[EndoDoc]

Has anyone DIYed this? If so, please share pointers. I have a 2014 X3 3.0L with 100k and the oil pan is leaking, slow though but it is. Actual leak is from a side cover that has 8 torx bolts but there is no gasket replacement for that, I may also attempt to use a gasket maker material first then consider the pan gasket as a whole.

[Opie55]

Need to say which engine you have.

[EndoDoc]

Originally Posted by Opie55

Need to say which engine you have.

My apologies, changed it in op, 3.0L

[tracer bullet]

Doing a quick search it's a metal / rubber combo gasket. If that is the case I'd get a new one and do it right the first time. Gasket maker could work but I'd only use it for a full replacement, squirting some in never seems to be enough. And at that point just use the right part.

You could double check the bolts first, make sure they are all tight. Find the torque value online and then be sure each is at that value. Don't overdo it or you risk snapping a bolt head. It's free at least even if a little work to pull panels from underneath.

I've replaced oil pans but never on our cars, sorry. Hopefully someone else here has.

[Wgosma]

It's 10+ hours of shop labor, no small task. The front half shafts and differential need to be removed, support motor from above to enable dropping subframe, etc. to get the pan out.

Without a lift this would not be a pleasant job to undertake.

Good luck/ let us know what you end up doing.

[EndoDoc]

Thank you all. I wanted to be clear about where I am certain the leak could be from and that is why I am hoping a gasket maker would work as no gasket is available for this cover. See picture below. If this does not help it I do not think I'll be forking the money over for now for this job.

[Wgosma]

My car leaks down low also - at 50K mile mark barely perceptible. Now at 75K tad bit more oil but still pretty minor leakage. Few weeks ago local shop quoted $1600 for pan gasket job- I'm not doing it now, I'm under the car DIY my oil changes and more, so just keep an eye on it.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by EndoDoc

Thank you all. I wanted to be clear about where I am certain the leak could be from and that is why I am hoping a gasket maker would work as no gasket is available for this cover. See picture below. If this does not help it I do not think I'll be forking the money over for now for this job.

In looking at RealOEM, it appears that portion is part of the entire oil pan so there's no separate part number...

[EndoDoc]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

In looking at RealOEM, it appears that portion is part of the entire oil pan so there's no separate part number...

The indy shop I used for my water pump is baffled by the same find. It is not cast that way and we know at the factory they assembled them with a gasket. There is no gasket to be found.

I may attempt the gasket maker if I have enough room to remove the side cover. If that does not work I will consider at some point the 10 hour labor to do the entire pan gasket and likely a new pan which I saw was about 800+ dollars.

[tracer bullet]

Cruddy situation.

In the past at least, it was possible to buy a sheet of gasket material and cut your own. But the RTV (gasket maker) might be a good option here.

Hopefully you can indeed get to it without a ton of work to give it a shot. Be 100% sure the metal surfaces are clean or it will not stick and will continue to leak. Brake cleaner would be good for that, taking care to not get it in the pan itself and contaminate the oil later. And making sure oil doesn't seep over your clean surfaces moments later before you get the job done.

[EndoDoc]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Cruddy situation.

In the past at least, it was possible to buy a sheet of gasket material and cut your own. But the RTV (gasket maker) might be a good option here.

Hopefully you can indeed get to it without a ton of work to give it a shot. Be 100% sure the metal surfaces are clean or it will not stick and will continue to leak. Brake cleaner would be good for that, taking care to not get it in the pan itself and contaminate the oil later. And making sure oil doesn't seep over your clean surfaces moments later before you get the job done.

I will attempt it and I have also sent an email up to BMW NA requesting their support on the issue, pretty remarkable that they have no gasket for that cover.
Also, I have learned my lesson well with rtv, had to do a water pump job on my wife's Kia 3 times because the surfaces were not absolutely spotless. I like the product called Right Stuff.

[pungo]

Many times, ,parts like this use a specific sealer without using a gasket.

[EndoDoc]

Originally Posted by pungo

Many times, ,parts like this use a specific sealer without using a gasket.

You would think they would place it in the ista repair steps but there is nothing in the program.

[tracer bullet]

In a former job I did some buying / selling of OEM engine parts, and sometimes this would be the situation. The original supplier would of course have a small BOM (Bill of Materials) with a handful of items, an assembly process, and so on to make their final product. But then it'd be inventoried by the OEM only as that final product, which they purchased to put onto vehicles on the assembly along with a number of extras to store for the occasional repair. Even if you were able to determine who made the oil pan, the odds of them having any gaskets around is slim. No one in that chain probably ever figured they'd have to sell that part individually or at least not in high enough quantities to bother.

[EndoDoc]

Perhaps, good point. The purchase of the entire pan vs a gasket is ludicrous but it may have been something BMW did not plan to have fail.

[bg212]

Hi EndoDoc,
I am facing exactly the same leak issue (https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1865579).

What did you end up with?

I am thinking of removing the right axle, bearing supporting bracket and then re-sealing the plate with Loctite 5970 (as it's being called for on RealOEM).

However I assume replacing of the bolts is needed. Did you find the bolts part #?

Thx!

[EndoDoc]

Thanks for reaching out, I ended up paying an independent shop to replace it. It cost me about 3k to take care of it but they did an amazing job with the OE part. It was too intense for me as the entire subframe needed to be dropped and the drive train passes right through the dam pan. I have no regrets and sleep well knowing it’s fixed, bone dry now and not one drip probably leaking somewhere else though 😂.

Originally Posted by bg212

Hi EndoDoc,
I am facing exactly the same leak issue (https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1865579).

What did you end up with?

I am thinking of removing the right axle, bearing supporting bracket and then re-sealing the plate with Loctite 5970 (as it's being called for on RealOEM).

However I assume replacing of the bolts is needed. Did you find the bolts part #?

Thx!

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by EndoDoc

Thanks for reaching out, I ended up paying an independent shop to replace it. It cost me about 3k to take care of it but they did an amazing job with the OE part. It was too intense for me as the entire subframe needed to be dropped and the drive train passes right through the dam pan. I have no regrets and sleep well knowing it’s fixed, bone dry now and not one drip probably leaking somewhere else though 😂.

About how much of the total cost was labor?
Thanks/Bill

[bg212]

assuming new oil pan is ~$900 and new set of bolts ~$45, plus differential o-rings (say $15), plus differential oil $55, oil pan gasket $50, plus markup on parts, wheels alignment $80, the labor must be $1500 - $1700 ish.

[brave-heart]

Originally Posted by bg212

assuming new oil pan is ~$900 and new set of bolts ~$45, plus differential o-rings (say $15), plus differential oil $55, oil pan gasket $50, plus markup on parts, wheels alignment $80, the labor must be $1500 - $1700 ish.

This seemed to much. I did oil pan gasket ( no oil pan replacement though), valve cover gasket ( with valve cover replacement), spark plug all together for 2,200. The oil pan gasket job it self is around 800. Valve cover + gasket job around 1200.