Hole in my engine!!!! ARRRGHHH!!
Discussion
Vehicle: 1998 e36 M3 Convertible
Mileage: 42,000
Last serviced: 3 weeks ago, Inspection II.
Ok, new member here, and in serious trouble.
I was giving my M3 a spirited drive on the way home from work today, as we had some decent sun for once. I overtook a car on my favourite stretch of road and was upset to see i was leaving a huge trail of smoke in my wake. I pulled in immediately and lifted the bonnet. Oil and smoke everywhere!!! Removed the cover on the rocker cover (black 'BMW M POWER' cover) and there's a hole the size of a 5 pence piece on the top of the black rocker cover. The hole is right at the front of the engine in between the last spark plug and the VANOS unit. The car was running fine and was not making any strange noises prior to the smoke.
Whatever caused the hole is obviously still in the bowls of the engine somewhere.
Since the car was serviced, during start up from cold, the car wouldn't idle as before. It now judders for 5 seconds or so then idles correctly. Could this be connected? Should have taken the car back I know but haven't yet had the time.
I've been told that a valve has probably dropped and been shot up through the top of the engine. Any ideas???
Can't believe this has happened on such a low mileage car, needless to say i'm gutted.
Any advice very welcome.
Mileage: 42,000
Last serviced: 3 weeks ago, Inspection II.
Ok, new member here, and in serious trouble.
I was giving my M3 a spirited drive on the way home from work today, as we had some decent sun for once. I overtook a car on my favourite stretch of road and was upset to see i was leaving a huge trail of smoke in my wake. I pulled in immediately and lifted the bonnet. Oil and smoke everywhere!!! Removed the cover on the rocker cover (black 'BMW M POWER' cover) and there's a hole the size of a 5 pence piece on the top of the black rocker cover. The hole is right at the front of the engine in between the last spark plug and the VANOS unit. The car was running fine and was not making any strange noises prior to the smoke.
Whatever caused the hole is obviously still in the bowls of the engine somewhere.
Since the car was serviced, during start up from cold, the car wouldn't idle as before. It now judders for 5 seconds or so then idles correctly. Could this be connected? Should have taken the car back I know but haven't yet had the time.
I've been told that a valve has probably dropped and been shot up through the top of the engine. Any ideas???
Can't believe this has happened on such a low mileage car, needless to say i'm gutted.
Any advice very welcome.
Hedgetrimmer said:
Not really an expert on the E36 M3 and therefore I am not sure if the valve clearances are normally reset as part of an inspection II. If this is the case, then the dealer may not have set the timing or tightened things up correctly at the service.
All M50-based //M engines and the ones that preceded them, require the valve clearances to be manually adjusted.OP, I'd be having a word with your mechanic.
Has the timing belt snapped? A valve dropping at the wrong time could collide with the piston on the compression or exhaust stroke. I'm not quite sure how this would cause part of the valve to come out the engine, as surely the camshafts etc would be in the way? Usually when a valve drops you will just destroy the valve and possibly the piston too, but nothing usually exits the engine... Oh and as for mileage, your car is 12 years old, so having a major engine failure isn't entirely out of the ordinary.
Olivera said:
Has the timing belt snapped? A valve dropping at the wrong time could collide with the piston on the compression or exhaust stroke. I'm not quite sure how this would cause part of the valve to come out the engine, as surely the camshafts etc would be in the way? Usually when a valve drops you will just destroy the valve and possibly the piston too, but nothing usually exits the engine... Oh and as for mileage, your car is 12 years old, so having a major engine failure isn't entirely out of the ordinary.
I don't think 12 years makes any difference and I think snapping a cam belt is a little unlikely if the engine manages to run :-)E36 Evo's run a duplex timing chain. if that broke during a spirted drive I do not think the damage would be limited to a dropped valve and a 5p sized hole in the rocker cover.
OP, any pictures of this hole to clarify exactly where it is?
Is it under the coil pack cover or in the area between the oil filler and vanos?
OP, any pictures of this hole to clarify exactly where it is?
Is it under the coil pack cover or in the area between the oil filler and vanos?
Thanks for the input guys.
Thanks for supplying the photo. I don't have a photo myself as the car's in the garage but to describe it on the photo provided, the hole is literally just to the left of the spark plug nearest the bottom of the photo, closest to the front of the car.
The piece of rocker cover that came out was in one piece sitting under the M POWER plate, there were no other fragments of anything anywhere.
Still gutted....
Thanks for supplying the photo. I don't have a photo myself as the car's in the garage but to describe it on the photo provided, the hole is literally just to the left of the spark plug nearest the bottom of the photo, closest to the front of the car.
The piece of rocker cover that came out was in one piece sitting under the M POWER plate, there were no other fragments of anything anywhere.
Still gutted....
Sit Rep:
Took Lady M to the garage. Basically one of the two cogs in the Vanos unit (each one held together by 6 nuts) had one of its nuts fail, fall out, and end up under the crank shaft. One of the cranks, during its cycle, came round and fired the nut straight out the top of the rocker cover. Nut should be replaced easily enough and the hole in the rocker cover welded shut.
Yet to get the bill from the garage but told to expect it to be less than £100.
Who'd have thought that!!!
BMW Salisbury and my specialist have never heard of this before.
Needless to say i'm relieved, and got some decent sleep last night.
Took Lady M to the garage. Basically one of the two cogs in the Vanos unit (each one held together by 6 nuts) had one of its nuts fail, fall out, and end up under the crank shaft. One of the cranks, during its cycle, came round and fired the nut straight out the top of the rocker cover. Nut should be replaced easily enough and the hole in the rocker cover welded shut.
Yet to get the bill from the garage but told to expect it to be less than £100.
Who'd have thought that!!!
BMW Salisbury and my specialist have never heard of this before.
Needless to say i'm relieved, and got some decent sleep last night.
2341 said:
Sit Rep:
Took Lady M to the garage. Basically one of the two cogs in the Vanos unit (each one held together by 6 nuts) had one of its nuts fail, fall out, and end up under the crank shaft. One of the cranks, during its cycle, came round and fired the nut straight out the top of the rocker cover. Nut should be replaced easily enough and the hole in the rocker cover welded shut.
Yet to get the bill from the garage but told to expect it to be less than £100.
Who'd have thought that!!!
BMW Salisbury and my specialist have never heard of this before.
Needless to say i'm relieved, and got some decent sleep last night.
Good to hearTook Lady M to the garage. Basically one of the two cogs in the Vanos unit (each one held together by 6 nuts) had one of its nuts fail, fall out, and end up under the crank shaft. One of the cranks, during its cycle, came round and fired the nut straight out the top of the rocker cover. Nut should be replaced easily enough and the hole in the rocker cover welded shut.
Yet to get the bill from the garage but told to expect it to be less than £100.
Who'd have thought that!!!
BMW Salisbury and my specialist have never heard of this before.
Needless to say i'm relieved, and got some decent sleep last night.
which garage did you take it too?
Edited by amir_j on Thursday 11th March 19:37
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