E53 2004 engine oil leak replace pan gasket - Page 3

trainwreck · #21 10-08-2018, 09:34 PM

hey fellas, i'm an e39 guy but i just picked up an e53 3.0 for my niece who's starting school and needs a ride. got it for cheap but the list of problems was long. took care of many of them and got it in running condition or so i thought. she took it to school and called me when she got there, said the oil light was flickering and it says to shut off. i knew it had an oil leak but didn't think it was so bad. so it turns out it had the ofhg leak so i replaced that along with the ccv. but the damn thing kept leaking. its from between the bell housing and the transmission. leak is a drip drip drip, but enough to cause a big spot on the cardboard from night to morning. i've come to the conclusion that its the oil pan gasket. so i started tearing into it. what a job! is the cut and patch method even possible? doesn't appear so with the axles having to be removed. is it possible its not the pan gasket? i'd highly doubt its the rms being that its leaking when parked for days and the oil wouldn't be able to reach the rms while its sitting

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cn90 · #22 10-08-2018, 10:58 PM

I'd try the "BavarianE39 CCV Mod"...this mod increases the crankcase vacuum.
This may reduce the oil leak...

trainwreck · #23 10-09-2018, 07:36 AM

Thanks. Just read up on that method. I may try it in the future. But I don’t think it will help my leak as the leak is pretty heavy while the car is just sitting with the front on jack stands. I don’t think i really have any way around replacing the pan gasket. And I already installed a new ccv

Fifty150hs · #24 10-09-2018, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trainwreck

Thanks. Just read up on that method. I may try it in the future. But I don’t think it will help my leak as the leak is pretty heavy while the car is just sitting with the front on jack stands. I don’t think i really have any way around replacing the pan gasket. And I already installed a new ccv

Sounds like your pan gasket. Best way to tell is to thoroughly degrease the area and then put UV dye in the oil. Look at the area with a black light flashlight (cheap) and it will lead you to your leak.

trainwreck · #25 10-09-2018, 10:25 PM

IM pretty sure it is too. I already started tearing into it. So it’s pointless to use dye now. Even tho I had bought dye to try that. I was so far into it cleaning degreasing and already had the ofh off and still had a leak. And the car had been sitting for days. Lowest point of oil would be the pan. The oil sensor and drain plug were clean. Which only points to the 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!

trainwreck · #27 10-13-2018, 09:39 PM

Yeah I started too to bottom. Had already done The vcg. Car leaked like a sieve. Had a major leak at ofhg. So tore into it. And the car had been sitting for weeks and continuously dripping. Which would only mean it’s the oil pan. I’ve already started to tear into it. I just picked up the engine support from harbor freight. Disconnected all the suspension from the subframe and removed the axle nuts. Now I find myself looking at it and scratching my head like what did I get myself into?! I’m capable of doing it. And it’s not that terrible of a job. But it is tedious. It’s starting to get cold. And the cold is discouraging for me. But I’ll get it done. $1200, $1800 is a lot to pay someone for something I can do. But now that I’m looking at it, I guess it’s note of a convenience thing. But I’d hate to throw that much at a car I just picked up and hardly driven. Not knowing what other gremlins there might be.

trainwreck · #28 10-13-2018, 09:43 PM

Yeah I don’t get why bmw can’t get these engines to be leak proof. I guess it brings them cash flow for the guys paying for the repairs. And why they get such a bad rap on reliability. They’re awesome cars when they work properly. And it kinda works out for guys like me who can wrench on them. Cuz I would never spend $50k + on a new one unless I hit the lotto.

270_BMW · #29 10-14-2018, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trainwreck

Yeah I don’t get why bmw can’t get these engines to be leak proof. I guess it brings them cash flow for the guys paying for the repairs. And why they get such a bad rap on reliability. They’re awesome cars when they work properly. And it kinda works out for guys like me who can wrench on them. Cuz I would never spend $50k + on a new one unless I hit the lotto.

A Truer statement has never been said.

Russianblue · #30 10-14-2018, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trainwreck

Now I find myself looking at it and scratching my head like what did I get myself into?! I’m capable of doing it. And it’s not that terrible of a job. But it is tedious. It’s starting to get cold. And the cold is discouraging for me. But I’ll get it done. $1200, $1800 is a lot to pay someone for something I can do. But now that I’m looking at it, I guess it’s note of a convenience thing.

This was my line of thinking EXACTLY. For the past FOUR YEARS!

during which my oil pan leak has been getting worse and worse. I could have done it as well, but it IS tedious and extraordinarily time consuming. Ultimately, as I am passing this Xer to my daughter, I figured it HAD to be done because I can't have her leaving oil all over friends' driveways. Funny that THAT is what got me off my rear.

I've actually been tearing into this car recently repairing all the little nits that I've delayed on over the years. There's a LOT, and i mean a TON of little things to do on these cars on a regular basis to keep them tip top. Just as an example....I've had gummi-pfledge in my car wash stuff for years and haven't used it in forever. I dressed the door seals and cleaned the door jambs for the first time in forever yesterday. They look like new now, and the doors shut soft and smooth. Quieted some squeaks and wind noise and provide anti-freeze protection for the winter. I should've been doing that all along! Granted, that's not a REQUIREMENT, but i don't want to be buying $500 worth of door seals for that car in 3 years when it has 200k+ miles!

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