Why did my BMW X5 run on its own until the engine blew?

I have a BMW X5 '05 plate with 77,000 on the clock. Last night there was black smoke coming from the car, which then resulted in a scary scenario where the engine was running off its own oil at full revs till the engine blew. Fortunately, I had just removed the horse box and everyone was away from the car. I'm trying to find out if this is a regular fault with the BMW 3.0d engine or just bad but expensive luck?

Asked on 31 July 2010 by DUke 1198S

Answered by Honest John

The turbo oil seal probably failed, siphoning sump oil into the engine and since it's a compression ignition engine the only way to stop it it to force stall it or cut off its air supply. This can happen with any turbodiesel when the turbo oil seals fail.

Tags: seals diesel engines diesels turbo engines

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