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      09-13-2021, 07:40 AM   #1
RoccoMarcellus
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White Smoke

Noticed some white smoke from my exhaust about 3 weeks ago, it was faint and not very noticeable

Used the car alot the past 3 weeks and noticed it again.

No fault codes etc and my engine oil is still at max level so I don't think its leaking turbos etc.

I'm full decat with stock resonators ( could the smoke be from the resonators ? )

Smoke comes out between 3-4k rpm but it only comes out once in a while

I noticed it through video ( camera at the rear ) , then took the car for a 20min drive ( relatively hard ) as i did not know about the smoke issue . The camera was to record my exhaust sound for YouTube then i noticed the smoke again

What could this be ? If it was my turbo seals, valve cover etc then i assume my engine oil level should have at least dropped a little since i drove the car alot the past 3 weeks.

Any idea ? Could it be from my IC ?

Im on BM3 stage 2 93 Oct
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      09-13-2021, 08:34 AM   #2
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Turbo seals would be my first guess for sure. Not surprising your oil level hasn’t dropped, it doesn’t take much to cause a puff. Best of luck keep us posted!
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      09-13-2021, 10:05 AM   #3
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go check your turbo intercooler reservoir.

If it's empty you have a major problem as coolant is leaking into J Pipe side and into your engine and creating classic white smoke.

Get this checked asap.

Open up the reservoir
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      09-13-2021, 12:27 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deeldoo View Post
go check your turbo intercooler reservoir.

If it's empty you have a major problem as coolant is leaking into J Pipe side and into your engine and creating classic white smoke.

Get this checked asap.

Open up the reservoir

This ^^^ Water (coolant) leak is indicative of white smoke.
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      09-13-2021, 08:36 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rideontwo View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeldoo View Post
go check your turbo intercooler reservoir.

If it's empty you have a major problem as coolant is leaking into J Pipe side and into your engine and creating classic white smoke.

Get this checked asap.

Open up the reservoir

This ^^^ Water (coolant) leak is indicative of white smoke.
Will check it out

Is there any possibility that the white smoke could be coming from my resonator ? ( resonator being damaged etc )
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      09-13-2021, 10:33 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by rideontwo View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeldoo View Post
go check your turbo intercooler reservoir.

If it's empty you have a major problem as coolant is leaking into J Pipe side and into your engine and creating classic white smoke.

Get this checked asap.

Open up the reservoir

This ^^^ Water (coolant) leak is indicative of white smoke.
Will check it out

Is there any possibility that the white smoke could be coming from my resonator ? ( resonator being damaged etc )
What do you mean by resonator?

Like these guys said, easiest thing to eliminate is the charge cooler (or intercooler on top the engine). Open the filler cap and peak at the coolant level. Do a search, if you want pictures. There are tons of big threads about this leaking specifically.

If it's low or empty, fill it up, drive and check daily. If the level is consistently dropping you likely have a cracked/leaking cooler. Buy an upgraded aftermarket one. If that ends up being the problem don't sweat it too much. Just replace and you'll be good to go.
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      09-16-2021, 02:56 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shubacca View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by rideontwo View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeldoo View Post
go check your turbo intercooler reservoir.

If it's empty you have a major problem as coolant is leaking into J Pipe side and into your engine and creating classic white smoke.

Get this checked asap.

Open up the reservoir

This ^^^ Water (coolant) leak is indicative of white smoke.
Will check it out

Is there any possibility that the white smoke could be coming from my resonator ? ( resonator being damaged etc )
What do you mean by resonator?

Like these guys said, easiest thing to eliminate is the charge cooler (or intercooler on top the engine). Open the filler cap and peak at the coolant level. Do a search, if you want pictures. There are tons of big threads about this leaking specifically.

If it's low or empty, fill it up, drive and check daily. If the level is consistently dropping you likely have a cracked/leaking cooler. Buy an upgraded aftermarket one. If that ends up being the problem don't sweat it too much. Just replace and you'll be good to go.
Update: Coolant Reservoir is very low, my IC reservoir is about 20% down

Topped up with water to see if its a bad leak or if its a small leak ( occurs only when driving )

After 3 days it hasnt gone down ( car has been parked )

I recently did my crankhub about 4 months ago so im sure the coolant was definitely to its full capacity therefore the IC is definitely leaking. Thankfully not the turbo seals 🙏🏽
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      09-16-2021, 06:26 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Update: Coolant Reservoir is very low, my IC reservoir is about 20% down

Topped up with water to see if its a bad leak or if its a small leak ( occurs only when driving )

After 3 days it hasnt gone down ( car has been parked )

I recently did my crankhub about 4 months ago so im sure the coolant was definitely to its full capacity therefore the IC is definitely leaking. Thankfully not the turbo seals ����
Most likely you have a busted intercooler. It is a weak point of the S55. Get it replaced ASAP, it is not healthy for the engine to breath coolant. The interccoler will not leak when the engine is not running.
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      09-18-2021, 09:23 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CanAutM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Update: Coolant Reservoir is very low, my IC reservoir is about 20% down

Topped up with water to see if its a bad leak or if its a small leak ( occurs only when driving )

After 3 days it hasnt gone down ( car has been parked )

I recently did my crankhub about 4 months ago so im sure the coolant was definitely to its full capacity therefore the IC is definitely leaking. Thankfully not the turbo seals ����
Most likely you have a busted intercooler. It is a weak point of the S55. Get it replaced ASAP, it is not healthy for the engine to breath coolant. The interccoler will not leak when the engine is not running.
I saw that the engine coolant and the IC coolant are two seperate systems on a different thread

Is this true ?

My engine coolant ( larger reservoir ) is empty but my IC reservoir is fairly filled up


I dont see any leaks on the larger reservoir. Will a leaking IC cause my engine coolant to drop ? Or are they seperate independant systems ?
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      09-18-2021, 09:54 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanAutM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Update: Coolant Reservoir is very low, my IC reservoir is about 20% down

Topped up with water to see if its a bad leak or if its a small leak ( occurs only when driving )

After 3 days it hasnt gone down ( car has been parked )

I recently did my crankhub about 4 months ago so im sure the coolant was definitely to its full capacity therefore the IC is definitely leaking. Thankfully not the turbo seals ����
Most likely you have a busted intercooler. It is a weak point of the S55. Get it replaced ASAP, it is not healthy for the engine to breath coolant. The interccoler will not leak when the engine is not running.
I saw that the engine coolant and the IC coolant are two seperate systems on a different thread

Is this true ?

My engine coolant ( larger reservoir ) is empty but my IC reservoir is fairly filled up


I dont see any leaks on the larger reservoir. Will a leaking IC cause my engine coolant to drop ? Or are they seperate independant systems ?
Thought I knew, but this expanded my knowledge a ton:

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      09-18-2021, 09:57 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
I saw that the engine coolant and the IC coolant are two seperate systems on a different thread

Is this true ?

My engine coolant ( larger reservoir ) is empty but my IC reservoir is fairly filled up


I dont see any leaks on the larger reservoir. Will a leaking IC cause my engine coolant to drop ? Or are they seperate independant systems ?
They are two distinct cooling systems with no interconnection between them. So no, a leaking IC would not cause your main system to come low.

Reading this sentence “Update: Coolant Reservoir is very low, my IC reservoir is about 20% down”, I assumed it was your low temp IC cooling system that was leaking because it is a recurring problem with the S55.
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      09-18-2021, 10:01 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CanAutM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
I saw that the engine coolant and the IC coolant are two seperate systems on a different thread

Is this true ?

My engine coolant ( larger reservoir ) is empty but my IC reservoir is fairly filled up


I dont see any leaks on the larger reservoir. Will a leaking IC cause my engine coolant to drop ? Or are they seperate independant systems ?
They are two distinct cooling systems with no interconnection between them. So no, a leaking IC would not cause your main system to come low.

Sorry, I jumped to conclusion thinking it was your low temp IC cooling system that was leaking because it is a recurring problem with the S55.
Gotcha

So that would mean that my IC is actually fine?

Anyone know what are the common reasons why the Engine Coolant Reservoir will suddenly go empty ?

Summary
- no fault codes yet
- engine oil still at max
- engine coolant tank empty
- IC tank low just by a very little bit
- occasional white smoke from exhaust, very faint and only comes for about 2-4 seconds
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      09-18-2021, 10:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Gotcha

So that would mean that my IC is actually fine?

Anyone know what are the common reasons why the Engine Coolant Reservoir will suddenly go empty ?

Summary
- no fault codes yet
- engine oil still at max
- engine coolant tank empty
- IC tank low just by a very little bit
- occasional white smoke from exhaust, very faint and only comes for about 2-4 seconds
White smoke is telltale sign you are burning coolant and your coolant is low. So is does seem likely you have some coolant leaking in the gas path of of the engine. Could come from many possible sources: turbos, head gasket, cracked head or block just to name the most conspicuous. A small amount of coolant would not be enough to cause misfires or throw faults, but it will be damaging to the engine in the long run.
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      09-18-2021, 11:29 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CanAutM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Gotcha

So that would mean that my IC is actually fine?

Anyone know what are the common reasons why the Engine Coolant Reservoir will suddenly go empty ?

Summary
- no fault codes yet
- engine oil still at max
- engine coolant tank empty
- IC tank low just by a very little bit
- occasional white smoke from exhaust, very faint and only comes for about 2-4 seconds
White smoke is telltale sign you are burning coolant and your coolant is low. So is does seem likely you have some coolant leaking in the gas path of of the engine. Could come from many possible sources: turbos, head gasket, cracked head or block just to name the most conspicuous. A small amount of coolant would not be enough to cause misfires or throw faults, but it will be damaging to the engine in the long run.
So basically if its a cracked tank then its considered " good news " cuz every other option is bad and going to be expensive … uhoh

Another thing, read about S55 turbo seals going bad. Can the seals be replaced ? Or do i need a new turbo system ?

I'm on 93 Oct stage 2. Don't plan on getting upgrsded turbos so wondering if the turbo seals can be fixed ( if they are the issue )
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      09-18-2021, 01:36 PM   #15
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Sorry can you clarify whether you have symptoms of the engine coolant or the charge cooler leaking? Which is losing coolant level?
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      09-18-2021, 03:50 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatRempit View Post
Noticed some white smoke from my exhaust about 3 weeks ago, it was faint and not very noticeable

Used the car alot the past 3 weeks and noticed it again.

No fault codes etc and my engine oil is still at max level so I don't think its leaking turbos etc.

I'm full decat with stock resonators ( could the smoke be from the resonators ? )

Smoke comes out between 3-4k rpm but it only comes out once in a while

I noticed it through video ( camera at the rear ) , then took the car for a 20min drive ( relatively hard ) as i did not know about the smoke issue . The camera was to record my exhaust sound for YouTube then i noticed the smoke again

What could this be ? If it was my turbo seals, valve cover etc then i assume my engine oil level should have at least dropped a little since i drove the car alot the past 3 weeks.

Any idea ? Could it be from my IC ?

Im on BM3 stage 2 93 Oct
This thread had a similar issue and it was the turbos.

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...ighlight=smoke
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      09-18-2021, 10:49 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shubacca View Post
Sorry can you clarify whether you have symptoms of the engine coolant or the charge cooler leaking? Which is losing coolant level?
Engine coolant tank has barely any coolant

IC Coolant is still at decent amount ( the lowest reading )
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      10-11-2021, 11:41 PM   #18
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Update : I have yet to take the car to the workshop

Wondering if its possible to get the turbo seals fixed ( if they are my turbo seals ) or would i need to purchase new turbos ?
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      10-14-2021, 12:48 PM   #19
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https://youtu.be/yjUBK4FHEPo


I hope this is not your case.
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      10-18-2021, 11:27 AM   #20
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edit

Last edited by AutoTalent; 10-18-2021 at 04:58 PM..
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      11-29-2021, 06:00 AM   #21
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got the car checked, turbo seals are bad .. getting the turbo seals refurbished
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