BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing

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Mon 1 Apr 2019 20:44
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - Babygotoo
Evening,

After a bit of opinion please, I opened the oil cap to see some gunk hiding under there, not much, definitely Conde station drops. The car has been stood since September '18 and was used as town runabout from Mar 18 until Sep '18, bloke said he has turned it over now and again. There wasn't a lot of gunk under the cap, one of the photos show that the sides under the cap look like they have had a thin layer of butter applied.

Car sounded good, no chatter, just a very very faint "whoosh" or the type of sound of air escaping if you depressed accelerator very gently.

Head gasket or likely condensation coupled with short journeys.

How do I post photos?

Thanks

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Mon 1 Apr 2019 21:08
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - Ian D
I would do an oil and filter change and a coolant change and take it for some long runs...


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Mon 1 Apr 2019 21:15
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - Babygotoo
Hope this helps

photos.app.goo.gl/6hzRQm5KA3xGcpWb6
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Mon 1 Apr 2019 22:27
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - elekie&a/c doctor
Unlikely to be head gasket . Lack of use and short trips will cause this. You may find the engine breather and cyclone valve all gunged up also. m.youtube.com/watch?v=5rs1rnVnXhY
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Tue 2 Apr 2019 12:27
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - Babygotoo

Thanks elekie, will have a view later

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Tue 2 Apr 2019 14:55
BMW 3 Series E46 - E46 2.5 mayonnaise under cap but been standing - edlithgow
The car has been stood since September '18 and was used as town runabout from Mar 18 until Sep '18, bloke said he has turned it over now and again.

Bloke should probably have left it alone, depending on what he meant by "turned it over"

If its just been turned over on the starter without actually starting the engine, then OK, that'll re-oil the cams and such, though they probably didn't need it.

If, OTOH, it was started and run for a short time, that'll introduce condensation, combustion products and fuel dilution which wont get boiled off.

Very unlikely to be serious though. Do an oil change, maybe run a fairly short OCI if bothered.

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