Help with Oil Leak
 

Has anyone had an oil leak from the filter area on a 4.4? I found a small puddle of oil on the floor last night and when I traced it up it looks like it is coming from the bottom area of the filter housing. Could it be a crack in the housing or just the hose?
RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 4.4i Lubrication system-Oil filter

Thanks
JD

I saw a post in one of the X5 boards (can't remember which) that said that oil leaks coming from that area are "common" and that usually can be solved by just cutting off about 1" of the top end of the hose and pluging the hose back into the housing.

The leak that you cut back hose for is the power steering system... in this case the oil filter housing is in the full flow/full pressure part of the oiling system so the hoses at fault would need replacement.

My suggestion would be to get enough access to the area to see it all pretty good and clean off all the oil with some brake parts cleaner... then start it up and watch for where the oil comes from. That's a quick way to narrow down the source of the leak as everything in the area gets covered pretty quickly making it hard to isolate.

Hey Weasel - I took your advice and cleaned the area and tightened the hose clamp - I am not see anything leaking after about 30 miles of driving. I also think I have an axle seal leak as well - so between the two I am having trouble figuring out which is which

weasel: ok, thanks for the correction.

Sorry about the confusion. Just trying to help. :-)

The gear oil shouldn't be all that hard to distinguish from the engine oil, you can usually tell by color, viscosity and smell. (gear oil has a distinct smell)

But with it cleaned off, you can simply check on it every so often to see what's going on. :thumbup: