New Z3 owner - Edinburgh

[Barry78]

Hi All,

22 years of driving and being a petrol head and my first ever BMW is a 2002 Z3 2.2 M Sport! Absolutely love her, looking forward to some cracking summer drives with the missus.

Wee issue though...Picked her up yesterday from Barnsley and found the oil cap very milky, sludgy and with plenty brown crap round the filler rim. Added some radiator treatment and oil treatment from Halfrauds to get me home to Edinburgh. Car is not overheating (gauge sat bang on center for the 260 odd mile journey home), not showing any signs of sluggishness, no oil in expansion tank and there is no white smoke from the exhaust. The lower offside radiator pipe remained cold the entire journey (stopped and checked the car over a number of times).

The car was in dry storage for around 4 years and in last few months was driven around 600 miles by previous owner just before my purchase but has not been serviced since last year.

Im thinking perhaps the water pump or thermostat may be at fault and it has overheated at some point previously but not having any experience with BMW engines thought it best to ask on here first. Ideally it will just need a flush and oil change but looking for some advice, perhaps i should get a compression/leak test done or is this potentially something really simple?

Apologies if this should be in a technical forum (admin move if required)

Barry.

.

 

[Grumps]

Hi Barry and welcome aboard. I'm no mechanic but I'd be thinking it's condensation with being stiid so long. Good service and a flush out may well see end to it.

 

[Low Rider]

Barry to Zroadster.org from Worcestershire.

 

[GazHyde]

Welcome Barry!

A little sludge around the filler cap isn't too uncommon on BMWs, obviously depending on how much there is! Head gasket issues are pretty rare on the M54 6 cylinder engines.

I think that you need to carry on with your thoughts of an oil change. I would also suggest that if you don't have much detail on the car that a new water pump & thermostat (& belts) are in order anyway.

Let us know how you get on!

Gaz

 

[andyglym]

to the forum from West Cumbria. Plenty of recent threads on here reference cooling etc, as above just for piece of mind. Good luck.

 

[Gail]

Welcome

 

[Carl H]

Hello all the best from Hampshire..nice Z you have there..

 

[Mac_Gaz]

Welcome to the forum - good luck with getting your issues sorted.

 

[Antm72]

i would echo whats been said a good service and for piece of mind the water pump and thermostat may be advisable.
Great choice and heres to many happy miles

 

[Jack Ratt]

Hello and welcome from Truro. I just reiterate what the guys above have said and treat your new toy to a full service. These cars are pretty bullet proof really and generally, because they were quite expensive cars when new and in their younger years, many have escaped the boy racer types as most have been "second" cars.

 

[Shelly]

Hi and welcome from me too

 

[DavidM]

Welcome from Ireland!

 

[NeRo]

Welcome @Barry78 - I'm not too far from you in Linlithgow

There a few of us who attend BMWCC Scottish Region meets - you're welcome to come along

I have created a list of useful Scottish Region links here - https://zroadster.org/threads/scottish-region-useful-links.6429/

 

[Barry78]

Cheers for the welcome everyone. Always great to find a thriving UK owners forum.

I'll do a full engine flush + major service inc coolant flush sometime next week and look into waterpump/thermostat as well. Could the sludge/mayo issue be connected to the crankcase breather valve being blocked or faulty?

Actually saying i have no experience on BMW engines is not entirely true as I have a 2005 Freelander TD4 as the everyday family car!

 

[t-tony]

Hi Barry and welcome from me near Lincoln. It's all been said, flush, oil and filer then simply use it. Enjoy.

Tony.

 

[Axelf]

From Durham.... Another new member with the best colour haha

 

[JAJ278]

Welcome from York.

 

[AGT1953]

Hi,
Welcome from Glasgow!
I would just like to add my thoughts to your concerns.
Owing to the extremely low mileage over the last few months I imagine that the engine has not had the opportunity to run at full temperature.
This would lead to the condition you describe perfectly.
Both my wife & son use their cars seldom and this is exactly what happens.
Short runs done regularly lead to contaminated oil due to condensation build up - the dreaded mayonnaise at the engine topside!
I am sure that a flush and regular full temperature use will allay any fears you have.

Enjoy your new toy,

Andy,
Glasgow.

 

[Barry78]

Cheers.

Have came across the mayo on oil cap before on various cars over the years most due to excess moisture in engine with short journeys or lack of vehicle use, it's just that this was the worse i'd seen. Proper yellowy, whitey, browny, gooey gunk! Along with the smell of cooked oil and the general state of the filler neck. Should have taken a picture...

Will service it then report back.

 

[Redline]

Welcome!
It's all been said already. Atmospheric condensation is a common cause. Hope the run home has cleared it to a great degree. As long as the water level remains constant and no oil in the water.
Fluid change and should be ok.