[kostadinov]

Can you, please, look at the pictures and tell me what is the reason for the oil leak?
I took one picture from underneath the car, then spent 3 hours with a rag and electrical contact cleaner. Cleaned and dried everything that I could reach around the engine, including the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket. Drove the car for 20 min, somehow aggressively in the last 5-6 minutes. Checked for oil leaks and there it was, right between the engine and the gearbox. There is small, round plastic cover that I removed, but it looked dry inside. The second picture that I took clearly shows where the oil appeared. Have you experienced anything like this? What needs to be fixed in order to stop that leak?
The car is 2007 328i with 148K miles on it and I just purchased it.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[big boost M]

It looks like it could be your rear main seal

[GMWNashville]

Oil pan gasket

[PA66400]

I agree with oil pan gasket. They often leak at the right rear. $1300 repair if done at the dealer in my neighbourhood. Probably similar in your area. They have to drop the subframe to get the pan off. Around 7 hours of labor if done flat-rate. Add to that the cost of a crankcase of oil, gasket and new bolts.

[medusacomp]

Oil pan gasket, mine is doing the same

[kostadinov]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

try re-torqueing the pan bolts first. At that mileage, I'd bet most are loose. I have a high-mileage 325i and had a pan gasket leak in the right rear of the engine. I found all the pan bolts VERY loose. I re-torqued them and the leak is stopped, or very minimal.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will check the bolts next time I jack the car up.
Now...if this is the case...there is something very wrong with the idea of using aluminum bolts. How do they get loose, when if torqued to the required specs, the bolts are supposed to stretch a bit and hold tight... I keep reading the forum here and can't believe how many people are complaining about leaking gaskets- valve cover, oil pan, oil filter and so on....caused by loose bolts or worn gaskets.

I have a 2008 Civic with 135K miles on it and there is no leak whatsoever. The engine is so dry and clean. The civic gets new full synthetic oil change every 8000 miles, brake pads every 60-70k miles, brake fluid flush every 2 years, new spark plugs every 100K miles, coolant drain and refill every 3 years, transmission fluid drain and refill every 30K miles, filters change every year. All of this is DIY and the car does not have any issues at all.

I am trying to get the BMW on a similar regime but that oil leak is driving me crazy, just because it is there....Is the BMW engineering inferior to that of HONDA?

[Meeni]

Looks like main bearing seal leak, but other said that oil pan might be the offender, and it is easier, always start with the easier target

And yes, BMW engines a prone to devellop a number of leaks in a variety of places that japanese never heard off. That is a minor but infortunate annoyance.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kostadinov

Thanks for the suggestion, I will check the bolts next time I jack the car up.
Now...if this is the case...there is something very wrong with the idea of using aluminum bolts. How do they get loose, when if torqued to the required specs, the bolts are supposed to stretch a bit and hold tight... I keep reading the forum here and can't believe how many people are complaining about leaking gaskets- valve cover, oil pan, oil filter and so on....caused by loose bolts or worn gaskets.

I have a 2008 Civic with 135K miles on it and there is no leak whatsoever. The engine is so dry and clean. The civic gets new full synthetic oil change every 8000 miles, brake pads every 60-70k miles, brake fluid flush every 2 years, new spark plugs every 100K miles, coolant drain and refill every 3 years, transmission fluid drain and refill every 30K miles, filters change every year. All of this is DIY and the car does not have any issues at all.

I am trying to get the BMW on a similar regime but that oil leak is driving me crazy, just because it is there....Is the BMW engineering inferior to that of HONDA?

Every car I've owned has eventually developed loose oil pan bolts and loose valve cover bolts; I don't think it is abnormal. The N52 uses aluminum bolts because the engine block is magnesium. Using steel bolts would cause galvanic reaction between the steel and magnesium and eventually eat away the hole of the engine block where the bolt screws into. Aluminum does not react with magnesium, which is why aluminum bolts are used where parts are bolted to the engine block.

[BuellsterR1]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Every car I've owned has eventually developed loose oil pan bolts and loose valve cover bolts; I don't think it is abnormal. The N52 uses aluminum bolts because the engine block is magnesium. Using steel bolts would cause galvanic reaction between the steel and magnesium and eventually eat away the hole of the engine block where the bolt screws into. Aluminum does not react with magnesium, which is why aluminum bolts are used where parts are bolted to the engine block.

Great info!! Thanks for the explanation.

[EPT535i]

My car recently starting leaking from same area. Im still under c.p.o warranty, would it be covered to fix this. Thanks

[cu_north]

I believe I've got a leak in the same spot. Can anyone tell me where this was coming from and what was done to fix?

Thanks!

[dylim]

Er... I've got a leak there too. Seems like the screws are torqued to yield, so I don't think it's a good idea to check their torque - they might snap? Anyways, I got a new set of bolts, and will replace them to see if it makes a difference.

[Chriztofor]

Bump. Was it the oil pan?

[GMWNashville]

Oil pan gasket for sure. As stated-the bolts are aluminum-"re-torque" is not suggested and can easily snap the bolt.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by EPT335i

My car recently starting leaking from same area. Im still under c.p.o warranty, would it be covered to fix this. Thanks

Originally Posted by cu_north

I believe I've got a leak in the same spot. Can anyone tell me where this was coming from and what was done to fix?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by dylim

Er... I've got a leak there too. Seems like the screws are torqued to yield, so I don't think it's a good idea to check their torque - they might snap? Anyways, I got a new set of bolts, and will replace them to see if it makes a difference.

Originally Posted by volkswackin

Oil pan gasket for sure. As stated-the bolts are aluminum-"re-torque" is not suggested and can easily snap the bolt.

Volk, thanks for responding, but where are the rest of the responses? They all had the same problem, but never posted an update. Come on guys, post updates!

[bmwsinceday1]

Originally Posted by kostadinov

.Is the BMW engineering inferior to that of HONDA?

Dont worry- honda civics from early 2000's had the worst AT's of any car I ever heard of- they bust every 30,000-50,000 miles, even if babied with care. 2 repairs so far. Sheesh. Honda "engineering". I'll take oil seepage any day.

[Chriztofor]

Honda engineering? They have rubber timing belts. Good luck with that.

[dylim]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

Volk, thanks for responding, but where are the rest of the responses? They all had the same problem, but never posted an update. Come on guys, post updates!

Ha, I've been very busy and haven't gotten around to it.

In Feb I did the OFH gasket and VC gasket. The oil that I see around the oil pan could have been from those leaking, or from my fumoto valve.

Today I had time to do an oil change, and while the oil leak is much less severe, I still see oil around the pan (and the plastic tray). So, I torqued the fumoto valve a bit more (F109; should be 15 ft lb from their page; I torqued to 18 ft lb). I also used a permatex spray on sealant around the valve and the oil pan. I'll let you know if it works.

I did get the new bolts, but since they are torqued to yield, I don't want to waste a set of bolts given that the leak might have been caused by failed gasket. None of the old bolts are loose.

[kingyang3]

update? got a leak in the same area.

[clubs07]

Did you manage the find the problem? It looks like the seal needs replacing. I noticed the same problem when I serviced the ATF. I also have a clicking ticking type of noise coming from that area.

I will also post a video of the clicking sound.

[clubs07]

Here is the link to the video.
In the background you will notice a clicking type of sound with one to two second intervals.

[J.R.E91]

Any updates? What was the cause ? I have same problem noticed today that the same area on my car has oil on it but i had no oil on the ground and no oil lost