Need Help Identifying a Bolt

[lt2mc]

Hello All, My turn to ask for some help. I noticed my 07 E70 N52k started to leak oil over a 3 week period. My first thought was I may have done a sloppy oil change, so I cleaned everything up real good and the drip returned in a few days. So today I decide to open things up and find out where the leak was coming from. From the bottom up, I noticed a lot of fresh oil coming from around the area of my filter housing. Unfortunately it was not coming from the housing. Instead I found oil "oozing" from what appears to be a broken bolt.

My question for every one is two fold; 1, Could this broken bolt be the source of my sudden oil leak? 2, What is this bolt called (Part#?) or what does it secure? I have reviewed several exploded engine diagrams, but none of them drill down to this exact bolt. BTW the thread shaft appears to be fairly loose, so hopefully it won't be too much of a pain to remove.
Thanks in advance for the help.

[lt2mc]

Ok, making more progress in my research. It appears to be an external head bolt that is prone to breaking on earlier model engines. Other sites say it may/may not leak oil. Also finding various answers that it could be a simple fix, or could require replacement of all head bolts. BTW. My thoughts are the vehicle is dead-lined until the bolt is replaced. I would suspect a chance of warping the head if I continue to operate the vehicle without the bolt. Any thoughts?

[lt2mc]

all right, I think I have the bolt/s identified P/N 11-12-0-392-547. I will swing by the dealership tomorrow, hopefully they will have them on hand. I will do the easy one first, then make plans for opening up the valve cover and possibly replacing the other three. One last question, does anyone have an opinion on driving the vehicle with the broken bolt? It is supposed to get down to 30f tomorrow, making for a cold morning motorcycle ride.

[smassey321]

That bolt may have been broken for a while. Check the posts on the E90 forums and you can see that people often just notice the bolt is gone without an oil leak. It is an aluminum bolt right? And there is a PDF of the E90 service manual out on the internet which may help. Easy fix first sounds like a plan. Good luck.

[lt2mc]

All right! Got the easy one replaced. The bolt set was less then $8 from the dealership. Loosen up the air intake, spun out the old bolt, and ran in the new one. All said less then 1 hrs worth of work. I spent more time looking up torque specs for the bolt and air intake. Cleaned everything up good, so I should know in the next day or two if it is fixed.
Next plan now is to prepare for a possible major project when I replace the valve cover gasket. I will try to get my hands on a vanos tool before I start the work, just in case. Man I love these sites.