Gasket gone?
Gasket gone?
Today i had a horrid shock. When i started my 2001 Z3 3.0 all i saw was white smoke. Has my head gasket blown? The heater has been working fine, there has been no rough running and it has always started fine. Theres been a little mayo under the filler cap but i believe this to be common on cars only doing a small mileage. Luckily.as the car had been sat all day and inoticed the smoke as soon as i started i think that damage should be limited. Its only done 42,000 miles with a full history. Any thoughts?
Thanks all.
Thanks all.
- hornel Z3M
- Joined: Sun 16 May, 2004 20:33
- Posts: 1120
- Location: RAGLAN
z
Hi Tom. Firstly if you have been starting the car and not driving it to normal temperature then you have just a condensation problem, assuming the white smoke was from the exhaust. I had that problem last year and now i dont start the car all winter.
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- Joined: Sat 29 Jan, 2011 20:34
- Posts: 361
- Location: tamworth
white smoke from exhaust
Hi Tom, a limited amount of white smoke isn't unusual at this time of year but if you have excessive amounts it could certainly be the head gasket.
When the engine is not running coolant finds it's way via the faulty gasket and into the compression chamber.On starting the engine this coolant is quickly turned into vapour and emitted from the exhaust. This should decrease when running at normal operating temperature but if left will cause distortion to the head and further engine damage may result.
One consolation is that you have found the problem early and the head gasket is not a major repair.
Best of luck
When the engine is not running coolant finds it's way via the faulty gasket and into the compression chamber.On starting the engine this coolant is quickly turned into vapour and emitted from the exhaust. This should decrease when running at normal operating temperature but if left will cause distortion to the head and further engine damage may result.
One consolation is that you have found the problem early and the head gasket is not a major repair.
Best of luck
I agree, sounds like a gasket.
Was it anything like this <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1XhIl9oiV6M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Don't buy a cheap replacement gasket, a garage friend has fitted the cheap ones from ECP etc and they blow in a very short time.
Was it anything like this <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1XhIl9oiV6M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Don't buy a cheap replacement gasket, a garage friend has fitted the cheap ones from ECP etc and they blow in a very short time.
Gazza
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
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- Joined: Sat 29 Jan, 2011 20:34
- Posts: 361
- Location: tamworth
Sorry its been a while for my reply but work kills what little spare time I seem to get.
Anyway, the garage picked the car up on Weds of last week. They started it first time with no problem. It was a very rough idle sounding quite like a two stroke moped instead of a silky straight six! After looking under the oil filler and a general preliminary nose the two mechies seem to agree its the gasket. I will be phoning them later this evening to see what they found after towing it to the garage.
I will update asap.
Thanks all.
Anyway, the garage picked the car up on Weds of last week. They started it first time with no problem. It was a very rough idle sounding quite like a two stroke moped instead of a silky straight six! After looking under the oil filler and a general preliminary nose the two mechies seem to agree its the gasket. I will be phoning them later this evening to see what they found after towing it to the garage.
I will update asap.
Thanks all.
Re: Gasket gone?
Well heres an update. Its not the gasket but its the head thats cracked! No idea how or why. Had a gas exchange test done and it comes up positive. So, a new head needed. Any ideas guys?
Re: Gasket gone?
Appreciate that this is only a forum with brief exchanges, but did your garage actually remove the head or just apply a chemical test to the coolant? My understanding is that the only way to be 100% sure the head is cracked (as opposed to a blown head gasket) is to actually remove and inspect it.
Re: Gasket gone?
Well guys, after working like a slave for the summer I've finally got the cash spare for the fix! The heads going off tomorrow to be mended with a skim and re-fit of everything. As I've been in contact with the guys at Qualitycylinderheads.co.uk over the summer not only have they knocked off the VAT but are also doing a port and polish for me all for £450! Not bad i reckon.
I'll keep everyone updated and I appreciated all the comments, thanks all.
I'll keep everyone updated and I appreciated all the comments, thanks all.
Re: Gasket gone?
in the oil filler "hole"?BigTom wrote:little mayo under the filler cap .
in that case, I'm afraid is really the head..
EDIT read now is the head cracked...worst solution. infact the "mayo" is a symptomps that oil and water melt together, the gasket would have been better IMHO..
Re: Gasket gone?
Thanks for the new replies guys. To answer an earlier post, the garage did all proper tests to diagnose the problem. Theyre a great lot and are not adverse to accepting folding vouchers at a lower price!
But the whole thing has left me wishing that I'd kept my TVR Chimaera which never went wrong! So much for BMW reliability!
But the whole thing has left me wishing that I'd kept my TVR Chimaera which never went wrong! So much for BMW reliability!
Re: Gasket gone?
That literally must be the first time a TVR has been praised for being more reliable than a Z3. Must admit after just selling my Zed i am concerend that i will never find anything as reliable. ION almost 10 yrs of ownership the most that went wrong was cam and abs sensor...and i probably could have cleanted them up if i wanted to.