e39 520i using oil; nikasil issue?

[alan1272]

hello,
one of my friends has just bought a very clean 520i touring on a Y plate, with less than 100k miles on it. it appears to be using vast quantities of oil.
is this an m52 engined car and likely to be a nikasil problem?
i know the nikasil issue can affect cars built up to the middle of 1998 so it is possible that his is affected, is there a way of identifying a nikasil block?
i've heard about a tag and bolt on the block but can't remember whether nikasil cars should have it or not.

any help appreciated

[pacerpete]

That should have a 2.2 engine in it and will not be nikasil Most common cause of excessive oil consumption is when the oil separator/ breather underneath the inlet manifold goes pear shaped. If it makes a gurgling / sucking noise when the filler cap or dipstick are removed, that will be a good place to start.

[alan1272]

cheers, i'll check it out.
when you say pear shaped does it block up and throw oil into the inlet or something?
also is that an M54 if it's a 2.2?

[Andyboy]

When it's totally blocked it can try to run on it's own oil - not a good thing. To do the breather you'll need to take the inlet manifold off - it's such a bastard to change the breather and it's pipework with it on. Not impossible, but like so many car jobs* it's quicker to take it all apart and do it right.
It is indeed an M54 double vanos unit.








*E36 Coupe door handles, for instance.

[alan1272]

Thanks guys, invaluable advice yet again. i'll have a look at it on the weekend.

i assume the offending part may be no. 1 in this diagram?
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=11&fg=15