Requesting Your Help Diagnosing Location of Oil Leak

dude04 · 09-02-2018, 05:11 AM

hi all, thanks for stopping by.

i was changing my serpentine belt and tensioners and noticed my belly pan was quite wet with oil. then i noticed the bottom of the front of the motor was also wet as well as the steering rack, sway bar and bottom of the power steering pump.

at first i thought this must be coming from the front seal, but after taking off the harmonic balancer and inspecting the front seal i think it is NOT from there. now i'm a bit stumped. i've owned an N54 before (this particular motor is an N55) and so i know of the common places like oil filter housing and vanos solenoids but it's not them; it's something lower.

with the power steering pump being as wet as it is i thought maybe it's internal to the pump but the fluid does NOT smell like PS fluid. then i thought maybe it's the transmission cooler lines; where the rubber is crimped to the metal right in front of the balancer but i *think* the transmission fluid is red? and what is leaking is not red, just looks and smells like engine oil. btw this is a DCT car.

my current best guess is oil pan gasket. but i'm not too confident. love to know your thoughts?

pics with captions here:

View post on imgur.com

videos give a really good sense of things:

thanks

arkie6 · 09-02-2018, 08:52 AM

The original auto transmission fluid in my '08 335i was not red, but amber/brown. Replaced with similar amber/brown fluid around 75,000 miles.

PA66400 · 09-02-2018, 11:13 AM

Don't discount the possibility of it coming from your oil filter housing gasket, especially if you are on the original gasket from the factory. I had the same dilemma, with oil all over the lower part of my engine and no real sign of the OFHG leaking. Replaced the OFHG and cleaned the engine and no more oil staining. Oil from the OFHG gets everywhere on the bottom half of the block.

bluewater328 · 09-07-2018, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PA66400

Don't discount the possibility of it coming from your oil filter housing gasket, especially if you are on the original gasket from the factory. I had the same dilemma, with oil all over the lower part of my engine and no real sign of the OFHG leaking. Replaced the OFHG and cleaned the engine and no more oil staining. Oil from the OFHG gets everywhere on the bottom half of the block.

This was my guess as well.

09-02-2018, 05:11 AM	#1
dude04 Private 10 Rep 51 Posts Drives: e92 335 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: sydney, australia iTrader: (0)	Requesting Your Help Diagnosing Location of Oil Leak hi all, thanks for stopping by. i was changing my serpentine belt and tensioners and noticed my belly pan was quite wet with oil. then i noticed the bottom of the front of the motor was also wet as well as the steering rack, sway bar and bottom of the power steering pump. at first i thought this must be coming from the front seal, but after taking off the harmonic balancer and inspecting the front seal i think it is NOT from there. now i'm a bit stumped. i've owned an N54 before (this particular motor is an N55) and so i know of the common places like oil filter housing and vanos solenoids but it's not them; it's something lower. with the power steering pump being as wet as it is i thought maybe it's internal to the pump but the fluid does NOT smell like PS fluid. then i thought maybe it's the transmission cooler lines; where the rubber is crimped to the metal right in front of the balancer but i think the transmission fluid is red? and what is leaking is not red, just looks and smells like engine oil. btw this is a DCT car. my current best guess is oil pan gasket. but i'm not too confident. love to know your thoughts? pics with captions here: View post on imgur.com videos give a really good sense of things: thanks
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09-02-2018, 08:52 AM	#2
arkie6 Lieutenant 397 Rep 433 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 335i sedan Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Russellville, AR iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	The original auto transmission fluid in my '08 335i was not red, but amber/brown. Replaced with similar amber/brown fluid around 75,000 miles.
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09-02-2018, 11:13 AM	#3
PA66400 Private First Class 16 Rep 154 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Sedan Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Calgary, AB iTrader: (0)	Don't discount the possibility of it coming from your oil filter housing gasket, especially if you are on the original gasket from the factory. I had the same dilemma, with oil all over the lower part of my engine and no real sign of the OFHG leaking. Replaced the OFHG and cleaned the engine and no more oil staining. Oil from the OFHG gets everywhere on the bottom half of the block.
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