325i...completely clueless at this point..so many problems

[airman1733]

I'm trying to fix a 1994 325i. When I got to it, the person that was last hired was there to do a headgasket, tore the car apart and took off. I picked up on that..doing the headgasket but upon finishing it, there was still a leak- just not from the gasket.

The whole head was professionally rebuilt- the valves were bent because the owner didn't want to have the head properly checked out before putting it on. I got the head back, got the car running, but it sounded like an electric motor- timing was off.

I fixed the timing, then it wouldn't start.

The key that holds the harmonic balancer to the crank was missing, I got that off the old engine and then the car started, but it chugged and ran white smoke til it ran out of gas. At this point, I assumed the headgasket was bad because he refused to replace it after the head was rebuilt.

We got a new headgasket yesterday. I put the headgasket on, put gas in the car, and now it runs..but there seems to be oil spraying from somewhere on to the exhaust and it's creating the blue smoke both under the hood and out of the tailpipe.

I killed the car, went to start it again later and now it won't start again.

I have put more time into this car than into any other- I need help.

The following have been done;
New and then rebuilt head, head gasket, exhaust and intake gaskets, new oil, new coolant, new longblock, and probably things I'm just so frustrated I can't remember.

If you can help me, please let me know. I need the car running again and not smoking. It is properly timed, properly torqued, and all lines are secure etc etc.


As of right now it seems I have the smoke cleared up from the exhaust, it's still leaking under the hood, and the car will once again start..but now it's back to the awful chugging it was doing before, to the point where the engine dies. I put 5 gallons of fuel in it yesterday and it's only been driven less than 10 minutes and running less than 20 total.

Help PLEASE

[JhwShark]

Where are you located?

Bummer, what you are going through...
You indicate the initial white smoke out the tail is cleared up...good usually after a rebuild there is oil in the combustion chamber that burns off as things tighten up.

You have blue'ish smoke coming out of the engine compartment and in the tailpipe?? SO, assumption is leaking out and in...for the outside leak, did you use the same head gasket or a new one each time? needs/should a new one each time you torque the head. Could be leaking down the block (but that is lower than the exhaust manifold)?? So, the valve cover gasket is also in question and the joint where the timing cover meets head is also an area to inspect you may need some temp appropriate sealant with the gasket.

What does the water and Oil look like on the surface of the filler caps...any goo, hope not?
Also, the head is true (new then rebuilt) no warpage?? New valve seats, guides??

Lots of tangents...do a compression check to confirm cylinder integrity. Confirm that you are at the right timing marks, timing/crank position sensor is new and/or good, and O2 sensors are good. Also, confirm all torque specs for the mission critical elements.
Jon

[airman1733]

The white smoke only cleared after I put the new head gasket on. After the head was rebuilt, the man did not want to pay for a new head gasket, so i put the old one on and after i explained to him again that was the problem, we got the new one (this monday)

There is milky white residue on the filler caps, but that's not surprising because it was so bad before.

The head was completely professionally rebuilt and put on the car.

I no longer have the smoke out the tailpipe, just under the hood. It is starting, but it's chugging and dies out- the gas pedal needs to be feathered to keep it running. I had this problem before the head was rebuilt and then again before the crank key was replaced.

All specs are correct- it's timed, it's torqued etc etc.

Edit-- I'm located in Marengo, IL

[wswilburn]

Is it possible the bad head gasket let coolant into the cylinders and now the exhaust is full of it?

[JhwShark]

Milky white on the fill caps (oil) is indicative of water in oil...not a good sign. Change the oil.
Is the radiator compromised with oil in water, does the cap and/or expansion tank have any oil/froth in it?

DO the compression check...to help eliminate causes: head gasket over torqued/bad, cracked water jackets, bad ring or rings. Examine the plugs when you have them out, take pictures of them so if you have inconsistent compression values we can correlate cylinder to plug to value; very important to diagnosis.
Jon