smoke coming out of hood.. read on

[robert g]

My car sat for about 2 to 3 weeks. I am working on it and fixing alot of little things to make it almost perfect again. Like I said it has been sitting for about 2 weeks. I whent to start it up today and move it from where it was parked and I turned the key and some fair amount of smoke came out of the hood by the windshield. I than turn the car off. Usually when a car sits around I kind of crank it and shut it down to get the oil circulating from bottom to the top. I had a volvo and when I would adjust the valves just turning the motor a small amount the top of the motor was just covered with oil... No wonder that car ran forever. Back to the BMW... I opened the hood and looked around maybe a wire was burning or something... Nothing.. So i started the car and the car runs uneven. The last time it started up it ran fine. Everytime my car sits for a few weeks something happens to it. The brake pedal is hard and the car runs uneven. I hear poping sound in side the motor. Not the intake but the actual cylinders poping... The engine light flashes very fast several times while the car is running. I have no idea what it might be, so any help would be great....

So.. A quick recap... car sat and when I started it up smoke came out of the hood... Car runs uneven and there is a poping sound that comes out of the center of the motor.... not intake like backfire but poping sound from intake... Car runs but uneven... Thanks for any help....

It is a 94 525i with 182k miles

Sould I do a stomp test and see what codes it gives me and see if any of the electronic components are not working.

[AngryPopTart]

If you see smoke this early on then I'm guessing your car just burns oil at startup. The smoke coming from the engine area combined with the popping sound tells me you have an exhaust leak where one of the exhaust manifolds meets the cylinder head or at the collector where it runs to the catalytic converter.

[Ross]

Poor running combined witha hard brake pedal would have me looking for a bad vacuum leak. Perhaps the hose to the brake booster.

[SnakeyesTx]

If not the hose, the 90 degree one way valve elbow could be dried out and crumbling apart as well... been there, replaced that :D

[genphreak]

If not the hose, the 90 degree one way valve elbow could be dried out and crumbling apart as well... been there, replaced that :DThat and the 10 other rubber bits and o-rings and connectors n **** that do the same and are painful to replace... the smoke is from the back fire in the inlet manifold- the vapour stinks (and is dangerous).

You will need to buy and replace lots of little bits connecting into the inlet manfold... replace every hose. Its easiest to do in one go, but masochistic too... ;) Don't miss one: If you don't seal the 'fold, you won't get good running.