any s50b32 experts?

[harry_p]

my e36 m3 is leaking oil

still runs really nicely, with plenty of grunt. Doesnt seem to be from the vanos, but looks like it's coming from between where the cam carrier meets the cylinder head, on the exhaust side at the front corner.

Pretty sure it's not the cam cover, as after a wipe clean it's stayed dry. Also, the underside of the vanos covers seem dry.

so, if it is the cam carrier / head joint, what fills the joint? is it a gasket, large rubber O ring type seal, or purely a sealant seal?

struggling to find decent pics of s50s in bits, but doesnt look like it will be fun to fix.

[harry_p]

Well, a bit more investigating this evening.

took the headlight out, and the washer bottle and shone a torch up through the gap.

looks lke there's a dribble coming down from behind the vanos somewhere, whish is dribbling down to the front corner before dripping off onto the wire for the exhaust cam sensor.

Took the vanos solenoid covers off just to rule out the solenoid o-rings, and there was only the slightest smear of oil inside both. not bad for 215,000 miles

[monkey]

maybe just the o ring between the vanos and cylinder head .
if you wan to see pics of one in bits have a look here
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures ... cedure.htm
i got my seal & anti rattle kit from them and found the website most useful

[harry_p]

Cheers, I've had a good read around and I'm pretty sure it's those main oil seals too. the rest of the vanos unit seems nice and dry.

Hard to see how much of the removal procedure applies when you're not stripping the vanos, as while the rest is ok I don't really want to disturb it, just remove the unit, change the o-rings and put back together again.

[monkey]

probably benifit from a full seal kit at 200k , i know mine needed it at 150k .
not a bad job to do if your going to take off the vanos anyway .
if a tool like me can manage you should be fine