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  #1  
Old 01-23-2017, 06:42 PM
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major oil leak...what could it be?

So, my wife called to say low oil level warning popped up. I told her to go to auto parts store and add oil. See did and go the car home. I then told her to look for oil on the ground. Wellll, she found a very large pool of oil. Uh oh, leave the car at home and I will look at it later.

So, I am suspecting the infamous oil cooler block at the engine (4.8i). Where else should I look. Leak is mid-left of engine...classic for oil cooler block and I already have the gasket as I suspect it was leaking a bit due to small spots on the garage floor. Now, it let go I guess.

110k miles.
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Old 01-23-2017, 08:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidf View Post
So, I am suspecting the infamous oil cooler block at the engine (4.8i). Where else should I look. Leak is mid-left of engine...classic for oil cooler block and I already have the gasket as I suspect it was leaking a bit due to small spots on the garage floor. Now, it let go I guess.
Given the location and suddenness of the leak, 99.9% it's the oil cooler thermostat housing gasket as you suspect. If you're at 110k miles, you're lucky it has lasted this long.
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Old 01-23-2017, 11:11 PM
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Yep, that is what it is. Got alternator out and power steering pump set aside. Now need to figure out tool to get cooler pipe bolt out of thermostat housing ( no space). Pulling wheel well liner does not help. Broke fitting at bottom of coolant expansion tank, so new one gets added to list.

Time for some research as have had enough tonight already.
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Old 01-24-2017, 08:31 AM
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This thread may help. There is a nice sized section and some links that should help with the oil thermostat removal.

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...icks-info.html
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Old 01-24-2017, 11:16 PM
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Thanks for link. 5 hours in and finally got the thermostat housing removed. Could not remove oil pipe bolt, due to interference with steering rack components, so left pipes attached to thermostat. Ended up removing coolant reservoir and heater valves to make clearance for access via well wheel.

Thinking of replacing oil pipe bolt with conventional bolt so regular wrench can remove bolt in the future. Note: Some say the oil pipe bolt is accessible from the wheel well. I suspect this is true depending on steering/suspension options. My X5 has Active Steering, so one of the electric solenoids blocks access to the female torx bolt. Replace the torx bolt with a conventional bolt would make it simple to put a box end wrench on the bolt from the front to remove.

Tonight I will be replacing the thermostat with the help of a guide stud screwed into one of the bolt holes. My hope is that this method will ensure alignment and thus it will be easier to start the first bolt and second bolt. Remove the stud and start the third bolt. Snug down evenly.

Update: Repair 99% complete (expansion tank left to install once I get a new lower hose...looked tired). Anyway, took me a total of 7.5-8 hours start to finish spread over three evenings. Assembly was easy as I knew the proper tool combinations and where and how to access all the fasteners. The only thing I could not figure out was how to get the power steering pump return hose back into the plastic clamp...ugh!

Last edited by Davidf; 01-26-2017 at 09:50 AM.
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Old 11-19-2018, 02:44 PM
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Hi. I am about to start the work on my 2007 x5 v8. been showing a slow leak. I inspected the oil cooler thermostat from underneath the car while the engine is running and I can see oil oozing out from where the thermostat meets the engine block. the leak is definitely getting worse with time. it's been leaking i believe for a year now. few drops every night. I'd like to get it fixed before the gasket gives up completely.

thanks for sharing your experience. one question, did you access the thermostat bolts from underneath the vehicle or from the top? Also how hard was it to unbolt and move the power steering pump away? my car has the active steering option.
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Old 12-16-2018, 10:02 AM
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Sorry for slow response. I recall accessing the bolt from the top front. Sorry, I do not remember difficulty of removing the power steering pump.

On another note, yesterday, I started the valve stem seal and timing cover gasket replacement...on 18 or so hours to go...yea
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Old 12-16-2018, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidf View Post

On another note, yesterday, I started the valve stem seal and timing cover gasket replacement...on 18 or so hours to go...yea
What method are you using? Post up your thoughts in another thread, could helpf someone else considering it....
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Old 12-31-2018, 10:44 AM
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Valve stem seal replacement took about a week of on/off work. Probably a good 24-30 hours. I did the work with engine in the vehicle using AGA tool. My second use of the tool as I had previously done the same job on my E60 545i. I also replaced the upper timing cover gaskets.

Also, it seemed I was running original BMW branded Bosch spark plugs with 145k miles on them. They were extremely worn with huge gap. Can’t believe I never bothered or thought to change them previously.

Last edited by Davidf; 12-31-2018 at 10:50 AM.
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