1976 bmw 2002 burning oil

[AVD2002]

Hi--I'm a recent owner of a beautiful, clean 1976 BMW 2002.  I love my car, it's clean with 40k original miles.  Prior owner kept it in garage as memorabilia.  Recently I noticed it's burning a lot of oil.  My mechanic also said it's rattling at high speed (i haven't noticed) so seals may need to be replaced.  My question from reading about this online:  how can i tell if the seals  need to be replaced v. engine rebuild?  I'm not a car geek (just love classic cars) so please excuse my ignorance if any of the foregoing does not make sense.  Any advice is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[Buckeye]

1). Welcome!

2). Like to see pictures of your car. That is Rule #1 on this forum for Newbie(s). 

3). where you located

[ingramlee]

Welcome...Any photos? This group loves photos. Also, where are you located?

[ingramlee]

1 minute ago, Buckeye said:

1). Welcome!

2). Like to see pictures of your car. That is Rule #1 on this forum for Newbie(s). 

3). where you located

Thats funny Buckeye.. We had the same exact questions

[thinksound_mike]

The other question is what weight/kind of oil is in the car now? Might not be the right oil.

[jrhone]

Is it smoking at all?  Start it and let it idle, then put your hand right behind the exhaust pipe for a few seconds. Any oil on your hand?  Place newspaper under the car and see if it has any oil leaking. See if it's significant. Is there dark wet spots on the engine itself.  Oh and pics!  

[Scott Sislane]

How sure are you that the original mileage is 40k? Is there documented history from 1976-on? It sounds like it may have 140k...??

 

Pictures of the car & motor would be very helpful.

 

Congrats on your new car-

 

Scott Sislane

[AVD2002]

Hi everyone--thank you for the quick responses.  Attaching photos of the car and engine.  I use 20w-50Castrol mineral oil.  I'm in Ca. but car was purchased from Arizona.  I do have paperwork but don't think it goes back to 1976 (i think maybe 1978 or 1980--have to check).  Don't see any smoke but car does emit smoky smell.  No leaks--did a full maintenance right after I purchased with bmw 2002 mechanic.  He seemed to think 40k is original miles but now I'm wondering whether you're right about 140k.  I'll test out the tips and will report back.  Thank you!Photos bmw.pdf

IMG_3719.pdf

[FunkyLaneO]

If it truly was 40k miles then it would be most likely valve seals, if 140k then either rings or valve seals, if it smokes or smells more on hard decelerrations then it is most likely valve seals, if it smokes or smells most on accelerations or when you first fire it up then likely rings.  Unfortunately both are not trivial fixes, to replace the valve seals you need to remove the head and replace the head gasket and freshen anything that needs freshening (valve springs, resurface head, etc...). To replace the rings you need to do a complete teardown of the engine so that is a complete rebuild.

 

If you can tolerate the smell and can keep an eye on your oil level you can drive it like this for a long time before you need to address the issue, alot of people do that with these cars and they don't seem to mind.  If it is the valve seals it helps to push in the clutch when you decelerate (less vacuum, less oil sucked in around the seals) and you will burn less oil.

 

Since you have a '76 in California and need to get it smogged if there is smoke the tester may fail you based on the visual but burning oil in my experience doesn't usually trigger a failed test unless it is really bad.

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2017 by FunkyLaneO

[Mark92131]

Welcome to the madness.  Based on the engine bay photos, I would think 140K vs 40K.  I had a 1975 that didn't smoke much and had no noticeable leaks, but would literally drink oil, (1 Quart every 100 miles).  My compression was decent (120 across the board), did a valve job on the head and oil consumption returned to normal.  A compression and leakdown test will tell you if you need a full rebuild or just a valve job.  Your rattling is most likely your timing chain, which can be checked for wear when they do the valve job.

 

Depending on where you live in CA, there are several options for shops that specialize in the BMW 2002 that FAQ members recommend if you need a second opinion.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

Mark92131

[AVD2002]

I'm in Costa Mesa on border of HB.  I used C&F in Costa Mesa for the initial comprehensive but if anyone in the area has other recommendations, please send them.  I truly appreciate all your advice.

[Conserv]

It looks like a very clean car.  Great color, one of the best on square taillight cars, especially with a tan interior.  Items like the swapped out modern oil filler cap and white (?) spark plug wires certainly suggest more than 40K miles to me.  On the other hand, the underhood stickers appear both original and tidy.  Considering the frequency of speedometer cable and odometer failures on '02's, actual mileage might be neither 40K nor 140K.  In addition, speedometer heads are frequently swapped in lieu of repairs.  So, even if the dating of your speedometer (on its reverse) meshes perfectly with the car's manufacturing date -- indicating the speedometer may well be original -- true mileage may nonetheless be unknown.

 

Stated differently, evaluate the car's engine without regard to expected mileage.  Evaluate leakage, compression, and the results of a leak-down test to determine what the engine needs today, irrespective of mileage.

 

You've gotten predictably great guidance above.  I'd recommend following down those points.

 

Welcome to the '02 world!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[adawil2002]

1 hour ago, AVD2002 said:

 I use 20w-50Castrol mineral oil.  I'm in Ca. but car was purchased from Arizona.

 

20W-50 Castrol is the correct oil. You are in CA with a '76 so you will have to pass smog. Chatter could be as simple as out of adjustment valves. 

 

Being in Costa Mesa you are near a bunch of vintage BMW people. HB Chris, _Danco, MikePelly and many really knowledgeable enthusiasts.

Edited March 17, 2017 by adawil2002

[Mike Self]

Welcome to the 02 fraternity/sorority!  Couple of things you should know...and check about your oil smell:

 

If you're not used to an older car, they do smell a bit oily when compared to the hermetically sealed new(er) cars.  

 

If you're smelling oil in the passenger compartment even with the windows closed, open the hood and look down into the chamber that's directly below the windshield and under the louvers in the hood.  That's the air intake for your heater and for fresh air (properly known as a plenum chamber).  There should be a rubber seal that runs near the rear edge of the hood, soft, sponge rubber seals on each side (the hood locking rod passes through 'em) and at the bottom of the air intake box, three rubber drain hoses, known among 02ers as "duck lips" or "elephant trunks"  You'll understand why when you see 'em.  They need to be intact and closed at the bottom.  During a rainstorm they will allow water to drain out of the plenum, but when the lips close up, prevent oily smelling air from entering the car via the heater/fresh air intake.  If those duck lips are all rotten/hardened/missing (and if they're original, I'll bet they are) you'll get an oily smell inside the car.  Check 'em and replace as necessary.  Same with the side seals.

 

The oily smell can also be from a poorly sealing valve cover gasket, which allows oil to drip onto the exhaust manifold and smoke.  You may also have a loose exhaust manifold stud; some of them lead directly to an oil passage.  A loose stud will also leak oil onto the exhaust manifold resulting in smoke.  

 

To see if the engine itself is burning oil, try this:  let the warm engine idle for 25-30 seconds, then gun the engine.  If you get a smoke cloud from the tail pipe, you may have worn rings.  Do a compression test.  Next, drive down the street with the engine at 3500-4000 rpm and lift your foot completely off the gas and let the car coast in gear.  If you're now confronted with a smoke cloud from the tailpipe, you probably need valve guides/stem seals.  If they need replacing, have your mechanic use the guides/seals for a later version of the engine that was used in the E30 Three series car.  Much better seals and will last much longer than the 1965 design.  

 

Anyway, enjoy your car, and drive it lots.  They're meant to be driven and enjoyed.  And for questions, there are lots of experts on this board happy to help you.

 

cheers

mike

[AVD2002]

Hey guys--so it looks like I may need engine rebuild.  Words used by mechanic:  piston snaps, burning oil at rate of 1 quart/2 fill ups.  Also today, belt is screeching like it's going to fall off in 1st gear and car is sputtering (which started as hiccups and ended as bad cough) going from 2nd to 3rd gear.  Feels like car is about to fall apart.  Question:  does anyone have a good 2002 rebuild mechanic they can recommend in the Huntington Beach/Costa Mesa, CA area?  Thank you!