[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Thanks. I am going to avoid the dealer totally and will go to an Indy to check the belly pan. If he confirms that the leak is due to a Oil Pan leak, do I need to fix or replace it?

Fixing it all depends on how bad it is leaking and your tolerance for a mess. If you never deal with taking the belly pan off and it is not staining your parking space, then it's a livable situation. It also depends on how long you plan on keeping the car. I let mine go for a long time like I previously posted, and finally got around to replacing the gasket once I saw the mess it was making inside the bell housing. The pressure plate (clutch) on these cars have cooling fan blades built into the pressure plate that stirs up the air inside the bell housing and spreads the oil all over the inside of the bell housing. I finally repaired the OPG after I replaced the clutch.

The OPG is a labor intensive job, so it is expensive. The parts are less than $50 (gasket and bolt kit). The front subframe needs to be dropped to make room to get the oil pan off the engine block. I think most people report between $800 to $1,200 for the repair. xi models cost a bit more due to the extra complexity of front drivetrain components. I can't remember if your car is RWD or AWD.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Fixing it all depends on how bad it is leaking and your tolerance for a mess. If you never deal with taking the belly pan off and it is not staining your parking space, then it's a livable situation. It also depends on how long you plan on keeping the car. I let mine go for a long time like I previously posted, and finally got around to replacing the gasket once I saw the mess it was making inside the bell housing. The pressure plate (clutch) on these cars have cooling fan blades built into the pressure plate that stirs up the air inside the bell housing and spreads the oil all over the inside of the bell housing. I finally repaired the OPG after I replaced the clutch.

The OPG is a labor intensive job, so it is expensive. The parts are less than $50 (gasket and bolt kit). The front subframe needs to be dropped to make room to get the oil pan off the engine block. I think most people report between $800 to $1,200 for the repair. xi models cost a bit more due to the extra complexity of front drivetrain components. I can't remember if your car is RWD or AWD.

Mine is RWD. Thanks for reminding me about the clutch. What is the right time / mileage to replace the clutch assembly, I remember a few times when I tried to change gears without properly pressing the clutch and it resulted in clutter sound . Would there be any damage to the clutch plate or other internal parts due to this?

[ChuckThomas]

First and foremost, s/o e90bs

Originally Posted by tlow98

I mean, you did say some things in your post that don’t make much sense. Its whatever, just move on.

Hey what exactly did I say that was wrong efthreeoh jr?? and you said I gave false advice??? ARE YOU SERIOUS? COPY AND PASTE MY FALSE ADVICE BECAUSE I DONT SEE IT???

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The guy's post was just confusing the issue by introducing a problem that doesn't exist. I was trying to help the OP out and gave good advice to him. You'll learn over time. No worries.

What problem did I introduce?? The only good advice you gave was to take it to a indy/almost the same thing as taking it to the dealer. The advice I gave him was to see for himself. Good advice would not be encouraging people to let their car leak oil for 3 years... and if ofhg and valve cover gasket ARE common, would it not hurt to diagnose yourself by cleaning the area?

I only said that looked like power steering fluid that leaked onto the pan from a faulty hose. YOU SAID POWER STEERING LEAKED FROM THE RES.(INTRODUCING PROBLEMS THAT DONT EXIST). I also said that maybe coolant was leaking from ofhg onto harmonic balancer, causing rust?? HOW IS THAT BAD ADVICE, are you saying that's 100% impossible scenario?

But yeah man, once you said you let your car leak for 3 years you lost me...See you later on another post

[hassmaschine]

because you are wrong. JFC. There's no coolant leaking on the balancer - that is normal rust. It's made of steel and only covered in a very light coat of paint.

Some people are so tense. You must get angry a lot..

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

because you are wrong. JFC. There's no coolant leaking on the balancer - that is normal rust. It's made of steel and only covered in a very light coat of paint.

Some people are so tense. You must get angry a lot..

I'm sorry mr scientist but no rust is "normal". But since you know so much what causes it to rust, MINE IS NOT RUSTED 106k??? I never said coolant was leaking onto it, I said maybe??? And I'm not sure if you even know or you just guessing because first you said it's rust then you said it's chipped paint. Rust is caused by water??? Rain water(Broken/missing seal/ no belly pan, which I originally stated)..or coolant(Loose hose connection/ofhg) Sorry I think about all options. I was just thinking it could have pointed to evidence of coolant leak at the ofhg since that's what op was looking for. What you should have asked him was he loosing any coolant via expansion tank. That would have really eliminated that one.

I'm sorry bro my all caps is not angry yelling it's just something I want to stand out is this better? All smiles

[hassmaschine]

you live in North Carolina. I'm guessing you don't see a lot of salt on your roads. I have seen a number of these from salty areas and they all look like that. It's completely normal. it's just surface rust, completely harmless. And if your coolant is causing steel to rust, then you've got bigger problems anyway..

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First and foremost, s/o e90bs

Yeah, you guys are a great pair. You've made some interesting posts and defended them in a manner that's embarrassing.



Rust on the balancer is not an issue, btw.

- Mr. efthreeoh jr

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

And if your coolant is causing steel to rust, then you've got bigger problems anyway..

Yeah a $1500 problem

we get it already, he doesn't have a ofhg leak (which was what we were originally referring to why do y'all keep talking about this balancer?? lol).. op just keep driving man

[hassmaschine]

Coolant has anti corrosion ingredients genius. It doesn't make things rust. If it did, your engine (aluminum or iron) would rust from the inside out.

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Rust on the balancer is not an issue, btw.

hey this sound exactly like something efthreeoh would say
nobody said it was a problem; was trying to diagnose another problem genius.

[Needbmwpartzz]

This thread is becoming classic...keep up the good work!
That engine bay looks dirty and corroded a tad(BTW clean up to better visually inspect for potential problems/oil leaks)....but nothing looks really wrong.
Speculation is just that/govern yourself accordingly!

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

First and foremost, s/o e90bs




Hey what exactly did I say that was wrong efthreeoh jr?? and you said I gave false advice??? ARE YOU SERIOUS? COPY AND PASTE MY FALSE ADVICE BECAUSE I DONT SEE IT???



What problem did I introduce?? The only good advice you gave was to take it to a indy/almost the same thing as taking it to the dealer. The advice I gave him was to see for himself. Good advice would not be encouraging people to let their car leak oil for 3 years... and if ofhg and valve cover gasket ARE common, would it not hurt to diagnose yourself by cleaning the area?

I only said that looked like power steering fluid that leaked onto the pan from a faulty hose. YOU SAID POWER STEERING LEAKED FROM THE RES.(INTRODUCING PROBLEMS THAT DONT EXIST). I also said that maybe coolant was leaking from ofhg onto harmonic balancer, causing rust?? HOW IS THAT BAD ADVICE, are you saying that's 100% impossible scenario?

But yeah man, once you said you let your car leak for 3 years you lost me...See you later on another post

You implied that the harmonic balancer was rusted because the engine had a coolant leak. The harmonic balancer rusted because it is painted and the paint wears off and the iron in the steel it is made from rusts. My car has never had a coolant leak and my harmonic balancer is rusted 10 times worse than the OP's. From the pictures that the OP posted, none of them show any indication of coolant leaks. I still have yet to see where the power steering hose is leaking fluid, but I'll go look again. I looked at the pics several times and did not see a leak in the PS system other than the o-ring at the cap. Coolant leaks internally within the OFH not externally. If there were some type of coolant leak to rust the harmonic balancer an easy tell tale sign would be a constant coolant smell and dried coolant spots on the engine.

There are millions of cars that drive around for years upon years that have leaky oil pan gaskets. The OP asked if he had to get the OPG repaired right away, and I said he didn't, which is a true statement, and I qualified the statement with leaving it up to the OP whether he thought it was worth paying $1,200 to get a pan leak repaired if he was only keeping the car another year or two (me postulating). Most of the cars I've owned have had oil leaks in the engine. Back 40 years ago, almost all engines developed oil leaks over time. A leaking OPG is generally nothing to be concerned over. But I get it, I'm a lonely old man who is just a complete internet dick, cunt, asshole, who needs to combat his loneliness by talking shit to people on the internet ... (or it just could be TV sucks to watch.... )

The engine compartment is not sealed from the elements. It can't be or the cooling system would not operate properly. Here's a test, go out to your car right now (it's night time) with a flashlight and shine it through the radiator. You'll see that the light from the flashlight shines though the radiator. That's because AIR has to flow through the radiator to REMOVE the HEAT produced by the engine and carried AWAY from the engine by the coolant to the radiator (it's call a heat exchanger in engineering parlance BTW). Air has water vapor in it (that's how it takes the heat away from the radiator...) the water vapor attaches to various parts of the engine bay. One being the harmonic balancer. The paint wears away because the air has small dirt particles in it and acts like a mini sand blaster (over a long period of time). Once the steel (made with iron ore) is exposed to water vapor in the air, it RUSTS. What we are trying to tell you is you are observing something and attributing the wrong cause for it, which is why your statement is misleading and causing confusion for the OP.

[ChuckThomas]

What EXACTLY causes the iron to rust?

There is power steering on his belly pan, what you said you thought was oil (could be either), it may even just be concrete and no belly pan i can't really tell by the pictures. What makes you think coolant can't leak out of the front of the ofhg, its a passage right there on the front leading to the radiator and the thermostat, you are telling me that 100% of the time it leaks internally into the oil?? Your car has never had a coolant leak but yet it did leak oil for 3 years...? And you are saying "if" coolant leaks onto the harmonic balancer, making my point that IT IS A POSSIBILITY. Can you smell dried up coolant through the pictures? Can you see coolant spots on the engine mixed in with all the dirt and grime? And since you want to get so technical, the original poster never asked you anything about an oil pan gasket. He asked about an oil filter housing and valve cover. That was you introducing new problems and confusing him.

And you can count me out of that million bro.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Mine is RWD. Thanks for reminding me about the clutch. What is the right time / mileage to replace the clutch assembly, I remember a few times when I tried to change gears without properly pressing the clutch and it resulted in clutter sound . Would there be any damage to the clutch plate or other internal parts due to this?

The clutch in these cars is very robust. Outside of all out abuse, it should easily last well past 200,000 miles. Mine went 300,000 and still had life left in the actual clutch plate. My dual mass flywheel when bad, which is what drove my replacement at 300K. Now, my car sees about 40 miles daily of heavy stop and go traffic 5 days a week on top of the 130 of relatively open driving of my daily commute. But clutch life depends a lot on the driver and the type of traffic the car sees. An occasional improper shift will not shorten the clutch life. The clatter sound is most likely the dual mass flywheel, but that doesn't mean anything bad.

[Greyfox]

In the 5th picture, you can see oil in the pan down under the front of the engine. About normal for a pan leak.

As for the power steering leak around the cap... take the nuts and bolts out, rotate the rubber dampeners 180 degrees and put it back together. Clean the cap and you are ready to go again. Fracking rubbers allow the reservoir to tilt over time and allows fluid to slosh out the weep hole in the cap.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

What EXACTLY causes the iron to rust?

There is power steering on his belly pan, what you said you thought was oil (could be either), it may even just be concrete and no belly pan i can't really tell by the pictures. What makes you think coolant can't leak out of the front of the ofhg, its a passage right there on the front leading to the radiator and the thermostat, you are telling me that 100% of the time it leaks internally into the oil?? Your car has never had a coolant leak but yet it did leak oil for 3 years...? And you are saying "if" coolant leaks onto the harmonic balancer, making my point that IT IS A POSSIBILITY. Can you smell dried up coolant through the pictures? Can you see coolant spots on the engine mixed in with all the dirt and grime? And since you want to get so technical, the original poster never asked you anything about an oil pan gasket. He asked about an oil filter housing and valve cover. That was you introducing new problems and confusing him.

And you can count me out of that million bro.

I suggested the oil pan gasket is leaking because the top end of the engine is not leaking oil based on the pics the OP provided and because of the pool of oil on the belly pan visible in the first pic. From his responses, the OP clearly captured what I wrote as where he should look for an oil leak and is not confused whatsoever. You on the other hand are just running your stupid mouth.

Stop embarrassing yourself.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

In the 5th picture, you can see oil in the pan down under the front of the engine. About normal for a pan leak.

As for the power steering leak around the cap... take the nuts and bolts out, rotate the rubber dampeners 180 degrees and put it back together. Clean the cap and you are ready to go again. Fracking rubbers allow the reservoir to tilt over time and allows fluid to slosh out the weep hole in the cap.

Interesting take on the issue. I'll look into it as I'm curious about it. I can see the isolators deforming a bit. Every time I've I've cured that condition is by a new o-ring, but maybe it's a combo of the two.

[ChuckThomas]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I suggested the oil pan gasket is leaking because the top end of the engine is not leaking oil based on the pics the OP provided and because of the pool of oil on the belly pan visible in the first pic. From his responses, the OP clearly captured what I wrote as where he should look for an oil leak and is not confused whatsoever. You on the other hand are just running your stupid mouth.

Stop embarrassing yourself.

No what you told op was his valve cover and ofhg was not leaking JUST because the dealer said it was. What I told him was to check for himself. You can't tell from the pics he posted if the valve cover is leaking or not. It could be leaking from ofhg onto head gasket, or from back of valve cover to oil pan. You have to clean the engine in order to see if the oil is even leaking out of the oil pan or coming from somewhere else. You can not see under the intake manifold really good in his pics so how do you know the ofhg is not leaking. Again, you can see dirt and grime even on his knock sensors. It's not supposed to be that much dirt down there so if it was a oil leak he prob wouldn't know it. What I told op to do was clean his engine and see where the new leaks came to. I don't see how that's me embarrassing myself. Your whole rant with me is because I introduced the idea of the harmonic balancer? Get over it

[hassmaschine]

There's only one person ranting in this thread, and it isn't Efthreeoh..

[tlow98]

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

I’m pontificating. Oh well.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The clutch in these cars is very robust. Outside of all out abuse, it should easily last well past 200,000 miles. Mine went 300,000 and still had life left in the actual clutch plate. My dual mass flywheel when bad, which is what drove my replacement at 300K. Now, my car sees about 40 miles daily of heavy stop and go traffic 5 days a week on top of the 130 of relatively open driving of my daily commute. But clutch life depends a lot on the driver and the type of traffic the car sees. An occasional improper shift will not shorten the clutch life. The clatter sound is most likely the dual mass flywheel, but that doesn't mean anything bad.

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.

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

No what you told op was his valve cover and ofhg was not leaking JUST because the dealer said it was. What I told him was to check for himself. You can't tell from the pics he posted if the valve cover is leaking or not. It could be leaking from ofhg onto head gasket, or from back of valve cover to oil pan. You have to clean the engine in order to see if the oil is even leaking out of the oil pan or coming from somewhere else. You can not see under the intake manifold really good in his pics so how do you know the ofhg is not leaking. Again, you can see dirt and grime even on his knock sensors. It's not supposed to be that much dirt down there so if it was a oil leak he prob wouldn't know it. What I told op to do was clean his engine and see where the new leaks came to. I don't see how that's me embarrassing myself. Your whole rant with me is because I introduced the idea of the harmonic balancer? Get over it

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.