Small oil seep M20B25
Moderator: martauto
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mikelat
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- Location: Vancouver B.C.
I have a tiny oil seep from the head gasket at the right front. After several hours of driving it glistens a little immediately below on the block but it never seems to leak enough to form a drop. I was wondering if I am going to need to replace the head gasket soon or will this go on for a long time as something minor. Thanks
1990 325i Coupe Gletscherblau_Metallic
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Brianmoooore
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If the leak is by the second head bolt back from the front, then this is a very common leak. The oil feed to the cylinder head is via the space around this head bolt. It's the head gasket that is leaking, but there's no reason to suppose that a failure of a more important part of the gasket is about to occur. Even sometimes still happens after a head gasket has been replaced.
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mikelat
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No it is right at the very front corner as the second bolt back is dry. I hope it isn't those stupid rubber plugs which I didn't replace the last time I did a valve cover gasket change.
1990 325i Coupe Gletscherblau_Metallic
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Brianmoooore
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If it's at the front, it has to be the D shaped rubber bungs, the valve cover gasket, the cam seal or the cam retainer seal.
D shaped plugs are the most likely.The valve cover gasket is usually good to be used a few times, especially if it's new, so whip the cover off and change all four bungs.
D shaped plugs are the most likely.The valve cover gasket is usually good to be used a few times, especially if it's new, so whip the cover off and change all four bungs.
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G-Bear
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Changing the D shaped plugs is a quick, easy and cheap job, so worth trying first I would assume.
The cam seal is a bit more fiddly changing, plus you have take a fair bit off the front of the engine to get to it if I remember rightly. I did mine whilst changing the timing belt so it all came off anyway. But i think to get to the cam seal there's no short cuts.
The cam seal is a bit more fiddly changing, plus you have take a fair bit off the front of the engine to get to it if I remember rightly. I did mine whilst changing the timing belt so it all came off anyway. But i think to get to the cam seal there's no short cuts.
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Sasquatch
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I had a leak up front, so I tried the D shaped seals, I used some gasket sealant on both side of the rubber.
In the end it was the cam seal plate/holder as it had some irregularity in it. Long story short, there is no short cut to remove the cam seal as the cam pully needs to come off to get to it.
In the end it was the cam seal plate/holder as it had some irregularity in it. Long story short, there is no short cut to remove the cam seal as the cam pully needs to come off to get to it.
Djordje
If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes should fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!
If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes should fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!
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mikelat
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I put a new cam seal in when I changed the belt/tensioner/pump about a year ago and was hoping it is not that. I stuffed some paper towels under the engine lift against the valve cover so if they come away oily after a few days I will know it is somewhere up there rather than the head gasket.
1990 325i Coupe Gletscherblau_Metallic