02 3.0 Leaking Oil

[Dr. X5]

hey guys, my 2002 x5 is leaking oil... dealer told me a few weeks back it was the oil filter housing gasket, i changed it at a local shop and still leaking... the oil seems to be coming down the power steering hose that is on the left left in the first picture, on the right in the second, and a clear picture of it in the third picture where the oil is accumulating around that silver connection and leaking onto the floor. also the hose that is on the right in the first picture seems to have alot of condensation around it... could the gasket be done wrong? could it be something else?

Thanks!

[romeokc10]

It could be anything, these things leak fluids like the Exxon Valdez.

[JCL]

If you got it done at a shop, isn't their work covered by a service warranty?

Is it leaking engine oil, or power steering fluid?

[bigbabyE53]

Hard to see the pics well on my phone but it looks like old oil residue. I think they half-assed the job and did not clean the engine.

[Dr. X5]

thanks for the reply guys! they did the work, and i actually power washed the bottom of it right after and made sure everything was clean from the bottom, maybe its old oil residue thats coming from the top, not sure... im pretty sure its engine oil, but not 100%. they do have a service warranty, and i can take it in, im just really busy and don't have the time... and honestly, i trust the guys on here alot more than i trust any shop or the dealer... this thread is addicting so i figured id post it up and see what the members had to say... i just read on multiple different threads that every1 that usually suspects a power steering leak, turns out to be a bad oil filter housing gasket so i still think the shop may have done something wrong... anyways, my next step is to wait to see if i get the old "check engine oil level" warning anytime soon, and go from there... thanks alot! open to other ideas too!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Dr. X5

.. anyways, my next step is to wait to see if I get the old "check engine oil level" warning anytime soon, and go from there... thanks a lot! open to other ideas too!

There is no reason to wait until you get the warning light for very low oil level. You could just check the oil level with the dipstick and track it to see if it drops.

[Dr. X5]

hey fellas... i took it in this morning, they cleaned everything off and put a dye in it to see where and if its leaking... hopefully it was just old stuff that seeped down... ill keep you guys posted... Thanks!

[maxtcee]

so where was it leaking from

[Dr. X5]

hey sorry i got caught up and totally forgot to reply...

well heres what my mechanic said, my oil filter housing is dry so the gasket was done right... i have oil pooling in two places... engine oil is found around the back of the engine between the bell-housing and the oil pan initially leading him to think its the rear main seal or the pan. he mentioned that he saw oil coming from around the oil pan and my flywheel was dry so it lead him to think that it was not the rear main seal...

i also have oil leaking just a little from around the power steering hose leading to some drops seen in the second two pictures pooling around the power steering pump, and i also have moister like seeping around my high pressure power steering hose seen in the first picture

so basically the pictures above only show the power steering problem, and in the rear of the engine was where i was really loosing my oil... i havn't had time to take the truck in to get it fixed, but im still looking into what other parts i should replace in the proces... ive read somewhere that the high pressure power steering hose has to come down so it would be a good idea to replace that, and also i need some new control arms so i don't know if those have to come off for this job... and i was looking at parts from ECS Tunning, i have yet to try them but i have read good things about them... anyone have any other ideas of what i can replace when this job is being done?

[DanSanDiego]

Your pictures look like my X5 did when I got it. Power steering hose (vertical) had a hole in it but the mesh on the tube made it difficult to see. Replaced the tube (very easy) and it's fixed.