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View Full Version : burning oil, fouling plugs, smoking BAD at startup...



carolina525
11-10-2004, 10:56 AM
I rececently installed a new cylinder head (800 miles ago) and everything was working fine. Today the car fouls 2 plugs and is smoking at startup and the readout is telling me engine oil is low. Any idea why this is happening, could the head gasket have gone bad that quickly?

1990 525i m20 5 speed

winfred
11-10-2004, 01:08 PM
possible it died, did you replace the head bolts? if not that's probably what killed the gasket if that's the problem

632 Regal
11-10-2004, 01:09 PM
with fouled plugs youll be getting a lot of smoke and stuff. maybe the oil rail on top of the head loosened up or was installed wrong, IE: the end plug not installed, and is dumping too much oil upstairs and is pouring down the valves into the cylinders. Pull the valve cover and inspect.

carolina525
11-10-2004, 02:16 PM
possible it died, did you replace the head bolts? if not that's probably what killed the gasket if that's the problem

carolina525
11-10-2004, 04:13 PM
If so, should I try to tighten it?

632 Regal
11-10-2004, 05:17 PM
If so, should I try to tighten it?
have to check into that though.

winfred
11-10-2004, 10:35 PM
have to check into that though.

carolina525
11-11-2004, 08:06 AM
So Winfred what do you recommend I do from here?

winfred
11-11-2004, 01:12 PM
i am not sure what to suggest you said it was fowling out plugs, more then one cylinder? if so and on joining cylinders head gasket sounds likely, it's hard to say how to pursue this as oil dumping past a head gasket is uncommon, it's usually water or combustion gasses that leak

632 Regal
11-11-2004, 01:43 PM
try repalcing the plugs and see what happens?

carolina525
11-12-2004, 01:59 AM
blowing smoke out the pipe at startup and smelling like burning oil when I park. A friend said I may have a bad RING... does this sound liike that to you guys or could it just be the gasket? I would much rather change the gasket than install new rings...

632 Regal
11-12-2004, 10:43 AM
i think if you had a bad ring than you would be fouling only one plug, you should seriously do some more homework before you jump to conclusions. Try a leakdown test and a compression check, I would also pull the valve cover and see if perhaps your dumping oul down the valve guide or something. How many miles on this thing anyways?

carolina525
11-12-2004, 01:08 PM
your help in the past has been invaluable, I was simply asking if the rings may be the prob. It has 224K on it and it has been 2K since the new head was installed, it has also been over 1500 miles since it fouled a plug (once I put the new plugs in). what would be the visual signs of oil going down the valve guide? (what am I looking for when I pull the cover?)



i think if you had a bad ring than you would be fouling only one plug, you should seriously do some more homework before you jump to conclusions. Try a leakdown test and a compression check, I would also pull the valve cover and see if perhaps your dumping oul down the valve guide or something. How many miles on this thing anyways?