv plate is. I did mine when i was doing my intake gaskets so it made life a hole lot easier. May i suggest you do the same and get new intake gaskets and so on.. makes the car run like new again. Again read through a scanner or stomp test, find the fault. O2 sensors bad make the car run like crap, same with a maf.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Seems unlikely with the significant burning and the 1212 and the dirty ICV, but take off decorative valve covers and look for oil.
    Dave
    1995 Lincoln Towncar.
    Cartier
    I pimp your mom

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    LaHabra, CA
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    1994 540i SOLD!
    I would definitely look into the PCV. Can almost guarantee that's what it is, based on copious amounts of oil in the intake
    "Health is merely the slowest form of death."

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