Sharing Experience - Don't Panic! (and other e90 stories - everything that could go wrong with your e90)

[rijac1970 4]

so, i've had this 2005 e90 320i for 8 months now. love the car. its brilliant. not entirely problem free - had to replace a sensor and have ongoing oil consumption (leak) and coolant leak issues. so, i've become quite used to weekly checks for oil and coolant levels. usually the warning light for low oil comes with a +1L instruction. so the other day, i had a low oil warning but without the +1L. i put 800ml in. then i drove from takapuna to pt chev. noticed some white smoke whafting from the engine bay on the way over. i know this sometimes happens because of the oil leak onto to manifold and getting burned off. but by the time i got to my destination, it was pretty much steaming nonstop and when i popped the bonnet there was oil all over the place and i could see it flowing out through the top where the filler cap was. fearing the worst (it is a BMW after all!) i figured my gasket had blown.. but after observing for a while, i realized it might have been over filling of engine oil... i didn't have any tube or pump to suck out oil so i just called AA for a tow home. i figured i could suck it out or just drive it quickly to the BMW 5 minutes from home on monday (this happened sunday night). next morning i noticed the filler cap was not locked in properly. i wondered if it had been blown off during the leak from the overfill. but at the same time the oil gauge sensor was showing 3 quarters full only. i tightened the cap, cleaned up the engine bay a bit and started the engine and let it warm up and drove around the block a few times pushing hard to see if i could force the thing to pop again. everything was back to normal.

conclusion - i hadn't put the cap on and locked it thightly!!! don't be an idiot like me if this happens to you. don't panic, keep calm take your time to think through what the problem could be... i'm laughing now, but it wasn't funny on that day.

just wanted to share.

EDIT: wanted to talk about the waterpump leak that just happened and decided i'd just make this an ongoing e90 problem discussion thread (i bet i'll have plenty more to come!) instead of starting a new one. Might be useful for potential e90 users as a reference.

Edited August 25, 2016 by rijac1970
change title

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

I really feel sorry for you owning one of these

[328bema 18]

Are these particular models riddled with faults? At least you learnt a lesson which is a good part of your experience, i think most people would've thought the same in such a situation

[rijac1970 4]

well, i've been reading up and yes, oil consumption/leak is a very common problem. i'm puting in a litre a month on average which is probably too much, given how low my usage is in KMs. just been a bit tied up and busy to having it looked at in detail to find out the real source of the leak. the coolant leak is a funny one though.. it can go for a long time with no drop in level then one day all of sudden i find a pool of coolant on the bottom of the engine bay....

[Matth5 471]

well, i've been reading up and yes, oil consumption/leak is a very common problem. i'm puting in a litre a month on average which is probably too much, given how low my usage is in KMs. just been a bit tied up and busy to having it looked at in detail to find out the real source of the leak. the coolant leak is a funny one though.. it can go for a long time with no drop in level then one day all of sudden i find a pool of coolant on the bottom of the engine bay....

My car is 16 years oil with visible oil leakage. After an oil change, it took 8 months before the yellow oil light came on.

Still not sure it even needed that top up as the oil light came on another time from going downhill but a check with the dipstick showed it was fine.

So yea, that's bad.

Edited March 4, 2015 by Matth5

[HappyH00ker 30]

I really feel sorry for you owning one of these

Thank you Glenn for the warning last year.. I'm loving the E90 323i Msport

[tintop 10]

I was looking at a manual one of these before I bought my RX-8.

Sounds like my rotary uses less oil

[handgrenade 189]

Yep well goes to show that all the comments on here about the e90 320 are accurate. My e36 6pot doesn't use any oil despite the near 300km on it. Thanks for sharing your experience though. Always good to have first hand experience and advice on things like this.. I had issues finding the radiator cap on my car first when I got it.. First Euro I owned. Why didn't they put the cap on top of the actual radiator dammit haha

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

lol even my dinosaur engine doesnt use anything

Glenn, if you dont mind sharing what actually causes the problem in these engines? can "it" be bypassed or fixed? or one of those things in the design and not possible or economic to fix.

One of my mates mom has a compact with that engine in it and seems to run very wheel, but its a diamond amoungst coal it seems!

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

The most common

Oil leaks from:

Oil filler cap

Rocker cover

Brake vacuum pump

Oil filter remote housing

Vanos solenoid seals

Camshaft position sensor seals

Sump gasket

Over pressurization of crankcase due to blocked / collapsed breather hoses and PCV valve

Water leaks:

Radiator

Expansion tank

Radiator cap

Water pump

Thermostat housing

All coolant & heater hoses and associated plastic fittings

Rear cylinder head coolant plate

[qube 3570]

In other words. Stay away.

[rijac1970 4]

curious though - would the 323 or 325 versions have the same issues? i would presume they share a lot of the parts. or is the 6 cyl engine completely different?

[polley 916]

The most common

Oil leaks from:

Oil filler cap

Rocker cover

Brake vacuum pump

Oil filter remote housing

Vanos solenoid seals

Camshaft position sensor seals

Sump gasket

Over pressurization of crankcase due to blocked / collapsed breather hoses and PCV valve

Water leaks:

Radiator

Expansion tank

Radiator cap

Water pump

Thermostat housing

All coolant & heater hoses and associated plastic fittings

Rear cylinder head coolant plate

So pretty much everywhere possible.

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

curious though - would the 323 or 325 versions have the same issues? i would presume they share a lot of the parts. or is the 6 cyl engine completely different?

The 6's are much better vehicles and nicer to drive, but they do have there own issues. But nowhere like those of the 4 cylinder variety

[Red Dwarf 136]

The most common

Oil leaks from:

Oil filler cap

Rocker cover

Brake vacuum pump

Oil filter remote housing

Vanos solenoid seals

Camshaft position sensor seals

Sump gasket

Over pressurization of crankcase due to blocked / collapsed breather hoses and PCV valve

Water leaks:

Radiator

Expansion tank

Radiator cap

Water pump

Thermostat housing

All coolant & heater hoses and associated plastic fittings

Rear cylinder head coolant plate

Typical Bavarians... Just copying the Italians!!

[hotwire 352]

^^^^^^ Only with one engine though. Now Italian vehicles - where to start...

[handgrenade 189]

Electrics I think for the Italians

[rijac1970 4]

I had a frenchie before. .. electronics

[eliongater 718]

I think electrics are problematic for most cars. My granddad (who restores military vehicles) has problems with wiring looms, a mechanic friend knows of a car that doesn't go any more because there are no more ECUs for it, a sensor failed on my mum's kia sorento (not surprising for a kia though)...

[rijac1970 4]

i tought i would just stick to one thread on the e90 instead of starting a new one. i won't be surprised if i have a new problem every other month at the rate he's going!

wanted to share my new problem - a few months ago i started to get a low coolant warning once every month or so. the frequency increased recently and i have been topping up coolant every 2 days for the last week. big pool of coolant on the engine bay floor and large patch of wet on the driveway too. stuck my hand under the engine block and could feel the water dripping out from near the front. booked in to BMW and as I suspected its a leaking water pump.

some people were saying in a different forum that this is not a scheduled maintenance part for the e90 and that it should be - well maybe, but i'm glad in my case it isn't because it is covered by my autosure warranty since it is not a scheduled replacement part - still costing me a few hundred but the full cost was over 1k!.

[str8_6 275]

That engine wasn't one of BMW's finest moments. If you like the e90, sell it while you still can and replace with a 6 cylinder version.

[benpaul12 62]

Agree. My mate has a 320i SW and I can already smell the oil leaks (I know from 318CIs), rough idle and electric problems...

[HSB 282]

rijac i have a 323i which I love and is a trooper of a car, but I got a mechanical warranty just in case.. there have been only a few issues over 2 years but the out of pocket $$ to me for all top mech. repairs is x4 claims ($1400)

[kwhelan 241]

my e39 use to ditch water like that occasionally,but I found it was the radiator hose clip o'rings. Seemed to be something to do with the way different materials heated and cooled because on the odd morning it would leak but on arrival at work it would be fine and then not reoccur for weeks to months,

[rijac1970 4]

well after the pump was changed no more leaking. but i now have a bad coolant level sensor... grrr...