E36 blown head gasket (with some weird symptoms)?

Andrewf20

Hey folks,

I'm 98% convinced my head gasket is gone. Coming home yesterday the car jolted initially (I thought clutch was slipping), then was low on power when I tried to accelerate. When I revved the engine at the traffic lights, it felt a little lumpy.

I got home (4km drive) and let the engine sit for 30 minutes. I checked the oil and water levels - all good. No oil in water but milky goo on oil cap.

Here's the weird thing though - when I started the car it wasn't lumpy and there was no steam in exhaust but then I blipped the throttle and it started to climb its revs on its own when in neutral with a load of steam coming out the exhaust (2500rpm+)

I went out this morning and it's doing the same. Oil and water levels still ok. The revs climb immediately when I turn it on. I reckon if I left it for 30 seconds it would be at 6000rpm. No steam this morning either. When I put it in gear the car pulls along without pressing the accelerator.

Any clues what this may be about? I couldn't find anything on bimmer forums.

Thanks.

irish gent

Funny as you say I have some white goo on my dip stick..does it mean my engine is gone ??

biko

White/yellow gunk on dip stick or oil cap doesn't have to mean there is a serious issue.
This time of year it's colder and gunk/condensation can form anyway, particularly if you only drive short stretches and don't let car heat up properly every day.

Gunk alone doesn't mean car is in trouble. However, if coolant level is dropping too, then gunk could mean there is an issue.

Alanstrainor

In my e46 6 cylinder I find that I can occaisionally get yellow milky residue on the oil filler cap when I do a lot of short journeys. It's happened for the last 4 years from time to time, I believe the cold affects it more. I've never had any residue on the dip stick however.

Have you had any cooling issues lately?

jca

Sounds more like a crankcase breather has failed and it's letting air in on the high vacuum side. I'm assuming it's petrol, I'm not up on bmw's E numbers.

MercMad

White residue (mayonaise) on a cap or dipstick is not a definite sign of a blown head gasket. It is merely another symptom and further tests should be carried out especially in this weather since the colder weather leads to more condensation in an engine.

Special Circumstances

jca wrote: »

Sounds more like a crankcase breather has failed and it's letting air in on the high vacuum side. I'm assuming it's petrol, I'm not up on bmw's E numbers.

Sounds* like some kind of vacuum leak fun alright

(*caution, not a mechanic! )

Toyotafanboi

Another vote for vaccum leak. There's nothing in your story to suggest head gasket failure really.

Is the car petrol or diesel?

Andrewf20

It's the 323i petrol version. I think you guys are right. The White goo spooked me along with the steam and the mild vibration yesterday at the lights. The drive yesterday was short. The brother and I stripped down the inlet manifold up to the throttle body. The crank case breather pipe was removed and it looked fine/ not clogged. No cracks in it etc. No root cause seen but when we put the rubber boot / air flow sensor / filter unit back on, it was fine. Took it for a spin there and no issues seen. Water and oil levels are stable. There's no oil in the water and there is no roughness and the power is all there. All looks good at the mo.

This was the only coolant issue since last April when the thermostat had to be replaced due to an overheating near miss. Car has 224k miles.

Thanks for the inputs folks. Much appreciated.