Oil Leak... from HELL (Story thus far)

[270_BMW]

This week I have had my 2002 i3.0 X5 for about 7 months and have been through roughly 6,500 miles. Putting it at 252,399 as I stepped out of it last night.

Upon my initial purchase of this vehicle with any used or second hand item it was talked up and given a "Pedigree" of a service history... which was false.

When I first picked it up from the lot, it got a bottle of Chevron with Techron concentrate (the big bottle) and a full tank of Premium from Shell. I wanted to start my ownership on the right foot and knock loose any carbon and junk that may have taken up residence since it's last service.

It wasn't a week later I noticed oil spots in my drive... which I blamed on my 2006 Acura TL before I considered the newly purchased X5. Alas, I was wrong and I started noticing the oil spots wherever the BMW would go.

In regards to the internals of the modern combustion engine I know enough for basic to intermediate service, so I was able to check it over before pestering anyone else about this.

Started with wiping down the oil pan and bottom skid plate, checked the oil drain plug and noticed it had oil beaded up along the seal. Decided to get it up in the air for an oil change (which good think I did, the oil was dead) -- turns out the place that serviced it didn't put a sealing washer on the drain plug so with enough heat and pressure it was coming on out. Thankfully my local Gipe store had a set in stock which included the silicone sealing washer. When I put the plug in, the threading and everything was wiped clean and some oil placed on the threads for the drain plug and in it went. Though it was still leaking so I tightened it down more... not realizing that the silicone washer had a limit of 25nm or so... so it split. Which made me have to make due with a Mercedes Kompressor drain plug I had in my tool box. Which was also listed as compatible by my near BMW Dealership.

Crisis averted and I can get on with my life, right? Wrong.

A few days later the oil spots showed up again, but this time with more oil being present. So I went over it again and wiped down the oil pan and the skid plate... oil was beading up again, so I ordered a different drain plug and got that in there... which I thought would have stopped the leaking. (Wrong)

Unfortunately due to someone texting and driving back in September, I have had limited mobility (And one less car) to actually work on this thing so I have been nursing it along and with all things we sometimes get sidetracked... I stopped checking the oil etc because of the colds affect on my body and now that it's warmed up some I've noticed muddy puddles of oil. (Panic time) So I check the oil and from the best I could tell it was somehow 4 Quarts low. Which has now been topped off and will be monitored daily until I can hopefully get a resolution.

It's been getting the Mobil One Synthetic Gold Label High Mileage, which isn't cheap at all -- but I can't keep literally pouring the stuff on the ground.

So I am here to see if anyone has had an oil leak that will not just yield? What fixed it for you?

Currently I am thinking that maybe somehow the oil pan got cross threaded and the Chevron with Techron I put in knocked loose a bottle of Stop Leak... but am open to ideas and suggestions.

Thank you all in advance.

[Geneticfreak]

My 05 X had a similar situation from the day we got it for 2 years until we finally traded it in. Went through a quart every couple weeks. The slow drip was annoying, but not a deal breaker. My biggest oil issue was when the alternator bracket gasket gave out and it dumped all the oil at once.


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[270_BMW]

Originally Posted by Geneticfreak

My 05 X had a similar situation from the day we got it for 2 years until we finally traded it in. Went through a quart every couple weeks. The slow drip was annoying, but not a deal breaker. My biggest oil issue was when the alternator bracket gasket gave out and it dumped all the oil at once.


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At this point I might welcome that bracket breaking as long as I could film it and throw it on youtube. Shame though.

[crystalworks]

^You have a 3.0, no need to worry about an alternator bracket oil seal.

Your drain plug leaking would certainly be annoying (I had that on my 4.8i when I bought it, no crush washer was installed). Have you tried using a new crush washer? If so, maybe you could add a small amount of silicon gasket maker around the drain plug?

Honestly, if your only oil leak on a 252000 M54 is the oil drain... you're ahead of the game. Most would be leaking from the oil pan, rear main seal, and the valve cover. And even possibly the timing covers.

[Calipsoe]

Another major source of oil leaks on the M54 3.0 engine is the oil filter housing gasket. The gasket loses it's elasticity after several years and fails to seal the housing to the engine block allowing oil to seep out. You might want to check that also.



Here's a DIY on replacing the oil filter housing gasket.
BMW X5 E53 Oil Filter Housing Gasket Replacement 3.0 M54

If that is the problem I would recommend using a gasket made from Viton. It cost more than the stock gasket but will last much longer. You can get it here: https://www.bavauto.com/11-42-1-719855v

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Calipsoe

Another major source of oil leaks on the M54 3.0 engine is the oil filter housing gasket. The gasket loses it's elasticity after several years and fails to seal the housing to the engine block allowing oil to seep out. You might want to check that also.



Here's a DIY on replacing the oil filter housing gasket.
BMW X5 E53 Oil Filter Housing Gasket Replacement 3.0 M54

If that is the problem I would recommend using a gasket made from Viton. It cost more than the stock gasket but will last much longer. You can get it here: https://www.bavauto.com/11-42-1-719855v

If the oil is on the driver side of the engine and not on the passenger side of the engine you should inspect the OFHG.

[cn90]

If you ever change the OFH gasket...

1. Use only BMW dealer gasket ($6 at dealer).

2. Read ahead to avoid stripping the threads if possible. During installation, torque the 6 bolts down slowly and evenly. I posted the tricks in the forums.
The bottom line is torque it down, wait a bit for the gasket to settle down and torque a bit more etc. If you follow these tricks, you will not get any leak.

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by cn90

If you ever change the OFH gasket...

1. Use only BMW dealer gasket ($6 at dealer).

2. Read ahead to avoid stripping the threads if possible. During installation, torque the 6 bolts down slowly and evenly. I posted the tricks in the forums.
The bottom line is torque it down, wait a bit for the gasket to settle down and torque a bit more etc. If you follow these tricks, you will not get any leak.

Order a Viton gasket from ECS Tuning if you plan on keeping the car. The OEM gasket will just get hard and fail again like it did before. The Viton lasts much longer. Costs more too, but you get what you pay for.

[cn90]

I have a 1998 528i M52 with 170K and 2006 X5 M54 with 125K.

Thanks for the Viton info.
- BMW OEM OFH Gasket = $6.
- ECS Tuning Viton Gasket = $20.

The factory seal leaked at 10y/110K miles. I think if the BMW OEM seal gives me 10y/110K service, it is fine with me. I don't keep cars beyond 200K miles.

Does anyone know how long the Viton seal lasts?

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by cn90

I have a 1998 528i M52 with 170K and 2006 X5 M54 with 125K.

Thanks for the Viton info.
- BMW OEM OFH Gasket = $6.
- ECS Tuning Viton Gasket = $20.

The factory seal leaked at 10y/110K miles. I think if the BMW OEM seal gives me 10y/110K service, it is fine with me. I don't keep cars beyond 200K miles.

Does anyone know how long the Viton seal lasts?

Like BMW transmission fluid, you won't need to change it because it is life time. LMAO