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Thread: M52B28 - Fouled plugs and "milk" in oil cap

  1. #1
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    M52B28 - Fouled plugs and "milk" in oil cap

    I've been checking up on the health of my '98 328i (233,000 miles) since I bought it just a little over a month ago and I noticed a few things and would like some input. The first thing I noticed is that the plugs are coated with either carbon deposits or oil, and the tips of the electrodes are white. I just changed these 300 miles ago. Additionally I noted some bubbly tan colored oil under the oil cap (probably from cold weather rolling in here, but still noteworthy), but nowhere else. Any ideas what the cause may be for either of these? Here are some observations I've made before you make any conclusions:



    • The engine is not consuming oil at an abnormal rate
    • Oil color checked at dipstick is fine (dark brown)
    • There is no smoke coming from the exhaust under any driving conditions
    • The coolant is completely clean, no oil
    • There is no bubbling in the coolant reservoir while the engine is running
    • Crank case vacuum is nominal
    • Compression values are nominal
    • Spark plugs are new BKR6EK (again, only 300 miles on them)
    • The engine is leaking oil slowly from the oil filter housing, I believe from the gasket. Probably unrelated
    • I have used several additives recently including 1/2 can seafoam in the crank case, 1/2 can B12 chemtool in the fuel tank and additives to remove moisture in the gas as the car sat for a while



    Crank case vacuum read using a manometer I rigged up per Chris' instructions given on 02Pilot's Oil Consumption thread. Reading is ~3.5" water vacuum, taken through an oil fill cap I modified with a barb fitting.

    Compression test done cold, fuel pump fuse pulled, 1 tbsp oil added to each cylinder per Chris. The last time I did this test I got comparable results doing both hot and cold compression tests.

    1: 260 psi
    2: 280 psi
    3: 280 psi
    4: 270 psi
    5: 285 psi
    6: 285 psi

    I would get a leakdown tester if I already had a compressor and air tank but I don't, sadly.

    If I think of anything else I'll update this post. Please be kind, I'm new to BMWs and probably newer than most people on here to engines in general. I'm here to learn.

    Thanks!

    New plugs:
    2018-01-14 21.36.02.jpg

    Inside of cap:
    photo_2018-01-15_00-25-39.jpg

    You can see the condensation here:
    photo_2018-01-15_00-25-40.jpg

    Top is the oil filter housing, this is the area where oil is leaking (probably bottom of the oil filter housing where the gasket attaches to the block, I think)
    2018-01-14 23.17.14.jpg
    Last edited by Aeko; 01-15-2018 at 02:28 AM.

  2. #2
    dworthy's Avatar
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    Nice detailed post, many props for that!

    The plugs look normal, they will get the white ashy look from running hot with the additives.

    The same for the oil filler cap, this can be caused by short trips, less than 10 minutes. My drive to work is 30+ minutes so I rarely ever see this on any of my cars.

    As for the oil filter housing, pretty common leak spot on the M-5x motors. It takes about an hour to do because you have to get the alternator out of the way as well as the bracket to get to it. I would recommend replacing the 2 copper o-rings on the vanos line as they will more than likely be corroded, #10 here

    Get a couple of cans of brake cleaner or plenty of simple green to clean all the oil off first to ensure that is where it is coming out of, and when you do this job, make sure both mating surfaces are super clean.
    Darin
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    +1 to everything Darin said. There's nothing in your photos which looks suspicious to me.

    Chris Powell
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by dworthy View Post
    Nice detailed post, many props for that!

    The plugs look normal, they will get the white ashy look from running hot with the additives.

    The same for the oil filler cap, this can be caused by short trips, less than 10 minutes. My drive to work is 30+ minutes so I rarely ever see this on any of my cars.

    As for the oil filter housing, pretty common leak spot on the M-5x motors. It takes about an hour to do because you have to get the alternator out of the way as well as the bracket to get to it. I would recommend replacing the 2 copper o-rings on the vanos line as they will more than likely be corroded, #10 here

    Get a couple of cans of brake cleaner or plenty of simple green to clean all the oil off first to ensure that is where it is coming out of, and when you do this job, make sure both mating surfaces are super clean.
    Thanks! Yep, most trips in this car are under ~15 minutes since I live close to everything. Good call!

    And thank you very much for that info! I went back to clean it off and double check. I'm fairly positive that's the source of the leak. The only place I'm seeing fresh oil is directly below the areas where the two surfaces meet. I'll replace those o-rings as well.

    Is there anything else in that area I should look at replacing while I have that half of the bay apart? Intake manifold seals? I am going to replace what I can in the coolant system while I'm at it, as I am seeing cracks starting to form in the expansion tank.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by bmwdirtracer View Post
    +1 to everything Darin said. There's nothing in your photos which looks suspicious to me.
    And thank you again, Chris!
    Last edited by Aeko; 01-15-2018 at 11:36 PM.

  5. #5
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    OP, these cars are designed to be driven at serious triple-digit speeds on the autobahn. You need to take the car on a 20+ mile trip at highway+ speeds on a weekly basis.

  6. #6
    dworthy's Avatar
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    I would start with that first, and wait/watch for any other failures.

    Have a close look at your thermostat housing, it should be black. If it has a reddish tint, or off black look to it, replacement has to be done ASAP. The thermostat housing is made out of plastic and can get very brittle over time and just fail outright. That will cause a spillage of coolant all over the place and leave you stranded.

    Now just to make sure we are talking about a E-36 or E-46 here?
    Darin
    Current:
    16 220i Active Tourer Platinsilver MET (C08)/Dakota Black (PDSW), P7ACA, P7LDA, P7LHA, P9BDA, 6sp Manual - Wife's new toy!
    05 325it Electric Red(438)/Gray(N6TT) ZCW, ZSP 5sp Manual Back set cover, trunk mat, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield, and mud flaps! Mr. Wagon My new Winter car.
    05 M3 Imolarot II(405)/Gray(N5TT) ZCW, ZPP 6sp Manual C.F. Lip, CSL diffuser, SSK, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield and a trunk liner! Mr. Go_Fast Stored for the Winter
    Past:
    95 318is Montreal Blue Met (297)/Beige(K1SN) RIP, killed by an Idiot.
    84 M535i gray market Burgandy Rot Met/Black Leather Lowered by Intrax on bilies, poly everywhere, B&B cat back system, K&N, and a hitch! Da Beast - Still running w/400k+!
    91 316i euro Tizianrot/Gray cloth - E-36 w/M-40 RIP, but great on gas! Best was 38 MPG
    82 528i euro Saphire Blue Met/Blue Leather RIP
    79 525 euro Green/Green RIP
    79 318 Silver/Black - The first one that got it all started
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini View Post
    OP, these cars are designed to be driven at serious triple-digit speeds on the autobahn..
    Oh, please.
    Any car will do same without being driven long enough to boil out condensation in the crankcase.
    Last edited by ross1; 01-16-2018 at 10:41 AM.

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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by dworthy View Post
    Have a close look at your thermostat housing, it should be black. If it has a reddish tint, or off black look to it, replacement has to be done ASAP. The thermostat housing is made out of plastic and can get very brittle over time and just fail outright. That will cause a spillage of coolant all over the place and leave you stranded.

    Now just to make sure we are talking about a E-36 or E-46 here?
    Luckily, I believe mine was replaced with an aluminum housing. E36.

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