Sudden oil leak on E46....

E46arc

New member
Hi Guys,
I noticed my car leaking oil yesterday, but it is more than i expected....
As my e46 is under warranty it has gone into Cedar Isle BMW. but anyone got an idea what it could be?
 

E46arc

New member
Well its a E46 318i/A Executive edition 2002, and its a brownish black fluid...
well its underneath the engine but closer to the right than the centre...

do you think its serious? its still drives fine etc...
 

Sankekur

///Member
Could be coming from gasket between the oil filter housing and the engine.

Best would be to take off the covers under the engine, give the engine a good clean so that you can see where the oil is leaking from.

Seriousness depends on how much it is leaking, just be sure to check the lever regularly.
 

E46arc

New member
Sankekur said:
Could be coming from gasket between the oil filter housing and the engine.

Best would be to take off the covers under the engine, give the engine a good clean so that you can see where the oil is leaking from.

Seriousness depends on how much it is leaking, just be sure to check the lever regularly.

Well i noticed it yesterday... so iv sent it in to Cedar, so I know im in good hands, guess il just have to wait and see what the out come is.

Also does Castrol fully synthetic oil make a difference to normal oil... or do you perhaps know what the best oil for my car would be?
 

E46arc

New member
Just got a call from Cedar Isle BMW and still no reason why it is leaking oil, but they are investigating it..... now im getting worried...:cry:
 

Yulz9081

Honorary ///Member
318 2002 = N42 motor.
I had one too. Common oil leaks occur from the solenoids that 'plug' into the front of the motor. Sorry I'm a noob, no other way to explain it. You have to take the cover off and you'll see it. The seals just have to be replaced. There was another thread with this.

Another possible cause is the Vacuum pump is leaking oil. This can be opened up and sealed properly as well.

If BMW couldn't diagnose then doubt it's the gasket...then again they can be a bunch of idiots at times.
But Sankekur is right, a thorough clean will be needed then drive for about 50-100km and see where the oil is coming from.
 

E46arc

New member
Yulesen said:
318 2002 = N42 motor.
I had one too. Common oil leaks occur from the solenoids that 'plug' into the front of the motor. Sorry I'm a noob, no other way to explain it. You have to take the cover off and you'll see it. The seals just have to be replaced. There was another thread with this.

Another possible cause is the Vacuum pump is leaking oil. This can be opened up and sealed properly as well.

If BMW couldn't diagnose then doubt it's the gasket...then again they can be a bunch of idiots at times.
But Sankekur is right, a thorough clean will be needed then drive for about 50-100km and see where the oil is coming from.
True story... but every time iv been to Cedar theyve always been really good... so what you saying is if they havent picked it up yet its a good sign???
 

Yulz9081

Honorary ///Member
No they should have as they picked up mine when it was sent in for the same thing. I just had oil leaking from 3 places simultaneously :thumbdo:

But just ask them to check solenoid valve seals as well as vacuum pump. Both are towards the right of the car and you said the leak was closer to that side.
 

E46arc

New member
Yulesen said:
No they should have as they picked up mine when it was sent in for the same thing. I just had oil leaking from 3 places simultaneously :thumbdo:

But just ask them to check solenoid valve seals as well as vacuum pump. Both are towards the right of the car and you said the leak was closer to that side.

Yea il tell them that thanx bud!.... its definitely to the right...
 

andrewbuch

///Member
We had similar on our 2004 318i Auto.. went in to the dealer 5 times to fix it.. replaced a whole bunch of parts untill they "fixed" it... found out from the guy who sold the car for us that the new owner complained about a oil leak & the dealer now says its a different oil leak so they not paying for the repair...
 

E46arc

New member
Bad news......... apparently its very bad! car is staying over night over the 10grand mark on damages..... so far.... what i dont understand is how it all of a sudden just happened.
 

Yulz9081

Honorary ///Member
Bud don't always take dealer's word for it. They only replace and not repair when in fact some parts can be repaired. So maybe ask them to mail you a list of parts that need to be replaced. Post it here and maybe the guys can help you out and tell you what can be repaired or where you can source a part privately. If the dealer is charging over 10k, it's likely it can be done privately for half that.
 

E46arc

New member
Yulesen said:
Bud don't always take dealer's word for it. They only replace and not repair when in fact some parts can be repaired. So maybe ask them to mail you a list of parts that need to be replaced. Post it here and maybe the guys can help you out and tell you what can be repaired or where you can source a part privately. If the dealer is charging over 10k, it's likely it can be done privately for half that.
youre right on that perspective... they only replace... i have asked them they will get back to me shortly via email.


Ok guys latest news.... it apparently looks like its my cylinder head??????
 
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