[danne.m]

I was experiencing white smoke from the tailpipe a while ago and neglected it until it started smelling like burnt oil in the interior.
Now the white smoke is coming from the back of the engine and the motor sound is uneven and not steady, its like its switching between rpms when starting the car. This happened after not driving the car for 2 weeks.

I don't have a engine light or anything whatsoever. I noticed the oilcap have been loose and theres been a leakage of oil around the engine bay due to the loose cap. I don't know what to do next, im suspecting a faulty valve cover gasket but I need your help finding the culprit of this issue.

[SHEEDI]

check for leaks and get engine bay washed and keep an eye on it, if it happens again then there is some leak somewhere. or go to indy shop and get it checked for leaks.

[Elewis2051]

I’ve delt with this before most likely it’s the valve cover gasket get some engine cleaner at like autozone or something and wash the living crap out of the engine and drive it for a few days and inspect where it’s lenajng with a flash light

[Bimmer Pleaser]

Not sure about smoke from tail pipe but smoke in engine bay near the passenger side at start up is certainly VCG. It may be bad enough to leak into your spark plug well and cause misfire but then you should definite see a code. Inspect the spark plugs and look for oil.

[danne.m]

Thank you all for fast response!

I'm a bit frightened about washing the engine as there are electrical part that might be damaged. Is there a DIY for this? Should I rinse wash with water or just spray with a special motor spray and clean it off?
Thanks!

[Elewis2051]

I do it all the time to all my bmws x5 335 135 and wait till the engine is cold and you could use car soap and water or water and a engine cleaner

[Bimmer Pleaser]

Why do you want to wash inside your engine bay? Just find the source of leak, replace gasket, and wipe off the excess oil.

[CTinline-six]

Here is how I wash my engine bay on all my vehicles:

1. Cover computer and major electrical components with plastic bag

2. Spray coating of Simple Green degreaser and let sit for a few minutes

3. Lightly rinse with a hose (not a pressure washer) trying to avoid soaking electrical components.

4. Let air dry

[danne.m]

Thanks for your message Josh.

Im a bit unsure of where the electrical and computer parts are located and what's most necessary to cover up..

[PhaseP]

Originally Posted by danne.m

what's most necessary to cover up..

Your alternator

[danne.m]

The problem has evolved.. I’m upset as hell now. Nerver getting a bimmer with high miles again.

When starting it starts VERY rough. Like it doesnt have any power. Struggling to get a steady rpm, and the white smoke from behind the motor is now a cloud of smoke and smells pretty chemically.. what next? Is it trash?

[danne.m]

This is the area of white smoke

View post on imgur.com

[Bimmer Pleaser]

Valve cover gasket leaking into spark plug wells causing misfire. It also leaks on cat and causes smoke.

That’s what I think.

[danne.m]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Pleaser

Valve cover gasket leaking into spark plug wells causing misfire. It also leaks on cat and causes smoke.

That’s what I think.

Can I drive it to a repairshop or should I be cautious to not mess it up more and have it towed?

[Bimmer Pleaser]

Regardless of the cause you shouldn’t drive a car that’s misfiring or running rough specially bmw.

Take it to an indie, stay away from dealer.

[danne.m]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Pleaser

Regardless of the cause you shouldn’t drive a car that’s misfiring or running rough specially bmw.

Take it to an indie, stay away from dealer.

What is a reasonable price for valve cover gasket and sparkplugs plus labour?

[danne.m]

The weird thing is that it doesnt show any errorcodes. If i connect it to a obd reader will it give me the Right codes?

[Bimmer Pleaser]

VCG replacement is about $1000 at indie, $1500 at dealer. Almost all labor.

If it is misfiring due to VCG leak in spark plugs you should be getting a misfire code.

[HiRev335i]

not necessarily just did a VCG where it was leaking into two sparkplug holes where plugs where saturated in oil oddly enough car was not shooting out any codes for misfires.

[danne.m]

Gave it a wash and cleaned the leaky oil spills. Started it roday and no more smoke!
But the first startup it immediately shut down.
Second start it went up to 1300 rpm and then a steady 700rpm. I havent driven it for about 3 weeks.

[danne.m]

My relative who works as a mechanic checked the car and said it’s probably the fuel pump.. thoughts on this?

[RossBMWZseries]

My '11 328i had smoke coming out from the same exact area pointed in your picture danne.m. I knew it was the valve cover gasket. I checked under the car and could see the oil leaking into the exhaust manifold (headers). That section being extremely hot, caused the smoke. As it got worse with time, white smoke started puffing out of the mufflers even when it was cold outside. I replaced the valve cover gasket (VCG) and voila! Instantly the car stopped smoking from the rear of the engine and the mufflers. That very well could be your problem. It's an expensive job unless you do it yourself (spent less than $150 in gaskets for the job). Pretty simple, here's the youtube video i followed (that song in the video will stick in your head for about 2 days);