A B Able Truck

You have a 2006???? If so, you more then likely have a N62TU which does not have secondary air. A catch can stops the oil that enters the intake thru the CCV system - not the valve stem seals.

gpth

Hi Able Truck, thanks for the reply. I have a 2006 X5 4.4i which I think has the N62 motor, so I was assuming that the catch can solution would work. I am not too savvy on the mechanics of the oil entering the intake system. I remember getting into this forum from a post that mirrored my problem of the car blowing a bunch of white smoke after idling for a while. My shop has suggested valve stem seal replacement which seems to be the common remedy but the catch can solution sounded like a viable alternative. Did I miss something? Thanks for your input.

A B Able Truck

You want to make the catch can(s) the low point in the system. You should also pull the throttle valve and clean as much of the oil out of the intake as possible. You don't want a pre-existing condition to affect your observations. I mounted vacuum gauges to check crankcase seal condition (1) oil dipstick tube (2) intake port


When it's all said & done - considering the vehicle age and assuming the valve stem seals have never been done on your vehicle, they will more then likely need to be replaced. But there are other posters on other forums that have had them replaced but they state their car still smokes - they didn't deal with the intake oil issues first. Or their mechanic didn't replace the seals as billed.

J0el07

Burgertuning.com also has them.

A B Able Truck

Vacuum values;

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...3&d=1398346428


Throttle valve (page 7);

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/at...4&d=1326480212

dallas535i

I somehow passed smog last year, but I cleared codes for failing oxygen sensor a,d thus car wouldn't pass texas inspection. As it happens, I sold the car the next day and replaced with a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium. I can now idle INDEFINITELY! I was at 137K miles, and didnt have things like aux in or rearview camera or streaming bluetooth audio. It was time to refresh my ride. The new owner flew in from out of state, picked it up at the airport, and drove it back home. I had a 2006 550i; I got my username when I was deciding between the two; I should've gone with the 535i in retrospect.
Best of luck guys!

prolenebv1

crwarren11, have you ever solved your smog check problem using the oil catch can or did you have to change the valve stem seals? I'm having the same issues right now with my car and I just need to pass smog for the time being and either fix the car later when I have the time and money or just trade the car before the next smog check. But for now I just need to pass smog to renew the registration.

RonVF

Hello all, i have been following this smoke issue as my car started doing it about a year ago. It has been progressively getting worse. I have been on the fence about doing catch cans or even replacing the valve stem seals especially after having read where replacing the seals didn't resolve the problem.
I also recalled reading somewhere that someone pulled the plugs on the valve solenoids that are on the front of the timing covers. Well I had to replace my coolant hoses yesterday and while I was able to finally get to the plugs on those solenoids I figured what the heck. I am happy to report NO BLUE SMOKE! Had the car out for several hours today. Took my wife shopping while I sat in the parking lot with the engine idling ( something I haven't been able to do for a while) at multiple stops and NO BLUE SMOKE.
Now I have to emotion my check engine light is on but it was before I disconnected the plugs so until I get a ODBII reading I can't say for sure if what I did is adding to the codes or not but the car runs fine and there is NO BLUE SMOKE...
If anything changes I'll let you know.

2005 545ia sport with 172000+

prolenebv1

crwarren11, thanks I'll keep him in mind. I was able to pass smog by doing the scotch brite solution and cleaning up the intake manifold with seafoam. I might still do the catch can later. I'm really not convinced that it's the valve stem seals. I think the larger diameter of the seals were actually designed that way and not a result of wear and tear. My guess is that the vacuum issue gets resolved when the valve stem seals were replaced because they also replaced the gaskets etc. I tried to use thicker oil before thinking that it would minimize seeping in the valve stem seals, the leaks from the valve cover disappeared but there were still smoke coming out of the tailpipe. After the scotch brite and seafoam, the smoke was totally gone and I even went back to 5w30 oil.