Xoutpost.com - View Single Post - E53 2004 engine oil leak replace pan gasket

Russianblue · #26 10-10-2018, 07:22 AM

are you 100% there is no valve cover gasket leakage? before my mechanic would replace the oil pan gasket he pretty much insisted we work top to bottom and he or I replace the valve cover and OFHG first. He said if the goal is NO LEAKS, then you must verify those two first.

I went ahead and did the oil pan and OFHG. leak was GREATLY reduced, especially on the passenger side. if you have oil on the passenger side there's a tremendous chance at least some of it is coming from the VC. that said, the leak continued. but...it was mostly from the rear center of the motor...bellhousing area...just like yours. So it WAS the oil pan. and it has been leaking for years. Indie said they all have to be replaced eventually. Mine has been leaking since probably 110k miles.

I took it to the indie and he did the pan gasket for $1200. that seems to be a pretty average charge for that service. I have been quoted as much as $1800 though and if I was gonna do it for somebody else...i'd personally charge them 3 grand. and I'd charge my own grandmother that much for such a PITA job. my energy level for super in-depth repairs like full front end suspension is limited to about once every few years!

what I CANNOT fathom is why the hell BMW simply CANNOT solve this gasket leakage thing. the've got the same EXACT issues with VCs, Oil Pans, OFHGs, Power steering and differential covers they've had since the 80's. It's just insane to me. There are plenty of other brands, German or not, which simply don't leak like BMWs. When I went shopping for a used x5 a few months back, I was looking at a 2012 x35i and I burpeed down on the ground to look under the car and sure enough - a sweaty diff cover. EXACT Same issue as my 528 - 1988 model. Nearly 25 years of the same issue. WTF?? lol!

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