I have a E61 wagon with an N52 engine that has serious oil leaks at the front of the engine. The oil is flung around the front, to the airfilter box, to the underside of the hood, to the pulleys, to the alternator, to the belt ... So I decided to tackle it today.

Of the four normally leaking points:

1. Valve cover gaskets. Checked. No leaks
2. Oil filter housing gasket: checked, replaced last year, and no leaks right now
3. Oil cooler / heat exchanger gasket, no leaks.
4. The front main seal. I was unable to remove it today because the 1) last seal installed 5 years ago was installed on top of a speedy sleeve over the crank. That makes the factory seal removal tool unable to fit over the speedy sleeve. I decided not to mess with that today because I only had a couple of hours and that will take all day to modify the tool or find another tool (unlikely).

What I did find is a potential leaking spot. What is behind this cover and can it leak oil ?

 

The vacuum pump lives under that cover.