Another oil leak thread... - Page 2

Baby Unicorn Taco · #1 03-08-2019, 01:58 PM

Whats going to leak over there on the 4.8i is the valve cover, timing cover, oil thermostat, or those lines. The area around where the the oil thermostat gasket looks too dry to be the source of the leak. From how you wrote your repairs it sounds like you had them replace the valve covers but not the timing covers. The timing covers only take an extra couple hours once they are in there for the valve covers. Timing cover gaskets should have been done at the same time. My guess would be one of 3 things. A leak from the oil lines that have the oil drip on it, a timing cover that did not have a gasket replaced, or the valve cover still has a small leak and needs to be redone. It is typically recommended that the timing covers be replaced at the same time as the valve covers. I would bring it back to them. Have them check their own work since it is quick to have a new leak. Then take it home and re-evaluate it yourself if they say it is a new leak.

If they somehow decide to redo the oil thermostat gasket, ask them to replace the e-torx bolts with hex bolts. Saves hours if it ever leaks again in the future.

Bmwfvr · #2 03-08-2019, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn

Whats going to leak over there on the 4.8i is the valve cover, timing cover, oil thermostat, or those lines. The area around where the the oil thermostat gasket looks too dry to be the source of the leak. From how you wrote your repairs it sounds like you had them replace the valve covers but not the timing covers. The timing covers only take an extra couple hours once they are in there for the valve covers. Timing cover gaskets should have been done at the same time. My guess would be one of 3 things. A leak from the oil lines that have the oil drip on it, a timing cover that did not have a gasket replaced, or the valve cover still has a small leak and needs to be redone. It is typically recommended that the timing covers be replaced at the same time as the valve covers. I would bring it back to them. Have them check their own work since it is quick to have a new leak. Then take it home and re-evaluate it yourself if they say it is a new leak.

If they somehow decide to redo the oil thermostat gasket, ask them to replace the e-torx bolts with hex bolts. Saves hours if it ever leaks again in the future.

Both VCG and timing cover gaskets were replaced

I purchased the parts myself and told them to replace both. All genuine BMW parts by the way. I ran my fingers along the bottom of the valve cover and in the back of the engine (half moons), all dry. no visible leakage around the timing cover either. very strange.

Baby Unicorn Taco · #3 03-08-2019, 02:12 PM

That probably rules out everything but the oil lines there. You could ask the shop if they replaced the o-rings for the lines and hope to get an honest answer, but I would still bring it back. If the valve covers, timing covers, and thermostat gasket have all been replaced, whatever is leaking is something they should have replaced or done a better job at reassembling. Just my two cents. There are some power steering lines over there that sometimes can be the same oil color. Maybe a slight chance they caused a leak there when they moved the power steering pump aside.

Baby Unicorn Taco · #4 03-09-2019, 10:16 PM

These are the oil cooler line o-rings that can leak. I just replaced them tonight. They are gray. Easy to do.

Bmwfvr · #5 03-09-2019, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn

These are the oil cooler line o-rings that can leak. I just replaced them tonight. They are gray. Easy to do.

How much work is it to get to the o rings? Does alternator need to be removed?

Baby Unicorn Taco · #6 03-09-2019, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmwfvr

How much work is it to get to the o rings? Does alternator need to be removed?

Good question. I think it would be very hard to remove and replace the o-rings with the alternator in place. I won't know until I put the alternator back in. With the alternator out you can see your work. Even if you could access the single e-torx bolt that holds the lines on while the alternator was still in, you would be working completely blind. It will take a gasket hook tool to take the old o-rings off. If that is indeed the source of your leak, once the alternator is out it would take 15 minutes to replace them. One bolt to remove, pull the lines loose, replace o-rings, put lines back in, and replace the bolt.

Bmwfvr · #7 03-09-2019, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn

Good question. I think it would be very hard to remove and replace the o-rings with the alternator in place. I won't know until I put the alternator back in. With the alternator out you can see your work. Even if you could access the single e-torx bolt that holds the lines on while the alternator was still in, you would be working completely blind. It will take a gasket hook tool to take the old o-rings off. If that is indeed the source of your leak, once the alternator is out it would take 15 minutes to replace them. One bolt to remove, pull the lines loose, replace o-rings, put lines back in, and replace the bolt.

Yeah i need to confirm the a source of the leak first. So did you also change the thermostat gasket or just the o rings? Also did you access the lines from top or bottom of car?

Baby Unicorn Taco · #8 03-09-2019, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmwfvr

Yeah i need to confirm the a source of the leak first. So did you also change the thermostat gasket or just the o rings? Also did you access the lines from top or bottom of car?

My oil thermostat gasket was leaking. I'm not sure if my oil line o-rings were leaking or not so I did them proactively. I accessed from the top. Your shop did not replace the e-torx bolts with hex bolts so you would have to remove the alternator and move the power steering pump out of the way to be able to replace the oil thermostat gasket. You should yell at the shop for not changing the bolts to hex.

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Baby Unicorn Taco · #9 03-09-2019, 11:12 PM

I'd still take it back and see what they say. $7 dye should help a lot. Hopefully it was a BMW indy shop that did the work. Get a UV light. Really though. If they did the valve covers, timing covers, and thermostat gasket, the line o-rings was an oversight by them. There really is nothing else to leak right there.

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Bmwfvr · #10 03-10-2019, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn

I'd still take it back and see what they say. $7 dye should help a lot. Hopefully it was a BMW indy shop that did the work. Get a UV light. Really though. If they did the valve covers, timing covers, and thermostat gasket, the line o-rings was an oversight by them. There really is nothing else to leak right there.

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yes it was a BMW specialist. they only work on BMWs.