v_therussian

I've discovered some oil stains and a pretty large crack on the engine's underside plastic cover. Unscrewed it and peaked around: the power steering hose is all wet and it is directly behind the area where the crack is, but the stains on the pan do not look like power steering fluid - look like oil

I've had my oil changed about a month ago and maybe drove about 1000 miles since (probably less) and the oil level on the iDrive is showing 6 out of 7, which means that some has leaked. Additionally, I've had the oil level low message come up a few times last summer (back then I thought it was just burning some oil) - topped it off and all seemed fine.

I've looked around the area directly above the stain on the pan and tried to find the source of the leak. This was at a mechanic shop and none of the mechanics there were able to pinpoint the issue. But I fear the worst - the lifters and the gasket... anyways, fears aside, can I get some pointers where to look for the signs of oil leaks and how to find out what exactly this problem is?

Thanks in advance, as always

PS its an N52 engine with about 62xxx miles on it. I've pampered it too - oil changes every 5-6k miles, just had new plugs installed, etc. I hear some ticking from it occasionally, but before this leak situation never bothered about it, as there have never been any issues - none known to me anyway...

pukka

How high up on the engine block are you seeing oil residue?

The best thing to do is take your time and clean up as much of the oil stains as possible. Then drive the car normally and check for leaks every other day or so. This should give you a better idea of where the leak is coming from.

I've never spent too much time under the hood of my 5er, but if I remember correctly the oil filter is actually on top of the engine. You mentioned you noticed this problem after you had an oil change. It's a WAG (wild ass guess), but it's possible when they replaced your filter they didn't insert the rubber O-ring on the filter properly.

Hope it works out for you.

-Mike-

with something like that, rely on the pros

bite the bullet and take it in to the dealer

you don't have to repair it with them

otherwise, you'll have to rely on guesses here

me? i'd rather know exactly what i'm dealing with

it would be worth the labor charge, if one applies

pukka

It doesn't take a pro to figure out where leak is coming from. A dealer would do exactly what I said in my previous post and charge you a couple hundred bucks.

I wouldn't mind being your mechanic since you're so generous.

-Mike-

I'm sure the OP will benefit from your "WAG"s on the issue

pukka

My "WAG"s are based on my EXPERIENCES working on cars. Over the years I've found out more than a few times after paying for "professional" troubleshooting services that I could have easily reached the same conclusion had I known where to look and what to look for. So I don't hesitate to share what I've learned on this forum if someone asks. That's what this forum is for (unless it really is solely for bragging about mods and the Lounge).

If you think locating the source of a fluid leak on a car is something that immediately requires an expert opinion and wouldn't mind paying for such, then all I can say is

Worst case, the OP is at least armed with more info so he can know when the mechanic is b/s-ing him - and hell, it may even save him a few bucks.

v_therussian

Mike, dude, its cool - Pukka actually provided exactly the kind of response I was looking for. Thank you both for trying to help - I really appreciate it.

My indie mech wanted to just what pukka suggested - wash everything off and just let me drive the car for a few days. I can always take it to the stealership, but I want to see if I can diagnose it myself, or at least eliminate some of the simpler stuff, like the o-ring.

I'm still accepting suggestions on where to look, if anyone wants to chime in some more btw