Preventing Oil Leaks
03-02-2014, 07:55 AM
#11
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2004 545i - No significant leaks yet although I've been replacing factory hose clamps with fuel injection clamps as a preventative measure. A big consideration nobody seems to talk about is re-torquing components (valve covers, alternator, etc) that could leak oil. Any thoughts?
03-02-2014, 01:02 PM
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In all seriousness, there is no way to be proactive enough to prevent oil leaks with a BMW. It's going to leak oil, the only questions are where, when, and how much. The V8s seem to be worse than the six cylinders, and it's been this way for as long as I've been around BMW (late 90s).
BMW needs to take some tips from Honda and Toyota and figure out how to build an engine that won't puke oil. BMW spends so much time and money making engines fuel efficient in the name of saving the environment, and then put something on the road that dumps oil all over the ground.
You might want to think about mounting an external oil cooler on the car. This is exactly what BMW did with the 550i.
Good luck with the car.
03-02-2014, 01:31 PM
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Repairs listed here in my thread will help prevent oil and coolant leaks...
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...-leaks-137218/
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...-leaks-137218/
03-02-2014, 03:57 PM
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I'm switching to this 5W-30 oil: Valvoline.com > Products > Motor Oil > Full Synthetic Motor Oil > MaxLife® Full Synthetic Higher Mileage Motor Oil
It meets BMW LL-01 specs, is very similar to 5W-30 Valvoline Syntech which is LL-01 approved, and recommended for cars with over 75K miles. I like the idea of seals conditioning in any case. At least I will have done something to try and avoid the well known leaks rather than just waiting for them to occur.
It meets BMW LL-01 specs, is very similar to 5W-30 Valvoline Syntech which is LL-01 approved, and recommended for cars with over 75K miles. I like the idea of seals conditioning in any case. At least I will have done something to try and avoid the well known leaks rather than just waiting for them to occur.
03-02-2014, 05:37 PM
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You're welcome, happy to help.
In all seriousness, there is no way to be proactive enough to prevent oil leaks with a BMW. It's going to leak oil, the only questions are where, when, and how much. The V8s seem to be worse than the six cylinders, and it's been this way for as long as I've been around BMW (late 90s).
BMW needs to take some tips from Honda and Toyota and figure out how to build an engine that won't puke oil. BMW spends so much time and money making engines fuel efficient in the name of saving the environment, and then put something on the road that dumps oil all over the ground.
You might want to think about mounting an external oil cooler on the car. This is exactly what BMW did with the 550i.
Good luck with the car.
In all seriousness, there is no way to be proactive enough to prevent oil leaks with a BMW. It's going to leak oil, the only questions are where, when, and how much. The V8s seem to be worse than the six cylinders, and it's been this way for as long as I've been around BMW (late 90s).
BMW needs to take some tips from Honda and Toyota and figure out how to build an engine that won't puke oil. BMW spends so much time and money making engines fuel efficient in the name of saving the environment, and then put something on the road that dumps oil all over the ground.
You might want to think about mounting an external oil cooler on the car. This is exactly what BMW did with the 550i.
Good luck with the car.
Obviously BMW changed things, so something must have driven that cooler addition for the 550, possibly the long oil change schedule? 15K between changes may be O.K. from a synthetic lubricant breakdown perspective, but common sense tell me that contamination build-up has to be greater by a factor of two. The contamination may not damage metal parts (bearings rings, lifter parts, etc.), but what it's doing to the flexible seals & gaskets can't be good, especially if there is some excessive oil heating going on.. Also, these guys (near the bottom of the thread) seem to think that overheating oil as a cause of seal failure is not a proven factor: Check What I found now about V8 cars - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums
It seems pretty risky adding some sort of aftermarket cooler with the potential for catastrophic failure, so I think a more frequent oil change schedule using LL-01 compliant oil that contains seal conditioners is the best solution for now.
Last edited by gwf545; 03-02-2014 at 05:42 PM.
03-02-2014, 05:47 PM
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03-02-2014, 05:52 PM
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The alternator bracket & seal design are both horrible and destined to fail IMO. The way it's setup, the bracket can only be tightened to a very specific point in relation to the block.. the design relies on the o-ring being a specific thickness so that it works out. Once the o-ring ages and and starts to get compressed from being compressed/heated for so long, it's a done deal. It will leak
The oil pump pumps straight into that area.. and the oil has to make a 180* turn in the actual bracket on the 545i's since there is no oil cooler. The seals are getting pounded with all that oil, all the time.. the design is just not sufficient
The oil pump pumps straight into that area.. and the oil has to make a 180* turn in the actual bracket on the 545i's since there is no oil cooler. The seals are getting pounded with all that oil, all the time.. the design is just not sufficient
03-02-2014, 05:55 PM
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Hmmm... I've had the car since new, picked up in Munich, and never had any sense it ever got too hot, even after "spirited" driving. With almost 8 quarts of oil circulating, it would seem to me difficult for that to happen. I've always appreciated BMW's use of large oil volume for cooling, starting with my e39.
Obviously BMW changed things, so something must have driven that cooler addition for the 550, possibly the long oil change schedule? 15K between changes may be O.K. from a synthetic lubricant breakdown perspective, but common sense tell me that contamination build-up has to be greater by a factor of two. The contamination may not damage metal parts (bearings rings, lifter parts, etc.), but what it's doing to the flexible seals & gaskets can't be good, especially if there is some excessive oil heating going on.. Also, these guys (near the bottom of the thread) seem to think that overheating oil as a cause of seal failure is not a proven factor: Check What I found now about V8 cars - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums
It seems pretty risky adding some sort of aftermarket cooler with the potential for catastrophic failure, so I think a more frequent oil change schedule using LL-01 compliant oil that contains seal conditioners is the best solution for now.
Obviously BMW changed things, so something must have driven that cooler addition for the 550, possibly the long oil change schedule? 15K between changes may be O.K. from a synthetic lubricant breakdown perspective, but common sense tell me that contamination build-up has to be greater by a factor of two. The contamination may not damage metal parts (bearings rings, lifter parts, etc.), but what it's doing to the flexible seals & gaskets can't be good, especially if there is some excessive oil heating going on.. Also, these guys (near the bottom of the thread) seem to think that overheating oil as a cause of seal failure is not a proven factor: Check What I found now about V8 cars - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums
It seems pretty risky adding some sort of aftermarket cooler with the potential for catastrophic failure, so I think a more frequent oil change schedule using LL-01 compliant oil that contains seal conditioners is the best solution for now.
03-02-2014, 06:02 PM
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The alternator bracket & seal design are both horrible and destined to fail IMO. The way it's setup, the bracket can only be tightened to a very specific point in relation to the block.. the design relies on the o-ring being a specific thickness so that it works out. Once the o-ring ages and and starts to get compressed from being compressed/heated for so long, it's a done deal. It will leak
The oil pump pumps straight into that area.. and the oil has to make a 180* turn in the actual bracket on the 545i's since there is no oil cooler. The seals are getting pounded with all that oil, all the time.. the design is just not sufficient
The oil pump pumps straight into that area.. and the oil has to make a 180* turn in the actual bracket on the 545i's since there is no oil cooler. The seals are getting pounded with all that oil, all the time.. the design is just not sufficient
03-02-2014, 06:04 PM
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Yeah, it wasn't one of BMW's smarter moves. However, I am unclear about how common a problem this really is and if there is something aggravating it. Some guys post that they have well into 100K+ miles and not a drop of leakage. I am suspecting that the guys who bought used cars that had the 15K oil change interval are the ones with the oil leakage problems. Even when I was getting "free" oil changes, I did one of my own between them.