Quote Originally Posted by infurno
thanks for the advice everyone. I'll have the compression/leak down tests done and see how bad it really is.

Its every cylinder, not just 1 or two. That gives me the feeling that it shouldn't be the piston rings, unless all 6 of the the piston rings failed at once.

What I think it may be is poorly installed seals and gaskets. I believe my father did it himself, and while hes not a bad mechanic I have heard BMW engines are pretty about how you do that.

I'm just a college student so I really don't have the opportunity to have the engine rebuilt. I would like to pop the head off and see whats going on down there, but I have been told that once you take the head off you must replace the gaskets before putting it back together.

Is this true?
Yep, very much true, along with a few other items such as head bolts etc. I would stick with getting a reputable mechanic to perform the tests as they will tell you much more than a view of your cylinder bores. In fact, I'd wager the view would do nothing but cost you money Compression tests are relatively cheap and easy to do yourself. Buy a comp tester for $20-30 and do a dry and wet test first, then get a leak down if theres doubt remaining. let us know if yiou need any help.

Dave