dlima0284

I was driving home last night when I realized a strong smell coming from the engine. I pulled over and popped the hood and checked the engine bay. I couldn't tell where it was coming from but it have a burning smell to it. Any help?

luigi524td

Coolant has "sweet" smell when it leaks on hot engine parts ... oil dripping on a hot engine gives off a pungent smell. You need to be more specific to get help. Year/engine/mileage ... E.g. has any maintenance been done recently? Any tell-tale signs - stains, droplets, etc?

Watch out and be careful not to do the following with loose or baggy clothing or sweatshirts/hoodies with long dangling strings!!!

Park in a darkened area - use a bright flashlight with the engine warmed up and running to look for wisps of fumes, smoke, etc - coming from the front - rear of the engine??

Report back and tell us what you've found - if anything

dlima0284

05 525i and I've just replaced my thermostat and had a small coolant leak repaired,no signs of oil dropping . It doesn't happen often but maybe 2 other occasions. I have no messages on my I drive so I'm kinda confused

luigi524td

iDrive will not alert you to "smells" and only report larger oil consumption - one/half to one quart at a time - your drips may take weeks to show that - same with coolant loss.

Can you differential the "odor" ... oil and coolant produce very different spells and it doesn't take a lot of oil dripping from a small leak onto a hot exhaust manifold to produce a lot of bad smell - but they don't get smaller over time. If you're not a DIY'er there are ways for a qualified BMW indy to trace the source of a leak - After first cleaning the engine they put a small amount of a special 'chemical' in the oil and after some running time use a black light to look for traces. Of course if the leak is potentially from common locations (valve cover gaskets etc) you could start with a clean engine and use an "old shade tree mechanic technique" - talcum powder dusted over the engine. Leaks will leave a tell-tale trail in the white dust.