03-13-2020, 05:39 PM | #1 |
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Trying to Figure Out Oil Leak (Pics)
Hi All,
First post on here, but have been a lurker for years. I registered because I'm having trouble identifying an oil leak on my X3. There is a small amount of oil on the driveway every day, it is generally yellow in color and smells "oily" (if that makes sense). My first thought would be brake fluid, but the reservoir is perfectly just below "max." Given the fact that there's no dipstick, I used iDrive to check the engine oil and it came back 100 percent full. No lights are on, the car performs perfectly and if not for having a white concrete driveway, I would never have known anything was leaking. The oil dripping appears near the driver's side to the rear of the front tire. The only thing I could find under the hood was a small amount of oil on the right side (driver's side) of the engine cowling near a cap. But it was just a drop or two. I also can't figure out from *any* diagram what, exactly, is inside this cap. I tried to loosen by hand and it will not budge. Didn't want to break out tools and force it without knowing what it is, much less if it's even the problem to begin with. I'll leave two pics below. My guess is a filter given torque measurements, but I'll leave it for the masses to advise, lol. Thanks for any help! Last edited by TurboDan737; 03-13-2020 at 05:52 PM.. |
03-13-2020, 05:54 PM | #2 |
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The oil filter hosing gasket has been known to leak on X3s.
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03-13-2020, 06:43 PM | #3 | |
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Quote:
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03-14-2020, 09:06 PM | #4 |
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On ALL N55s. ETA for leaks is 75K miles on average, it seems.
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03-14-2020, 09:55 PM | #5 |
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03-15-2020, 04:51 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
That round cap you are showing is the oil filter cover. The Oil filter is right under it. You need a special oil filter cap socket to remove it properly. If it's wet, the the o-ring on the cap may not have been installed correctly. Take the cap off with the special tool and check the o-ring. |
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03-23-2020, 04:34 PM | #7 |
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That could just be oil from an oil change. When you remove the filter oil spill everywhere unless you open it partially to break the vacuum and let it drain for a while. First degrease and clean the area very thoroughly and then monitor if it comes back before changing anything.
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03-23-2020, 07:59 PM | #8 |
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That is exactly where you will find oil from a failing oil filter housing gasket. Clean it up and check in a couple of days. If it is back, get that fixed. Long term, oil will disintegrate the rubber on the drive belt and believe it or not, the engine can "inhale" it (literally suck it in to internals) and worst case, then your engine is toast.
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03-24-2020, 06:01 PM | #9 |
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