Oil Spitting????

[thamiracle]

Hey m 91' 318i is very sluggish and it make a spitting noise while driving, iso i parked and lefted the hood to see what it was and while the car was on i open the oil cap and it was spitting oil, well thats at lease what it looked like. does anyone know what may cause this. This my 2nd e30 but my first project one and i just really need to know bad cause it seems to be the only problem i am having as of now

[HST]

So it was spitting oil out of the oil fill cap?

[thamiracle]

yes when you remove the cap white its running, and the egine is sputting also

[RobertK]

Well.. umm.. when your engine is running their is oil being squirted onto the valve train.

Since your engine is running and the cams are moving then it is likely oil is going to get splashed out of the oil cap if it is off.

Also.. correct me if I'm wrong.. but I believe your engine will idle bad if you remove the oil cap while it is running because you are essentially creating a vacuum leak.

[lordofthewaters]

:stupid: Oil is supposed to be moving around, and if it's hot I suppose it could be thin enough to look like it's splashing or spitting around. If you take the oil filler cap off while running you ARE letting unmetered air into the system, thus in effect creating a vaccuum leak.

[thamiracle]

Ok thanks that sounds logical but what about the sputting when i acclerating

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

it's a 318i give it a break

[RobertK]

That sputtering is likely a misfire. Have you checked yoru plugs and coil pack boots?

My 92 E36 had that same problem. Turned out one of the coil pack boots was completely fried. Is your car throwing any CELs?