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      09-07-2014, 08:10 PM   #1
Scotty89
Buy a 335 they said... It'll be fun they said...
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Drives: 2007 E92 335i
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia

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2007 BMW 335i  [10.00]
Failed Oil Filter Housing Gasket Repair… how much damage have I done??

So I bought the car (2007 335i) a few months ago, and one of the issues that was fixed prior to sale was the gasket between the oil filter housing and the oil cooler send/return lines.

When the previous owner had it inspected for roadworthiness, the shop noticed it was leaking from this gasket and refused to pass a roadworthy certificate until the leak was repaired.
So, the workshop did a gasket repair using (what I think was) permatex grey gasket sealer - and this worked for a few months until last Friday when it leaked again and my check oil light came on.

I panicked, as I wanted the car ready by Monday and I didn't have the gasket on hand (no workshops are open on weekends here, and BMW does not supply parts on weekends because they're useless).
So, I went and got some Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker, removed the old gasket, the grey gasket repair sealant and cleaned everything with brake cleaner, dried it out and applied the ultra black.

The packet said dry in 1 hour, however I'd never created gaskets myself or used this kind of product before so I had no idea what to expect... Nor did I understand that the fine print that read "Cures in 24 hours" should have been printed in large bold print; "DON'T START THE F***KING CAR FOR 24 HOURS, IDIOT".

Needless to say, I let it dry for a few hours and then I started the car to check. There was maybe 4 - 5 seconds between myself pressing the start button inside the car, and then getting out to look under the bonnet before immediately shutting it off again.
Oil sprayed out everywhere, flowing all over the engine block, belts, hoses, cables, everything.

As I also found out the hard way, inside that gasket are not only oil lines, but since the same housing unit is used on the n52, there is also a section for coolant to pass through (though this coolant channel does not appear flow anywhere on the n54, so it is just a litte pocket).
So with the immediate high pressure oil pumping on startup, quite a lot of oil has forced its way through the coolant lines and flowed out of the coolant reservoir cap.

I've learnt my lesson not to attempt band-aid fixes in the N54, and I will never touch gasket in a tube ever again.
What I need to know is whether I may have caused any irreparable damage.

If the gasket sealer wasn't solid, and the oil pressure has forced its way past the gasket and gone every where - will the traces of gasket maker get stuck elsewhere in the engine and cause oil blockages??

I have ordered the correct gaskets, disassembled everything and also got a complete oil flush + oil change, and coolant flush + coolant change ready to go once the BMW gaskets arrive... but will these be enough to save me?

What else can I do now?

Last edited by Scotty89; 09-08-2014 at 01:16 AM..
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