2002 BMW E46 318 smoke

ba_barabus · 05-08-2013 5:31pm #1

2002 BMW E46 318.

Started the car last week after it was standing for a few weeks and was met with lots of black smoke straight away rising out from around the bonnet.

Lifted the bonnet and it seemed to be coming from behind the engine.

Its after doing the same this evening. Any ideas?

Oil level is fine, there is a slight leak at the front of the engibe but they all do that.

ba_barabus · 05-08-2013 5:48pm

Incidentally both times if I take it for a drive it stops.

Its driving fine too.

dgt · 05-08-2013 6:01pm

Hmmm..... Could be deposits on the exhaust from lying up?

ba_barabus · 05-08-2013 6:05pm

dgt wrote: »

Hmmm..... Could be deposits on the exhaust from lying up?

It was only parked 3 weeks then one week. Basically it was standing for all of July.

Parked in the driveway beside the house. No leaves etc and the engine bay is as normal from what I can tell. I had checked the leaks about a week before on a lift and they are very slight and none were present around the engine apart from the front. I was more concerned it was electrical.

Renegade Mechanic · 05-08-2013 6:09pm

Happened on a Frontera I own. Only it smoked like a forest fire on every start up:o. But I noticed some coming up around the bonnet too. A look revealed the gasket had gone around the egr valve. Might be worth checking around the exhaust/egr system for leaks. Mine made no noise over the sound of the engine running.

ba_barabus · 05-08-2013 6:12pm

I'm near Newry so have no mechanic I know to get a proper look at it.

I'll see what I can see later from above.

ba_barabus · 06-08-2013 12:49pm

Bad smell again put if it today but can't see any smoke.

burke027 · 07-08-2013 10:11am

This is gona be caused by a blocked breather valve I can assure u that around bmws a long time and it's a fairly common fault

ba_barabus · 08-08-2013 7:14am

burke027 wrote: »

This is gona be caused by a blocked breather valve I can assure u that around bmws a long time and it's a fairly common fault

Had it at a mechanic yesterday. Turned out to be a piece of bloody plastic that must have been thrown up from the road.

ba_barabus · 09-08-2013 8:55am

Smoke back but I've located the source this time.

Does anyone know of any 318's being broken near Newry?

biko · 09-08-2013 8:57am

Check with Traynors

ba_barabus · 09-08-2013 10:21am

biko wrote: »

Check with Traynors

Have it nearly sorted. The car wasn't behaving itself so I wasn't up for a drive that was too far from home.

The auxiliary air box was being pressed against the back of a tensioner and was smoking. Its being plasti welded now as I can't find a direct swap.

The car kept cutting out when I pulled up to stop and was drinking a bit of petrol. I'm hoping it was just the extra air getting in as it had started running like a dog in general.

2002 BMW E46 318 smoke

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