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oil filter housing gasket? or just a defective oil filter o-ring

3K views 42 replies 16 participants last post by  zurk 
#1 · (Edited)


i swear i was planning to do the oil filter housing gasket as pm. i left the car for a couple of weeks and came back to this. i know this is a very common failure, but first time for me so i'd appreciate any advice. i'm hoping there is a bavauto diy blog or youtube video for this repair.
 
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#15 ·
^^^^^this.....looks like a sloppy filter change, cap wasn't torqued properly, or someone forgot or pinched the filter cap o-ring. OFHG leaks will be below on the webbed area on the block. PS I used the Bavauto Viteon OFHG and for about a year now its been bone dry under there. Fingers crossed lol.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Have you changed the oil filter lately? Looks like the O-ring for the filter cap might be too far onto the cap. I got the O-ring above the groove once and it leaked like a sieve. The Vanos hose could be the cause too. Before I changed my OFHG the oil residue was mainly around the housing base and on the block not where it is in your pic. Might even be from the intake cam sensor O ring.
 
#9 ·
That is a huge leak. I would use simple green and a brush to clear out the oil and watch where it is starting. You should still do OFHG, but you may also have issues with the Vanos oil line and potentially the valve cover - which if original should also be replaced
 
#11 ·
last oil change was in march. i was just coming up on the 7500 mile oil change interval.

it doesn't seem to be leaking from the top of the oil stand. my guess is the crush washer on the vanos line but i will take it apart tomorrow to confirm.

i just replaced the CCV a couple of months ago. and i replaced the valve cover gasket and grommets a year ago. i regret both because now i am looking for an excuse to install the m56 aluminum valve cover.
 
#14 ·
jmo suggested the same .. but it's been many months since the last oil change and i swear i installed the filter correctly.

reminds me of years ago when the independent left his mop up rag in the stand and then mashed the filter down with it. engine ran badly but no leaks back then.

i left the car garaged for a couple of weeks, worried that the coolant light and some minor coolant loss were precursors to failing thermostat or radiator as in years past.

so i was expecting to come back and find a coolant leak, not an oil leak. it's an active leak pouring out from somewhere .. so i should be able to clean up and trace as suggested by archbid.
 
#16 ·
If you still want to go ahead with the gasket change go and buy the gasket at the dealership... Where I live, they were a bit cheaper than the ones from Ebay.
Also it would be a good idea to also change the gasket between the oilfilter housing and the heatexchanger.

Aaaand if you are already at it, do yourself a favor and change the Vanos seals and the vacuumpump seals as well, they all dont cost much and mine were hard as glass after almost 20 years, so even if they do not leak now, they will probably start soon.
 
#20 ·
i guess better late than never. quite a mess. the cap was not at all loose when i removed. it was seated all the way down. but i can't find any other source of the oil unless the stand itself is cracked.

I hope that's it, when I got the O-ring wrong it started leaking right away, not 9 months later. Mine had actually started to squeeze out because it was above the groove. As far as torquing it, I just crank it down till it seats, it's two flat surfaces meeting.
yeah i can't figure why it was ok for months and then started leaking after parked for two weeks.

After looking at the pic closer it looks like the old O-ring was out of the groove.
why do you say that? the ring was in the groove when i unscrewed the cap.
 
#26 ·
The cap was screwed down enough, and if the good o-ring not twisted then this should not leak. It is good to torque the cap properly to avoid loosening, but as long as the o-ring outside diameter is below the filter housing top lip then it shouldn***8217;t leak even if there is a gap from cap to housing top.
 
#29 ·
Sealing of the cap relies on the o-ring, not torque. Torque only prevents the cap from unscrewing. If the black o-ring in the photo above was the one you pulled from the car, it sure appears to be quite thin on one side, but it could be lighting. O-rings are very simple effective sealing devices. As long as the groove in the cap and sealing surface of housing aren't damaged, any o-ring of proper size will seal for a normal oil change interval. O-ring twist can be trouble but pinch and the usual cut that goes with it is a problem. If you pulled the white one, stretch it and look for damage.

Why did it start leaking now? Hard to say, but lower temperatures play a part. If it was defective or undersize, it may seal just fine in milder conditions. O-rings get hard and shrink in the cold.
 
#36 ·
At one time the Mann Filter # HU 925/4X was my most popular filter. We've changed at least a thousand, if not more. ... the Mann HU 925/4X is the genuine filter for your car.


i used this filter kit including the black o-ring below from the dealer. never again.



going forward i'm going to use the thicker white o-ring. i'm pretty sure it came from the hengst kit at my local independent.
 
#35 ·
At one time the Mann Filter # HU 925/4X was my most popular filter. We've changed at least a thousand, if not more.

I've witnessed occasional issues with the above filter predicated upon where it's made. We only buy by the case and it must be German. I've seen Mexico and another (I forget) country. Those others had a rare leak but right at where you found yours. Given we're changing oil/filter for my customers, we choose the one that has zero issues, the above from Germany.

When you open up the box and look at the end of the filter element, the country of origin is on the end of the filter.

BTW, the Mann HU 925/4X is the genuine filter for your car. We've also witnessed where a off brand filter can leak due to cheaper O Ring material and from over torquing of the cap. My best guess is the cheaper O Ring in conjunction with distorting the cap can cause a leak.
The proper torque is only 25Nm. (18.4 Ft. Lb.)
Anytime we perform a job for the first time, we follow the torque spec to the letter. Gives you a sense of just how much or how little is needed.
YMMV...

FYI one of my customers has a 2006 Ford GT. Guess what the filter is? HU 925/4X! First time we serviced it, we bought the filter (in an oversized box BTW) from Ford. Somewhere in the $28 range. I laughed when I opened up the box.
The car was mostly engineered in Europe, I guess they knew a good filter element when they saw one. The housing is largely the same on the side of the engine, albeit much further down.
 
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