Bad oil leak possibilities

[skrillagod]

Hey! I own a 2009 135i and i've got a bad oil leak issue.

I got the car back from the body shop after a accident and it's been running fine for 3 days.

I checked the oil right when i got it back and it was at where it was when i left it there. Last night i checked it and it was at minimum.

I looked under the hood and yeah, a lot of oil. There's a lot on the front of the block, and there's quite a bit on the alternator and belt. I'm thinking it's the oil filter housing gasket because there's a lot on the belt and alternator. i could also see it on my bov and it was on the bottom of my hood.

But i can also see some looking down by the HPFP under the chargepipe.

Could it be maybe both the valve cover gasket and ofh gasket? What does an oil leak from an oil pan generally look like?

[E92William]

Take some pictures but most likely the oil filter housing gasket. Either way both of them go at similar times so youll be doing the valve cover soon enough too. If oil gets on the belt it's recommended to replace it

[skrillagod]

Originally Posted by E92William

Take some pictures but most likely the oil filter housing gasket. Either way both of them go at similar times so youll be doing the valve cover soon enough too. If oil gets on the belt it's recommended to replace it

so i just ordered the filter housing gasket along with oil. when i bought it awhile back he said there was a small valve cover leak so i've had a new gasket sitting for awhile. this is my first car i've been trying diy so it's a kinda tough but the filter housing doesn't look too bad. just kinda worried about the valve cover.

[E92William]

Lol wow that's even getting on the damn hood. I bet the cover is leaking too. Good time to do both. The filter housing is a bit tougher on the n54 because you have to move the manifold a bit but no big deal. Do all that and the belt. I didn't do it and on my 3rd day of ownership of my 335i the belt slipped, wrapped around the crank pulley and got sucked into the crankcase. Shiny $2000 repair bill.

[skrillagod]

Originally Posted by E92William

Lol wow that's even getting on the damn hood. I bet the cover is leaking too. Good time to do both. The filter housing is a bit tougher on the n54 because you have to move the manifold a bit but no big deal. Do all that and the belt. I didn't do it and on my 3rd day of ownership of my 335i the belt slipped, wrapped around the crank pulley and got sucked into the crankcase. Shiny $2000 repair bill.

how do i even get all of that off the block man 😂 like it's caked in oil

[E92William]

I'd probably hit it with brake cleaner and see what it does lol. Might have to end up using a degreaser and water.

[Lester]

You might want to check your coolant for oil. When the OFHG goes bad, oil can leak into the cooling system. This requires a deep flush of the entire cooling system, and coolant replacement. Some plastic parts such as the expansion tank may be compromised by the oil as well. Mine had to be replaced during the OFHG repair.

Anyone owning an N54 older than 6 years should replace the OFHG, valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket ahead of failure to avoid damage from oil to various rubber components.

[skrillagod]

Originally Posted by Lester

You might want to check your coolant for oil. When the OFHG goes bad, oil can leak into the cooling system. This requires a deep flush of the entire cooling system, and coolant replacement. Some plastic parts such as the expansion tank may be compromised by the oil as well. Mine had to be replaced during the OFHG repair.

Anyone owning an N54 older than 6 years should replace the OFHG, valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket ahead of failure to avoid damage from oil to various rubber components.

how would i do this? I noticed it was taking a bit longer to warm up the oil but i thought that was maybe because it was leaking so bad and it's a bit cooler where i live now

[Lester]

Check for oil sludge or discoloration of the coolant in the expansion tank.

[BMWGuy4852]

My OFHG and Valve Cover Gasket both failed at about the same time. Fortunately, I had the BMW Gold Warranty. My mileage was 43,251 and the date was 10/04/19.