[ChuckThomas]

You need to clean all of that dirt off your engine. No telling where your leak is coming from because everything is already dirty. Start with a clean engine bay to diagnose leaks. Also there is some power steering fluid that's leaking from one of the hoses which is a common problem, and some water leaking onto your crankshaft pulley causing rust. Could be coolant leaking out ofhg onto it, or rain water getting into due to lost/damaged seals.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

I did take some pictures finally. Let me know if this is not at the correct angle. I can take more as per your inputs.

http://i.cubeupload.com/Q4rm60.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/qYL88L.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/ilIpbr.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/NYHjxt.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/kyULdL.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/pd2afV.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/fccpEb.jpg

Okay, so the SA at the dealership is totally bullshitting you. I didn't see any leaks at the OFHG nor the VCG. The SA did exactly what I thought, told you you needed a VCG and OFHG so you'd go Google them and find they are common problems on the N52 E90. It's possible that the OFHG is leaking internally and mixing oil and coolant, but that is really rare and east to detect by just looking at the coolant in the reservoir (when the engine is cold).

You do need a new o-ring for the power steering reservoir cap however; that's the only oil seepage I saw in your pics. And you took pics at all the correct spots.

Now if you do have an oil leak anywhere and the belly pan has oil on it, then you have a leaking oil pan gasket. Only way to tell is to pull the belly pan an inspect. I'd say other than the engine being dirty (which helps in finding oil leaks BTW, since the oil will attract dirt) your engine is pretty tight as far as gaskets on the top side.

Dealerships are just assholes.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

You need to clean all of that dirt off your engine. No telling where your leak is coming from because everything is already dirty. Start with a clean engine bay to diagnose leaks. Also there is some power steering fluid that's leaking from one of the hoses which is a common problem, and some water leaking onto your crankshaft pulley causing rust. Could be coolant leaking out ofhg onto it, or rain water getting into due to lost/damaged seals.

Dude, just stop. The engine is a bit dirty, BFD. The car obviously sees road salt which is evidenced by the white pitting on the aluminum and magnesium. The harmonic balancer has normal rust on it because the car is 10 years old. He has no coolant leaks whatsoever. If you think the engine bay is somehow sealed from the elements and water penetration then you have no idea what you are talking about. Stop confusing shit.

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Dude, just stop. The engine is a bit dirty, BFD. The car obviously sees road salt which is evidenced by the white pitting on the aluminum and magnesium. The harmonic balancer has normal rust on it because the car is 10 years old. He has no coolant leaks whatsoever. If you think the engine bay is somehow sealed from the elements and water penetration then you have no idea what you are talking about. Stop confusing shit.

First off, I'm giving insight on a better way to confirm or debunk what the dealer says. At no time did I say THIS IS 100% YOUR PROBLEM. unlike you mr know it all, if he listens to you and just leave it then who knows. MY engine bay is spotless. My harmonic balancer has NO rust on it at all(07) And if he has NO coolant leaks so ever then why was he told to get his ofhg fixed??? Chances are if his car is that "old" he is definitely going to have a bad gasket and a lot of the time you are not going to see the coolant that has leaked out ofhg ESPECIALLY if your engine is already dirty so I don't know how you can sit there and tell him he has no leaks. Also you can't see the back of the valve cover, or his oil pan. YOU DO SEE ALL OF THAT DIRT AND GRIME, but you know for a fact he has no leaks. You say if he has oil on his belly pan, then he has an oil pan leak (false, could be vc,ofh,hg,bell housing) And you tell him he needs a o ring for power steering fluid, what you should have told him was once he put a new "o ring" in it's still going to bleed out because that's how it's made to. Hell he might not even need one it might just be doing what it's supposed to do. What he does need is a new power steering hose. Please stop acting like you know everything!!

[ChuckThomas]

So this is what it boils down to. You can listen to mr know it all and just keep driving until the wheels fall off, or you can take it upon yourself and clean the engine a little and see if you can find any evidence of oil leakage. Either way it's your car and you got the best of both opinions now it's 3 options. Bend over for the dealers, keep riding, or do it yourself!!

[Wolf 335]

The photos show certain areas that are dry however, valve cover could leak from the back end, against the fire wall (you'll need to remove the air filter cowl to see unless checked from underneath) and also the OFHG could leak in the back around the bolt that is below the air intake manifold and trickle its way along the engine block to the back (although if the leak is that significant you'd see it in the font as well).

I would still recommend cleaning the belly pan, and reinspecting everything in a week.

[akf30]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First off, I'm giving insight on a better way to confirm or debunk what the dealer says. At no time did I say THIS IS 100% YOUR PROBLEM. unlike you mr know it all, if he listens to you and just leave it then who knows. MY engine bay is spotless. My harmonic balancer has NO rust on it at all(07) And if he has NO coolant leaks so ever then why was he told to get his ofhg fixed??? Chances are if his car is that "old" he is definitely going to have a bad gasket and a lot of the time you are not going to see the coolant that has leaked out ofhg ESPECIALLY if your engine is already dirty so I don't know how you can sit there and tell him he has no leaks. Also you can't see the back of the valve cover, or his oil pan. YOU DO SEE ALL OF THAT DIRT AND GRIME, but you know for a fact he has no leaks. You say if he has oil on his belly pan, then he has an oil pan leak (false, could be vc,ofh,hg,bell housing) And you tell him he needs a o ring for power steering fluid, what you should have told him was once he put a new "o ring" in it's still going to bleed out because that's how it's made to. Hell he might not even need one it might just be doing what it's supposed to do. What he does need is a new power steering hose. Please stop acting like you know everything!!

Don't take it personal he does this on a bunch of threads. Thinks he knows it all and then talks shit to anyone who says something differently.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

So this is what it boils down to. You can listen to mr know it all and just keep driving until the wheels fall off, or you can take it upon yourself and clean the engine a little and see if you can find any evidence of oil leakage. Either way it's your car and you got the best of both opinions now it's 3 options. Bend over for the dealers, keep riding, or do it yourself!!

I have 338,000 miles on my E90 and do all the maintenance and repair DIY. I've had my E90 since mile 3. I had a E30 for 18 years and 256,000 miles prior to selling it, bought new. The E30 went to 290,000 after my neighbor bought it and started having a local mechanic work on it. It overheated and cracked the head at 290K, because the mechanic wasn't a trained BMW specialist. I have a 1997 Z3 with the M44 with 185,000 miles, also bought new, which I just took out west on a 2 week 5,800-mile road trip. So when you get to that level of ownership with BMW let me know.

If you don't think I know the OP's car since it's almost identical to mine, then your are ignorantly in error. The OP took the car to a dealership and was preyed upon by an SA trying to make his sales quota. You are just making the situation worse by bringing up sit that are not present issues with his car. . The OP's car sees salt in the winter, which will corrode metals used to manufacture the car. His engine bay is dirty. Big whooptie Doo.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by e90bs

Don't take it personal he does this on a bunch of threads. Thinks he knows it all and then talks shit to anyone who says something differently.

See above as an example.

[akf30]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

See above as an example.

Don't give a flying fuck about how much "experience" you have, you have no reason to go post to post bashing on people talking shit, we get it, your a lonely old man and to cope with your loneliness you talk shit and bash people on the internet to feel good about yourself. Go for it object to someone else's post but no need to be an asshole lol...

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First off, I'm giving insight on a better way to confirm or debunk what the dealer says. At no time did I say THIS IS 100% YOUR PROBLEM. unlike you mr know it all, if he listens to you and just leave it then who knows. MY engine bay is spotless. My harmonic balancer has NO rust on it at all(07) And if he has NO coolant leaks so ever then why was he told to get his ofhg fixed??? Chances are if his car is that "old" he is definitely going to have a bad gasket and a lot of the time you are not going to see the coolant that has leaked out ofhg ESPECIALLY if your engine is already dirty so I don't know how you can sit there and tell him he has no leaks. Also you can't see the back of the valve cover, or his oil pan. YOU DO SEE ALL OF THAT DIRT AND GRIME, but you know for a fact he has no leaks. You say if he has oil on his belly pan, then he has an oil pan leak (false, could be vc,ofh,hg,bell housing) And you tell him he needs a o ring for power steering fluid, what you should have told him was once he put a new "o ring" in it's still going to bleed out because that's how it's made to. Hell he might not even need one it might just be doing what it's supposed to do. What he does need is a new power steering hose. Please stop acting like you know everything!!

I mean, you did say some things in your post that don’t make much sense. Its whatever, just move on.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by e90bs

Don't give a flying fuck about how much "experience" you have, you have no reason to go post to post bashing on people talking shit, we get it, your a lonely old man and to cope with your loneliness you talk shit and bash people on the internet to feel good about yourself. Go for it object to someone else's post but no need to be an asshole lol...

You don’t think experience has anything to do with being correct?

I’d rather hear someone’s opinion that’s seen multiple issues and solved them than people that come in hear and make stuff up to make themselves feel better.

Which one are you?

[akf30]

Originally Posted by tlow98

You donÂ’t think experience has anything to do with being correct?

IÂ’d rather hear someoneÂ’s opinion thatÂ’s seen multiple issues and solved them than people that come in hear and make stuff up to make themselves feel better.

Which one are you?

Clearly you didn't read my post, I don't care if he's right or not he doesn't need to go being a doucebag and asshole about it. You can simply object to someone who you think is wrong with about being a dick. I'm tired of seeing him on threads being a little cunt and trying to be mister tough guy on the internet, bashing people who are just trying to help others.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First off, I'm giving insight on a better way to confirm or debunk what the dealer says. At no time did I say THIS IS 100% YOUR PROBLEM. unlike you mr know it all, if he listens to you and just leave it then who knows. MY engine bay is spotless. My harmonic balancer has NO rust on it at all(07) And if he has NO coolant leaks so ever then why was he told to get his ofhg fixed??? Chances are if his car is that "old" he is definitely going to have a bad gasket and a lot of the time you are not going to see the coolant that has leaked out ofhg ESPECIALLY if your engine is already dirty so I don't know how you can sit there and tell him he has no leaks. Also you can't see the back of the valve cover, or his oil pan. YOU DO SEE ALL OF THAT DIRT AND GRIME, but you know for a fact he has no leaks. You say if he has oil on his belly pan, then he has an oil pan leak (false, could be vc,ofh,hg,bell housing) And you tell him he needs a o ring for power steering fluid, what you should have told him was once he put a new "o ring" in it's still going to bleed out because that's how it's made to. Hell he might not even need one it might just be doing what it's supposed to do. What he does need is a new power steering hose. Please stop acting like you know everything!!

Well if you read my earlier posts I suggested he take the car to an Indy and remove the belly pan and inspect the OPG. The dealership SA said the belly pan has 1.5 gallons of oil on it, which I explained is not possible.The oil pan gasket is most likely what is leaking enough oil to leave a wet residue on the belly pan. You can see wet oil on the top side of the belly pan below the front of the engine; you were too focused on rust on a steel harmonic balancer and must not have seen it. The top side of the engine where the OP has pics of the intake and exhaust sides plus the front of the valve cover do no oil leaks. If there were leaks in those places and leaving oil on the belly pan, the front and sides of the engine would be a fucking mess. When the back of the oil pan leaks, it can make it appear like the rear seal on the crankshaft is leaking, when it really is just the oil from the leaking pan gasket being spewed into the bell housing and thrown around by the air turbulence.

BMW has been using that power steering reservoir on the 3 series since the E30. It's a German auto industry common part because I've seen it on other German cars, like the 944 Porsche. Those reservoir caps do have a vent hole, which can eject PS fluid, but you can see it is leaking from the base of the cap where in interfaces the neck of the reservoir. That is a common problem with the design. The o-ring flattens over time.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Well if you read my earlier posts I suggested he take the car to an Indy and remove the belly pan and inspect the OPG. The dealership SA said the belly pan has 1.5 gallons of oil on it, which I explained is not possible.The oil pan gasket is most likely what is leaking enough oil to leave a wet residue on the belly pan. You can see wet oil on the top side of the belly pan below the front of the engine; you were too focused on rust on a steel harmonic balancer and must not have seen it. The top side of the engine where the OP has pics of the intake and exhaust sides plus the front of the valve cover do no oil leaks. If there were leaks in those places and leaving oil on the belly pan, the front and sides of the engine would be a fucking mess. When the back of the oil pan leaks, it can make it appear like the rear seal on the crankshaft is leaking, when it really is just the oil from the leaking pan gasket being spewed

BMW has been using that power steering reservoir on the 3 series since the E30. It's a German auto industry common part because I've seen it on other German cars, like the 944 Porsche. Those reservoir caps do have a vent hole, which can eject PS fluid, but you can see it is leaking from the base of the cap where in interfaces the neck of the reservoir. That is a common problem with the design. The o-ring flattens over time. L

Thanks. I am going to avoid the dealer totally and will go to an Indy to check the belly pan. If he confirms that the leak is due to a Oil Pan leak, do I need to fix or replace it?

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by e90bs

Clearly you didn't read my post, I don't care if he's right or not he doesn't need to go being a doucebag and asshole about it. You can simply object to someone who you think is wrong with about being a dick. I'm tired of seeing him on threads being a little cunt and trying to be mister tough guy on the internet, bashing people who are just trying to help others.

You don’t think ChuckThomas should be called out on confusing statements?

Efthreeoh asked him to stop giving false advice and insinuated ChuckThomas might have no idea what he/she is talking about. Are people really helping others if their information is incorrect? Then you came in and started calling people assholes/cunts.

You win?

[Needbmwpartzz]

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

BMW has been using that power steering reservoir on the 3 series since the E30. It's a German auto industry common part because I've seen it on other German cars, like the 944 Porsche. Those reservoir caps do have a vent hole, which can eject PS fluid, but you can see it is leaking from the base of the cap where in interfaces the neck of the reservoir. That is a common problem with the design. The o-ring flattens over time. L

I can definitely back this statement up simply speaking out of experience.

Reservoir is made to vent, however once I replaced my o-ring there was simply no more fluid leaking anywhere on the reservoir or the cap.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by e90bs

Don't give a flying fuck about how much "experience" you have, you have no reason to go post to post bashing on people talking shit, we get it, your a lonely old man and to cope with your loneliness you talk shit and bash people on the internet to feel good about yourself. Go for it object to someone else's post but no need to be an asshole lol...

Talk about being a tough guy...

The guy's post was just confusing the issue by introducing a problem that doesn't exist. I was trying to help the OP out and gave good advice to him. You'll learn over time. No worries.

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by e90bs

Don't give a flying fuck about how much "experience" you have, you have no reason to go post to post bashing on people talking shit, we get it, your a lonely old man and to cope with your loneliness you talk shit and bash people on the internet to feel good about yourself. Go for it object to someone else's post but no need to be an asshole lol...

Good grief.

[asiflicious]

A bit off topic, but how serious is a VCG leak? When I was getting my spark plugs and coils replaced due to some misfires at cold starts my buddy discovered that three of my spark plugs were soaked in oil. He said i have a VCG leak and he tightened it a tiny bit to slow it down a little. He said it's a small leak and that I should get it fixed soon but not necessarily right away. That was a couple months ago and the car is driving fine. Should I go ahead and jump on it now or am I fine waiting a while more?

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

A bit off topic, but how serious is a VCG leak? When I was getting my spark plugs and coils replaced due to some misfires at cold starts my buddy discovered that three of my spark plugs were soaked in oil. He said i have a VCG leak and he tightened it a tiny bit to slow it down a little. He said it's a small leak and that I should get it fixed soon but not necessarily right away. That was a couple months ago and the car is driving fine. Should I go ahead and jump on it now or am I fine waiting a while more?

Tightening the cover is not necessarily a smart move as these things crack hence specific torque should be used.

Usually once it starts leaking there is no stopping it.

Sometimes they leak because of the crack and not because of the gasket.