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Originally Posted by Cavpilot2k
OKay, so I've been on this site for many years, and the OFHG thing seems only a very recent phenomenon that is popping up. I'm sure there were some previously, but it seems recently it is being added to the list of things the "will" fail on this vehicle (like HPFP for N54, water pump, charge pipe, etc).
Is this a problem only a few people have that has been blown out of proportion, or should I expect it to fail too (2012 with 85k miles)?
I don't doubt that it's a legitimate issue to some degree, but having been on this site for over 6 years, I've only begun to see posts about it in the last year.
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I think it just comes with age. I mean, it's a rubber gasket after all. This isn't by any means a robust gasket like a cylinder head gasket.
I would be more surprised if somebody were to reach 100-150K without ever having to change it because of how many heat cycles this gasket seas and given that both hot oil and coolant travel right around it. I changed mine this week and my 2008 135i is at 52K.
So to me it's inevitable and just another maintenance item to take care of as opposed to some weak point in reliability. So as time goes on more and more people are going to start having this gasket to change if they haven't already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cavpilot2k
Assuming we should expect it to fail, what are indications?
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You'll see it very easily most of the time starting with a small visible oil leak where the OFH meets the cylinder head. And if it's been leaking enough you may even start to see the front of the head and surrounding areas start to get 'moist' with oil residue.
The lesser visible indicator is dirty coolant; oil droplets here and there in your coolant do to the two mixing from a bad gasket. This one may be more alarming because of course this same indicator can indicate a blown head gasket but just know it most likely (hopefully) is just a bad OFH gasket. So it's important to change it right away to avoid any mixing OR any leaking directly onto your belt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cavpilot2k
Is it a DIY for the average joe or is it an intensive/expensive repair (yeah I know I could try to search, but I'm busy at the moment)?
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Expensive is having a shop or BMW doing it and spending $500-1000
As for myself, knowing this fix would require some oil and coolant to be drained I went ahead and just did a coolant flush and complete oil change while doing this repair to justify the cost of those two things.
All in all after parts, oil, coolant, distilled water, etc. I spent less than $200 utilizing the FCP Euro OFH gasket kit.
I HIGHLY recommend that you check and see if you have the necessary tools first because you'll need E / T / Star type wrenches and sockets. That's something I bought between a trip to Harbor Freight for sockets and Amazon for wrenches. They're handy to have for future repairs so they're all very easily justifiable.
If you really want to go above and beyond you can also take care of your intake manifold gasket while you're at it but a few more things have to be done to remove it entire as opposed to just getting it lose enough to reach the one stupid bolt pressed against it.
Little things that can also be done at the same time easily but not necessary: cabin filter and air box filter.
Do I recommend it? Depends what kind of work you've done before and how long you're willing to work on it. It will not take longer than a day and if you watch videos and research first you may get it done in just a few hours.
Be sure to have brake cleaner and lots of rags to cover your alternator and belt from spills.