Z3 Cherry busted! But....

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
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Bin
Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2016 20:50
Posts: 41

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by Bin »

Good morning one and all. I have recently become the slightly disbelieving proud owner of a 2.2 Roadster and I have to say, thus far I'm mightily impressed. For a moody teenager it's in surprisingly good shape, starts immediately and is very taut on the road. The speakers are crap so methinks the Harman Kardon system in my brother's TD5 might just migrate one dark and stormy night....

Speaking of storms: much to my astonishment, in spite of all the recent downpours, not a drop of water found its way past the drop-top - alas the aforementioned TD5 cannot make the same claim as, true to character, it leaks like sieve around the sunroofs.

But all is not rosy in the garden of Zeberdee: I have a nagging suspicion the head gasket might be giving up the ghost - the Achilles heel of BMW's 'indestructible' engine. When I change gear, the revs briefly rise when the clutch is depressed which I doubt is normal. The tail pipes are very sooty (so how it flew through the recent MOT is anybody's guess) plus there is significant emulsification under the oil filler cap. Coolant loss thus far at least doesn't appear to be a problem although small bubbles are evident in the header tank upon revving the engine although this could be localised boiling off as the engine warms up.

In spite of this, it still goes like hot snot!

Thoughts, brothers and sisters?
ALPHA 3.0i Z3
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 20:37
Posts: 57

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Contact:

Re: Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by ALPHA 3.0i Z3 »

Sooty pipes quiet normal as long as she isn't blowing any blue smoke....mayo on filler cap is probably condensation common on a lot of cars. Check the dip stick and coolant for signs of oil/water mixing but tbh they should be fine. On my 13th BMW all woth different engines and miles, and ive never done a headgasket .The rev thing not sure about, are you maybe just sitting a little on the accelerator?
A
Who says size doesn't matter? After a straight 6 3.0 litre....Its hard to go back .
Brian4
Joined: Mon 19 Dec, 2011 19:02
Posts: 541

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Hinckley

Re: Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by Brian4 »

The condensation and sooty pipes could be indicative of a low mileage recently and probably a partially blocked crankcase breather valve. If you carefully remove the pipe from the front of the cam cover it should be clean
There is also a clutch delay valve which could be a cause of the Rev rise when changing gear.
Keep on enjoying your zed as well
Brian
3.0I Topaz Blue


2000 E36/7 Z3 3.0i
2016 F31 335d
2015 F21 118i
Bin
Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2016 20:50
Posts: 41

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by Bin »

Hi Brian,

thanks for your response. It could well be short journeys that have caused excess condensation - especially at this time of year with frosty mornings. I took it for a good blat up the motorway yesterday but it was after that I noticed the black tail pipes so maybe the breather is the issue. At the moment, the car is covered by warranty hence I am keen to identify any potential problems now rather than later at my own expense!

Rest assured, I will keep enjoying Zeberdee - what a car!
therealdb1
Joined: Tue 25 Jun, 2013 21:47
Posts: 263

  Z3 roadster 2.0

Re: Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by therealdb1 »

If it goes as well as you say it is unlikely to be a head gasket but you could get a compression check done for your own piece of mind.
A lot of these cars sit around doing nothing for a lot of the time these days and cold damp weather combined with limited running will be prone to condensation and perhaps overfuelling through not fully warming up.
Is the engine temperature centre(ish) of the gauge?
As Alpha says take a look at the dipstick and water reservoir for signs of mixing.
The revving when declutching was common on these. You have two options:
1: Get rid of the stupid clutch delay valve that BMW fitted so that complete numpties could drive their cars - there are plenty of tips on the forum on how to achieve this
2: Learn how to live with the stupid valve because you cannot be bothered to get underneath and do something about it.
I went for option 2! :)
Bin
Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2016 20:50
Posts: 41

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Z3 Cherry busted! But....

Post by Bin »

Hi Alpha - thanks for your response, sorry I missed it the first time!

I've rechecked the filler cap and there is some condensation on it so I am attributing this to short journey to work in cold weather. There is no contamination of coolant so that augers well. I will do a compression test at the weekend just to be sure.
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