device

Hi All. I am new to this forum. I noticed that there has been white smoke (not continuous, not thick, increases when i rev the engine a bit) coming from the exhaust for some time now. I monitored the oil level and can confirm that i am losing oil. i have read that this may be caused by the oil separator but i can't find the part number which would help me order a new one. i also noticed oil stains beneath what i think is the vacuum pump. are the two issues in anyway connected? is there any way easy to know what exactly is causing the smoke in the exhaust?

any help will be greatly appreciated.

healthservices

White smoke is coolant, blueish white smoke is oil. Another hint is the smell, coolant is sweet smelling. If you don't wash the car after a full tank of gas, does the back bumper get a little dirty and greasy feeling when you try to wipe the dirt off with your finger?

Of course there is just condensation build up in the exhaust which is totally normal on all cars

device

thanks for the quick response.

i'll need to look closely to see whether the colour is blueish. but its pretty faint (not much smoke) and i'll also check for the greasy feeling on the back bumper. but the oil level is definitely dropping. when i rev the engine, the smoke is much more.

HiOffcr

Need the year and Model of car if you want us to find the part number for you!

device

the smoke still looks white to me and not blueish at all. When i start the engine, there is no smoke, but as the engine gets warm, the smoke starts to come out but isn't much. its much more when i rev the engine. there's a ticking sound from the area of the vacuum pump. there is no loss of power and the engine seems to run smoothly. the smoke doesn't smell sweet. i'm so worried. i just wanna fix whatever is wrong before it becomes more complicated. please help.

the car is 11/2003, 545i (europe)

stoic1

This! Is your car under warranty? If not, you can take it to a BMW dealership but I would recommend finding a local independent shop or do it yourself. Big thing is to make sure you find out what the problem is for certain so you don't waste $. You'll save money by doing the latter two. You can also save $ by buying parts from some dealerships at a reduced cost.

turboawd

what does the smoke smell like? does it smell like burning oil?
how's the coolant level?

device

thnx fr the replies guys.

no the car is not under warranty. the smoke doesn't smell sweet. smells more like un-burnt gas to me. the guys at a local shop here ran diagnostics and came up with a faulty thermostat and low secondary air mass flow errors. now the vacuum pump seems to be leaking as well. the coolant level seems normal.

now i think the leaky vacuum pump is responsible for my oil loss, and the white smoke is caused by the low secondary air mass.

anyone out there experienced stuff like this before?

stoic1

I just recently had a vacuum pump replaced. I bought it from the BMW dealership in Omaha and saved something like $140 or so. I would be concerned more with the white smoke issue though, get that taken care of pronto.