Need help finding the oil leak (picture heavy)

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

EODguy how did you fix it?
Did you replace the shaft seal, part 31521428678 (#2 on the picture)?

When you did the pan gasket, did you pull the right half shaft mount and replace the seal AND o-ring, #8 in the picture? I had a leak from there as well as my pan gasket.

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

Haha well doesn't seem too bad

The smell just doesn't seem to be diff oil, and the color doesn't match...I tried cleaning with oil eater, not even close to brake cleaner results.
I need to put on a respirator, hang drywall drapes around the car (so it doesn't spray on the garage walls) and blast more brake cleaner.
I might just replace that seal to exclude that possibility.
I'm afraid of the oil coming from the bell housing...

What I've had to do in the past when an oil leak went on a long time and got this bad was take the truck in and have it steam cleaned to remove all of the oil. Then start regularly checking the underside for the firs signs of oil. That will usually point you to the culprit. The steam cleaning is more efficient than the brake cleaner.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

Right now I'm waiting on the oil sensor level (should get it this week) before I can refill with oil.
My friend is telling me his X5 had ofhg leak multiple times. He also told me that the oil filter housing on his car was warped and he had to replace it. I've never heard of this before.
I don't believe I replaced part #8, but maybe i did.. I replaced the half shafts seals, and I can see they're dry, so can tell it's not leaking from there.
I really really don't think it's from the front differential. That thing only holds 0.7 quarts of oil. If it was leaking at this rate, I'd have no oil there by now.
I do have to add engine oil from time to time, but I'm not sure if the engine just takes oil or leaks it. I remember I had to all a quart of engine oil, but I don't remember how long it took to get down to that level from full.
I ordered parts from 2 to 8 and then also ordered all the seals and guibos for the front and read driveshaft, and all the seals for transfer case in the rear. Some parts are coming from Germany, but I thought I might do it all at once.
Once I get the oil level sensor (hella) with new gasket, I will refill with oil, clean and try looking again.
Here is canada I'm not sure where I can clean the car with steam, I've never seen or heard of it?
Is it at a car wash?
I may remove air boxes etc. to get to the ofhg and try to inspect around it with inspection camera, to see if it's leaking there.
To me this looks like engine oil, but I'll replace all driveshaft and transfer case gaskets just in case.
Ahhh I don't feel like digging to ofhg lol, but might have to do it.

[andrewwynn]

My OFHG wasn't warped but the seating surface war corroded pretty bad and I will most likely replace it if it starts to leak again. I do have a brother works at a machine shop I could have him grind down that surface perfectly flat. I sanded down the surface to make it smooth enough to seal with a new gasket just not sure how long that will last.

It's pretty easy to get down to the OFHG and even replacing was much easier than I was prepared for. Even replacing was easier than I was anticipating though pulling the intake off was stupidly excessive when a tiny modification to the intake would have made that unnecessary.

If not for turbo boost I would have just cut a little half moon on the edge of the intake to make room for the one bolt.

Also stupid me for not getting some photos of the intake valves when the intake was ajar. I'm planning to replace valve cover this summer and at tree same time walnut blast the intake valves

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

Right now I'm waiting on the oil sensor level (should get it this week) before I can refill with oil.
My friend is telling me his X5 had ofhg leak multiple times. He also told me that the oil filter housing on his car was warped and he had to replace it. I've never heard of this before.
I don't believe I replaced part #8, but maybe i did.. I replaced the half shafts seals, and I can see they're dry, so can tell it's not leaking from there.
I really really don't think it's from the front differential. That thing only holds 0.7 quarts of oil. If it was leaking at this rate, I'd have no oil there by now.
I do have to add engine oil from time to time, but I'm not sure if the engine just takes oil or leaks it. I remember I had to all a quart of engine oil, but I don't remember how long it took to get down to that level from full.
I ordered parts from 2 to 8 and then also ordered all the seals and guibos for the front and read driveshaft, and all the seals for transfer case in the rear. Some parts are coming from Germany, but I thought I might do it all at once.
Once I get the oil level sensor (hella) with new gasket, I will refill with oil, clean and try looking again.
Here is canada I'm not sure where I can clean the car with steam, I've never seen or heard of it?
Is it at a car wash?
I may remove air boxes etc. to get to the ofhg and try to inspect around it with inspection camera, to see if it's leaking there.
To me this looks like engine oil, but I'll replace all driveshaft and transfer case gaskets just in case.
Ahhh I don't feel like digging to ofhg lol, but might have to do it.

OFHG occurred to me, but you said you replaced it. When I did mine, I spent the extra money and got the Viton version from, I think, ECS. I did not want to have to back in there again.

We have some shops that offer steam cleaning. Haven't seen car washes offering it here. If you can't find a place that does it, you might be able to rent one? Not sure what the equipment rental situation is up in Canada.

[EODguy]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

When you did the pan gasket, did you pull the right half shaft mount and replace the seal AND o-ring, #8 in the picture? I had a leak from there as well as my pan gasket.

Yes, but due to the difficulty getting parts in a timely manner here I had ordered/acquired as much as I could to include bolts.

PS. Bolt #11 made me nervous as I worried I'd crack the casing easily. (Just a personal worry )

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

[Bmwe5320023.0]

It's the removing of the fan clutch, alternator, pulleys etc that I don't feel like doing. I've done it so many times I'm tired of it lol.
I just can't see how it can be OFHG. If it was the OFHG then it would be seen on the pictures. It would run down somewhere on the oil pan. The oil pan is clean all around, so I believe it can't be coming from the top.
I got the new hella oil level sensor installed, so tomorrow I'll try to refill with oil and see where it's leaking...

[Bmwe5320023.0]

Here's a picture of the oil filter removed (picture from the internet)


If it was leaking from there, obviously it would leak down on the oil pan...and the bolts of the oil pan. Well that side of the oil pan is dry
Look carefully you can see the exact same location




It's completely dry...

[Bmwe5320023.0]

I think this is what a leaking ofhg would look like


Mine just doesn't look like that at all

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

I think this is what a leaking ofhg would look like


Mine just doesn't look like that at all

When I had an OFHG leak it didn't run straight down. It got blown back to the rear of the engine where it ran into the bell housing and THEN went down.