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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Massive Oil Leak - Please help on source



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      12-13-2018, 12:03 PM   #1
Cyber Logic
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Massive Oil Leak - Please help on source

OK so this has been a rough week for my BMW E90.

Last Friday My wife called me and said that as she pulled into the driveway she got an error on the screen saying the engine was going to be performing at reduced output or something along those lines. I run out to find huge puddle of oil on the garage floor. I have my wife start the car again just to see if I could see what was going on and it was immediately obvious that something had happened with the oil filter gasket, the one that is replaced with each oil filter change. It had a bit of a bulge that had formed in it that was allowing a stream of oil to shoot out. This apparently happened on my wife's way home as the oil was changed months ago and it's been fine. I quickly bought a new oil filter housing (the black plastic the filter goes into), new gasket and new filter and installed them. Topped off the car with oil (it was about 2 quarts down due to all it had leaked in the garage and way home) and had hoped that was it.

However today we went to drive the car for the first time since and in less then 30 minutes of driving it went through 1 quart of oil! From max to min. I look under the car and it's still dripping oil. I checked the oil filter housing again and it's solid with no leaks. I then went under again and checked the drain plug, it was full of oil but so is everything down there due to the original leak. So I cleaned it off and ran the car for a few minutes and the dripping from the undercarridge continues and it's NOT coming from the drain plug, it's still clean.

To me it almost seems like it's coming out of the gasket that is between the transmission and the engine based on where all the oil is but god that would suck. I obviously have to bring this in to get serviced but while I arrange all of that... does anyone have any ideas as to the probable cause of the leak or how best to determine? I can say that I don't see any oil coming from the oil filter gasket (the one holding the housing on) or the headers so neither of those should be the source.

Last edited by Cyber Logic; 12-13-2018 at 12:26 PM..
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      12-13-2018, 12:21 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyber Logic View Post
it was immediately obvious that something had happened with the oil filter gasket, the one that is replaced with each oil filter change. It had a bit of a bulge that had formed in it that was allowing a stream of oil to shoot out
So the gasket on the oil filter was failing. Happened to me once, likely tightened down the oil filter cap too tightly. Be sure to get the oil off the Serpentine belt while you're in there.

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Originally Posted by Cyber Logic View Post
I quickly bought a new oil filter housing, new gasket and new filter and installed them.
Why would you replace the entire oil filter housing (OFH) if it's just the seal on the oil filter? Sounds to me like you fixed more than you needed to, and ended up botching the job. I'd clean everything up, take off that OFH and start over. Use torque specs, and don't overtighten stuff. Best of luck.
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      12-13-2018, 12:24 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by dwashy View Post
So the gasket on the oil filter was failing. Happened to me once, likely tightened down the oil filter cap too tightly. Be sure to get the oil off the Serpentine belt while you're in there.

Will do thanks!

Why would you replace the entire oil filter housing (OFH) if it's just the seal on the oil filter? Sounds to me like you fixed more than you needed to, and ended up botching the job. I'd clean everything up, take off that OFH and start over. Use torque specs, and don't overtighten stuff. Best of luck.
I mispoke. I meant the black plastic cap that the filter goes into is what I replaced. NOT the actual housing gasket.
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      12-13-2018, 12:49 PM   #4
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So I have a suggestion for you. It is based on how you've described having leaks in two different places.

It is possible the PCV system in the valve cover has clogged and you have a buildup of exhaust pressure in the crank case. Other people on this board have posted this issue.

If the PCV system is clogged, you could be now pushing gas pressure out other gaskets on the engine, including the rear crank main seal. This pressure will also put out oil in these areas. This might also explain why you suddenly had a problem with the gasket on the cap over the oil filter. If the crankcase pressure is trying to vent it could have pushed this o-ring/oil out as well.

The good news is that if it the PCV system being clogged, your rear main seal is probably fine and does not need to be replaced. A test for a failed PCV is to open the oil fill cap while the engine is running and see how much pressure is released while you do it. There should not be a lot of pressure released when you open the oil fill cap.

I hope this helps.
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      12-13-2018, 12:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robthewrench View Post
So I have a suggestion for you. It is based on how you've described having leaks in two different places.

It is possible the PCV system in the valve cover has clogged and you have a buildup of exhaust pressure in the crank case. Other people on this board have posted this issue.

If the PCV system is clogged, you could be now pushing gas pressure out other gaskets on the engine, including the rear crank main seal. This pressure will also put out oil in these areas. This might also explain why you suddenly had a problem with the gasket on the cap over the oil filter. If the crankcase pressure is trying to vent it could have pushed this oil out as well.

The good news is that if it the PCV system being clogged, your rear main seal is probably fine and does not need to be replaced. At test for a failed PCV is to open the oil fill cap while the engine is running and see how much pressure is released while you do it. There should not be a lot of pressure released when you open the oil fill cap.

I hope this helps.
That is VERY helpful thank you. I had not heard of this so will immediately look into the PCV system.
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      12-13-2018, 01:02 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robthewrench View Post
So I have a suggestion for you. It is based on how you've described having leaks in two different places.

It is possible the PCV system in the valve cover has clogged and you have a buildup of exhaust pressure in the crank case. Other people on this board have posted this issue.

If the PCV system is clogged, you could be now pushing gas pressure out other gaskets on the engine, including the rear crank main seal. This pressure will also put out oil in these areas. This might also explain why you suddenly had a problem with the gasket on the cap over the oil filter. If the crankcase pressure is trying to vent it could have pushed this o-ring/oil out as well.

The good news is that if it the PCV system being clogged, your rear main seal is probably fine and does not need to be replaced. A test for a failed PCV is to open the oil fill cap while the engine is running and see how much pressure is released while you do it. There should not be a lot of pressure released when you open the oil fill cap.

I hope this helps.
Sadly when I remove the oil fill cap there is very little pressure, barely detectable by my hand. I will say that the exhaust is very white and when I use the heat now the smell of oil is horrible. Does that information help at all?
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      12-13-2018, 01:13 PM   #7
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My next suggestion would be to scan the car for error codes with a BMW specific scanner. Your first post mentioned getting a reduced power output warning. A scan of the error codes may point to something more specific than my guessing about what else could be wrong.
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      12-13-2018, 01:43 PM   #8
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very white exhaust sounds like it's burning oil. Failed turbo oil seals is the #1 suspect for that.

the bad smell is because it's leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold, or the turbo is leaking oil externally and it's covering the hot side with oil and burning.
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      12-13-2018, 02:56 PM   #9
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PCV valve stuck open, crack in plastic valve cover, or leaking valve cover gasket around the PCV intake ports is possibly allowing turbo boost pressure to pressurize the crankcase and blow oil out around the rear main seal.
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      12-13-2018, 03:31 PM   #10
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Thanks for all the answers guys. Admittedly this is my first turbo car and I wasn't thinking of all the other things that use oil. Too used to working on my simple S2000.

So I just moved to Illinois and the closest dealership is about 30 minutes away. I wasn't too keen on driving it that far like this and really wanted to know what was wrong so I took it to a family car shop just down the street. They were nice enough to put it up in the air for me and clean off all the oil and remove the lower panels. They were also nice enough to fix most of what was wrong.

So they were saying I didn't tighten down the air filter housing when I reinstalled it on Friday and that that was causing oil to leak out. No idea how visibly I couldn't see this when looking down on the engine but so be it. So they tightened that about 1 and 1/2 more turns and now it's no longer leaking like it was. YAY!

However!!! It's not all good news. While we had all the panels off and bottom clean we let it run for a while and did notice oil seeping through the engine/tranny gasket on the left and right sides. They said it wasn't anything they would worry about due to the cost and that I will burn more oil then that leaks and to not worry about it. They also stated they would be unable to do the repair and that I'd have to go to BMW for it. Local dealership just quoted me $4k!

Does everyone concur with the advise of not worrying about it and just making sure to keep the oil topped off? Thanks again for your help everyone, looks like this indeed was just a silly mistake on my part.
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      12-13-2018, 04:39 PM   #11
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auto or manual?

if auto, I'd leave the rear main leak and just know that it exists and monitor the oil level.

if manual, well that leak will eventually coat the flywheel/clutch in engine oil, killing the clutch.
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      12-13-2018, 05:04 PM   #12
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auto or manual?

if auto, I'd leave the rear main leak and just know that it exists and monitor the oil level.

if manual, well that leak will eventually coat the flywheel/clutch in engine oil, killing the clutch.
Thanks! Thankfully it's an auto.
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      12-13-2018, 05:19 PM   #13
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I would find an Independent and have them look at the leak. Odds are it won’t be anywhere near thae $4K that BMW quoted.
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      12-14-2018, 03:31 AM   #14
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      01-03-2019, 04:35 PM   #15
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Hi. Can anyone help me major oil leak? I have a 2011 BMW 328i sedan.

BMW said I had two oil leaks. One from oil pan gasket and other from oil filter housing gasket. They replaced both, However, major oil leak didn’t go away. I’m losing about a quart of oil per day. After replacing OFH, Dealer said leak is coming from behind the oil filter housing, from front head bolts. They are aluminum bolts and either stretched or cracked. Dealer said to fix issue they would have to remove valve cover to get to the head bolts under the intake and remove vano gears to get to replace these bolts. They are quoting 2000 for repair. Can anyone provide guidance?
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      01-03-2019, 04:51 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qor246 View Post
Hi. Can anyone help me major oil leak? I have a 2011 BMW 328i sedan.

BMW said I had two oil leaks. One from oil pan gasket and other from oil filter housing gasket. They replaced both, However, major oil leak didn’t go away. I’m losing about a quart of oil per day. After replacing OFH, Dealer said leak is coming from behind the oil filter housing, from front head bolts. They are aluminum bolts and either stretched or cracked. Dealer said to fix issue they would have to remove valve cover to get to the head bolts under the intake and remove vano gears to get to replace these bolts. They are quoting 2000 for repair. Can anyone provide guidance?

Hmm...sounds like an oil filter housing leak. Maybe they didn't install it right the first time? Wrong torque specs? A leaking head is not very common from what I recall.
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      01-03-2019, 05:39 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vbp6us View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Qor246 View Post
Hi. Can anyone help me major oil leak? I have a 2011 BMW 328i sedan.

BMW said I had two oil leaks. One from oil pan gasket and other from oil filter housing gasket. They replaced both, However, major oil leak didn’t go away. I’m losing about a quart of oil per day. After replacing OFH, Dealer said leak is coming from behind the oil filter housing, from front head bolts. They are aluminum bolts and either stretched or cracked. Dealer said to fix issue they would have to remove valve cover to get to the head bolts under the intake and remove vano gears to get to replace these bolts. They are quoting 2000 for repair. Can anyone provide guidance?

Hmm...sounds like an oil filter housing leak. Maybe they didn't install it right the first time? Wrong torque specs? A leaking head is not very common from what I recall.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vbp6us View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Qor246 View Post
Hi. Can anyone help me major oil leak? I have a 2011 BMW 328i sedan.

BMW said I had two oil leaks. One from oil pan gasket and other from oil filter housing gasket. They replaced both, However, major oil leak didn't go away. I'm losing about a quart of oil per day. After replacing OFH, Dealer said leak is coming from behind the oil filter housing, from front head bolts. They are aluminum bolts and either stretched or cracked. Dealer said to fix issue they would have to remove valve cover to get to the head bolts under the intake and remove vano gears to get to replace these bolts. They are quoting 2000 for repair. Can anyone provide guidance?

Hmm...sounds like an oil filter housing leak. Maybe they didn't install it right the first time? Wrong torque specs? A leaking head is not very common from what I recall.
But BMW dealer replaced the oil filter housing gasket as a good will gesture since they failed to diagnose issue the first time. Do you have any idea about the head bolts they are referring to?
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      01-04-2019, 11:30 AM   #18
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But BMW dealer replaced the oil filter housing gasket as a good will gesture since they failed to diagnose issue the first time. Do you have any idea about the head bolts they are referring to?
Check this thread out: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321170
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