I had my car in the shop because I noticed some oil on the floor of my garage a couple weeks ago. The technician said that the oil filter gasket failed and needs to be replaced. They said the maintenance for that would be 1k though, so I decided I would attempt the repair myself since it looks like there are some pretty decent DIY's out there for it. So I ordered the parts I need, and am planning on doing this repair this weekend.

Well I was driving to work this morning and was going to pass a big truck. I pushed down on the accelerator and then an error message came up in the dash and on the idrive: Engine Malfunction - Reduced Power Output - Can Continue.

That's the only message that came up, and the power output seemed to be pretty much the same. Is this most likely the same issue of the oil gasket failing? I was able to drive home and take the wifes car to work. I will replace the gasket as soon as I get the part in and then I'll see if the error goes away.

 

I would say unlikely tho I stand to be corrected, I do not recall anything about that gasket that could cause such symptoms, im sure it can only leak fluids lol

 

1K for replacing a oil filter gasket or valve cover gasket?

Check all vacuum hose.. have you notice any lost of power?

 

Housing gasket:
I haven't noticed any loss of power.

 

That is way too much for a gasket change. You might need to forget about that shop. If you have low oil you could get that error but I doubt it because it will give you the low oil indicator first. Check for vacuum leaks.
I would change the gasket, change oil, check for vacuum leaks then reset the MIL/computer then test drive. Your car is fine and its not going to fail you completely. You just need to find the leak and make sure you have the right level of oil

 

What is the best way to check for a vacuum leak?

 

So before you go buy parts for this issue buy a decent code reader. If you pull the codes it'll give you a good idea of where to start your trouble shooting vs just blindly doing things.

 

+1. You can go to any auto parts store to have the codes read if you do not want to spend money on one. I prefer using the INPA program because you will get the most information from it. Always check the codes to make sure you are troubleshooting the right thing.

 

I ended up replacing the oil filter housing gasket as well as the oil cooler gasket. It seems to have solved my problem. No more error codes and no more oil leaking. The replacement took me and one other novice guy about 5 hours to do.

 

Good job. It definitely beats that 1K bill you were given. Thanks for posting the results.