White smoke what could it be ?

[528iheat]

Hey waz up people, i have a 99 528i auto, well its got 95xxx miles now and the last two todays ago i drove it somewhat hard somewhat too hard. And well now its starting to missfire. So i checked it and it said cylinder number 4 missfire, So i changed all the spark plugs and still it didnt do any better and now white smoke is coming out of the exhuast, only at cold starts cause when it warms up the smoke goes away so i think my cat is getting hot enought to do its job. But still the smoke does not smell like burn oil, i think its unburned gas and air mix, If anyone has had the same problem let me know what you guys did, cause im about to take it to the dealer, and i want that to be my last option. Thanks.

 

[wood_e]

is there oil in your coolant... or vice versa? If so you blew a head gasket... that would be the worst case scenario...

 

[Thief]

Yep white smoke is caused by coolant mixing with your oil, not a good sign, keep an eye on the temp guage, that will be a true indicator.

 

[528iheat]

didnt check coolant level going to check it out. thanks

 

[528iheat]

check coolant level a little low but no discoloration of coolant and oil cap does not have any signs of coolant and oil mix. engine still knocks when start and running for a while.

 

[wim530d]

White smoke..

New pope ?

 

[hyperollah]

must be water or coolant burning. you must have blew a gasket or something. this sounds like and expensive fix

 

[Dinan55]

Are you using dog shit gas or premium?

 

[Likster]

WoW if you all think thats bad try fixn a high Nos reading during dyno run for smog check. Anyhow If you run pure coolant in your system (which I recommend) it has a distinctive smell when burned out tailpipe.

 

[Abdoman]

Anyhow If you run pure coolant in your system (which I recommend) it has a distinctive smell when burned out tailpipe.

Why do you recommend running pure coolant? It's much more difficult to cool than glycol/water mix.

 

[Ghost]

More than likely you're burning coolant. (Bad head gasket)

It’s best to run a mixture of 50/50 in multiple climates. Some people run more water in hotter climates, water cools faster than coolant and more coolant in colder climates so as not to freeze up. For normal driving conditions it’s not recommend that you go more than 70/30 in either direction. You can also use Water Wetter.

 

[Likster]

Actually Coolant has a higher boiling point and how is coolant harder to cool yes it is thicker and stays in the radiator longer where it gets cooled not just fly by opps wanted to cool? Personal pref. i guess

 

[Nefestus]

Monitor your coolant level constantly. If it goes away fast enough (if you have to add coolant once a month or more often) than there is a possibility that there is damage to engine part that we call "engine head"- coolant gets into cylinders->white smoke (very noticeable white).

 

[gbf1lm]

Actually Coolant has a higher boiling point and how is coolant harder to cool yes it is thicker and stays in the radiator longer where it gets cooled not just fly by opps wanted to cool? Personal pref. i guess

boiling point has little to do with it . . . specific heat.