[CYL]

*the last service was done by BMW in June 2015.

Today, I opened the engine oil cap and looked inside...

I found that the engine oil cap and the area is so dirty, there are lots of sandy substance around the cap and the neck through the internal engine... (see attached photo)
I also smell some fuel smell on these substance

I don't feel like it is normal and just want to hear more opinions:

- is it normal for the existence of these substances?
If so, I wonder how quick the engine oil degrade since the last service is only 4 months ago and I haven't been driving it aggressively.
If not, what could be wrong?

- why would there be some fuel smell on these substance?

My previous N52 engine, there is no such substance nor fuel smell...that's why I wonder what/why are they in my first direct injection car with N54 engine.

Many thanks.

**Engine overheated in May 2015, coolant leaking from thermostat (replaced new thermostat), injectors faulty (replaced new injectors),
since then, valve cover gasket & oil filter gasket replaced.

[Boganian Rubes]

I'm no expert here but I think you should get an inspection, and an oil change or something.

[Mayuri Krab]

What was the service like by the previous owner(s), if I remembered right did you buy this car from over east?

That could just be the result from the long bmw extended service intervals (upto 30000km or 2 years) from the previous owner(s), unless the dealership cleaned the crap off at each oil change, it is just going to stay on the cap and add up.

Btw, my oil filter cap looks similar with sandy crap on it (I change the oil and filter every 10,000km since owning this car), but before I bought the car (according to the log book) it only had 2 services done in the space of 55000km and 5 years by the previous owner.

[CYL]

Originally Posted by Mayuri Krab

What was the service like by the previous owner(s), if I remembered right did you buy this car from over east?

That could just be the result from the long bmw extended service intervals (upto 30000km or 2 years) from the previous owner(s), unless the dealership cleaned the crap off at each oil change, it is just going to stay on the cap and add up.

Btw, my oil filter cap looks similar with sandy crap on it (I change the oil and filter every 10,000km since owning this car), but before I bought the car (according to the log book) it only had 2 services done in the space of 55000km and 5 years by the previous owner.

I bought my 325 from QLD but this bought this 335 from Vic park auto classic.

Date
21/04/2010
22485 km
Oil, Brake fluid

9/12/2013
57759 km
Oil, Microfilter, Spark plug, Air filter

25/08/2014
62315 km
Oil, Brake fluid

12/05/2015
71957 km
Oil, Microfilter

18/06/2015
74132 km
Injector, Thermostat, Water pump all replaced with updated versions (had engine overheated issue)

I assume these sandy substance are part of the engine sludge, I am planning to use the Liqui Moly engine flush on the next oil change which I will be doing next month (odo now 77100 km)
I read that to clear the engine sludge, the whole valve cover needs to be removed. I am thinking if I should use the engine flush or getting mechanic to do the cleaning properly by taking off the valve cover off.
any opinion?

*I just bought the car for 2.5 months, and really want to do all the maintenance tasks properly now and start enjoying the car.

[Pete.J]

Originally Posted by CYL

I bought my 325 from QLD but this bought this 335 from Vic park auto classic.

Date
21/04/2010
22485 km
Oil, Brake fluid

9/12/2013
57759 km
Oil, Microfilter, Spark plug, Air filter

25/08/2014
62315 km
Oil, Brake fluid

12/05/2015
71957 km
Oil, Microfilter

18/06/2015
74132 km
Injector, Thermostat, Water pump all replaced with updated versions (had engine overheated issue)

I assume these sandy substance are part of the engine sludge, I am planning to use the Liqui Moly engine flush on the next oil change which I will be doing next month (odo now 77100 km)
I read that to clear the engine sludge, the whole valve cover needs to be removed. I am thinking if I should use the engine flush or getting mechanic to do the cleaning properly by taking off the valve cover off.
any opinion?

*I just bought the car for 2.5 months, and really want to do all the maintenance tasks properly now and start enjoying the car.

The first service interval you wrote above is ridiculously long, car wasn't serviced for 35,247km from 2010 till 2013

Don't bother with any of these flushes, neither LiquiMoly or any other brand flush will take that sludge off.. It took years for this sludge to accumulate this way and there's no product on the market that'll get rid of this with a 20mins flush.

All what you need is 7,000km oil change intervals (with oil filter) for the next 4 changes at least. i.e. change your oil now and after 6,000-7,000km change it again and keep doing this for 4 changes. With time the cleaners in the new fully synthetic oil will dissolve the sludge buildup you have atm.

I'd also recommend using German Castrol buy it off eBay. It's different than the Castrol found in Australia. Australian Castrol is a different formula and is garbage in comparison, the German Castrol comes in a black bottle (if I remember correctly) and it says "MADE IN GERMANY" on the bottle.

Lastly replace your oil cap, it costs $30 and just in case it doesn't seal properly just replace it. The rubber gasket on them dries with time and it allowed moisture in sludge will build up faster. It's obvious your sludge cause is the long service intervals by the previous owner but I'd still replace the oil cap coz it costs nothing.

Let me know how you go. My 2 cents.

[CYL]

Originally Posted by pitos_7

The first service interval you wrote above is ridiculously long, car wasn't serviced for 35,247km from 2010 till 2013

Don't bother with any of these flushes, neither LiquiMoly or any other brand flush will take that sludge off.. It took years for this sludge to accumulate this way and there's no product on the market that'll get rid of this with a 20mins flush.

All what you need is 7,000km oil change intervals (with oil filter) for the next 4 changes at least. i.e. change your oil now and after 6,000-7,000km change it again and keep doing this for 4 changes. With time the cleaners in the new fully synthetic oil will dissolve the sludge buildup you have atm.

I'd also recommend using German Castrol buy it off eBay. It's different than the Castrol found in Australia. Australian Castrol is a different formula and is garbage in comparison, the German Castrol comes in a black bottle (if I remember correctly) and it says "MADE IN GERMANY" on the bottle.

Lastly replace your oil cap, it costs $30 and just in case it doesn't seal properly just replace it. The rubber gasket on them dries with time and it allowed moisture in sludge will build up faster. It's obvious your sludge cause is the long service intervals by the previous owner but I'd still replace the oil cap coz it costs nothing.

Let me know how you go. My 2 cents.

Hi, thanks.
I was in a shock when I first saw the service history, I think this was a lease car previously and owners usually don't care about it.
Yes, I read that the synthetic oil helps cleaning the sludge too.
and I am planning to do oil service every 5000km since I am doing quite short trips like 10km each only.
I don't think I can get engine oil shipped to Aus from Euro.
I saw the engine oil cap on ESC tuning but will wait and see if there is anymore things to buy from there and get everything in one go.
Thanks for your recommendation

[Mayuri Krab]

Check the dealership for the oil cap?

I bought some genuine oil filters from.west Coast bmw and some plastic cover door for the indicator light and to my surprise, they weren't that expensive and the oil filters were cheaper (<1/2 price) than the generic shit repco had.

My car was the same deal, previously a lease in Melbourne and only had 2 services done in the space of 5 years... I always thought these so called extended oil changes are just marketing talk and the so called 'filled for life' is just pure marketing BS.

[Wolf 335]

CYL,

Since you only do short trips, this could very well be moisture in your oil unable to burn off due to the short travel.

Go for a good drive with the engine at normal operating temperatures and then check the condition of the oil on the cap.

Moisture usually manifests itself as creamy white substance on the oil cap, but this could be it as well.

If symptoms persist, you may have some sludge build up. As suggested above run a few short interval oil changes and replace the oil cap.

[CYL]

Thanks all.
I also read that creamy substance will form due to moisture.
But I believe these sandy substance (black in colour) are engine sludge and don't feel like they are caused by moisture.
Also, previous overheating issue may spoil the engine oil and form these substance?

I am going to do the oil change very soon and will definitely check BMW dealership for the price of the engine oil cap.

The previous owner might not have maintained the car well, and that's why I want to start looking after it by bringing it to a better condition prior any other mods.
That's why I have been looking at all the maintenance work to be done on the car since I own it.

[donR]

I think a bit of black sludge in that area is normal in a 7 year old car or so as the cap area tends to catch a lot of old oil.

But I've never seen that white stuff. I assume when you look into the engine it isn't covering anything else which is the important thing?

[Pete.J]

Originally Posted by CYL

Hi, thanks.
I was in a shock when I first saw the service history, I think this was a lease car previously and owners usually don't care about it.
Yes, I read that the synthetic oil helps cleaning the sludge too.
and I am planning to do oil service every 5000km since I am doing quite short trips like 10km each only.
I don't think I can get engine oil shipped to Aus from Euro.
I saw the engine oil cap on ESC tuning but will wait and see if there is anymore things to buy from there and get everything in one go.
Thanks for your recommendation

You don't need to import any oil from overseas. There are eBay sellers that stock German Castrol locally in Australia, check out this link:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CASTROL-E...EAAOSwYGFUsGc~

This is by far the best engine oil for our cars, buy this and you'll thank me 20,000km later after 4 oil changes (every 5,000km). I use this on the 325i and the 335i (switched from Royal Purple) and both the N52 and N54 engines are sparkling on the inside (looking through the oil fill hole).

German Castrol is also very popular on VW/Audi forums, everyone swears by it. It's a true Fully Synthetic oil unlike Australian Mobil 1.. And don't bother with Australian Castrol or any of these engine flushes, they're a huge gimmick and waste of money.

[Scotty89]

I'm not sure there is anyone around who does this in Australia, but it's worth ringing around - as others have said it looks like it could be an oil sludging problem which needs some help.

[CYL]

Originally Posted by pitos_7

The first service interval you wrote above is ridiculously long, car wasn't serviced for 35,247km from 2010 till 2013

Don't bother with any of these flushes, neither LiquiMoly or any other brand flush will take that sludge off.. It took years for this sludge to accumulate this way and there's no product on the market that'll get rid of this with a 20mins flush.

All what you need is 7,000km oil change intervals (with oil filter) for the next 4 changes at least. i.e. change your oil now and after 6,000-7,000km change it again and keep doing this for 4 changes. With time the cleaners in the new fully synthetic oil will dissolve the sludge buildup you have atm.

I'd also recommend using German Castrol buy it off eBay. It's different than the Castrol found in Australia. Australian Castrol is a different formula and is garbage in comparison, the German Castrol comes in a black bottle (if I remember correctly) and it says "MADE IN GERMANY" on the bottle.

Lastly replace your oil cap, it costs $30 and just in case it doesn't seal properly just replace it. The rubber gasket on them dries with time and it allowed moisture in sludge will build up faster. It's obvious your sludge cause is the long service intervals by the previous owner but I'd still replace the oil cap coz it costs nothing.

Let me know how you go. My 2 cents.

Today, I spent some extra cash to have the issue checked by a mechanic, he advised me that those substance is the carbon built up. Once the engine gets warm, these substance turns into paste. And the engine oil cap is the highest point of the engine and that's why the carbon (gas) built up there.

I don't quite understand, I know that there normally has carbon built up in the intake port. But is there any chance to have carbon built up inside the rocker cover? I assume the rocker cover is sealed from the combustion area, so, why there can be carbon built up inside the rocker cover?

I also tried to get a quote for walnut blasting but they only do soda blasting. May I ask which is better?
Thanks.

[CYL]

I just found out from the service booklet that the service had been done more often that I thought (I checked the service record/invoice previously, but hadn't checked the service booklet, my bad)

21/4/10
22485
Engine oil, brake fluid

13/5/11
33757
Engine oil, micro filter

5/12/11
40568
Engine oil, brake fluid, micro filter

28/6/13
54644
Vehicle check

9/12/13
57759
Engine oil, spark plug, micro filter, air filter

26/3/14
59505
Vehicle check

25/8/14
62310
Engine oil, brake fluid

12/5/15
71957
Engine oil, micro filter

Since then, engine overheated issue, replaced 6 injectors with latest version, thermostat, water pump, rocker cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket.

I am surprised that the services have been done in less than 1 year or 10000km. Shortest one changing oil with less than 5000km in only about 8 months.
May I ask, for new car, is it free to perform service? If not, I am really surprised that the previous owner took the car for service so often.

[AUSf22]

Yes service is free for the first 3/4 years of your warranty period. However you will get upsold on the wear and tear items such as tyres and brakes