Some Type of Oil on n55 Charge Pipe

TylerWoodard70 · 05-13-2017, 02:08 AM

Im not sure as to what this mysterious oil is on my charge pipe,(And Hood) however I had recently taken it to a shop and they said it was an oil filter housing gasket leak. They repaired it and told me to check to make sure it went away. It was gone for like a week or so but I just started seeing it again. Many believe it could be the brake fluid res, or the Power steering res. I'm just not sure as to what it could be. Any ideas? The car only has 68k on it and its a 2012 n55. (I will post pictures in the morning.)

*Completely unrelated but the shop also replaced my serpentine belt because it was squeaking constantly. The new belt they put on will squeak on cold starts, Any ideas?*
Thanks

*EDIT* I actually just now found that oil is splattered all on the underside of my hood on the drivers side. I'm completely out of ideas.

Pictures: https://gyazo.com/7939026f84968698a5e514b8a1750e26
https://gyazo.com/f8ec4712f80e50946ffa2333efb113eb
https://gyazo.com/978fa4492557b6f8a434dc0d393f5d45
https://gyazo.com/dc29a05a2dd409b6d447efc82615f51b
https://gyazo.com/bce2bf131d05cb49870d343eba21c745

juld0zer · 05-13-2017, 06:44 AM

Replacing the belt if it has been contaminated with or damaged by engine oil from the OFH is always strongly advised.

Are you sure it is a belt squeak and not a pulley squeak? It's quite common for pulley bearings to squeak after using solvent degreasers like brake cleaner to wash down an engine after repairing the leaky OFHG. The squeak goes away once the engine warms up. Mine was silent all summer but now approaching winter it is squeaking on cold starts for a few mins.

If it was squeaking prior to the repair like you said, then id look into the pulleys, particularly the plastic ones - look and feel for melted plastic and bonded rubber. Also check the metal pulleys for melted rubber. Was it a genuine or Contitech belt? Sometimes non genuine belts will squeak due to the slight differences in rib geometry vs worn pulley geometry.

As for the oil on your charge pipe, without a photo it's hard to give a good guess but i have a feeling it is just greasy residue on the pulleys which has been slung off by the new belt. CHF11S leaves a sticky residue after it has been allowed to dry off. Engine oil stays slick.

Brake fluid is in a separate compartment, impossible.

TylerWoodard70 · 05-14-2017, 10:29 PM

Anything guys?

juld0zer · 05-15-2017, 04:53 PM

Did you change the orings for the oil cooler lines?

motobyrd · 05-16-2017, 11:52 AM

My 2012 had a leaking oil filter housing gasket recently and looked similar to your pics (not quite as much splatter though). I also thought it was a leaky power steering hose. I would have them check the oil housing gasket again, that looks like engine oil that is getting on to the fan and spraying it on to the hood.

05-13-2017, 02:08 AM	#1
TylerWoodard70 Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: N55 135i 2012 Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Clarksville TN iTrader: (0)	Some Type of Oil on n55 Charge Pipe Im not sure as to what this mysterious oil is on my charge pipe,(And Hood) however I had recently taken it to a shop and they said it was an oil filter housing gasket leak. They repaired it and told me to check to make sure it went away. It was gone for like a week or so but I just started seeing it again. Many believe it could be the brake fluid res, or the Power steering res. I'm just not sure as to what it could be. Any ideas? The car only has 68k on it and its a 2012 n55. (I will post pictures in the morning.) Completely unrelated but the shop also replaced my serpentine belt because it was squeaking constantly. The new belt they put on will squeak on cold starts, Any ideas? Thanks EDIT I actually just now found that oil is splattered all on the underside of my hood on the drivers side. I'm completely out of ideas. Pictures: https://gyazo.com/7939026f84968698a5e514b8a1750e26 https://gyazo.com/f8ec4712f80e50946ffa2333efb113eb https://gyazo.com/978fa4492557b6f8a434dc0d393f5d45 https://gyazo.com/dc29a05a2dd409b6d447efc82615f51b https://gyazo.com/bce2bf131d05cb49870d343eba21c745 Last edited by TylerWoodard70; 05-14-2017 at 03:12 PM..
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05-13-2017, 06:44 AM	#2
juld0zer Lieutenant Colonel 480 Rep 1,600 Posts Drives: Prev 135i 7DCT, Now 130i 6sp Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: 2153 iTrader: (0)	Replacing the belt if it has been contaminated with or damaged by engine oil from the OFH is always strongly advised. Are you sure it is a belt squeak and not a pulley squeak? It's quite common for pulley bearings to squeak after using solvent degreasers like brake cleaner to wash down an engine after repairing the leaky OFHG. The squeak goes away once the engine warms up. Mine was silent all summer but now approaching winter it is squeaking on cold starts for a few mins. If it was squeaking prior to the repair like you said, then id look into the pulleys, particularly the plastic ones - look and feel for melted plastic and bonded rubber. Also check the metal pulleys for melted rubber. Was it a genuine or Contitech belt? Sometimes non genuine belts will squeak due to the slight differences in rib geometry vs worn pulley geometry. As for the oil on your charge pipe, without a photo it's hard to give a good guess but i have a feeling it is just greasy residue on the pulleys which has been slung off by the new belt. CHF11S leaves a sticky residue after it has been allowed to dry off. Engine oil stays slick. Brake fluid is in a separate compartment, impossible.
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05-14-2017, 10:29 PM	#3
TylerWoodard70 Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: N55 135i 2012 Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Clarksville TN iTrader: (0)	Anything guys?
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05-15-2017, 04:53 PM	#4
juld0zer Lieutenant Colonel 480 Rep 1,600 Posts Drives: Prev 135i 7DCT, Now 130i 6sp Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: 2153 iTrader: (0)	Did you change the orings for the oil cooler lines?
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05-16-2017, 11:52 AM	#5
motobyrd Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2017 m240i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Oklahoma iTrader: (0)	My 2012 had a leaking oil filter housing gasket recently and looked similar to your pics (not quite as much splatter though). I also thought it was a leaky power steering hose. I would have them check the oil housing gasket again, that looks like engine oil that is getting on to the fan and spraying it on to the hood. Last edited by motobyrd; 05-16-2017 at 11:59 AM..
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