Significant oil leak after oil change

[JAG]

Hi, I'm posting this for my office mate who has a 2000 BMW 328i. His engine is sludged up significantly from 15K mile OCIs. He changed the oil yesterday using the same dealer supplied BMW oil he's always used. We wonder if this leakage is related to sludge somehow.

After about 30 miles of driving the oil light came on, meaning low oil level. It has lost 3 quarts of oil. Oil is leaking from somewhere above the plastic skid pan. Even with the engine off it is still dripping oil. Oil drops were found on the radiator hose on the passenger side but this does not seem to be the main area of leaking. It is not leaking from the drain plug. It is not leaking from the oil filter housing. The valve cover seals appear to not be leaking. He did not get a chance yet to jack the car up yet to see where the main leak is.

Do any of you BMW gurus have any insight into what is going on? Thanks.

 

[VK56VD]

Very unlikely he will get that much oil loss after an oil change. It is more likely that the oil is dripping from a filter which isn't screwed in properly or the drain plug isn't screwed in all the way. Check these things first and see what you uncover.

On a side note, advise your friend to run two cycles of Auto-RX to clean up that engine after using 15k oci for so long and lower his OCI to 7.5k with the BMW synthetic oil or any other synthetic of his choice.

 

[JAG]

Thanks. Yes that amount of leakage is unlikely but it is a fact...it blows my mind too. The oil filter housing is at the top of the engine and is not leaking. The drain plug is rearward of the plastic skid plate so if it leaked it would not drip onto the skid plate which is where the oil is dripping off of.

Yes he should Auto-RX the engine many times with all the sludge inside it. I'll tell him he should do it.

 

[mrsilv04]

Is the o-ring still on the *old* oil filter? Has anyone checked?

2 o-rings will cause a huge leak...

 

[ChiTDI]

JAG - Check the filter for double gasketting. The old one may have stuck to the mating surface. The old filter is probably dead and gone, but if not, check for the existence of that gasket.

 

[JAG]

These late model BMW engines are unusual in that the oil filter has a permanent plastic housing at the TOP of the engine so it's in clear view when looking in the engine bay. There is no oil leak from the oil filter housing.

 

[Donald]

Is the oil leaking all the time when engine is off? I mean is it still leaking the next day? If that is so then its either a drain plug problem if the pan itself has a leak.

Three QTs in 30 miles, at 60 MPH thats 3 QTs in 30 minutes or 1/3 of a cup a minute. Thats a lot of oil to loose per minute.

 

[JAG]

He changed the oil yesterday. He drove it yesterday and today. When I saw it today, after he drove it, the engine had been off for 10 minutes and drops were still coming off of the plastic skid plate. I agree that an oil pan leak from a bad seal is a likely suspect. He needs to get under that thing and find out.

 

[Tosh]

Wasn't there just a thread about some BMWs' oilpan screws backing out?

 

[JAG]

I went looking and indeed JHRZ2 had a thread about older model BWM engine's oil pan screws backing out. That could be the culprit here.

 

[bruce381]

NO oil will do that you have a leak from ?? bolt, plug, BROKE something , Left something off screwed up some where GO look.
only way to know would be very plain to see where it is leaking from

bruce

 

[Schmoe]

My bet would be the oil pan or front main seal.

 

[Junior]

If is isn't the filter, plug or fill cap, is isn't the fault of the oil change. Does this engine have oil cooler lines by chance that decided to leak?

 

[JAG]

It does not have an oil cooler.

The car has been parked since I first posted but he's taking it to a shop on Monday. I'll post what the culprit was when I find out. This drastic, unusual situation is a bit interesting.

Also interesing to me is the amount of sludge his engine has. Far from a record setter, but to get an idea, the underside of his oil fill cap has a ~1mm thick layer of typical BMW red sludge on it. Red? Yes. Why? I sure don't know but the engine design knows how to make it red, somehow.

 

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: JAG
The car has been parked since I first posted but he's taking it to a shop on Monday. I'll post what the culprit was when I find out. This drastic, unusual situation is a bit interesting.

It must be fairly galling to let someone take a car to a $hop before crawling underneath yourself to see what might be obviously loose. But you're doing the right thing by distancing yourself from what sounds like another clueless car owner. Keep up the resistance! Hands off!

But this may not be as 'drastic' as it first appears: Sounds like bringing the oil level up to where it is supposed to be is an 'unusual situation' for this vehicle?

 

[Junior]

Agreed. It would kill me to pay someone to look for an oil leak I hadn't tried to find first.

 

[JAG]

My office mate's car was at the repair shop, parked a few feet off the road. Last night some dumb person (yes it was a girl...LOL) smashed into the back corner of his car. $3500 is the estimated cost to repair. It appears all nature's evil forces are conspiring against his car. It will be a while before he finds out why it is leaking oil.

 

[Tosh]

I predict your office mate trades it in on the new G35 Coupe to restore order in his universe (and get one over on you for not looking out for him better).