spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 i'm looking into buying a 97 328i that the guy says needs an intake gasket for a super cheap price. when i looked at it today, i pulled the oill cap and it looked like someone blew snot all over it. i was thinking headgasket issue but the guy was tring to guarentee me that it was just the intake gasket. he says that he quite driving it because the coolant was leaking into the intake from the bad gasket and causing the car to smoke. still sounds like a headgasket to me could his story hold water? or is he full of it? are there even coolant journals in the intake of a bmw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 run a headgasket test on it. test the coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GMoney Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Full of it. Intake doesnt have coolant passages. Headgasket, but not its not strange to have this happen at about 100,000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 and no i dont think there are coolant journals in the intake mani. OBD2 cars did have coolant running to the throttle body though i believe. this would be an obd2 car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwohio Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Not sure if you can read this without being a member, but my friend had a similar issue on his E36 http://ohiobimmers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3776&page=2 It sounds like a possible HG to me?? Also, how many miles are on it? If I were you, I would pay to have a PPI done before you buy it because there are lot of other things that would need attention that typically need refreshed on the E36 engines and chassis. Things to check/ask: Last time the cooling system was replaced/updated (rad, tstat, waterpump) Rear Trailing arms bushings-have they ever been replaced? (aka RTAB's) Rear Shock Mounts- same question (aka RSM's) This is a lot of reading, but gives you a good idea of everything to check for: This is specifically for an M3, but alot of similarities with the 97 328 http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=300562 Again, I would get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done and make sure you don't have a pandora's box you're about to buy. If you need advice on a good shop, John over at Best Motor Werks is a great shop for this. Tell him Kale sent you, and he'll take good care of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ef8sirJunkie Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Sounds to me like it needs a vent valve. They go bad all the time and are under the intake manifold. If you let it go to long your motor will lock up. It has 3 tubes 1 you can see in the front connected to the valve cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwohio Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Go here ----> http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?kind=P&series=E36&arch=0 Follow the click throughs, and it will give you expanded views of any part/section on that car......have a look for yourself too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 car has 170k on the original motor,im basically trading a $500 beater truck for the car i just dont wanna have to replace the head gasket. if thats the issue, id rather just keep the running beater truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 $500 is a good deal even with a blown HG. unless its a rustbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 yea but more work than i need at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 vent valve? is that the correct name for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 only valve i can think of under the intake is the ICV, and yes, it does connect to the spider hose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Sludge under the oil cap isn't a guarantee of a headgasket problem, but it definitely would point that way. You'll want to do a leak-down test to be sure. No, there shouldn't be any "coolant leaking from the intake manifold" Plus, the intake manifold has rubber o-rings that seal it that rarely fail unless you remove the manifold itself and tear them in the process. Follow Kale's advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patterson Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 How long has it been sitting? Mine before I bought it had a clogged pcv breather, filled with oil and sludge, sucked it down into the motor and shut it off. It was cleaned out and runs fine for me. Have you driven the car yet/does it run? Pressurize the cooling system and see if it holds pressure then do a compression test to see if its low on any cylinders. It Definately is not an intake Gasket problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 cars been sitting for a few months didnt drive it but it does start and runs smoothly. under the oil cap is not sludged up, but covered in yellow slime that looks like snot. no clue about that. i know that coolant can make oil turn milky looking but this stufff is like neon yellow. guess ill have to pressure test the coolant system and see from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolin_s14 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 guy mentioned a problem with the car smoking befor he parked it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ef8sirJunkie Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 How long has it been sitting? Mine before I bought it had a clogged pcv breather, filled with oil and sludge, sucked it down into the motor and shut it off. It was cleaned out and runs fine for me. . im pretty sure your talking about the vent valve as this is what happens, it causes the snot look in the oil (should clean the valve cover as well) and will cause excessive smoking. http://www.trademotion.com/sfimages/214336/partImages/4462/SFPLImage109032.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patterson Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 im pretty sure your talking about the vent valve as this is what happens, it causes the snot look in the oil (should clean the valve cover as well) and will cause excessive smoking. http://www.trademotion.com/sfimages/214336/partImages/4462/SFPLImage109032.jpg Yep that's it. Did you get my PM from the other day? I've seen quite a few caps white the milky oil on them in the past few years. No head gasket problems. It could be from moisture. Let the run for like a half an hour, see what it does then take it for a test drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Borgen Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Sounds to me like it needs a vent valve. They go bad all the time and are under the intake manifold. If you let it go to long your motor will lock up. It has 3 tubes 1 you can see in the front connected to the valve cover. a bad cyclone (the Crankcase Ventilation Valve) is possible...since the engine is an M52, this is the P/N 11151703484 it can be replaced without taking the mani off http://www.dvatp.com/bmw/diy/icv_ccv/ look at the oil....it s milky...look at the coolant too, if it is milky too, it s a bad HG more likely than not........I've never done one but it s a time consuming job that requires special tools that can be simulated Patter$on is right there....milky cap can simply be moisture from sitting no coolant journals in BMW intakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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