x5 3.0d blown engine?

Hi. My X5 has had a 'runaway' running on engine oil. when it finally stopped and the smoke cleared the oil level had risen by 9 litres, this I believe to be diesel. I have seen this happen on you tube and wondered how common it is in X5's and wondered whether anyone could tell me if it could be the fuel injectors or high pressure pump. Any help would be gratefully received. Thanks

Sorry I can't help you. But thanks for the heads up. I'm taking delivery of an X5 35d next week. I'll be showing up at the dealer with a CO2 fire extinguisher to place in the boot. And my first question while checking out the new ride will be "Where exactly is the air intake on this baby, and will this extinguisher easily fit? "

Funf Dreisig

Huh. Never actually heard of someone having this happen in a modern auto diesel... causes can be turbo seal failure, overfilling of oil.

Is it under warranty?

PS Good explanation: http://www.answers.com/topic/diesel-engine-runaway

Funf- I'm only going to carry the CO2 extinguisher AFTER my warranty expires....

Another question to ask is "where is the air intake shut off valve"!

Originally Posted by UncleJ

Another question to ask is "where is the air intake shut off valve"!

Yeah, a big red valve on the top of the engine...

I've never heard of such thing. Furthermore, air intake are usually shielded from exterior water, as well as from the hot air within the engine bay-

Thanks for replies, the oil level 2 weeks ago was fine as we traveled back from the south of France i checked it to monitor consumption on a1000 mls run.The level in the sump has risen by 9lts or quarts in 2 weeks or 200/300 mls the only sign of a problem was 2 non starts which after a brief battery charge dissappeared.to check out the level of smoke look at you tube(bmw engine crash)the major problems I now face are 1 has the engine bent a rod, compression looks ok, 2 which component failed to cause the excess oil level/diesel to be drawn into the intake. my crystal ball is still covered with oily residue and divine intervention may arrive when the smoke clears.:

warranty?

If so, be careful what you tell them about your observations on oil levels leading up to the event.

Originally Posted by bad beamer

...The level in the sump has risen by 9lts or quarts in 2 weeks or 200/300 mls ....

9lts/quarts is a lot of extra fluids. Exactly how are measuring this increase in the level of the fluids in the sump?

Hove you checked the fluids in the sump to make sure its not coolant. It's a lot easier to get coolant in the sump than diesel fuel. All it takes is a failed head gasket or a crack in the head. block, etc.

FWIW a dip stick can only show you two distinct levels: full and 1 quart/litre low. In between you can guestimate. But above and below those two lines all bets are off. The variable shape of the sump and lower engine block means that the volumes are anything but linear.

Funf Dreisig

Actually it was a big black knob next to the air intake to stop run away diesels in heavy equipment. A CO2 extinguisher will also stop a runaway by removing the O2 from the Fuel/Spark/Air trinity that is required for any internal combustion engine to function, but then you knew that. Truth be told I haven't seen a runaway diesel for more than 40 years, but I am sure they happen from time to time. The last one I saw was a Euclid GMC 2 cycle loader -- hardly a BMW.

sorry i forgot to add i have been a mechanic /engineer for 30yrs, The amount of extra fluid in the sump is exact as i have drained the sump and measured it.The fluid is not water as unles emulcified will run out (when draining the sump) before the oil. The fuel injectors at £180 pounds each are all trashed and the high pressure Common Rail fuel pump is suspected to have leaked from the front seal.This engine has overreved off the clock and is totalled and a second hand engine at £1700 is on it's way.. this is still a posibility on current models to my knowlege (no ABOVE LEVEL warning) A £40,000 car and a £3 seal can kill it and if unlucky the driver as well.

Originally Posted by bad beamer

... this is still a posibility on current models to my knowlege (no ABOVE LEVEL warning)...

FWIW The Operator's manual for the 2009 X5 35d sold in the US lists "Engine oil level too high" as a "possible message" when checking the oil level via iDrive. It goes on to say... "! Have the vehicle checked immediately, otherwise engine damage may result if too much oil has been added."

But it's not clear that a warning light shows up in the instrument cluster if oil level gets too high do to a failure like you describe.

Funf Dreisig