[Glopez5]

approx 500-600 miles in 2 weeks were driven...

So, less than 2 weeks ago I changed my Oil Filter housing gasket and my Oil Pan gasket. Dropped oil pan cleaned inside and outside of the pan. Then filled it up with 7qts of oil, and today i'm 1qt short. I watch it drop like every other day from full to 3/4, to 1/2 to 1/4 and then now 1 full qt short.

I looked over the area several times and I don't see any new signs of oil leaking. (existing leak was cleaned off) So I checked my exhaust to see if I was burning white smoke and nothing... I also replaced valve cover gasket earlier this year..

Kind of scratching my head, 1qt of oil is hard to hide in 1 week.

My thoughts 1qt if i was burning it i'd assume huge plumes of smoke, if it was leaking it would be wet every where.

So my only last guess is oil level sensor?

[shadow191]

Could it be leaking and mixing with coolant? Long shot.

[Glopez5]

Originally Posted by shadow191

Could it be leaking and mixing with coolant? Long shot.

Good question, I forgot to mention I did a coolant flush at the same time i did the previous 2 and there were no signs that the coolant had any oil mixed in to it. Looked normal to me.


Sometimes I get a weird smell, but I've always thought it was because of going with catless dp's.


I figured if oil level sensor was going bad it would jump up and down not just down?

[Efthreeoh]

I doubt it is the actual sensor, it's a simple device and not much to "break" on it (it's just a big capacitor). When the sensor goes bad there are BMW trouble codes stored in the ECU; a BMW master Tech confirmed this with me; I don't know what the codes are however, he didn't tell me.

I think the Shadow was suggesting the OFHG may still be leaking from an improper install (no offense, but shit happens) and was suggesting checking the coolant now to see if the oil is mixing in the coolant post OFHG change.

I agree that loosing a quart of oil in less than 2 weeks and 600 miles is not possible without some other signs such as a massive oil leak or indications from the exhaust. I can't see the rear crank seal losing that much oil either and the bellhousing would be sopping wet too. All I can suggest is drain the oil into a clean pan and measure it (you can reuse the oil if you keep it clean). That's what the dealer will do anyway.

Good luck with it.

[Glopez5]

I think my valve cover seal might be leaking again, in the back left corner. At the time I did it, i didn't realize it needed new screws so I used old ones. not sure if that is causing leak. But check this picture out:

Looks like this might be the culprit still confused losing 1 qt in 2 weeks i was expecting bigger mess of oil.... idk...

[Glopez5]

maybe i'll re-do it next weekend and drop the oil at same time and measure it. I put 7 in and I'll prob put in another 1/2 quart for now.

[Delta0311]

Yes the valve cover needs new screws you should not reuse the old ones. Also you have to make sure you do not over torque them. Replacing the screws is definitely a good idea. As far as the bolts go you can get grease on them just from bits of oil spilling while your topping off. Best thing to do is to clean them well and drive for a few days and then check for signs of oil around the bolts. Although in your case I wouldn't even bother, just replace the screws.

[Glopez5]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Yes the valve cover needs new screws you should not reuse the old ones. Also you have to make sure you do not over torque them. Replacing the screws is definitely a good idea. As far as the bolts go you can get grease on them just from bits of oil spilling while your topping off. Best thing to do is to clean them well and drive for a few days and then check for signs of oil around the bolts. Although in your case I wouldn't even bother, just replace the screws.

Good advice, i did torque them down to spec when i originally did it, but now that i've done my oil pan gasket i know the importance of replacing those aluminum suckers. They can easily get worn in or change shape over time.

For this week i'll clean them and keep an eye on them.


I'm wondering if it's just the bolts that need replacing or if i should take it all apart again and basically do new gasket new bolts.. lol

[Glopez5]

i guess good thing is, since i'm always a DIY guy, practice just makes perfect. lol

[Bavarian Tech]

FYI you don't need to replace the valve cover bolts, ONLY on N52 with the magnesium valve cover. N52KP, N54,N55,N20 are all steel=reusable. Yes your valve cover is seeping but definitely not leaking that bad for an oil leak that your reporting. Your positive you have dropped the belly pan its dry as a bone ? Turbos lines arent leaking, OFH, Oil Pan, Rear mail seal ? Whats your mileage, BMW quote is 1qt per 750mls

[Glopez5]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Tech

FYI you don't need to replace the valve cover bolts, ONLY on N52 with the magnesium valve cover. N52KP, N54,N55,N20 are all steel=reusable. Yes your valve cover is seeping but definitely not leaking that bad for an oil leak that your reporting. Your positive you have dropped the belly pan its dry as a bone ? Turbos lines arent leaking, OFH, Oil Pan, Rear mail seal ? Whats your mileage, BMW quote is 1qt per 750mls

I have about 130k miles.

When i dropped the oil pan, i cleaned it completely, used a towel on inside making sure it was bone dry. Same with oil filter housing gasket, i took that off and completely cleaned inside and outside. No new leaks from oil filter housing gasket area.

I guess next thing is turbo lines and rear main seal. I'm not sure where the rear main seal is, gotta look that up. Does anyone have pics?

Wondering if almost dry engine takes maybe more than 7qts? my guess is maybe 7.5 for the oil in the oil cooler lines?

[Bavarian Tech]

Unless you physically "blow" the oil cooler out, it will always have oil in it, and the lines. Rear main seal is between the transmission and the rear of the engine. If it it leaking you'll see oil/oil residue there. Being at 130k..I would expect it to burn some oil. 1qt is bit much for ur driven mileage. But within spec still. When you did the valve cover, did you clean the valve cover ?. I had an E60 with excessive oil consumption. Ended up being a valve cover, might be something to look into since ur is leaking anyways

Originally Posted by Glopez5

I have about 130k miles.

When i dropped the oil pan, i cleaned it completely, used a towel on inside making sure it was bone dry. Same with oil filter housing gasket, i took that off and completely cleaned inside and outside. No new leaks from oil filter housing gasket area.

I guess next thing is turbo lines and rear main seal. I'm not sure where the rear main seal is, gotta look that up. Does anyone have pics?

Wondering if almost dry engine takes maybe more than 7qts? my guess is maybe 7.5 for the oil in the oil cooler lines?

[kfrazie1]

I was losing a qt every 1000 miles at one point. Car is an 07 335i with 85k miles and tune. Replaced a few items including rear turbo inlet to valve cover check valve and added an RB PCV valve. Didn't solve the issue. I did however have a small weep from my VCG but certainly not 1qt of oil every 1k miles worthy, I changed the gaskets and it's been 1500 miles and I haven't burned anything according to the dip stick. I think a VCG leak messes with the vacuum in the head and somehow causes this oil burning issue. I reused my Steel bolts on the VCG job but replaced about 5 corroded ones. Took me an hour to torque them down. I torqued all them half way first in a criss cross pattern and then retorqued to final spec. This is probably one of the most important parts of the job.

[Glopez5]

Thanks for the heads up, i may eventually look into replacing the bolts just do it all over again, it's not that hard anyway.

However on a side not i think i may have found the leak.. maybe.... i jacked up the car last thursday and completely dumped the fluid and checked and it was low. upon further observation i did realize it was kind of wet near the oil pan drain bolt(before dumping fluid that is). everywhere else was pretty clean since i had pressure washed it a couple days earlier. It turns out i forgot to put the metal washer between oil pan and drain bolt. Not sure if it caused leak or not.

On the undercarage cover i did notice that the drain bolt area was alittle wet, not 1qt wet but maybe it was just leaking idk.


I'm keeping an eye on it for now, so far it's been a couple of days and my oil levels are right at max. I used some 2 1/2 quarts of fresh new oil i had left and mixed in the 2 week old oil in there to make it 7. so far so good. Fingers crossed.

[ArcticRik]

Originally Posted by Glopez5

Thanks for the heads up, i may eventually look into replacing the bolts just do it all over again, it's not that hard anyway.

However on a side not i think i may have found the leak.. maybe.... i jacked up the car last thursday and completely dumped the fluid and checked and it was low. upon further observation i did realize it was kind of wet near the oil pan drain bolt(before dumping fluid that is). everywhere else was pretty clean since i had pressure washed it a couple days earlier. It turns out i forgot to put the metal washer between oil pan and drain bolt. Not sure if it caused leak or not.

On the undercarage cover i did notice that the drain bolt area was alittle wet, not 1qt wet but maybe it was just leaking idk.


I'm keeping an eye on it for now, so far it's been a couple of days and my oil levels are right at max. I used some 2 1/2 quarts of fresh new oil i had left and mixed in the 2 week old oil in there to make it 7. so far so good. Fingers crossed.

I have the same issue, turns out its my Valve cover gasket (had it replaced in march and guess they did a shitty job) Im having it replaced sometime next week. I was having the same issue, going through a quart a month and seeing white smoke come from the hood

[Glopez5]

Yeah my guess is the same I realized the oil pan bolt didn't have the washer so I fixed that. But slow leak was there and it looks like its prob coming from head. Fortunately I traded car in yesterday and got a new 2013 camaro ss. Miss my BMW but this car is awesome.

[ArcticRik]

Originally Posted by Glopez5

Yeah my guess is the same I realized the oil pan bolt didn't have the washer so I fixed that. But slow leak was there and it looks like its prob coming from head. Fortunately I traded car in yesterday and got a new 2013 camaro ss. Miss my BMW but this car is awesome.

Damn! congrats man! those are pretty nice