[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Okay, now you are just slinging loads of fecal matter. You can very easily see any oil leaks even if the engine is dirty. Matter of fact, it makes it easier since dust and dirt adhere to the oil in most areas and specifically around the OFHG and Vanos Solenoids. As for the oil pan, the only way to definitively check is get the vehicle in the air and pull the belly pan and look at all the edges of the pan around the bolts.

As for the OP's OFHG, the first two images he posted shows the front edge and rear section. The front edge looks absolutely clean. The back section looks like a bit of seepage around the bolt. Absolutely nothing that the OP needs to worry about at this point.

As for the VCG... the OP needs to stand at the right fender and shoot pictures of the edging located ~3" below the engine cover. But with only the little seepage around the OFHG, I would pretty much guarantee you there would be little to no seepage.

Telling someone they need to spray down their engine bay to clean it because it is a little dirty is very stupid since the person seems to be less knowledgeable about the car in the first place since they came here seeking advice (not trying to be offensive to the OP ). Someone not knowing what they are doing and spraying down an engine can do serious damage.

And as for leaks... I see no major leaks in any of these pictures. I see signs of seepage or weeping of oil from older seals.

ie.. tomgwuyn can relax a bit, there are no major "leaks". But the oil pan needs to be inspected further.

First off, did I ask you about any oil leaks or how to find any on my car, you should direct that to op! And you seriously just come in here to type all of that after we established everything. Ok here we go again.

I never told him to spray his engine down why are you making shit up????????. Anybody who disagree with me about it making more sense for him to have a cleaner engine bay to diagnose new oil leakage is just oblivious at this point. Now you are saying it's better if he has a dirty engine bay....Brings me to my next point, from these pictures he posted of his dirty engine bay, it's impossible for you to sit there and say he doesn't have an oil leak...Furthermore you are asking for more pictures, and when he does send you more, you still won't be able to tell where the oil is coming from exactly. You can guess all you want to but it's really only one way to find out, you have to be there pretty much (the reason y'all advised a Indy/reason I advised diy). So what I did was encourage him to grab a rag, and clean up that dirt then see if any new dirt oil fluid (whatever you want to call it) came back. That's a lot more accurate than just making a educated guess based on a few pictures. For example, A ofh leak can look like a head gasket leak. But just because you see in pictures oil all along the head gasket, you are going to assume it's a hg leak. When in essence if you clean up the DIRTY path along hg and you clean DIRTY ofh and replace ofhg you would have successfully diagnosed "hg leak" just by cleaning and reassessing.

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by tlow98

I just wish ChickThomas could either compose a sentence or work on cars. IÂ’d take just one at this point.

IÂ’m pontificating. Oh well.

I have composed many sentences throughout this thread, try again.

I can sit here and tell you I know how to work on cars, but it won't matter. So you got it, I can't work on them. Don't let me touch yours.

I don't know what pontificating means. I'm sure you have never used it in a sentence in a real life conversation, but keep up the good work urkel

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Thats great. I love my 330i and definitely planning on keeping it for a long time. Might go for a N55 335i (manual) or an M3 manual around next year or two keeping the 330i as a parttime car.

Keep it as you won't ever see a soild engine like that one in a bmw again.

[F30lolz]

Just to give my input on pricing as my VCG is leaking (quart/liter every 1500 miles).

Active Autowerks quoted me $862 parts/labor with a 2 yr unlimited mileage warranty.
A member on here who services my car quoted me $400.
Local dealer quoted me $1,136

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

Just to give my input on pricing as my VCG is leaking (quart/liter every 1500 miles).

Active Autowerks quoted me $862 parts/labor with a 2 yr unlimited mileage warranty.
A member on here who services my car quoted me $400.
Local dealer quoted me $1,136

Give me 200....sold!

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Give me 200....sold!

If only you were in Flo Rida

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First off, did I ask you about any oil leaks or how to find any on my car, you should direct that to op! And you seriously just come in here to type all of that after we established everything. Ok here we go again.

I never told him to spray his engine down why are you making shit up????????. Anybody who disagree with me about it making more sense for him to have a cleaner engine bay to diagnose new oil leakage is just oblivious at this point. Now you are saying it's better if he has a dirty engine bay....Brings me to my next point, from these pictures he posted of his dirty engine bay, it's impossible for you to sit there and say he doesn't have an oil leak...Furthermore you are asking for more pictures, and when he does send you more, you still won't be able to tell where the oil is coming from exactly. You can guess all you want to but it's really only one way to find out, you have to be there pretty much (the reason y'all advised a Indy/reason I advised diy). So what I did was encourage him to grab a rag, and clean up that dirt then see if any new dirt oil fluid (whatever you want to call it) came back. That's a lot more accurate than just making a educated guess based on a few pictures. For example, A ofh leak can look like a head gasket leak. But just because you see in pictures oil all along the head gasket, you are going to assume it's a hg leak. When in essence if you clean up the DIRTY path along hg and you clean DIRTY ofh and replace ofhg you would have successfully diagnosed "hg leak" just by cleaning and reassessing.

JFC. Now we're talking about head gasket leaks? Seriously, do you even understand the difference between a head gasket and a valve cover gasket? Dude, the OP's engine for a 12 year old BMW is tight as shit on the top end, several posters here who know a lot more about cars than you do have all come up with the same diagnosis. Hasmachine is currently rebuilding/building an N52 to drop into an E30 (call me jealous ), so I'll say he knows the N52 best. Also, he knows more about programming the N52 ECU than you know about breathing (that goes for me too). Greyfox also is a very skilled wrench turner, as is tlow98.

We all can come up with a million different scenarios of what's going on with the OP's engine, but based on the data provided we are highly confident the source of the oil is below the cylinder head, which leaves the next logical place being the oil pan gasket.

Please stop replying to this thread as it is not helping the OP and is now only mere entertainment for the men in the room who actually know how to diagnose and repair automobiles.

Peace out.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Keep it as you won't ever see a soild engine like that one in a bmw again.

Tru dat.

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

JFC. Now we're talking about head gasket leaks? Seriously, do you even understand the difference between a head gasket and a valve cover gasket? Dude, the OP's engine for a 12 year old BMW is tight as shit on the top end, several posters here who know a lot more about cars than you do have all come up with the same diagnosis. Hasmachine is currently rebuilding/building an N52 to drop into an E30 (call me jealous ), so I'll say he knows the N52 best. Also, he knows more about programming the N52 ECU than you know about breathing (that goes for me too). Greyfox also is a very skilled wrench turner, as is tlow98.

We all can come up with a million different scenarios of what's going on with the OP's engine, but based on the data provided we are highly confident the source of the oil is below the cylinder head, which leaves the next logical place being the oil pan gasket.

Please stop replying to this thread as it is not helping the OP and is now only mere entertainment for the men in the room who actually know how to diagnose and repair automobiles.

Peace out.

I'll remember this when I need y'all help!

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

If only you were in Flo Rida

I know

[El Cheapo Loco]

We got some grown ass men arguing over a few drops of oil. I love this forum.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by El Cheapo Loco

We got some grown ass men arguing over a few drops of oil. I love this forum.

Well that, and mystical coolant spray that rusts 12 year old harmonic balancers...

[lab_rat]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

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.

I did the exact same thing last summer; replaced the o-ring on the cap, and the leaky reservoir was 'cured'. IIRC, the o-ring was <$5.00.

Also updated the o-rings for the coolant reservoir cap and coolant bleeder valve, too. Worked like a charm.

As was eluded earlier in the thread, I also have heard of changing/turning the reservoir's rubber mounts 180º so that the reservoir is level again. I never did that, but it seems totally plausible.

[hassmaschine]

BMW has used the exact same resiviour for PS the last 30 years - all of them leak. Of course, its never really a big deal but some people are just OCD...

[Efthreeoh]

Okay, I'm not really trying to beat a dead horse here, but I looked at the all the pics again (the power steering hose leak discussion still has me intrigued). I just noticed that the valve cover bolts are not blue-headed, which probably means that the valve cover gasket has already been done once. I few years ago I noticed BMW stopped painting the replacement aluminum screws (kits) with blue paint since I think by now it is well known that the aluminum screws used on the N52 that screw into the magnesium engine block (and pass through the magnesium valve cover on the '06 N52) need to be replaced. I did my VCG just about 12 months ago and the bolt kit (both BMW sourced) did not have painted screws. The bolt kit for the oil pan when I did the OPG was the same way, no blue paint.

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Okay, I'm not really trying to beat a dead horse here, but I looked at the all the pics again (the power steering hose leak discussion still has me intrigued). I just noticed that the valve cover bolts are not blue-headed, which probably means that the valve cover gasket has already been done once. I few years ago I noticed BMW stopped painting the replacement aluminum screws (kits) with blue paint since I think by now it is well known that the aluminum screws used on the N52 that screw into the magnesium engine block (and pass through the magnesium valve cover on the '06 N52) need to be replaced. I did my VCG just about 12 months ago and the bolt kit (both BMW sourced) did not have painted screws. The bolt kit for the oil pan when I did the OPG was the same way, no blue paint.

Look at picture 1 and 2.... someone might have done the OFHG also. But they reused one bolt.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Look at picture 1 and 2.... someone might have done the OFHG also. But they reused one bolt.

I got to thinking about that too, but even though I've done the OFHG twice now, I'm pretty sure the three bolts are steel since they bolt into an aluminum head through an aluminum-body OFH (remember I'm a lonely old man - memory isn't perfect. Maybe I need a suppliment). I know I've not changed the bolts for mine either time, so IIRC they are steel and not marked blue. RealOEM doesn't show the bolts as being mandatory replacement. That said, the OP's engine has had no external oil leak ever IMO. There is no oil stain on the ledge of the aluminum head like I've seen on a several N52s.

[Efthreeoh]

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?

No one answered you since we got wrapped around the axle about rusty steel parts. I'll give it a shot. Now this is based on my experience with owning a Z3 for 20 years so take it with a grain of salt . On my wife's Z3, which has an M44 4-cylinder and for some reason leaks from the central donut rings that are part of the VCG set of the M44 (which has an aluminum valve cover). The engine has had enough oil in the spark plug wells that I needed to remove the liquid prior to replacing the plugs. It was enough liquid that it would have drained into the cylinders and the plug wells are not as tightly sealed as the N52 in the E90, so I was concerned about dirt being in the oil sitting around the plugs. I would imagine that the plug wells could fill up with enough oil to possibly short the coil to the sidewalls of a '06 N52 with a magnesium valve cover. The magnesium valve cover is electrically separated from the aluminum head since the two metals can chemically react (galvanic reaction) with each other. The '07 and up N52s have a plastic valve cover, so shorting is not an issue. Plus it would be rare anyway because the coil seals really well to the plug body.

As with the Z3, I think the only real issue with leaking oil into the spark plug well is it is a nuance most of anything and needs to be sucked out of the well prior to spark plug removal. Enough oil in the well would make for a burned oil smell. Would it ever cause a breakdown or fire? I doubt it.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

As for the oil pan, the only way to definitively check is get the vehicle in the air and pull the belly pan and look at all the edges of the pan around the bolts.

As for the OP's OFHG, the first two images he posted shows the front edge and rear section. The front edge looks absolutely clean. The back section looks like a bit of seepage around the bolt. Absolutely nothing that the OP needs to worry about at this point.

As for the VCG... the OP needs to stand at the right fender and shoot pictures of the edging located ~3" below the engine cover. But with only the little seepage around the OFHG, I would pretty much guarantee you there would be little to no seepage.

And as for leaks... I see no major leaks in any of these pictures. I see signs of seepage or weeping of oil from older seals.

ie.. tomgwuyn can relax a bit, there are no major "leaks". But the oil pan needs to be inspected further.

Just took few more pics standing at the right and left fender and approx 3" below the engine cover. Does this capture the right place?

http://i.cubeupload.com/eNgPI3.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/7QMlel.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/i97uJN.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/iksgxi.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/ppHsQg.jpg

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Just took few more pics standing at the right and left fender and approx 3" below the engine cover. Does this capture the right place?

http://i.cubeupload.com/eNgPI3.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/7QMlel.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/i97uJN.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/iksgxi.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/ppHsQg.jpg

Well looking at the first five, unless you have some mysterious leak somewhere else, the valve cover is nice and dry.

[phillycx]

I have the exact same leaks on my 2009 328i with 95000 Miles. I have a personal mechanic who works for BMW. He does all the work in his garage. He is charging $278 for the oil gasket and $475 for the valve cover gasket and spark plugs. My oil gauge drops about 1/4 of the way every 4-6 weeks and I just top it off. The main worry, which was mentioned earlier, is leaking from the oil gasket and popping off a belt. I'm also having my front pads, rotors and sensors done next visit for a very reasonable price. Hope this helps with pricing.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Well looking at the first five, unless you have some mysterious leak somewhere else, the valve cover is nice and dry.

Definitely u guys saved me a couple of thousand bucks. Thanks to y'all and a special thanks to Efthreeoh for a detailed analysis. That particular BMW dealer lost a customer.