N62 4.8 Oil Thermostat Gasket Leak (2007 X5)

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by Entropy

Mine started around 75k. I'd say you're due for a replacement. How is it so hard for BMW to develop a gasket material that doesn't turn to stone after 75k miles? Seems even the cheapest car manufacturers figured this out 20 years ago. 100% planned obsolescence on BMW's part. My wife's Mini had a spark plug well (engine has a BMW head/valvetrain) full of oil at 40k miles. Gaskets were already turning hard. Unbelievable.

It's a disgrace. Have you ever heard of a Toyota V8 leaking oil? The X5 V8 has at least 6 spots that are guaranteed to leak oil, and many are fairly major jobs.

[lordshin808]

Originally Posted by Entropy

Mine started around 75k. I'd say you're due for a replacement. How is it so hard for BMW to develop a gasket material that doesn't turn to stone after 75k miles? Seems even the cheapest car manufacturers figured this out 20 years ago. 100% planned obsolescence on BMW's part. My wife's Mini had a spark plug well (engine has a BMW head/valvetrain) full of oil at 40k miles. Gaskets were already turning hard. Unbelievable.

This really pisses me off. What kind of cheap ass materials are BMW using for their gaskets. We gotta do all this work every 75k just to replace a $6 gasket? I'll gladly pay for a gasket costing 3x more if it will last 2x as long.

truly unbelievable.

[Nanniepoo]

I'd have to check my records but our leak was somewhere around 135k. We've only owned it from 120k or so. I have dealer records but there's no record of any of the common oil leak repairs but I have to imagine it leaked and was fixed before we got it. So yeah, wouldn't surprise me if they only last 70k or so.

Which is great because that probably means other things are about to go since we're at 147k now.

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[Nanniepoo]

Now of course I can't find any record of it, but I could've sworn I had read that BMW uses recycled materials for their gaskets to be environmentally friendly. But really no idea if that's true

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[SeanC]

Mine was replace at 77,997 miles. Probably started leaking a couple of thousand miles earlier. Right on the money.

I think the fact that our engines run hotter than most V8's is a contributing factor to why these gaskets harden up over time. I swapped my thermostat with a lower temperature one in the hopes of preventing this. Not counting on it though.

[Entropy]

Originally Posted by SeanC

Mine was replace at 77,997 miles. Probably started leaking a couple of thousand miles earlier. Right on the money.

I think the fact that our engines run hotter than most V8's is a contributing factor to why these gaskets harden up over time. I swapped my thermostat with a lower temperature one in the hopes of preventing this. Not counting on it though.

Our engines don't run any hotter than other modern engines. In fact, I'd say with the oil coolers that most BMW engines have, they run cooler than other engines.

[SeanC]

Originally Posted by Entropy

Our engines don't run any hotter than other modern engines. In fact, I'd say with the oil coolers that most BMW engines have, they run cooler than other engines.

If by modern you mean newer turbo BMW engines, you're right. But you will find stock thermostat temperatures in the 160-210 range for the V8 LS engines from the same era as the E70, similar to Toyota V8s from the same era. Our stock thermostat is rated at 221 degrees, and I was constantly getting 230 with that thermostat (110 C). Oil temperature is probably higher. I wouldn't call that a cool running engine.

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[snik]

The 4.8 seems to run cooler than my E46 M3. If I'm to just go off the oil temp needle.
Which kind of surprised me considering it's a large V8.


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[SeanC]

Originally Posted by snik

The 4.8 seems to run cooler than my E46 M3. If I'm to just go off the oil temp needle.
Which kind of surprised me considering it's a large V8.


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E70 doesn't have an oil temp needle? Also it's beyond me how a 105 degree thermostat on the 4.8 runs cooler than an S54 with a 80 degree thermostat. I'd be interested in actual numbers read over OBD port.

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[snik]

Originally Posted by SeanC

E70 doesn't have an oil temp needle? Also it's beyond me how a 105 degree thermostat on the 4.8 runs cooler than an S54 with a 80 degree thermostat. I'd be interested in actual numbers read over OBD port.

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The 4.8iS has a oil temp gauge. Same range as the E46 M3 and it consistently sits lower and rises slower.
Didn't think about the coolant temp tho.



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