Had a few jobs to do over the weekend but managed a quick half hour in the garage. It's a mystery that I can't see where all the oil was leaking from. There aren't any ruptured pipes or hoses from what I could see. I used a LED torch and some mirrors to get a decent look but to no avail.
The CCV and its pipework is in one piece and is not oil stained. It has not been replaced by BMW in Brugge, well not with a new one anyway.
When I stopped on the motorway in Belgium the oil was peeing from my engine and was witnessed by the guys who stopped to help me
Nothing has leaked onto the garage floor either. I tried to turn the engine over and although she turned over very easily there was a "sucking" sound ?????
There was no sign of the engine firing up. Thought about squirting some brake cleaner into the air intake to help ignition but decided not to.
I did some internet searches on known weaknesses of the M50, M52 and M54 engines and it seems they are all prone to similar problems, ie, overheating, CCV problems and more scarily weak piston rings.
Further investigation into CCV failure told me similar symptoms to what I experienced, ie a "whistling sound" prior to me stopping.
I need to do a compression test to see if my piston rings are good and get my diagnostics kit out when I find where I put the computer lead during my last garage clean up.
Any ideas anyone?