[BashShah]

PM sent.
I agree with Rick F's Response.

DN

[rcleno]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

rcleno,

Here's a possible alternative explanation (with a much happier ending, if it proves correct).

You've described the problem as white smoke, and in the video it looks more white than blue. Burning oil produces noticeably blue smoke, so I don't think that's what's happening.

White smoke usually indicates either burning coolant or just burning condensation. I noticed that your white smoke went away very quickly, which would be consistent with burning any condensation left in the exhaust system after the engine is shut off for a period (say overnight). I would consider that situation entirely normal. Having said that, the quantity of smoke you're getting seems like a lot. What was the temperature when you made the video? Colder temperatures produce very visible condensation smoke, which goes away as the engine warms up. With hot temperatures, you seldom see condensation smoke.

If your car is burning coolant, that's generally pretty bad news. A blown / leaking head gasket is a common culprit, although you would often find a whitish sludge in the oil at the same time--or a scummy sludge in the coolant. Also, white smoke from burning water as a result of a head gasket leak wouldn't normally go away; it would continue even after the engine is warm.

By all means have the dealer check it out, and let us know what they conclude. I'm hoping that it's only condensation.

Rick F.

It was about 14C or 57F. In the video the smoke looks white but I personally think it had a slight blue tinge. but with "smoke" that thick the smell should be strong enough to easily tell if its oil or not I would think. hopefully you are right.

[GB-335xiCoupe]

Originally Posted by rcleno

the engine also has a ticking sound but that is likely not related or what?

Nothing to worry about, just a time bomb under the hood. j/k - It could be the VANOS.

I think Rick F who said condensation in the engine was probably right. I notice dew on your car's windows. This indicates you had a warm, humid evening and a cool morning. Ergo, condensation in the engine cylinders is a definite possibility. Your car produces no more "smoke" than my car does on a cold dewy morning. Try keeping it in a garage/air conditioned area and see if it behaves differently.

Now the advice section, which I know is why you are really here...
1) Never buy a BMW from a Honda dealer. This indicates the former owner bought a Honda (ugh). And Honda dealers don't know how to maintain BMWs (obviously).

2) The Diesel joke was because diesels used to be notorious for smoking like a power plant, but that's no longer much of an issue with urea injection and carbon filters. People like to razz each other on this site. Take it in stride.

3) Check your oil level with the BC switch on your left control stalk. (Consult your manual for details). Add oil (I suspect 3.5 quarts, and use the right oil.)

4) Make sure you register your car with bmwusa.com - there is a recall coming for the VANOS that you may or may not be affected by.

5) You are 9 days into this ownership. Do not be afraid to ask questions, but first research on this site as much as possible. Some people like to flame those who don't search first. Not saying you didn't search, but just a heads up.

[rcleno]

Originally Posted by GB-335xiCoupe

Nothing to worry about, just a time bomb under the hood. j/k - It could be the VANOS.

I think Rick F who said condensation in the engine was probably right. I notice dew on your car's windows. This indicates you had a warm, humid evening and a cool morning. Ergo, condensation in the engine cylinders is a definite possibility. Your car produces no more "smoke" than my car does on a cold dewy morning. Try keeping it in a garage/air conditioned area and see if it behaves differently.

Now the advice section, which I know is why you are really here...
1) Never buy a BMW from a Honda dealer. This indicates the former owner bought a Honda (ugh). And Honda dealers don't know how to maintain BMWs (obviously).

2) The Diesel joke was because diesels used to be notorious for smoking like a power plant, but that's no longer much of an issue with urea injection and carbon filters. People like to razz each other on this site. Take it in stride.

3) Check your oil level with the BC switch on your left control stalk. (Consult your manual for details). Add oil (I suspect 3.5 quarts, and use the right oil.)

4) Make sure you register your car with bmwusa.com - there is a recall coming for the VANOS that you may or may not be affected by.

5) You are 9 days into this ownership. Do not be afraid to ask questions, but first research on this site as much as possible. Some people like to flame those who don't search first. Not saying you didn't search, but just a heads up.

I would like to think you are right about it being condensation but it also smoked that bad after sitting in the sun all day. The reason I bought it from a Honda dealer is because they are the only dealer in my area that would dare to sell a BMW our town only has three dealers a Ford, Chevy and Honda. I checked the oil (that how i found out it was 3 liters low on oil.) the oil level is fine but I'm not sure if the the Honda oil they used is good for my car or not. I did a lot of searching but i didn't find anything that really described my problem and the threads became very vague and branched out on so many topics it was confusing. I had someone else tell me it was because it sat so long at the dealer and the engine was cleaning its self out. but now 3 tanks of gas later that should be done by now. I cant register because the car is registered under someone else.

[rcleno]

Well folks here is an update. DarkNemesis pm'd me. we texted a bit, he suggested changing oil to the recommended stuff so I did and now it didn't smoke this morning. so I hope this has been resolved.

[e92_enthusiast_1]

Nice, good to hear. Grats.

Originally Posted by rcleno

Well folks here is an update. DarkNemesis pm'd me. we texted a bit, he suggested changing oil to the recommended stuff so I did and now it didn't smoke this morning. so I hope this has been resolved.

[BashShah]

Originally Posted by rcleno

Well folks here is an update. DarkNemesis pm'd me. we texted a bit, he suggested changing oil to the recommended stuff so I did and now it didn't smoke this morning. so I hope this has been resolved.

No body asked what oil Honda's going to put.... I just guess since they only put the usual 4, to 4.5, which civics and crvs call for.
But I have a 2010 crv and it take 0w20 grade.
So clearly the wrong oil is what I suspected.

Still my car when I got it, sat for about 6 months, and after the 2nd oil change the very small white smoke disappeared.

DN

Congrats rcleno, enjoy your car.

[grzes]

Congrats OP, glad your issue got resolved.
When it comes to registering your BMW you have to call BMWNA and tell them that you are the new owner of that car and they should help you our with registration.

[GB-335xiCoupe]

Originally Posted by grzes

Congrats OP, glad your issue got resolved.
When it comes to registering your BMW you have to call BMWNA and tell them that you are the new owner of that car and they should help you our with registration.

This can also be done on their site. You don't have to prove you are the owner, it's just for BMW mailings like Recalls, etc...

[ObligedDolphin]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

rcleno,

Here's a possible alternative explanation (with a much happier ending, if it proves correct).

You've described the problem as white smoke, and in the video it looks more white than blue. Burning oil produces noticeably blue smoke, so I don't think that's what's happening.

White smoke usually indicates either burning coolant or just burning condensation. I noticed that your white smoke went away very quickly, which would be consistent with burning any condensation left in the exhaust system after the engine is shut off for a period (say overnight). I would consider that situation entirely normal. Having said that, the quantity of smoke you're getting seems like a lot. What was the temperature when you made the video? Colder temperatures produce very visible condensation smoke, which goes away as the engine warms up. With hot temperatures, you seldom see condensation smoke.

If your car is burning coolant, that's generally pretty bad news. A blown / leaking head gasket is a common culprit, although you would often find a whitish sludge in the oil at the same time--or a scummy sludge in the coolant. Also, white smoke from burning water as a result of a head gasket leak wouldn't normally go away; it would continue even after the engine is warm.

By all means have the dealer check it out, and let us know what they conclude. I'm hoping that it's only condensation.

Rick F.

Mine does this also when it is very Humid. I live in Central Florida so on the more humid or rainy days I can tell a difference with how much condensation I see out of my exhaust after it sits for a while

[grzes]

Originally Posted by GB-335xiCoupe

This can also be done on their site. You don't have to prove you are the owner, it's just for BMW mailings like Recalls, etc...

quite possible, I would not know as I got mine from the bmw dealer and did not register till I got the first letter from bmw with my towing cards and warranty information and the invitation for registration. By that time for sure they were all aware that the car changed hands

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by AviatorBimmer

Engine is definitely burning oil. The question here is where? Back in the old days, this was usually caused by bad oil rings on the pistons or oil seeping past the valves and into the combustion chamber.

I would definitely take it back to the dealer and have them take a look at it.

You did mention the white smoke to them when you picked it up at the dealer, right?

+1. White smoke is coolant burning but it looks like it virtually disappears after startup which means its dripping/loading up while you are asleep. If it is most intense under accel then you probably have a ring issue I think.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by rcleno

I would like to think you are right about it being condensation but it also smoked that bad after sitting in the sun all day. The reason I bought it from a Honda dealer is because they are the only dealer in my area that would dare to sell a BMW our town only has three dealers a Ford, Chevy and Honda. I checked the oil (that how i found out it was 3 liters low on oil.) the oil level is fine but I'm not sure if the the Honda oil they used is good for my car or not. I did a lot of searching but i didn't find anything that really described my problem and the threads became very vague and branched out on so many topics it was confusing. I had someone else tell me it was because it sat so long at the dealer and the engine was cleaning its self out. but now 3 tanks of gas later that should be done by now. I cant register because the car is registered under someone else.

Engines don't clean themselves out like that. When cars sit and seals are old fluids seep . Thats why its more intense at startup. Thicker oil won't seep as much.

[rcleno]

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Engines don't clean themselves out like that. When cars sit and seals are old fluids seep . Thats why its more intense at startup. Thicker oil won't seep as much.

I put thinner oil in now and it doesn't smoke at all.

[atinybug]

I also think the video you posted is just clearing condensation out. You mentioned it was 57F, so that is a bit chilly, and I noticed there was a lot of water (dew?) on your back window, so it's more than likely some condensation went up into your exhaust.

[rcleno]

Well after a week of my car not smoking, my car smoked a lot of blue smoke yesterday after sitting for only about 2 1/2 hrs. but it has not smoked since and it was totally fine all week before. My question is why does it smoke only every once in a while? I'm taking it as a sign that the problem is not too serious.

[335BOY]

Have you taken it in to be looked at? Called BMW dealer or Indy to ask what might cause that? Its not good. You probably have 30 day warranty I assume?

[rcleno]

No I haven't taken it in because I assumed it was fixed. I mean if it smokes once out of 25 cold starts it can't be too bad.

[BMRSEB]

As others have said, have it checked out by an Indy or BMW dealership.. Making too many assumptions, with hope that it is "minor".

Better now than later.. Good Luck and let us know what you find out..

[rcleno]

Originally Posted by BMRSEB

As others have said, have it checked out by an Indy or BMW dealership.. Making too many assumptions, with hope that it is "minor".

Better now than later.. Good Luck and let us know what you find out..

Sure. I just dread taking my car somewhere knowing that they will likely not be able to replicate the situation. And just pay some one lots of money for them to tell me they don't know what the problem is.

[originalgoods13]

Turbo seals issues does not have to be "Blue" smoke. When the turbo receives too much oil or if the turbine seals are shot, oil leaks on the turbine side (exhaust side) causing the "white smoke" to blow out of my exhaust.

The best way I did when troubleshooting was I drove the car to operating temp, cruised for a bit, then stop for a minute and observe the exhaust color and smell. You can fairly tell if it is burnt coolant, oil or both.

I am not sure how strong the headgasket is on the N54/N55 but I'd also look into that (dirty coolant mixed with white/oil liquid, oil leak around where it meets the head and cylinder block)

Hard to tell if the turbo seals are shot unless you remove it and get it tested. In most cases, turbo seals go when the turbo was not properly cooled off before engine shut down, heavy contaminated oil, and oil starvation.

If you experience white smoke on cold start, that should not be an issue.

[BashShah]

Can you take another 2 videos?
1 from what you described.

2. As the poster above mentioned.
Also, talk to Jeff, ask him to recommend someone honest who will not BS you.

DN