Advice on Oil Leak/AutoRX for a BMW M52 Engine

[E36Alex]

Hi everyone, been reading for a while and just got around to joining. I need some advice on my 1998 BMW 328i, with 105k miles on it.

I'm running Mobil 1 0w-40 right now, and have no issues except for a small oil leak from the front main seal. I haven't pulled the valve cover, so I don't know how clean the inside of the engine is.

I've heard some people stop seal leaks with AutoRX, so I thought I would give that a try, but wanted some thoughts on it. A certain forum member (a BMW owner, not Frank) recommends 2 bottles since the sump on the M52 engine is about 7 qts -- does this mean two bottles at once, or two treatments? I figured I would run ARX with Castrol GTX 10w-40 since it's easy to find in my area.

Is ARX adviseable in my situation, or should I try something Mobil 1 High Mileage or maybe even Valvoline Maxlife? I would like to slow down the leak until I have the tools or the money to spend to get it properly fixed. It's not a huge leak (I don't see a noticeable drop in oil level, even over 4 months since the last change). I'm due for an oil change, and wanted to get started with something within the next week or so.

Thanks for all the advice!
Alex

 

[Trav]

I would put the $50+ 2 bottles of ARX will cost into replacing the front seal and doing the job right.
Stay with the Mobil 1 0w-40.

 

[merdog]

Welcome Alex:
I have used Val Max Life for years and it helps my valve cover gaskets a lot and works good on the engine. I would try it first before putting other items in your oil. Try it in either the Blend or the Syn. I use the 10W30 but you might try the 10W40 and see how it goes.. Let me know what you used and how it went...
Good Luck.
Rick

 

[Norm Olt]

Front seal job on a M52 co$t$ $? My '91 420SEL has about 4 or 5 small oil leaks that could cost a couple grand to totally eradicate: my MB aftermarket specialty shop mechanic (27 years a MB mechanic, about 15 in the Stealership environment) says...

"Oil is cheap. Put a piece of cardboard under the car in your garage. Monitor the amount of oil that is leaking out and keep it between the red dots on the dipstick. We'll take care of them all if and when we ever do a new top end on your motor..."

Cheers!

This is at 204+K miles, and counting.

 

[E36Alex]

I was just considering ARX because I know when my parents owned the car they were not all that great about maintenance, so I'm guessing this thing saw some longer oil change intervals in its earlier life, and has been filled up with a lot of different oils over the years. I figured some cleaning is probably in order, and if it could help a leak all the better.

edit -- Hi Norm, I think I could do it myself if I wanted to invest in about $200 in tools and had the 12 or so hours it would take to take the timing case apart in the front. I'm sure a shop would charge at least $600 due to the time consuming nature of actually getting to the oil seal. (The seal itself is $10) .

 

[oilboy123]

I would say give the RX a shot. It's only $50 after all. At the very least the engine if it's dirty will run better/more efficiently because it's cleaner. Good luck

 

[demarpaint]

I'd try a HM oil, or for about $5 try Lubro Moly Oil Saver with your M1 0w40. People have reported good results with the LM product and I think its worth a shot.

 

[E36Alex]

Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I would say give the RX a shot. It's only $50 after all. At the very least the engine if it's dirty will run better/more efficiently because it's cleaner. Good luck


The only thing I'm afraid of is that the car doesn't get driven very often, and to complete the 5k miles required or so by a cycle of ARX will take me into the winter, and it's very cold here. Do you think 1 ARX cycle would be enough for the engine? I suppose I could always run a 5w-30 dino in the winter to make cold starts easier...

I'm just not really sure if spending however many months trying ARX is worth it, or if I would be better served by a high mileage oil or something like the LubroMoly additive.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[demarpaint]

I ran two full cycles of A-Rx. IIRC it took about a year, it briefly stopped a leak and it returned. Maybe you'll have better luck. Remember if the vehicle has 100,000 or more miles it is recommended you do two clean and rinse cycles, unless they've changed the directions.

 

[E36Alex]

I'm going to pull the valve cover to replace the valve cover gasket here in another week or two, that may give me an idea of how clean the engine is. I suppose a can of LubroMoly could be an easy fix if it works, and if not well, it's $8 a can.

It's not a bad leak by any means, most nights I won't even have a drop of oil on the garage floor. Just something I figured I may be able to take care of through some strategic oil changing.

Maybe Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w-30 + LubroMoly Oil saver would be a sensible try? Or should I stick with the 0w-40....I'm just worried about making the oil too thick with the Oil Saver. They have a 10w-40 High Mileage as well......So many choices -- that's why I'm here

 

[demarpaint]

In the summer the LM product would be fine IMO. Winter you could just run the M1 0w40. From what I was told the LM does have some residual effects after the oil has been changed. I didn't realize the LM was $8 now I must have scored a deal on mine.

 

[E36Alex]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
In the summer the LM product would be fine IMO. Winter you could just run the M1 0w40. From what I was told the LM does have some residual effects after the oil has been changed. I didn't realize the LM was $8 now I must have scored a deal on mine.


It may not be that expensive locally if I can find it. Walmart has M1 High Mileage very cheap, so I'm tempted to try that in addition to the oil saver, if that's advisable. If not I could always stick with 0w-40.

 

[demarpaint]

Search the oil additive section, and/or PM FalconLS he's up on all their products. IMO the LM Oil Saver might be your ticket.

 

[PontiacFan]

I really do not think auto-rx is going to work in your situation.

It seems this car has had infrequent oil changes and there is a chance that your seal could be ripped or torn.

If your seal is very hard, it is highly doubtful that auto-rx will bring the seal back to being pliable.

Let us know what you find when you pull your Valve Covers off.

 

[E36Alex]

I actually went through the maintenance logs of this car (I didn't even know we had them until I asked my dad). The oil change intervals look very reasonable (anywhere from 4-6k) actually.

 

[PontiacFan]

Originally Posted By: E36Alex
I actually went through the maintenance logs of this car (I didn't even know we had them until I asked my dad). The oil change intervals look very reasonable (anywhere from 4-6k) actually.



Do you remember what brands of oil this car has seen.

 

[E36Alex]

Everything, when my parents were driving it they would have our tire shop (and other small shops) change the oil. I have no idea what they use, probably Quaker State.

 

[PontiacFan]

Originally Posted By: E36Alex
Everything, when my parents were driving it they would have our tire shop (and other small shops) change the oil. I have no idea what they use, probably Quaker State.


You could always do a few OCI's with Pennzoil Platinum, it does have some good cleaning properties.

 

[E36Alex]

There's just so many options. I just stumbled across a thread of someone who cleared up a crank seal issue in a BMW 5 series an m52 engine using LubroMoly Oil Saver. I suppose it's worth a shot, I doubt it would make it worse.

I'm just debating what oil I should run it in? Would it make a 40 weight too thick? Would it be stupid to run it in a High Mileage oil like M1 10w-30 or 10w-40?

Would an engine flush like LubroMoly Engine Flush be harmful to the seals? I know it says seal safe....but what are they going to say "Yeah this stuff destroys your seals". edit -- I might be getting ahead of myself without pulling the valve cover.

 

[Falcon_LS]

I use Liqui-Moly's Pro-Line Engine Flush at every oil change. It doesn't have any negative effects on seals, provided you use it as instructed. The maximum amount of time you should run this stuff in your engine is 25 minutes, and that is for really dirty/sludged engines. For a well maintained engine, 10-15 minutes is more than sufficient.

Worth mentioning, Liqui-Moly Motor Clean is exactly the same product as Pro-Line Engine Flush. The only difference is the packaging, as the Pro-Line series is for professional users, whereas Motor Clean is for retail users. Motor Clean comes in a nice box with all the marketing hype, so it costs more.