Identifying the Problem
Valve stem seal failure can be identified by a white bellowing smoke coming from the exhaust of your vehicle upon acceleration. In order to make a detailed determination, you should allow your vehicle to idle for 10 minutes, then quickly accelerate. If the result is a large bellow of white smoke then it is time to bring your vehicle in for a valve stem seal replacement. This issue is common unfortunately and was carried from the N62 to the N63 BMW engine.
How EBB addresses this Issue
There are 4 valves for each cylinder, and fixing the issue requires you to get to the cylinders. The work required for valve stem seal repair is intense and requires special tooling, so it is in your best interest to have this work done by professionals. The first part of the repair process is entirely removing the engine and transmission from the car. Catching this issue early on will prevent a more costly repair since valve stem seal failure causes excess oil to pass through the exhaust and cause damage to the catalytic converter. Unnecessary oil consumption, irregular idle improvement, engine light code errors, and of course the white billowing smoke are additional reasons for getting this resolved as soon as possible. A dealership will usually charge around $8,000 for this service, so it is best to check with a alternative shop that has proper tooling and experience like Elite Bmw & Benz Md's.
Check out pictures below
The pictures below depict the effects of a valve stem seal failure. When you have this issue and start your engine, residual oil that is on top of the cylinder heads will flow down to the bad seal and proceeds to the combustion chamber, which from there the oil burns in the exhaust. This burn of oil in the exhaust is what causes the white billowing smoke to appear on start-up. The buildup of carbon deposits will eventually follow with misfires of the engine and drivability reduction. In order to remove this buildup we blast pressurized walnut shells directly into the intake chambers (walnut blasting service), which will replenish performance and fuel economy to your vehicle.
