Great video. I'm not worried about it, but I think I've got a RMS leak on my 2001 M54B30. So far, it's nothing the stiffening plate can't handle.

When I rebuilt the top end last summer and had things pretty well stripped down, I inspected the oil pan seam for leaks and it seemed perfect. I tried putting some torque on each bolt (pretty low, they are M6, and I think the manual specifies 10 Nm if they are class 8.8 and 14 Nm if the bolts are marked class 10.9 [all this from memory, so look it up]) and nothing at all moved.

Looking at the video, e.g., the frame at 3:12 with a view of the back face of the engine, ...

https://youtu.be/TyTL8wosXKo?t=192

you can see the residual oil that is directly below the crankshaft at the engine-AT interface. With that view, and also seeing the oil on the lower part of the RMS, it seems clear that the oil is leaking past the RMS, then down into the cavity below, and finally leaking through the unsealed gap between the engine pan and the AT.

But without that view, it might not be clear whether it is the RMS or the oil pan gasket right below the RMS that is leaking. Both would exit at the same point below. So that's when you might (I do) figure that if the rest of the oil pan gasket is tight, the chances that it's leaking right below the RMS is not likely, and it's probably the RMS. So that's what I'm concluding for now.

BTW, I've also come across a case on this forum for the M54 where it was actually the AT front seal leaking, still exiting at that point, looking brown like engine oil vs. red like DEXRON VI (or III) as it exited. Disassembly confirmed it was the AT. Interesting.

And it makes perfect sense that the oil pan gasket, if it leaks, would leak in areas near the axle, with more stuff going on there to disturb things.

Great discussion on the "gasket cut trick" - Thanks! I may bring this up with my indie and see if he's willing to try it.

i love it; nothing the stiffen plate can't handle; of course it's the FOAM on the top that does most of the handling :-D I replaced my foam after i fixed a bit oil leak and then a few months later i finally got an 'old age' leak

Does anyone know if there is a kit for the oil pan gasket that includes the oil pan bolts as well? I have seen a few people mention that those should be replaced at the same time when doing the gasket? I am also assuming people are only going with the OEM oil pan gaskets from BMW and not using victor reinz gaskets for the oil pan?

They aren't torque to yield no need to replace. They aren't even very strong. Determine what grade and you can just order a batch from Amazon. On the 8 cyl there are about three that are a different length so something to be aware about


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The video below showed a guy replacing his BMW E46 RMS, note at time marking 2:00, he pointed to oil in that particular bolt head (roughly at 5:30 o'clock when viewed from behind looking to the front of the car). His leak was solved by new RMS.

So I am very convinced that the oil on that bolt head (roughly at 5:30 o'clock when viewed from behind) is from a minor RMS leak. I already did the BavarianE39 CCV Mod, so it is just a minor leak, maybe one qt every 5K miles etc. Nothing to worry about.

This is so others who have the leak at that bolt can diagnose it properly (clean the dirty oil first), drive around for 100-200 miles, if you see drops of oil at that bolt head, then you have a RMS leak.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaLgoTjk0yM

O.P.,

- How many miles in your E53 M54 engine?
- I have not read every paragraph but did you replace the OFH Gasket yet?
- For the oil pan gasket: BMW only (no aftermarket), it is not expensive.

BTW, if the leak is minor, live with it.
- Again, I'd appreciate if you can do the BavarianE39 CCV Mod (crankcase vacuum will increase) and report back if it stops (or minimize) your presumed RMS leak. I'd love to know if increased crankcase vacuum solves the RMS leak!

Source of fluid leaks are often deceiving. I always clean the engine and then let it idle until it has been at operating temp for a few minutes. I usually wait until next morning and use a bright white small flashlight to follow the trail from exit point toward the top of the engine. I do that at least twice to be sure of the source.

Ah ok. So it's not like the aluminum bolts for the oil that come on some of the newer cars/models.



About 185k miles. I did not replace the OFH yet, but my driver side is relatively dry in comparison to the passenger side. I've checked the area around ofh and the waffled areas. It is mildly dirty, but not as much as it is on the rear/passenger areas of the engine.

I've attached a picture of how much oil leaks off of the stiffening plate after sitting for only 1-2 days. This is without having driven the car.

I am going to most likely follow the process below:

Order new oil pan gasket

Tighten the oil pan bolts and then let the engine sit for a day or two to see if there is any oil leaking still. If it is still leaking quite a bit, then with the stiffening plate already off, I'll just go through the process of replacing the gasket at the same time.

Ideally this solves the major oil leaks. If it doesn't, then at that point, I may look at the CCV mod and/or RMS/etc.

I'd do the OFH Gasket first ($6 item at dealer) simply b/c it is easy and at 185K miles, it is probably leaking anyway.

I HAD similar leak on the stiffening plate, I replaced the OFH gasket and problem was solved. That was 4 years ago.

When doing the OFH, search for bimmerfest E39 DIY I wrote over there. I also wrote similar DIY in this Xoutpost E53 forum.

The key with M54 is to tighten the 6 bolts in sequence, waiting a few minutes in between to allow the gasket the seat properly.

Make sure you clean the old oil, otherwise it will continue to drip down for a while, making you think that the new OFH gasket did not fix the problem. This happened to me b/c I did not clean the old oil well, one week after new OFH gasket, I saw some oil but it turned out to be residual oil.