My m52 has a sludgy oil filler cap.

[macas]

Ok,picked up my 2.8 last nght but totally forgot to check the filler cap,so upon opening the cap this morning, I came across the dreaded White sludge(nothing on the nside of the cap,it's was just inside the rocker cover).

So I took it to my mechanc,he removed the sump Snd found nothing,just some clean oil,he said the engine was healthy,now I'm still abit wary,what are the other signs of fooked had gasket, anything else I could check?

Thanks in advance.mike

[jonnie]

Can just be a sign of cheap oil aswell.

[e30-EVN]

^ yes, also could well have been condensation from when the engine has been left and the started. dont forget winter has not long left us! i had a small amount of this in my m50 which i built over the winter and every so often would go out and start her up. notcied it and had the same feeling but when i brought the car out after the snow cleared it all cleared up and all fine

also dan tells me that headgasket failier rates are pretty low on these engines.... i think because they are alloy block bmw gave them better rated gaskets as they are not really designed to come apart ect. very robust units

[macas]

Thanks boys,
I do hope that it is somthing like that.
My heart dropped when I seen it,so am I right in thinkng that if it was a headgasket prob then I would have signs of water in the oil or White sludge in the sump aswell?

[e30-EVN]

i would have thought there would be evidence of mayo in the sump also. it would be everywhere that oil or water passes!

[macas]

Ok,thanks mate,I'm abit more settled now.

Slightly off topic,e30-dk,you had an m50 before?how's the m52 power wise compared,because I currently have an m50 but the m52 is more or less the same bhp?
Have you done any 1/4 mile times to compare?

[e30-EVN]

In standard spec they put out 1bhp more than the m50 but loads more torque!
M50 is about 185lb ft + 192bhp
M52 is well over 200lbft but with the m50 inlet setup makes over 210bhp aswel

If you are swapping the m50 for a 52 you will notice the difference as soon as you put your foot down!!! People don't think 2.5-2.8 would be a big difference but it fukin is. I love my m52, its enough to shock most fast cars!

[shedrool83]

i get it the same sometimes if i'm omly doing short journeys and the car isnt getting time to heat up properly.

A long drive soon sorts it out.

[macas]

^^^never even knew there was a test for this!

The engines going in this week so fingers crossed!.
Thanks again guys

[JamOnIt]

My M52B28 produces abit of "mayo" around the oil filler cap and sometimes on the dip stick from time to time, yet the oil is always fine when drained out and changed.

I was told it was just condensation build up due to the short commute I do daily (approx 2 miles each way) and I've had no other issues with loss of coolant or oil in the coolant resevoir.

[macas]

I'm thinking surley there shouldn't be Mayo on the dipstick from condensation?

How many miles has your engine done?

Also is the alusil block the same as a nikulsil block?

[JamOnIt]

Just from the tube, the tip of the dip stick always shows clear oil.

Unsure of the miles as I didn't fit the motor, I thought alusil was used on the V8's and V12's. M52's were either nikasil or steel lined, mines the later.

[macas]

ah ok,thanks chap!
Its just that the chap i bought it off said it was an alusil block.im new to these engines and just trying to find my way around them!

one other question,i heard there was a recall or somthing like that on these engines to steel line the cylinder bores,or am i talking shit again?

[JamOnIt]

I'm not 100% sure, but it was something like that. There is a way if telling if yours is a nikasil or not, there should be a tag on the block somewhere on the passenger side. I'm sure someone on here will tell you exactly where to look.

[macas]

thanks for you help fella,will read up on it