Did oil filter housing gasket at 52k miles

[Stubbie Blue]

I did the oil filter housing gasket on my 2012 135i N55 with just 52k miles, so I guess it being 12 years old was also a factor. Noticed the grime buildup and didn't want to let it get too bad:



But it was much worse underneath:





I also installed the upgraded Rein aluminum Mickey Mouse coolant flange while I was in there and did the spark plugs too. I don't know much about reading spark plugs so feel free to comment on the condition of my old ones:



I did the coolant bleeding procedure, and the oil priming procedure with the spark plugs out, injectors disconnected (rearmost wiring connector to the DME), and fuel pump fuse #70 behind the glovebox pulled. Everything seemed fine so I put all the parts and covers back on. But when I went to start the car, it ran fine for about 30 seconds and then I got a misfire and check engine light. I thought that maybe I messed up the spark plug installation and would have to take everything apart again. But I decided to take a lunch break to think about it more clearly, and do some research on YouTube. It seems it may have just been due to the oil priming procedure when I was cranking the engine with the spark plugs out or having half the sensors and systems disconnected. Because after I cleared the codes, the engine ran fine.

Anyway, next I have to think about doing the oil pan gasket, although it's not too bad yet with just a bit of oil running down towards the transmission (on the left of this photo):

[ejm3]

No, I'm the original owner of my 2012 135i and I did mine before 50k.
It wasn't covered by warranty only because i was out of warranty due to time, not mileage. And its an expensive repair.

[Finneganistan]

The 135Is I just bought needs a new housing gasket as well as the oil pan gasket. The prices quoted by the dealer who did the PPI was near $3k for both. That seems high to me. Any thoughts?

[Stubbie Blue]

Originally Posted by Finneganistan

The 135Is I just bought needs a new housing gasket as well as the oil pan gasket. The prices quoted by the dealer who did the PPI was near $3k for both. That seems high to me. Any thoughts?

Pretty much all of these BMWs will require these 3 gaskets at some point:

1. Oil filter housing. If it gets too bad, oil will drip onto the serpentine belt causing it to slip off and possibly get drawn into the crank pulley and front main seal. So you should replace it as soon as you see signs of it leaking.

2. Valve cover gasket. Oil drips onto the exhaust and turbo, and can lead to a burning smell in the cabin.

3. Oil pan gasket. Probably the least dangerous, besides making a mess.

These gaskets are only $20-30 plus some single use bolts, so most of the cost will be labor, and each job takes several hours because of other parts that need to be removed to get to them. So a BMW dealer will of course be the most expensive because they often charge labor rates of $200-300/hr. An independent that has experience with BMWs should be cheaper. And of course the cheapest is to DIY, which is what I did. There are plenty of DIY videos on YouTube if you want to see what's required:

FCP Euro 2011 135i N55 OFHG:

Oil pan gasket:

[Finneganistan]

Thank you. I'll get a few quotes from the indie shops here.

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

After completing the OFHG and OCHG, I still had a small leak in that area. It ended up being the seal for the oil thermostat in the oil cooler. BMW doesn’t sell this seal, but after some research, I found the correct one through Grainger. I still need to do the job, just haven’t had time, but it should be easy. I had to buy a 5 pack, so if someone needs one…

From your oil build up, it looks like you could be leaking there too.

[Stubbie Blue]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherSportsCar

After completing the OFHG and OCHG, I still had a small leak in that area. It ended up being the seal for the oil thermostat in the oil cooler. BMW doesn’t sell this seal, but after some research, I found the correct one through Grainger. I still need to do the job, just haven’t had time, but it should be easy. I had to buy a 5 pack, so if someone needs one…

From your oil build up, it looks like you could be leaking there too.

Yep, I noticed the oily grime coming back on the oil cooler thermostat cap on the side.



Like you said, BMW doesn't sell this octagon shaped seal separately so I got some round ones from AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806543028225.html

The specs are FKM fluoro-rubber, which also goes by the brand name Viton.
OD 43mm, ID 37mm, CS 3mm.
And I got 5 for $1.83.

I didn't know what the torque spec was for the T30 bolts for the thermostat cap, so I did 10 Nm or 89 inch-lb.

I went on a test drive with some full throttle runs and the oil temp got to 240F, and it seems fine with no leaks. I will be sure to update this later if it does leak.

[Converted1]

It’s amazing how reliably these things are going bad. DIY’d the OFHG, OCHG , Valve cover and gasket in the last year. Next up was the leaky injectors and HPFP. Same 55k same 13 years.
Waiting for the oil pan to say hi. Spending more time maintaining this car than driving. I love this car and it would cost at least 80K to replace but it’s getting expensive and a little old.

[ShocknAwe]

This is all regular maintenance for the N54.

Get good with a wrench or open your wallet.

[fotontom]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

This is all regular maintenance for the N54.

Get good with a wrench or open your wallet.

Also true for the N51/N52. Have been through all of these procedures with my E88, E82 and F10. Makes one wonder why BMW cannot solve such a seemingly simple engineering task. I understand why it could be expected at 100K+ mileage, but 50K is a problem. The specific synthetic lubricants, maybe?

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

This is all regular maintenance for the N54.

Get good with a wrench or open your wallet.

Lol 😂 So true

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by fotontom

Also true for the N51/N52. Have been through all of these procedures with my E88, E82 and F10. Makes one wonder why BMW cannot solve such a seemingly simple engineering task. I understand why it could be expected at 100K+ mileage, but 50K is a problem. The specific synthetic lubricants, maybe?

I'm confident the synthetic lubricants only help. IIRC the multi-piece design makes it easier to replace components as of for instance you warp your filter housing.

[e4603]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

IIRC the multi-piece design makes it easier to replace components as of for instance you warp your filter housing.

If easy replacement was the goal, why put the damn OFH bolt behind the intake manifold!?

[mkeiser]

Originally Posted by fotontom

Also true for the N51/N52. Have been through all of these procedures with my E88, E82 and F10. Makes one wonder why BMW cannot solve such a seemingly simple engineering task. I understand why it could be expected at 100K+ mileage, but 50K is a problem. The specific synthetic lubricants, maybe?

age is a large factor as well.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by e4603

If easy replacement was the goal, why put the damn OFH bolt behind the intake manifold!?

Figure you're gonna replace the IM gaskets too right?